Planning ahead

We are now coming up to term break and it's time for all the grade 12s to really think ahead and see that they have their CAS folder under control.  Most students have planned activities to cover the breadth and width of CAS - now they just have to make sure they do them all.  Many students are also writing university applications and asking for teacher recommendations. If you have been involved in activities as part of CAS, it can be good to mention them in applications.  Think about what you have learnt and how that might be of use in the next step in your education.

Christmas Volunteers and bakers wanted

Each year, Emmanuel Church hosts a Christmas party for those who otherwise wouldn't have one.  They are looking for volunteers to help on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.  Even if you can't be there in person it is possible to bake goods and leave them at the church on the 23rd December.  They are looking for saffron buns, cinnamon buns, small biscuits and ginger cakes.  The information is in Swedish but if you are interested in helping out, I can help you with translation - or ask someone else who speaks Swedish.  All goods are to home baked not bought.

http://www.volontarbyran.org/for-volontarer/

Diploma Student's newspaper

The newspaper is now up and running.  More details about how to get the latest news will come in the next blog.

Annexe Council

The Annexe council has some plans for the traditional spirit week at SIS.  I won't spoil the surprise by writing about them here.

Are you part of a CAS group with on going activities that you would like to see mentioned here?  Let me know.

Working collaboratively with others

Working collaboratively with others is not always as easy as it seems.  Working in a group requires patience, understanding and often compromising.  CAS is a great way to develop skills in this area. If the group you are part of isn't working the way you would like it to, think about ways to  change the way you work with others.  How can you improve the group dynamics?  How can you make all members of the group feel like they are an active part of the group?  Remember that this is why you do CAS - to learn by doing.  Don't forget to reflect on this outcome and show what you learn about yourself and working with others.

World Day Against Death Penalty

This week saw the Amnesty group led a discussion about the death penalty with the grade 11 students.  Many interesting and provoking thoughts were expressed and this is a topic that the Amnesty group will continue to work with.  They had filled the room with helium balloons attached to the names of people who had been executed in the last year.  At the end of the presentation students were asked to set the balloons free from the names by cutting the strings.

You will be hearing more from this group as they join Amnesty's Swedish campaign to free Hakamada Iwao, an 78 year old Japanese man with mental disabilities.  He is the world's longest serving death row prisoner having been on death row since 1993 and could be executed at any time.

Annexe Council:

The annexe council held a successful breakfast for the student sin the annexe on Friday.  It was great to see the annexe students working together to make this breakfast happen.  I believe they are also planning some events for Halloween.

Volunteer  opportunities:

At voluntärbyrån this week are still positions for helping with the 'Shockholmen' for Halloween. Tutoring opportunities, poster making and more.   http://www.volontarbyran.org/eng/for-volunteers/

Reflections

This week there has been much to reflect upon.  

The Rhino group spent the week going around talking to classes and encouraging people to join the Global March to raise awareness about Rhino and Elephant poaching.  They went round to a lot of classes and certainly raised awareness in the school.  Six people from the group also participated in the  March on Saturday, marching from the Thai embassy behind Humlegården and and all the way to the Chinese Embassy on Djugården.  Candles were lit and left at both embassies as symbol for the animals who have died for their horns.

The Newspaper group is on the verge of giving out their first edition and had to make some important decisions about content.

The Annexe council has found a new way to work that seems to be functioning.  The people in this group have decided to make committees to deal with different events and issues and take responsibility.  Many students have reflected on how this new way of working makes more people feel active in the group and is a good way to spread responsibility.

Writing reflections

It's important to remember that when you write a reflection it needs to be more than just what you did.  It should be about how you feel participating in the group/activity.  It should be about what you learn about yourself as a learner and others.  CAS is learning by doing so you need to show what you learn.  Even if you are part of an activity because you feel you have to be, you will learn something and that is the point of CAS!

Here are some questions that can guide your reflections.  Remember always to keep in mind the outcomes that you chose and see that you related to those as well.

• What do you perceive and notice?
• How you feel being involved?
• What do you think and feel about the activity itself?
• What does the activity mean to you?
• What value does the activity have?
• What did you learn from this activity, and how might you use this in other areas of your life ?

Coming up:

This coming week look out for activities by the Amnesty group.  Friday is World Day Against Death Penalty.

Are you a Halloween enthusiast? 'Shockholm'  is organizing an even in Stockholm and looking for volunteers. http://shockholm.se/

CAS events in October

All the grade 12s have had their interviews and are busy working on fixing any holes they might have in their CAS folders - in between studying of course.  At this time of year in grade 12 work really starts to take a priority - so it's good to have things under control with regards to CAS.  A couple of groups have some exciting events planned for this month.

A note on Reflections

When I was going through the CAS folders for grade 12, I noticed that a lot of people have some difficulty with reflections.  A good hint is to look at the outcomes you have chosen for the activity.  Choose one as a focus for each reflection.  Write about how you feel doing the activity.  A reflection should not just be what you did but what you learned about yourself doing it.  That's really the point of CAS - to learn through doing.  If you take it a sept further you should also be able to comment on how your participation impacts on others and the future implications for what you do.

Rhino Preservation Group

Oct 4th - Global Walk for Elephants and Rhinos.  

This week the students are going around the whole MYP to encourage people to join this walk to raise awareness of the plight of these animals.  They will be giving out leaflets and presenting to advisory classes.

Check out their web page:  http://rhinopreservationstockholm.wordpress.com for more information about the plight of rhinos and sign up to join the walk on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/537467249697710/

Amnesty International Group

October 10th - Debate/presentation about Death Penalty 

This will be held during the grade 11/12 advisory time and coincides with World Day against Death Penalty.  More activities are planned to draw attention to this important issue.

Hiking group

October 12th - Hike with global issues and ethical implications in focus

A hiking group is planning to take a hike in Tyresta National Park.  Kris has more information about this and will be spreading the word.  Grade 11 and 12 students are invited to join.  Ms Celino will be accompanying the hikers to this area where we will see what happens to a forest after fire.

MUN group

October 24th - United Nations Day

Plans are underway for a trip to Berlin to join the Model United Nations conference there.  This group is also working on an event for United Nations Day on October 24th as well as planning a MUN day in February.  Last year's theme was refugees and they are now looking at a theme to follow up on the work done in the last school year.  

Newspaper Group

No date set but hopefully we will be seeing the first edition of the paper in October!

Keep looking on volontarbyran.org for ideas for service.  This week there are requests for tutors (on the English page) as well as people to help with football training for refugees (Swedish page).  Stockholm Film festival is still looking for volunteers and whilst this appears on the Swedish page many non-Swedish students have helped with this before.  Ask a Swedish friend to help you fill out the application!

This week in CAS

The interviews are over with most of the grade 12s and I have been impressed by the range of activities that you are involved in.  Well done.  Make sure that you have something that keeps your CAS folder open until the exam times and look out for some short term opportunities to get involved in.

This week there have been a few events.

Amnesty Group
This group had a visit from an organiser from Amnesty Sweden and is looking at becoming an official Amnesty youth group.  This means that Amnesty will look at the way the group handles the upcoming campaign and then if all goes well invite the members to officially join Amnesty.  This will mean that students will be invited to meetings outside of school as well as other activities.  The current campaign is about Death Penalty - culminating with World Day against Death Penalty on October 10th.  The group will be holding a debate/presentation during advisory lesson on that day and plans to have other activities leading up to it.

The recycling group
This group have set up some bins for bottles and cans in annexe C.  I have noticed that people haven't quite caught onto the right way to use them so perhaps they will have to start some education for the annexe students.

Rhino Preservation Group
This group is well underway with plans to present the plight of rhinos to the whole MYP and DP sections of the school.  Their efforts will culminate in 'Global March for Elephants and Rhinos' on October 4th.  


Kindergarten Assistants
Five students from grade 12 have been offered the opportunity to help as assistants in the kindergarten.  The will be starting next week.

Film Festival
Many students in both 11 and 12 have signed up as volunteers for the Stockholm Film Festival in November. 

If you wish your group to get a mention here - send me an email for drop in for a chat.  If you are interested in any of these groups - go along to the meetings.  Meeting times are displayed on the pink notice board.



This week on Volontärbyrån:

A group called Action 10 -  a non-profit organisation operating in low income countries (www.action10.org). which has   programs in eg Togo, Kenya, Cameroon, Uganda and Nigeria and a vision of  a world without extreme poverty - is looking for several people to help - especially with IT skills.

Some of the positions mentioned in previous blogs are still open.  Check out volontarbyran.org for more information.

CAS interviews and projects

Interviews

This week I have been interviewing grade 12 to make sure that they are on track with their CAS folders.  It's time for everyone to make sure that they have enough Creativity, Action and Service.  You also need to check that you have covered all the 8 outcomes, have a least one project and at least one activity that continues right up to the end of IB.  Most students are well on their way to having a completed CAS folder in May.

Projects

Many of the CAS groups are planning their projects for this term.  Here are some of the exciting projects that are on-going.  If you are not a member of one these groups but think it is interesting go to the meeting and join up.

Mondays 10.30 - Compassionate Journeys
This group is planning to finish up their 'dream pillow' project and raise some more funds to pay for bicycles to help teachers get to schools in Ghana.  So far they have raised over 1000 crowns.

Mondays 15.30 in C9 - Newspaper group
Last school year 2 girls in grade 10 came to me and asked if starting a newspaper would be a CAS activity.  It is great to see that now they have started the IB, they are going ahead with this project and have got quite a lot of interested students with them - in both grades 11 and 12.  I have been contacted by a school in Tianjin in China about co-operating with a CAS project and we hope that the newspaper group can perhaps interview someone in the IB school there.

Tuesdays 10.30 C10 - Amnesty International Group
This group is currently working on  debate/presentation about death penalty.  They have quite a few people on the against side but not some many for.  If your are interested in helping out with this please go to the meeting.
On Sept 19th, Heidi - a student from last year, will visit and meet with the Amnesty group during advisory time (13.45).  She is currently volunteering at Amnesty in Stockholm and helping them to form youth groups in schools.

Wednesdays 10.30 Rhino preservation group
This group is continuing to raise awareness about Rhino preservation this year and are currently planning a week with presentations to the whole school.  The week will culminate in a walk called the 'Global March for Elephants and Rhinos' on October 4th.  This is being organised world wide and the school that we have been cooperating with in Botwsana will also be participating.  The group aim to get as many SIS students to join as possible.  There are posters up around the school and a facebook page with details about the Stockholm walk.
https://www.facebook.com/events/537467249697710/


There are other groups that are working on projects - if you want me to include them here next week please send me an email with details.

Don't forget if you are looking for more service activities that  http://www.volontarbyran.org/eng/ has listings from groups wanting volunteers - this is the link to the English page - you find even more opportunities on the Swedish page.  This week you can find:

Activity organisers wanted for a group called Taman - arranging activities for children.  This is an international organisation working for Friendship without borders.

Also if you are interested in volunteering at a homeless shelter see the notice on the pink notice board for Vinternatt or speak to Anna in grade 12 as she has worked there.

Keep up with your CAS and let me know if your group have something it wants to be included in this blog. 

. 

Back to school

It's back to school for real now with a full week of classes and lots of goals to be met in the last year of the IB for the grade 12 students. Interviews will take place the week beginning 8th September.  

CAS continues and must continue right up until May for it to be 'completed'.  When you begin your exams I will take my last look through your folders and click the 'completed' button before sending a message to the IB co-ordinator who then sends a message to the IB.

What do you have to do to make sure that your folder gets that final 'completed'?

• Make sure you have a good balance between Creativity, Action and Service - approximately 50 hours of each but remember it's not the hours that count but the quality!
• Make sure you have at least one 'project'.  This must be an activity you did in a group and it has to combine at least 2 of creativity, action and service.
• Make sure that you have activities right up to the end - you cannot finish CAS early. At least one activity must be continue into May.
• Keep up with your refections.  Once again it's quality not quantity that counts but if you have only one reflection for an activity that is long term, it had better be a very good one!  For short term activities (one day or a few hours) the CAS questions are enough.
• Make sure you have supervisor reports for any finished activities.  try to get these as soon as you finish - don't wait 6 months.  Your supervisor might change jobs, email address or not remember you etc.
• Make sure you have covered each of the 8 outcomes.

This week in school

Most of you will have your CAS interviews this week.

Amnesty Group is meeting at break on Monday.

Other groups are meeting look at the pink board for updates.

Still looking for service activities?

Have your tried http://www.volontarbyran.org/eng/for-volunteers/ ?

They now have a lot more in English as well as a long list of opportunities in Swedish.

This week you can find volunteer work as:

•  'Dungeon Masters' leaders
•  people to take pens and paper to places in need when they travel
•  the American Football league is looking for help - no need to know anything about football (16 August) 
• people with communication/computer skills to work with an organisation in Ghana (distance)
• all kinds of jobs with 'Shockholm' a group organising a Halloween celebration in Stockholm
• translators are needed for a Christian organisation (English and Swedish fluency)