good shepherd international school international

CAS PARENT AGREEMENT FORM 1

Good Shepherd International School

GOOD SHEPHERD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

DIPLOMA PROGRAMME

CREATIVITY, ACTIVITY, SERVICE

PARENT AGREEMENT ON CREATIVITY, ACTIVITY, SERVICEFOR THEIR WARD(S)



IB Mission Statement

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

VISION AND MISSION OF GOOD SHEPHERD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Vision

Good Shepherd International School, in its pursuit of a holistic education, envisages inspiring and fostering a community of caring, progressive, lifelong learners to embrace and celebrate all Creation.

Mission Statement and Descriptors

Good Shepherd International School endeavours to prepare each student for academic social and personal success by creating a community of empowered and diverse learners striving to be globally-minded citizens in an atmosphere of mutual respect, understanding and trust.

GSIS is an International School by:

• maintaining a global perspective in an Asian context wherein it is situated

• embracing a diversity of cultures represented by its staff and students

• being sensitive and accepting of all cultures

• upholding a secular perspective within the School community

• offering national and international Curriculums

Academic Success at GSIS is:

• acquisition of academic skills

• training to apply knowledge to real life situations

• provision of qualified staff to ensure quality education

• being in a residential set-up that facilitates holistic academic growth and development

• benchmarked results and learning outcomes on global standards

• entry into leading colleges / universities in the country and worldwide

CAS PARENT AGREEMENT FORM2


Social Success at GSIS is:

• development of a strong identity and self worth

• ability to relate, connect and communicate effectively with others

• cultural sensitivity and acceptance

• valuing justice and fairness in social living

• being service oriented unconditionally

• having an acceptable level of decorum

Personal Success at GSIS is:

• being a life long learner equipped with a keen spirit of inquiry

• developing a value based and ethical outlook on life

• imbibing cognitive and behavioral skills to take on the world

• acquiring a sense of purpose and being goal oriented

• possessing a sense of equanimity and ability to balance reason and emotion

• having acceptable standards of deportment

• having a spiritual rootedness within a secular context

Community Life at GSIS means:

• staff and students living in a multi-cultural ambience / context

• having a sense of being in a ‘family’

• developing a sense of belonging and togetherness in all we do

• allowing for personal space within a structured environment

• experiencing the joy / art of living – joie de vivre

Empowered Learners at GSIS:

• take responsibility and are accountable for one’s learning

• value and enjoy the process of learning as much as the outcome

• share and transmit knowledge

• develop initiative and leadership skills

Diverse Learners at GSIS:

• acquire holistic learning and development through a wide variety of academic / extra curricular activities

• have varied curricular options to choose from catering to their diverse needs and backgrounds



• are recognized and accepted for their multiple ability levels and learning styles

• learn from each other in the diverse community they live, learn and work in

Globally minded Citizens at GSIS:

• value the human spirit beyond the constraints of cultural boundaries

• develop awareness and sensitivity to global issues encompassing all aspects of life

• understand the impact of one’s thoughts and actions on the world at large

• think globally and act locally

Mutual Respect at GSIS means:

• upholding the sanctity of teacher-student roles

• appreciating and accepting individuality and diversity

• safeguarding and promoting the values ethos of the institution

• preserving and maintaining the environment we live and work in

Understanding and Trust at GSIS means:

• Truth / Trust / Triumph (our school motto)

• caring for individual needs even as we live in the community

• belief in the goodness of the individual and the human race

• developing empathy and rapport amongst members of the community

• being active listeners and critical thinkers before being judgemental



The CAS Handbook can be found on the Good Shepherd International School website www.gsis.ac.in under the IB Diploma programme.

The Intent of CAS:

CAS is at the heart of the Diploma Programme. With its holistic approach, CAS is designed to strengthen and extend students’ personal and interpersonal learning.

All IB programmes address students’ cognitive, social, emotional and physical well-being and offer opportunities for students to become active and caring members of local, national and global communities.

CAS purposefully builds on the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Middle Years Programme (MYP), establishing continuity across the IB continuum of international education. CAS represents part of the Diploma Programme’s ongoing commitment to the IB learner profile.

As the IB’s mission in action, the learner profile concisely describes the aspirations of a global community that shares the values underlying the IB’s educational philosophy. Through CAS, students continue to strengthen the approaches to learning they encounter and develop in the PYP and MYP.

In approaches to learning, students are encouraged to grow both personally and socially, developing skills such as cooperation, problem-solving, conflict resolution and creative and critical thinking, as well as developing their own identities. CAS continues to develop students’ ability to engage in critical reflection, offering increasingly sophisticated opportunities for students to analyse their own thinking, effort and performance. Students also learn how to set challenging goals and develop the commitment and perseverance to achieve them. The elements of approaches to learning and the attributes of the learner profile highlighted and developed across the continuum of IB programmes are lived through the variety of CAS experiences and CAS project(s). Further, during CAS students continue to develop individual and shared responsibility, and effective teamwork and collaboration.

All three elements of the core – TOK, EE, CAS of the IBDP - should be grounded in three coherent aims:

•support,andbesupportedby,theacademicdisciplines•fosterinternational-mindedness•developself-awarenessandasenseofidentity.

CAS complements a challenging academic programme in a holistic way, providing opportunities for self-determination, collaboration, accomplishment and enjoyment.

A meaningful CAS programme is a journey of discovery of self and others.



A CAS programme is individualized according to student interests, skills, values and background.

While not formally assessed, students reflect on their CAS experiences and provide evidence in their CAS portfolios of achieving the seven learning outcomes.

The CAS programme continues regularly, ideally on a weekly basis (3 to 4 hours per week), for at least 18 months with a reasonable balance between creativity, activity, and service.

The THREE STRANDS:

CAS is organized around the three strands of creativity, activity and service defined as follows.

1 Creativity - exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance; this would involve creative thinkingApproaches to Creativity – Ongoing creativity; School-based creativity; Community-based creativity; Individual creativity

2 Activity - physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle Approaches to Activity – Ongoing activity; School-based activity; Community-based activity; Individual activity

3 Service - collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need; this should be voluntary Four kinds of service – Direct Service, Indirect Service, Advocacy, ResearchApproaches to Service – Ongoing service; School-based service; Community-based service; Immediate need service; Fundraising; International service; Volunteerism; Service arising from the curriculum

CAS stages (investigation, preparation, action, reflection and demonstration) are a framework for CAS experiences and the CAS project.

The CAS stages provide a framework that enables students to: • increaseself-awareness• learnaboutlearning• explorenewandunfamiliarchallenges• employdifferentlearningstyles• developtheirabilitytocommunicateandcollaboratewithothers• experienceandrecognizepersonaldevelopment• developattributesoftheIBlearnerprofile.



Completion of CAS is based on student achievement of the seven CAS learning outcomes.

Learning outcome 1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth Learning outcome 2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process Learning outcome 3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience Learning outcome 4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences Learning outcome 5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively Learning outcome 6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance Learning outcome 7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

Three formal documented interviews students must have with their CAS coordinator/adviser.

CAS emphasizes reflection which is central to building a deep and rich experience in CASMaintain and complete a CAS portfolio as evidence of their engagement with CAS.

All CAS experiences and CAS projects should be subject to a valid and comprehensive Risk Assessment to ensure safety of self and others.

Involving one or more of the three CAS strands, a CAS experience can be a single event or may be an extended series of events.

A CAS experience must:

•fitwithinoneormoreoftheCASstrands•bebasedonapersonalinterest,skill,talentoropportunityforgrowth•provideopportunitiestodeveloptheattributesoftheIBlearnerprofile•notbeusedorincludedinthestudent’sDiplomacourserequirements

To further assist students in deciding on a CAS experience, the following questions may be useful for students to consider. •Willtheexperiencebeenjoyable?•Doestheexperienceallowfordevelopmentofpersonalinterests,skillsand/ortalents?•Whatnewpossibilitiesorchallengescouldtheexperienceprovide?•WhatmightbethepossibleconsequencesofyourCASexperienceforyou,othersandtheenvironment?•WhichCASlearningoutcomesmaybeaddressed?

CAS is NOT

Passive participationCarried out with vested interests and monetary gain or rewards in kindPolitical or disruptiveMaking others do and contribute but involvement of self individually or as a groupMere visits to places Purposeless



CAS PROJECT

A CAS project is a collaborative, well-considered series of sequential CAS experiences, engaging students in one or more of the three CAS strands of creativity, activity, and service. CAS students must be involved in at least two to three CAS projects during their CAS programme at GSIS.

All CAS projects are designed with a defined purpose and goals. Individual students identify one or more learning outcomes to further guide their role and responsibilities in the CAS project. Students will likely identify more outcomes, or modify expected outcomes during the CAS project and/or at its completion.

CAS project is of at least one month’s duration from planning to completion that challenges students to show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making. CAS projects of longer duration can provide even greater scope and opportunities for all participants and should be encouraged.

The following examples are provided to help generate further ideas without limiting the scope and direction of a CAS project.

Creativity: A student group plans, designs and creates a mural. Activity: Students organize and participate in a sports team including training sessions and matches against other teams. Service: Students set up and conduct tutoring for people in need. Creativity and activity: Students choreograph a routine for their marching band. Service and activity: Students plan and participate in the planting and maintenance of a garden with members of the local community. Service and creativity: Students identify that children at a local school need backpacks and subsequently design and make the backpacks out of recycled materials. Creativity, activity, and service: Students rehearse and perform a dance production for a community retirement home.

At GSIS our students do their reflections on the GSIS ManageBac - a netbased software portal and these would include the following:

1. The student’s proposal for the CAS experience or CAS project: Here a description of the intended CAS experience or project is to be detailed understanding the need

for the CAS experience or project. Questions as given here should be addressed - What is the CAS experience or CAS project about? How is this to be carried out or implemented? What is the student’s role and responsibility in it? What are the goals and targeted outcomes and product? What is the duration? What are the strands involved? How is the experience or the project going to be scheduled? etc.

2. Under Reflection, the student has to analyse the experience and the project commenting on the execution, the benefits, the challenges, the values and qualities learnt. Questions as given here should



be addressed - How did you feel going through with the CAS experience or CAS project? What were the highlights and great moments of the CAS engagement? What were the challenges if any you had and how did you tackle them? What new lessons have you learnt through the experience or the project? How has the CAS experience and CAS project given you added insight into life and yourself? How did you about working in a team? How did you go about following your action plan? etc.

3. Details of evidence gathered to support the conduct of the experience or the project is to be given; journals and photographs with certificates could be uploaded as evidence.

PARENT RESPONSIBILITY:

1. Encourage and support your ward(s) in CAS experiences and CAS projects with a clear understanding of the importance of CAS in the completion of the IB Diploma requirements.

2. Participate in assessing the progress made by your ward(s) in the various CAS experiences and the CAS projects undertaken.

3. Advise your ward(s) to make consistent effort to complete the CAS experiences and the CAS projects in line with the seven learning outcomes and to complete the reflections in time.

4. Permit the participation of your ward(s) in worthwhile and safe CAS experience and CAS projects especially in the strand of service during the vacation time to ensure the continuity of these to positively impact self and others subscribing to adequate Risk Assessment measures.

5. Assist your ward(s) to effectively have a valid CAS supervisor other than the parent or close relations in any CAS experience or CAS project taken up during vacations.

6. Emphasize the importance of CAS to your ward(s) as an engagement toa. support, and be supported by, the academic disciplinesb. foster international-mindednessc. develop self-awareness and a sense of identity.

For any further clarification or queries with regard to CAS you may contact the CAS Coordinator at [email protected] or [email protected] .

Student Name :

Print Name of Parent :

Signature of Parent :

Date:

GOOD SHEPHERD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLGood Shepherd Knowledge Village, Palada P.O., Ootacamund - 643 004,

Tamil Nadu State, INDIA Phone : 91 423 2550071 / 2550371 Fax : 91 423 2550386Email : [email protected] Web : www.gsis.ac.in

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