 Community & Service in the MYP involves three central elements: awareness of the needs of the community, service to the community and reflection on how successful the student’s actions have been. In the 2007/08 academic year, all students in the MYP will be able to participate in the following ways:
1. Homeroom Projects.
2. Individual and small group initiatives.
3. International day.
MYP schools have a responsibility to develop Community and Service activities in ways that are appropriate for students. In semester 1, Grade 6 to 10 homeroom teachers will introduce students to the framework for developing projects. The projects will then be organised in homerooms and each grade level will focus on a particular community. In this way, all students will be supported to consider their roles and responsibilities to the communities in which they live and take appropriate action to make a difference.
The framework below shows the focus of activities in each grade level with some potential projects.
| How can I make a difference in each year of the MYP? |
| Grade |
Which community? |
Potential projects |
6 |
Immediate community (Grade 5 & 6 students) |
Assist Grade 5 students in the transition to secondary. |
7 |
School community |
Language support in lower years, translation services for teachers and parents. |
8 |
Local community |
Links with local schools, charities and community organizations. Social/sporting links, tournaments and joint celebrations of Suzhou culture with local schools. |
9 |
Regional/National
|
Links with Shanghai schools and other international schools in the region to organise a conference or mini regional “Olympics”. |
10 |
International & school community |
Link with organisations that have an international dimension. For example, Habitat for Humanity, Oxfam, Unicef or Save the Children. |
 To successfully complete each year in the MYP all students are required to take part in service activities. The emphasis in all grades is on encouraging students’ participation in quality service projects. In Grades 9 & 10 there is a target of 50 hours involvement to prepare students for CAS requirements in the High School Diploma and IB Diploma programmes.
Clearly this is an area of the MYP that parents could actively support. If you are a member of a community organisation or have connections to a local, regional or national charity that our students could make links with, please contact me or the Community and Service Coordinator, Mr. John Power, by email johnpower@ssis-suzhou.net or richardkent@ssis-suzhou.net. Telephone: 0512 62589823.
Richard Kent
MYP Coordinator
|
