The following items are meant to outline the program and answer many of the common questions about community service. If you have any further questions please contact one of the Pre-IB Team members at 973-8600.
1. Each student must complete 7th Grade: 20 hours; 8th Grade: 25 hours of community service throughout the school year. Only activities done on the student’s free time count towards the requirement. This means work done at school must be done before or after school or during lunchtime.
2. The first ten hours or 7th grade thirteen hours for 8th grade must be completed by December 2009. If these are not completed, the social studies grade will be lowered 10% for the second 9-week period. All community service hours must be completed by April 2010. This will be reflected in the final social studies grade, which will be lowered 10%.
3. Students have folders containing log sheets that will be turned in at the end of each month to Mr. Jenney. The community service monthly log sheets will describe the activity, when it was done, and the number of hours. Only activities listed on these log sheets and signed by a supervisor will count towards the requirement.
4. Activities must be recorded and turned in the month they are done, with the exception of summer hours.
5. Any activities that benefit the community without the student gaining directly from doing the activity count – students cannot be paid for community service. Each activity must have an adult supervisor – this can be a parent, teacher or any other adult.
6. Students may do the same type of activity more than once (e.g. weekly tutoring). However, no more than ten hours can be counted for one type of activity. This means that every student must have at least three different types of service experiences.
7. At least ten must be in an area designated as stretching. Stretching activities are those that go beyond the student’s usual realm of experience. If an organization, place or community service activity is new to a student, and provides a learning experience for her/him, then it is a stretching activity. Thus, serving dinner at a homeless shelter would be stretching, while mowing an elderly neighbor’s lawn would not. If in doubt, ask beforehand if the activity is considered stretching.