Dear Parent/Guardian of IB Diploma Candidate Student:

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.

CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) is part of the central core of the IB

Programme. It is one of the three essential elements in every student’s

Diploma Programme experience. It involves students in a range of activities

alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Programme.

Attached you will find documents that discuss CAS expectations and

requirements as set forth by the International Baccalaureate Organization and an

overview of student expectations and responsibilities. Please review the

documents with the student and then sign and date the Parent/Guardian and

Student Agreement. The student should then return the agreement to Ms. Duke

in the Business Office.

CAS is a wonderful experience and a requirement to graduate from the IB

Diploma Programme.

Thank you for taking he time to familiarize yourself with the CAS requirement. If

you have any questions, you can contact the school at (905) 625-7731.

Sincerely,

Glenforest Secondary School 3575 Fieldgate Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2J6

TEL: (905)-625-7731| FAX: (905)-625-3278

www.gleforestlibrary.com

C reativity

A ctivity

S ervice

The CAS Experience!

Creativity, Activity and Service hours are three

essential elements that make up the balanced IB

leaner, and every student must complete as a

part of the Diploma Programme.

LOG - IN

https://glenforest.managebac.com/login

ADD CAS REFLECTIONS

Push Button to activate template <<Add CAS Activity>>

Completely fill out template

CAS Project? Review definition to see if it applies to your activity. If yes, tick the

box!

Enter proper dates and YEARS for start and end dates. If year long put your

graduation date.

Activity description should be a detailed paragraph, answer: What, Why,

Frequency, goals, etc.

Learning Outcomes—not every activity needs all outcomes.

<<Add CAS Activity>>

ACTIVITY APPROVAL STAGE Staff advisor or CAS coordinator will approve the activity

Approval in summer: begin activities/reflections, approvals will be later.

THE CAS EXPERIENCE!

International Baccalaureate

Glenforest Secondary School

CREATIVITY, ACTIVITY, SERVICE (CAS) is at the heart of the Diploma

Programme. It is one of the three essential and required elements in every

student’s Diploma Programme experience. It involves students in a range of

activities, alongside their academic studies, interwoven with particular activities

that are categorized as follows:

CREATIVITY: Arts and other experiences that involve creative thinking.

ACTIVITY: Physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle,

complementing academic work elsewhere in the Diploma Programme.

SERVICE: An unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit

for the student.

CAS EXPECTATIONS and REQUIREMENTS

The International Baccalaureate Organization (www.ibo.org) has clear

requirements and expectations for the CAS component of the Diploma.

1. Students should be doing CAS activities throughout the 2 YEARS of the

Diploma Programme (beginning in the summer prior to grade 11).

2. Generally, students should participate in activities 3-4 hours per week on

average over the two years. Students should be updating reflections 1-2 times/

week.

3. Each Student must take part in a wide breadth of activities. All eight outcomes

must be present for a student to complete their CAS requirement.

4. Students must have 8-10 activities and no less than 40-60 reflections.

5. Students should be involved in at least one project involving teamwork that

integrates two or more strands (creativity, action, and service) and is of

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES REGARDING

CAS

Students are REQUIRED to:

Self-review at the beginning of their CAS experience and set personal goals

for what they hope to achieve through their CAS programme.

Plan, do and reflect (plan activities, carry them out and reflect on what they

have learned)

Undertake at least one interim review and final review with their CAS

advisor.

Take part in a range of activities, including at least one project (known as the

CAS project), some of which they initiated themselves.

Keep records of their activities and achievements, including a list of the

principal activities undertaken (done with Managebac—the website that

Glenforest uses).

When selecting a CAS activity, students must keep in mind, that for personal

development to occur, CAS should involve:

Real, purposeful activities with significant outcomes

Personal challenge—tasks must extend the student and be achievable in

scope

Thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress, and

reporting

Reflection on outcomes and personal learning.

TIPS FOR HOW TO USE MANAGEBAC!

**All activities, reflections and evidence have to be recorded in ManageBac under

CAS!

Here is what will keep your CAS School Advisor HAPPY : • Have at “least” one activity always on the go. (ie. The end date has not past yet.) • Keep up to date on your reflections. If the activity is over, then all of the reflections covering the IB Learning outcomes you have selected should be done in a timely fashion. Here is how your advisor wants your activities to look in ManageBac and the steps: 1. Propose the activity. Fill in all of the boxes and requirements for the proposal. Make sure you have a detailed description of the activity. Estimate the hours under each part of C A or S you will meet during this activity. Fill in supervisor email and make sure it is correct. “IF” the email or phone number is coming .... you can put TBA or 999 999 9999. BUT go back and fix when you have the correct information. Make sure the DATES are correct – especially when the activity will END. If it is an all year activity put June 1st 2017. 2. Do your activity - You are supposed to do something for CAS ongoing. Do your activity even if your advisor doesn't approve it right away. 3. Reflections: If the activity is going on for a long time, you should pick one IB learning outcome every few weeks and reflect on that. By the time the activity is over, all of your IB Learning out-comes should be covered in the reflections. When writing your reflections: REWRITE the IB LEARNING OUTCOME in capital bold letters and then below write your reflection. The reflection should be about how you met that learning outcome during your activity. 4. All reflections done and activity is over: Push the request supervisor review and the system will email (with the address you inputted) your activity supervisor who will then review your activity and comment and close and lock that activity. If an activity is locked by mistake, see Ms Habib or Ms Duke to open up again. 5. You can also add "evidence" to support your learning outcomes. Your CAS advisor loves to see pictures or videos of your activities. If you add pictures or videos also add a written evidence that links it to a learning outcome. That way the photo counts in the total of your reflection numbers. Re-member "a picture is worth a 1000 words". Your CAS coordinator will be checking your total number of reflections and evidence throughout the

year. If you fall behind a letter will be sent home to your parents. We want to keep you on track. Re-

CAS HANDOUT

Students should be logging activity reflections ever 1 to 2 weeks and must

have AT LEAST 60 reflections by the end of Grade 12 in order to receive

their IB diploma.

Inquirer Knowledgeable Thinker

LEARNER PROFILE Communicator Principled

Open-minded Caring

Activities: Must meet the following qualifications: Does the activity provide student with a new role or represent a new challenge? Does the activity fill a need in society? What does the student hope to learn from getting involved in this activity? Does the activity meet the learning outcomes identified by the student? Does the student outline how he/she plans to initiate and complete this activity? What resources does the student need to complete the activity? The activity should also include the necessary adult supervisor information: Name Email address Telephone number Reflections: Why do students do them—reflections are a valuable tool and skill to develop high quality learning. Please ensure that the reflection is linked to at least one of the following learning outcomes as identified in the activity description: Undertaken a new challenge Increased awareness of strengths and areas of growth Planned an initiated activities Worked collaboratively with others Showed perseverance and commitment Engaged with issues of global important Considered ethical implications Developed new skills NOTE: Reflections are not limited to just written descriptions they may also include pic-tures and videos! Completing an Activity: This means that the student has met all criteria and expectations for this activity. To be completed, the following expectations must be met: Dates (for start and finish) have come and gone Reflections for all learning outcomes have been completed

CAS Reflection

Creativity, Action, Service—which facet of CAS does this activity apply to:

Which learning outcome does this activity involve? Why?

How does the activity make you feel?

What do you hope to learn from getting involved in this activity?

Was this activity valuable and why?

Identify an area that you need to improve on as a result of this activity:

8 CAS Learning Outcomes

1. Undertaken new challenges

A new challenge may be taking up an unfamiliar activity or moving up to the next level of difficulty in a

current activity.

2. Increased awareness of strengths and areas for growth

As you perform the activity, think about how you handled situations. What were your strengths? What

skills do you have that helped you? Which areas do you need to improve further?

3. Planned and initiated activities

Planning and initiation will often pertain collaboration. It can be shown in activities that are part of larger

projects, for example, ongoing school activities in the community such as mentoring sessions, as well

as in smaller student-led activities in athletics.

4. Worked collaboratively with others

Collaboration can be shown in many different activities, such as team sports, playing music in a band,

or helping in a senior home. Interestingly, you learn more about yourself and others when you include

things that went wrong during an interaction when you reflect. What could have been done to avoid

this? What could you do better?

5. Showed perseverance and commitment

At a minimum, this implies attending regularly, showing up punctually, and accepting a share of the

responsibility for dealing with problems that arise in the course of activities.

6. Engaged with issues of global importance

This learning outcome is often misunderstood. This is about discussing the issues and understanding

its impact on the wider society. Since taking action is usually a response to a global concern, it is

important to know why an organization you have joined (exists including the issues they target and what

they would like to achieve). You may be involved in an international project, but there are many global

issues that can be acted upon locally or nationally (e.g. environmental concerns or caring for the

elderly).

7. Considered ethical implications

What are ethics? Simply put, we talk about ethics when fairness is a question. Ethical decisions arise in

almost any CAS activity. For example, on the sports field, in music composition, in relationships with

others involved in service activities.

8. Developed new skills

Developing new skills takes time. Musicians, dancers and athletes know that developing new skills

does not happen overnight. It can take weeks, months, or even years! This learning outcome can be

show in activities that are new or when you develop increased expertise in an established area.

NOTE: All eight outcomes must be present for a student to complete the CAS requirement. (Data

taken from IBO CAS Guide)

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Glenforest Secondary School

Team/Organization Category

Acappella Team Arts/Music

ARCHitecture Club Arts/Music

Art Guild Arts/Music

AV Club Arts/Music

Dance Team Arts/Music

Fashion Arts Movement (FAM) Arts/Music

Glenforest Arts and Music Association (GAMA) Arts/Music

Henna Club Arts/Music

K-Pop Krew Arts/Music

Soulprint GFSS (yearbook committee) Arts/Music

Urban Minds Glenforest Arts/Music

Alpine Ski Athletics

Badminton Athletics

Basketball Athletics

Cricket Athletics

Cross-country Running Athletics

Curling Athletics

Flag Football Athletics

Nordic Ski Athletics

Rugby Athletics

Soccer Athletics

Softball Athletics

Swim Athletics

Track and Field Athletics

Volleyball Athletics

DECA Glenforest Business

Investment/Financial Club Business

Ambassadors for Change Charity

Amnesty International Charity

Canadian Cancer Society Charity

Covering Little Heads Charity

GFSS Covenant House Charity

Me to We Charity

Model United Nations Charity

United Way Committee Charity

Board Association of Fridends Gaming

Chess Club Gaming

Dungeons and Dragons Club Gaming

Rubik’s Cube Club Gaming

American Sign Language Languages

Debate Society Languages

FEM Languages

FrancoFun Languages

GFSS Language Club Languages

Mock Trial Languages

Speak Up Languages

Student Writers’ Guild Languages

Talon Times Languages

Athletic Council Leadership

GFSS Duke of Edinburgh Leadership

IB Student League Leadership

Peer Helpers Leadership

Catalyst Christian Fellowship Religion

Muslim Student Association Religion

Astronomers United STEM Related

Brain Bee/Neuroscience STEM Related

Computer Science Club STEM Related

First Robotics 6070 STEM Related

Green Team STEM Related

HOSA STEM Related

Math Club STEM Related

Nahani Way Robotics STEM Related

Science Club STEM Related

STEM STEM Related

Youth Medical Association (YMA) STEM Related

Building Our Safe Schools (BOSS)/Jack.org Wellness

Interact Youth for Global Action (YFGA) Wellness

More Love Letters Wellness

THE CAS EXPERIENCE!

International Baccalaureate

Parent / Guardian and Student Agreement

Student Name: ______________________________________________

(Last, First)

Student Number: _______________________________________________

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is at the heart of the Diploma Programme. It is

one of the three essential and required elements in every student’s IB DP

experience. It involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic

studies throughout the two year Diploma Programme.

STATEMENT

“We (Parent/Guardian and Student) have reviewed the CAS EXPERIENCE and

STUDENT GUIDELINE OVERVIEW and understand the expectations required to

complete the CAS component of the IB Diploma Programme.”

__________________________________________ Parent / Guardian signature of understanding

___________________________________________ Student signature of understanding

___________________________________________ Date