Action, Service & Action and CAS
Action
Taking action is a conclusion to the learning that involves students making connections to what they have learned, applying a variety of real life skills, demonstrating an enduring understanding and reflecting on the attributes and attitudes of the learner profile.
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At St. Francis, we strive to provide students with opportunities to reflect, to choose and to act on their actions in order to make a difference. The actions students take in the Early Years and Primary will look different at each year level varying from small actions to guide their own learning (such as bringing into school something about the topic being studied) to larger actions to move the community and beyond (such as raising awareness or conducting projects of greater significance to the community and beyond).
Service and Action
As action is a fundamental component of our educational philosophy, our students strive to impact the world positively. Service to others in the Middle Years Programme provides them with opportunities to become not only active members of our own community but also build meaningful connections with others beyond the classroom. Through responsible action, our students can also develop the attributes of the Learner Profile, along with essential skills to prepare for the many challenges they will encounter in their personal lives.
Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS)
As we´ve said, service learning is fundamental in the IB and no other component embodies this in a better way than CAS. The programme allows students to explore seven learning outcomes through planned experiences in the areas of creativity, activity and service to others. CAS is not a social service programme; it is about pupils offering a legitimate service to their wider community while developing new skills, collaborating with a range of people, and overcoming different challenges. CAS should be one of the most rewarding experiences a student will have while completing the IB.
At St. Francis pupils have a CAS adviser who is a teacher that helps the student develop their portfolio in a unique way. We expect pupils to be involved in experiences that take their interest in the hopes that their passions will be ignited. This involvement can take the form of a single experience or a CAS project. It is through the CAS project that we expect students to develop their project planning skills by engaging in the CAS Cycle: investigate, prepare, action, reflect, and demonstrate. There is no set number of experiences a CAS student must complete to pass this component; CAS is a personal journey so everyone's criteria is different.
CAS is a leadership programme designed to create students who can plan complex projects, communicate effectively with a range of people, motivate their peers to follow, and make a lasting, positive difference to their community. A significant skill this process will facilitate is problem solving; through effective reflection a CAS student will learn how to troubleshoot problems, overcome challenges, and become independent leaders.
