COMMUNITY, ACTION & SERVICE

CAS stands for Community, Action & Service
Collaboration
Taking an active part in communities
Experiential Learning (learning by experience)
Becoming independent
Becoming active global citizens
Thinking creatively

Developing awareness and concern for the communities we live in
Local
National
Global
Being involved in activities that strengthen our
Uptown school community

Activities involving physical exertion that contribute to a healthy lifestyle
Taking action in a variety of ways for the benefit of others

Unpaid & Voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student
Volunteering time to help others

Being caring and principled – students will develop morality, integrity, honesty, empathy and compassion
Risk-takers – trying new things and being resilient and reflective in the face of failure
Balanced – balancing our social, academic, sporting and family lives with CAS
Thinking, Enquiring and Knowledgeable – Researching about various causes and thinking about creative ways to solve problems
Communicators – Being advocates for various causes and communicating using a variety of mediums – print, social media etc.

Running a lunchtime club or ECA
Organising/running events or activities
Advocating on behalf of a charity or cause
Volunteering your time for a charity or cause

E.g. Running a lunchtime Debate club
E.g. Organising a school social/movie night with the proceeds going to a charity
E.g. Running an awareness campaign to teach others about a particular cause or charity
E.g. Volunteering on the weekends at an animal shelter

Job Board located in the corridor down to the cafeteria
Apply for jobs on the board with Miss Ronalds – just like a real job, you will have an interview!
You then need to arrange a meeting with your supervisor to plan out the activity before you get started
Don’t rely on the job board – start thinking of your own ideas NOW!

HAVE I:
Completed an individual project?
Worked on a group project? Between 2-6 students. NO
MORE than 6 people in a group. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Worked with students from different year levels? (not required, but recommended)
Completed projects around 6-12 weeks long? This should involve 2-3 weeks of planning, between 1 day and 12 weeks of action (depending on project), and then 2-3 weeks to prepare your presentation to submit for assessment

Find a supervisor!
Talk your project idea over with your form teacher, then fill out proposal form & give to Miss Ronalds
Once approved you will be emailed a guide to follow throughout your project
Spend a few weeks planning out every aspect of your activity
Complete the activity
Decide how to present your project (folder, iMovie, visual display etc.) Hand this in to Miss Ronalds for assessment
Be as creative as you like! Your presentation should tell your
CAS story

If you wish to attend a charity walk or run then there are a few guidelines to make sure it can be counted as
CAS
Must research the cause behind the charity & share your knowledge somehow (social media campaign, presentation to form room, fliers/pamphlets)
Submit a short blog entry for Mr. Galvin to put on the blog
Get some friends to go with you!

If you wish to do desert or beach cleaning activity then there are a few guidelines to make sure it can be counted as CAS
Must be an extended project – minimum of 1 hour per week for 6 weeks at least
Must cover several environmental area (beach, desert, park)
Must include some research into environmental issues and a share of your knowledge (presentation to form room, pamphlets etc)
Submit a blog entry to Mr. Galvin

2-3 weeks planning time, noting down all areas, what resources will be needed, what people need to be spoken to etc.
Well executed and documented activity (make sure to take photos and/or videos the entire way through your project, even the planning time. Keep everything!)
2-3 weeks reflection and project presentation creation time
You should have learnt something useful!

Below expectations – CAS project did not meet the requirements and as such will not be counted towards that student’s total number of projects for the year
Meets expectations – CAS project meets all the requirements
Above expectations – CAS project goes above and beyond the requirements, student has made an outstanding contribution to a community.

Brainstorm some ideas with your friends, your form teacher, your mum, dad, siblings, dog, cat, pencilcase – whoever will listen!
Once your form teacher agrees your idea is a good one, fill out a form and give it to Miss Ronalds.
Wait for the approval email.
Once you receive this you can begin!
Don’t forget to take photos or videos the whole way through your project so you can use them for your presentation.

Picking up trash
Helping teachers to clean or tidy their rooms
Attending fun runs, charity fundraisers (yes, we would love you to be involved but it doesn’t count as
CAS unless you are organising it)
Helping people in their day to day life at school (you should be doing this anyway!)

Special awards for students who have made outstanding contributions to CAS throughout the year
You will receive certificates if you complete more than the required amount of CAS projects
Even more special awards for students who make outstanding contributions to the Uptown School
Community

If you can answer YES to most of these, then fill in a proposal and come and see me!
Am I providing a service to someone?
Am I raising awareness and educating people about a particular cause or charity?
Will I be learning new skills by doing this project?
Is my activity contributing to the Uptown school community, or the Dubai community?
Am I committing to an activity for a long time?