Need help dealing with coordinator

[Deluxe489]

Our coordinator barely accepts anything as CAS. Also, from the way he explains things, I don't really know what I'm supposed to do.

For example, he says the creativity hours can be earned through using an art to better the community, or by planning other CAS activities (I've heard that some kids in other schools don't need to have it related to the community; I know some people who got hours for practising an instrument, but our coordinator won't allow this). Thing is, when I tried to log the hours that I spent doing marching band, he refused them because it's a school activity (even though I didn't get a grade for it).

He also tried explaining to me that any given CAS project could span two years and be treated as TWO SEPARATE PROJECTS. I don't understand this.

Can someone please explain CAS to me? Whenever I go to my coordinator with questions, I just get more confused because he goes off on a tangent each time.

Thank you.

[Drake Glau]

Umm I have no idea what he's doing. I have 3 school activities counting for my CAS.

Basically CAS is anything you do where you don't get a reward. It's like IB forcing you to have a social life in the community, whether that's fundraising or marching in a band...

The marching band thing should count. And it would cover like 4 of the learning outcomes. New skill, worked with people, awareness of a strength and room for improvement, perseverance and commitment...

[Julie]

He shouldn't be restricting things like marching band, those are all CAS activities. If you go to the IBO website and look up the CAS page, you can see clearly by their statement and description of CAS that CAS's purpose is for you to develop as an individual outside of school. The reason C is not a component of S (i.e. it is separated) is because not all C's must be S's, the same goes for A's.

Unfortunately, since your IB coordinator is the one rejecting the hours, you will have to go along with it unless you want to put up a fight (which I would do, but do not recommend). Try putting your marching band to some sort of service activity, so that you can get all the hours for it. For instance, maybe play your instrument for something charitable, therefore you would get hours for all of the practicing and class and also for the actually charity. Other than that... I don't know what to say...

[dessskris]

Thank God I have 2 CAS Coordinators so if one is not helping me I can ask the other one

Anyway, try talking to your IB Coordinator. Bring the official CAS Syllabus thing with you and tell your IBC that what your CAS Coordinator said didn't reflect what is written in the syllabus. If you don't have one, I believe we do have a copy in the Files section. You should also suggest your IBC to get your CAS Coordinator into an IB workshop or training or whatever so he knows exactly what CAS is all about. My teachers join IB workshops once in a while so they keep updated with the news (if there is any) and are reminded of what they are supposed to do and not do as IB teachers.

I think marching band should count even if it's a school activity. Almost all of my CAS activities are school activities/projects actually, except for two, because one is not related to my school and the other one I started the project with my teacher and friends. This is true. If you want I can send you my CAS activities list with the number of hours so you can show it to your IBC/CAS Coordinator as a proof or whatever...so you can count marching band as a CAS activity.

If it's one same activity/project, even if it takes 2 years, it should still be one activity/project. Unless you are doing a completely different thing in the 2nd year.

For example, I am in the school choir and I've been logging CAS hours from it for (almost) one year. If I still join the choir and log hours next year, it should still be one same CAS activity, not two ones, because what I do is basicly singing all the way.

Another example, in my old school I joined the computer club and we can change division every year. Say I take graphic designing in the first year and programming in the second year. If I logged CAS hours from that activity, I can get 2 different activities: graphic designing and programming. However I still think I would make it one same activity: computer club because I am lazy to write the reflections at the end of each activity

Should you have any doubt/question just ask here, we will try to answer them for you

[Deluxe489]

Thank you for the replies.

Unfortunately, my CAS coordinator and my IBC are the same person, so I can't talk to someone else about it. Our coordinator is in charge of everything IB in school (except teaching, though he does also do a history class).

To explain more about what he said, when I asked him about the new CAS rules (post 2010), he said that it was okay and that we would have enough activities (because he didn't tell us about anything or give us a syllabus; I found out by myself), because he would be splitting our projects in two: he said that we could take a project that we did, and consider the planning for it to be a separate CAS activity. I'm not sure if this is even allowed.

I looked at the CAS syllabus that you guys recommended. I don't think he's aware that Action refers to physical activity.

I'm going to try talking to him again about CAS and when he wants the sheets and what he needs (he never explained how we should log the hours, other than giving us a generic sheet). The thing is, we've all been asking him these types of things ever since our juniour year, but he always ends up either going on a tangent about something off-topic or tells us something different every time.

Here's to hoping our diplomas aren't denied because of CAS.

Thanks for the help.