GEMS MODERN ACADEMY

Creativity Activity Service

The student handbook guide

2017-19
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Table of contents

The IB learner profile 2

What is CAS? - Purpose and Nature 3

How to choose the “right” CAS experience? 4

The seven Learning Outcomes 5

Do’s and Don’ts for CAS 6

Assessing a CAS programme 7

Responsibilities of a student 8

How to write and record your reflections? 9

CAS Portfolio 11

Rubrics for “How to approve an activity for CAS” 12

Timeline for CAS 13

Roles in CAS: Coordinator, Advisor & Supervisor 13

Activities at Gems Modern Academy 14

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The IB learner profile

“The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common
humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world”

IB learner profile booklet (March, 2006)

The IB learner must strive to be:

The IB learner profile represents 10 attributes valued by IB World. This attributes, and others like them, can
help individuals and groups become responsible members of local, national and global communities.
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Purpose and nature of CAS

“If you believe in something, you must not just think or talk or write, but must act”

Alec Peterson (2003)

Creativity, action, service (CAS) is at the heart of the Diploma 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. The three strands of CAS, which are
often interwoven with particular activities, are characterized 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. The rights, dignity and
autonomy of all those involved are respected.

The main purpose of CAS is to:

 Involve students in new roles.
 Develop a spirit of open-mindedness and an appreciation for lifelong learning
 Challenge students to enhance their personal growth
 Educate the whole person, not just the mind.

Since CAS involves real activities with significant outcomes, CAS provides a major opportunity for ethical
education, understood as involving principles, attitudes and behavior. The emphasis in CAS is on helping
students to develop their own identities, in accordance with the ethical principles embodied in the IB mission
statement and the IB learner profile. Various ethical issues will arise naturally in the course of CAS activities,
and may be experienced as challenges to a student’s ideas, instinctive responses or ways of behaving (for
example, towards other people). In the context of CAS, schools have a specific responsibility to support
student’s personal growth as they think, feel and act their way through ethical issues.
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How to choose the “right” CAS experience?

Typically, a student’s CAS programme combines planned/unplanned singular and ongoing experiences.
However, a meaningful CAS programme must be more than unplanned/singular experiences. A series of
planned CAS experiences are recommended for a more engaging CAS programme.
Example. PALS, if done once, it’s considered a singular CAS experience. But when carried out for around 5-8
sessions, shows perseverance and commitment. This is an example of series of CAS experiences.
The criteria to choose the right CAS experiences are:
 The experience selected should be real and purposeful, with significant outcomes and have learning
benefits to the students.
 It should be a personal challenge—tasks must extend the student and be achievable in scope.
 Give a thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress, reporting – so that later all the
work done doesn’t go in vain.
 The selected experience should reflect outcomes and personal learning.
 The experiences chosen should include at least one strand of CAS and more importantly meet one of
seven learning outcomes (see the Learning Outcomes on page 5).
 At the end of the 2 years all CAS strands and Learning Outcomes should be met at least once.
 All the students must be involved in at least one CAS Project (collaborative series of sequential CAS
experiences, lasting at least one month, and engaging students in one or more CAS strands).
Experiential learning is the very heart of CAS. CAS is much more than just the experience itself: planning,
acting, observing and reflecting are all crucial in making the experience as valuable as possible.
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The seven Learning Outcomes

 Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth:

They are able to see themselves as individuals with various skills and abilities, some more developed than
others, and understand that they can make choices about how they wish to move forward.

 Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process:

A new challenge may be an unfamiliar activity, or an extension to an existing one. The newly acquired or
developed skills may be shown through new experiences or increased expertise in an established area.

 Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience:

Planning and initiation will often be in collaboration with others. It can be shown in activities that are part of
larger projects, as well as in small student‑ led activities.

 Show commitment and perseverance in CAS experiences:

At a minimum, this implies attending regularly and accepting a share of the responsibility for dealing with
problems that arise in the course of activities.

 Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively:

Collaboration can be shown in many different activities, such as team sports, playing music in a band, or
helping in a kindergarten. At least one project, involving collaboration and the integration of at least two of
creativity, action and service, is required.

 Demonstrate engagement with issues of global importance

Students may be involved in international projects but there are many global issues that can be acted upon
locally or nationally (for example, environmental concerns, caring for the elderly).

 Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

Ethical decisions arise in all CAS activities. Evidence of thinking about ethical issues can be shown in various
ways, including journal entries and conversations with CAS advisors.
In their CAS portfolio, students provide the school with evidence of having achieved each learning outcome
at least once through their CAS programme (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2015)
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Do’s and Don’ts for CAS

CAS MUST…
1) Be sustained over 18 months. Beginning the 1st day of
the junior year (IB1).
2) Choose activities that meet the 7 learning outcomes.
3) Include a collaborative project: students should be
involved in at least one project involving teamwork
that integrates two or more of creativity, action and
service, and it’s of significant duration.
4) Maintain a Portfolio with minimum 10 pieces of
documentation (reflection & evidence).
5) Be supervised activities.

CAS MUSTN’T BE…

1) IBDP coursework. However, it can be an extension of a
student’s existing subject knowledge and contribute to the
construction of new and deeper knowledge in that subject
area.
2) Any activity/experience for which the student receives
payment or similar benefit.
3) Tedious, repetitive work.
4) Family duties.
5) Religious devotion.
6) Unsupervised by an adult.
7) An activity/ experience that could cause division among groups
in the community.
8) A passive pursuit.
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Assessing a CAS Programme

Adding to the professional nature of monitoring CAS, student’s CAS programmes are assessed on five
performance criteria:

Criterion A: Personal achievement

The ability to meet challenges, regular participation, awareness of personal limitations, progress in the new
role, learning from experience, helping to solve community problems.
Criterion B: Personal skills
Thinking creatively, researching community needs, planning and organizing, resource management, identifying
success and failure.
Criterion C: Personal qualities
Perseverance, self-confidence, a degree of humility, responsibility, punctuality, commitment, reliability,
initiative.
Criterion D: Interpersonal qualities
Adaptability, collaboration, empathy, respect, a sense of justice and fair play.
Criterion E: Global awareness
An ethical appreciation of humanitarian and environmental issues to guide choices from a local, national and
international perspective.

The following questions may be useful for students to consider:

 Will the experience be enjoyable?
 Does the experience allow for development of personal interests, skills and/or talents?
 What new possibilities or challenges could the experience provide?
 What might be the possible consequences of your CAS experience for you, others and the environment?
 Which CAS learning outcomes may be addressed?

While it is not necessary for each CAS experience to address a CAS learning outcome, upon completion of
the CAS programme, CAS students are required to present evidence demonstrating achievement of all CAS
learning outcomes.
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Responsibilities of a student

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 a final review with their CAS advisor.
 Take part in a range of activities, including at least one CAS project, some of which they have initiated
themselves.
 Maintain a CAS diary to keep records of their activities and achievements, including a list of the
principal activities undertaken. It should include the reflection, recording and reporting of all activities.
 Show evidence of achievement of the seven CAS learning outcomes.

Please check this sample of Student Completion form, which will give you an idea as to how students are
assessed at the end of their IBDP tenure:

CAS experiences and projects

Learning outcome Achieved? Evidence (web, blog, reflection…)
Increased awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth
Undertaken new challenges
Planned and initiated activities
Worked collaboratively with others
Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities
Engaged with issue of global importance
Considered the ethical implications of their actions
Name of CAS advisor:
Name of CAS coordinator:
Date:
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How to write and record the reflections?

Reflection needs to be developed. It should not be assumed that it comes naturally. Just as the kind of
reflection that a critic applies to a work of art or literature is something that develops with time and
experience, so the kind of reflection appropriate in CAS is something that comes with practice.
The fundamentals are simple. Considering your experiences, the following questions must be answered:

 What did I plan to do?

 What did I do?
 What were the outcomes: for me, for the team I was working with, and others?

Writing is by no means the only possible outcome of reflection. Students can present their activities orally to
peers, parents or outsiders. They can make scrapbooks, photo essays, videos/DVDs or weblogs. They can use
journals or make up varied portfolios.

The following points might help a student to develop their reflection process:
 How did you feel?
 What did you perceive?
 What did you thought about the activity?
 What the activity meant to you?
 What the value of the activity was?
 What did you learnt from the activity and how this learning (for example, a change of perspective)
might apply more widely?

Students are required to write summative reflections on all their activities and a final essay that would
encapsulate their CAS experience. These tasks supplied the evidence for CAS completion and often become
part of the student’s curricula vitae as they graduated from secondary education.
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Please check managebac for few good reflection pieces by students:

 https://gemsmoderndxb.managebac.com/groups/10725724/assets?folder_id=400810

Check the following links to understand how to record reflections in managebac:

 https://help.managebac.com/support?lesson=10540&manual_id=1065
 https://help.managebac.com/support?lesson=831306&manual_id=2072
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The CAS portfolio

All CAS students are expected to maintain and complete a CAS portfolio as evidence of their engagement with
CAS and achievement of the seven CAS learning outcomes. The CAS portfolio can also reveal how students
have developed the attributes of the IB learner profile.

The CAS portfolio is used by students to plan their CAS programme, reflect on their CAS experiences and
gather evidence of involvement in CAS; it is not formally assessed.

While the IB does not require any particular format for the CAS portfolio, a three-part portfolio may appeal to
students and CAS coordinators and could include the following sections:

 Profile
 Experiences
 Evidences.

Each section would be intended to assist students to better understand their engagement with CAS, reflect on
their experiences, and provide evidence of their experiences.
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Rubrics for “How to approve an activity for CAS”

CRITERIA SPOT ON CAN BE IMPROVED REJECTED / TO BE REDONE

Is the Activity Activity chosen in meaningful, The activity chosen is  The activity chosen has no
categorized purposeful and is categorized meaningful but not purpose in terms of
correctly as ‘C’, correctly. categorized correctly. personal growth for the
‘A’ and ‘S’? students or meaningful.
 Doesn’t fall in any of the
categories.
The description Activity described in few lines in Too long winded but  Described in past tense.
of the activity which gives all the details: explained well. Suggestions  Not mentioned at all.
 What can be made to make it
 When shorter and be to the point.

 Where
 What is the present level of
the student (specially if it is
related to Action or
Creativity)
The smart  The goals / aims mentioned are  Target mentioned along  Targets not meeting the
targets time bound real, purposeful with the activities. ‘SMART’ criteria.
activities, with significant  Suggestion can be made  Vague/General
outcomes. to write the targets statements.
 Personal challenge – tasks that separately to give  TARGETS not mentioned at
must extend the student and be clarity. all.
ACHIEVEABLE.

The learning  Learning Outcomes are Sometimes too many Learning outcomes added
outcomes mentioned. learning outcomes randomly which cannot be
 Can be attained by the mentioned which can be attained by the given activity
mentioned activity. difficult to prove without or in the given time period.
proper evidence
Other details  Supervisor’s name and email id Time period mentioned may  The supervisor is another
mentioned correctly. not be realistic. student.
 Timeline is clear.  Time period – unrealistic
to achieve all the
outcomes mentioned
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Timeline for CAS in GEMS Modern

The organization and

management of CAS soirée can
be a CAS project itself!

 contact: CAS coordinator

In GEMS Modern, we do it
through a CAS Fair, and IB1
students organize it for IB2.
IB2 Students will interact with
SLT, teachers, guests and
parents to share their CAS
experiences and reflections.
Final Interview & evaluation
also takes place during this
time.

 contact: CAS coordinator

ROLES in CAS: Coordinator, Advisor and Supervisor

CAS Coordinator: the role of the coordinator is to maintain oversight of every aspect of the school’s CAS
programme. There is one CAS Coordinator and one CAS Coordinator assistant for all students.

CAS Advisor: the role of the advisor is to provide students with mentoring and advice. You will be assigned
one specific supervisor who will assist you in recording your reflections and deciding the kind of activities and
projects you can to develop.

CAS Activity Supervisor: All activities undertaken by students require a supervisor. Supervisors can be
teachers and also come outside the immediate school community. They should monitor and report your
performance.
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Activities at GEMS Modern 2017-2019

 CAS experiences
ACTIVITY (INTER-SCHOOL) ACTIVITY (OUT OF SCHOOL)
You can do these activities on your own and meet your
IAYP Treks
supervisor once in 15 days to discuss the progress.
contact: Mr. Sinha, Mr.Trafford, Mr.Rajkumar.
Gymming
Football
Jogging
contact: Ms. Srinita, Ms.Devna, Eliana & Deepali.
Other sports: Golf, Scuba-diving, Archery…
Hockey
Dance
contact: Ms. Bindu.
Yoga
Basketball
Dubai Marathon
contact: Mr. Jason, Mr.Ramalingam.
23rd January. Check: www.dubaimarathon.org
Tennis
contact: Mr. Parag. CREATIVITY (INTER-SCHOOL)
Table Tennis
Maker’s day
contact: Mr. Philip. contact: Ms. Lakshmy Satyam
Swimming Modernite (writing articles)
contact: Mr. Kushal, Sulari. contact: Mr. Sheldon Dias

Waterpolo Council Members

contact: Mr. Jayanta & Ganesh. Be a part of the council and help organizing events in the
school.
Cycling
contact: Ms. Joy Shyamala
contact: Mr. Rajkumar.
MUN
Badminton
contact: Ms. Ayoti Ghosh
contact: Mr. Ramalingam. Innovation Mela
Karate contact: Ms. Lakshmi Satyam
contact: Mr. Ramalingam. Art Mela
Aerobics contact: Ms. Jigyasa Patel

contact: Ms. Reshmi. Modern Otsav

Chess contact: Ms. Joy Shyamala
contact: Mr. Maria Albert Art Craft Club
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contact: Ms. Jigyasa Patel contact: Dr. Mauli and Ms. Shilpa
Spell Bee and Scrabble Lingua Café
contact: Mr. Maria Albert contact: Ms. Toshiko
Chess Play an instrument or singing
contact: Mr. Maria Albert contact: Mr.Axel.
Woodworks Learn a new language
contact: Ms. Anju Shajan Create a blog or website
Sports Day organization
contact: Mr. Sinha, Jason, Ramalingam SERVICE

Robotics Charity Projects

contact: Mr. Sasikala Kumar contact: Ms. Lakshmi Satyam

Pen Pal project Helping autistic children

contact: Ms. Dina Caball contact: Ms. Prabha Hari, Vinaya Jaydev, Joy Shyamala
Participate regularly in the Spanish corner Social outreach Projects

contact: Ms. Dina Caball contact: Ms. Joy Shyamala

PALS (on Saturday / 8-10 sessions at least)

CREATIVITY (OTHER IDEAS) contact: Ms. Julia Robertson

Other activities that have been organized and you can C4C (special needs children / 5 sessions at least)
continue if you lead them. They can happen during ACE or contact: Ms. Alina Almeida
outside the school with a supervisor:
Environment Club / Planters patch
Quiz club
contact: Ms. Anju Shajan / Ms. Anila Das
Ted Club, Debating club
Social council Programmes
contact: Ms. Sumana Chaterjee
contact: Ms. Joy Shyamala
TOK Club
Conducting Value Education classes
contact: Ms. Sreekala Kumar
contact: Ms. Prabha Hari
Performing arts
Beat the diabetes/campaign
contact: Mr. Sheldon Dias
contact: Ms. Lakshmi Satyam and Ms. Sreekala Kumar
IHMC
Anti bullying campaign
Script writing. Help in planning and executing the play,
contact: Ms. Prabha Hari and Ms. Sreekala Kumar
creating props. It can also be used as CAS Creativity Project.
Clean up drive
Career counselling newsletter
contact: Mr. Raza Khan
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contact: Ms. Sunipa Neogi and Ms. Vinaya Jaydev

Old age home visits
contact: Ms. Joy Shyamala
Parikrma
Bake sale C/o Saraswathi Memorial Trust
contact: Ms. Laskhmi Satyam, Sumana, Vinaya 35, Ashoka Pillar Road,
Car wash 1st Block, Jayanagar
contact: Ms. Laskhmi Satyam, Sumana, Vinaya Bangalore - 560 011

Animal shelters http://parikrmahumanityfoundation.org/

contact: Ms. Vinaya Jaydev contact: Ms. Suzanne Gowda

“Sant Jordi” event / Spanish Day
SERVICE (OTHER IDEAS) Organizing a Spanish day to welcome the new IB students.
Other activities that have been organized and you can contact: Ms. Dina Caball Olivet
continue. Discuss with the CAS coordinator before venturing.
Sports Carnival
Beach cleaning
contact: Mr.Rajesh Sinha.
Walk for a cause
Career Newsletter - STRIVE
Work in a orphanage, NGO
contact: Dr. Mauli.
Sale of old books
YEC
contact: Ms. Lakshmy Satyam
IB Gazette
Student led
 CAS Projects
Project means planning, organizing and executing the event.
It’s different from just taking part of an event. The event can
 CAS related projects/events
happen for a day, but the planning must start from 3-4 weeks CAS soirée
in advance. Cooking for 100 parents and students during CAS Soiree.
Managing the funds, planning, shopping.
Future Hope contact: CAS Coordinator

1/8 Rowland Road CAS fair

Kolkata 700020 contact: CAS Coordinator
West Bengal, India
http://www.futurehope.net/
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New activities and plans at GEMS Modern 2018-2020

1. To have a blog or website where students and advisors can see what is CAS and can check all
the activities and possibilities they have to complete a good CAS portfolio.
2. Weekly meetings with the students to develop projects.
3. More involvement in the Dubai community and engagement in global issues.
4. More projects with other schools and interaction with other nationalities.
5. Meaningful projects in which students take the initiative to create.
6. To do more trips apart from Future Hope.
7. To find more links between CAS and TOK
8. To have a structured calendar with all the events in which students can take part (available
online and also in the IB lounge).
9. New CAS timings: Sunday 2 to 4, Wednesday 2 to 4 and Thursday 3 to 4.

Calendar 2018-2019

September October November December

Generationib projects CAS potpourri fair in How to create a How to create a
CAS and TOK retreat. which we present our campaign workshop budget?
Iniciating reflection ideas to other schools Crowdfounding
process and NGO’s. Fundraising activities CAS soirée for
Dubai Mall trip – build parents – christmas
a learner profie Multicultural fair picnic with the
through CAS trip. presentation of the
Día de los muertos final projects and
Mexican celebration explanation to the
parents about them –
Christmas picnic
January February March April
How to promote an How to make an action CAS expeditions / trips Work in the reflections
event, via social plan for the trips, how will happen in this and evidences in
media, website, blog… to plan a class, an month managebac
activity or sequence of
activities. Sant jordi
celebration / book
day

May June July August

World cup CORE day
El clásico CAS, TOK and EE,
meeting with the
advisors and
supervisors.