What are you allowed and not allowed to do in CAS?

[Afterglow]

I thought I should create a thread about this since there seems to be a variety of things different schools allow students to do for CAS.

Are there any things that you are NOT allowed to count as CAS in your school? Do you know something that another school has allowed or not allowed and etc?

For instance, me and a group of friends needed creativity and thought of starting the yearbook for IB Alumni 08 but our CAS coordinator refused to accept it and said that 'we would do it anyway' which is not true and then he says that the IBO won't let it. However, I have heard that there is another school in Finland in which people can work on the yearbook for creativity which I think you should because it is creativity.

We are not allowed either to use all the ZILLIONS of hours we put in meetings for planning, organising and helping out in different groups/comittees for volenteering such as red cross or etc as service. I think it sucks because we actually do help and spend a lot of time planning things.

Yoga and dancing is not allowed as action but only creativity (???) and so many other things.

[BIO-AQUA]

I know how you feel.. At our school, we thought we were done with our CAS hours by the end of our junior year - except for like 10 hours? Then, by the beginning of our Senior year, I found out that I have only 60 hours on my agenda! :0 We participated in a science fair and thought that we would finish the 50 hours of creativity and service all together (though we did more than 200 hours in total), we were given 8 hours for each section! Now I have to run around fishing for hours!! Also, our school gives 5 hours for any outer school activity even if you do more than that.

P.S Do we really need to finish the 150 hours to earn the diploma? Many students don't finish them but still get it!

Edited September 21, 2007 by BIO-AQUA

[beli16]

it kind of depends from school to school i think..for example yoga counts as action at ours....

[Afterglow]

it kind of depends from school to school i think..for example yoga counts as action at ours....

Yes I know which I find quiet annoying since it is quiet unfair when we all follow the same criterias for CAS

[Ruan Chun Xian]

My school's pretty relaxed for CAS. They accept almost anything:

1/2 hour meeting/week for Student Council --> Service (of course, we count all those hours up at the end of the semester and only do 1 evaluation form)

Volunteering to run class stalls for 1 hour in school fairs --> Service

When our Student Council put on the Valentine's Day dance, we were there about 3 hours early and then there was this girl in my class who was there early as well and we asked her to come in and helped us with decoration. For 3 hours all she did was blowing up balloons. She got that counted as CAS. Haha.

After school clubs, playing for school sports team (all my action hours here!)

and yes, Yearbook. I was on the school yearbook committee for years. I'd had been very pissed off if it wasn't counted as CAS.

etc etc

I think it depends on your CAS Coordinator obviously.

[Afterglow]

My school's pretty relaxed for CAS. They accept almost anything:

1/2 hour meeting/week for Student Council --> Service (of course, we count all those hours up at the end of the semester and only do 1 evaluation form)

Volunteering to run class stalls for 1 hour in school fairs --> Service

When our Student Council put on the Valentine's Day dance, we were there about 3 hours early and then there was this girl in my class who was there early as well and we asked her to come in and helped us with decoration. For 3 hours all she did was blowing up balloons. She got that counted as CAS. Haha.

After school clubs, playing for school sports team (all my action hours here!)

and yes, Yearbook. I was on the school yearbook committee for years. I'd had been very pissed off if it wasn't counted as CAS.

etc etc

I think it depends on your CAS Coordinator obviously.

GODNESS. Omg does anyone know if there are some written rules about what you can and cannot do? Because I would LOVE to show those to his face seriously. Because of the new strict rules he has applied I am 30 hours short of service as well as 10 hours of action and I need to be done by DECEMBER The fact that we have testweeks and almost all of our internals before december doesn't help either.

Edited September 22, 2007 by Afterglow

[Ruan Chun Xian]

P.S Do we really need to finish the 150 hours to earn the diploma? Many students don't finish them but still get it!

YES! If you don't finish in time you have to make it up in the summer after your exams. Either way your CAS Coordinator have to tell IBO that you've done your hours.

We are not allowed either to use all the ZILLIONS of hours we put in meetings for planning, organising and helping out in different groups/comittees for volenteering such as red cross or etc as service. I think it sucks because we actually do help and spend a lot of time planning things.

This is quite stupid.

And I hate the argument that you can't count things for CAS "because you would do it anyway". I mean, WTF? Sure, CAS is there to make sure you get extracurricular stuff and try new things, but that doesn't mean it should solely be composed of things you "wouldn't do anyway" - I mean, that's sort of saying CAS is something extra you do because you have to and wouldn't normally do because you don't enjoy it. Idiotic.

You know, if schools wanted students to put more effort into and enjoy CAS they should be less pedantic about it and be reasonable about how to count hours. IB is hard enough, you don't need to stress about CAS on top of it! CAS is supposed to be fun, not something you have to stress about - will I get hours for this? I mean, what happens when you have to choose between something you really enjoy (and could potentially be counted as CAS but according to your CAS Coordinator, no) and something that is boring but is counted for loads of CAS hours?

Honestly, I got service hours for sititng there and putting music sheets into plastic folders for the choir. I didn't think that counted as CAS but well, my coordinator accepted it, I wasn't going to complain.

CAS can be serious but it can also be fun! It's supposed to be fun!

[/rant]

Oh did I mention that I got shopping down for CAS as well? It was actually shopping for the Student Council, for dance decorations. But it was still fun.

[cixelsyD]

someone put shopping for activity hours and the teachers didn't say anything about it..... o.O

[Guest Instinct.sD]

someone put shopping for activity hours and the teachers didn't say anything about it..... o.O

LOL

I'm not sure about other IB schools, but my IBC told us that if for some reason we don't finish our CAS hours, we have one year to finish them after the exams if we still want your diploma. So I guess if you're really pressed for time, just study for your Exams and focus more on the IAs, then do the CAS afterwards.

[Dooga]

I'm not sure about other IB schools, but my IBC told us that if for some reason we don't finish our CAS hours, we have one year to finish them after the exams if we still want your diploma. So I guess if you're really pressed for time, just study for your Exams and focus more on the IAs, then do the CAS afterwards.

Hm... that's certainly interesting, I've never heard that before. When do CAS forms get submitted, if at all?

[ffaholic]

And I hate the argument that you can't count things for CAS "because you would do it anyway

My school lets us count those hours. For example if we write in a journal everyday we get Creative hours. It's really easy to get hours at my school. Any extra-curricular activity in which you don't get a credit gets you hours. Even making a list or a schedule gets you creative hours.

[Ruan Chun Xian]

Hm... that's certainly interesting, I've never heard that before. When do CAS forms get submitted, if at all?

I'm not sure but one shouldn't even consider this. Because, after all, why put yourself through that when you could complete CAS in the required time? All it means is (as I understand it) you won't get your diploma until you complete CAS.

My school lets us count those hours. For example if we write in a journal everyday we get Creative hours. It's really easy to get hours at my school. Any extra-curricular activity in which you don't get a credit gets you hours. Even making a list or a schedule gets you creative hours.

Ok, now that is sort of bordering on ridiculous...But then again, I shouldn't talk. I got service hours for spending an hour putting paper into plastic folders.

[sweet_tanjarine]

Oh and quick question.... Could going to the fitness center count as CAS? There is one right where I walk by after school. Our school does not have any sport teams.... only softball that no one tried out... dance club.... and then this run every monday that I attend. I would really like to join badminton but I do not know where to look.... or how to start. I wish I was in a varsity team like basketball too or something. In USA there are so many more possibilities.. wish the advantage was here. I really do not want to take an hour ride to some other place to do something, I would rather do it after school.

[deissi]

sweet_tanjarine: The fitness center should count, at least going to the gym counts at my school.

[cixelsyD]

I was told today that someone once put "sex" as activity.. :l

I wonder who supervised *coughMichaelJacksoncough*

[Guest majofc]

My coordinator is rather evil when it comes to Cas. She does not accept anything that does not come from an activity of one of the IB clubs. It is rather strange because going to a kindergarden and colunteer to take care and teach children does not give you CAS hours, however, watcxhing a movie IN the movies club gives you three creativity hours, going to the movies gives you... none and bringing a newspaper once a week gives you a service and and creativity hours

My coordinator also considers CAS a punishment and will not accept anything you volunteer for. The acticities we do are supposed to have service, help OUR comunitee and be long term proyects. Planning hours do not count. It is rather strange because you get hours for "practice" with your team for a proyect we have, but being in the representative teams of your state or the school does not give you hours.

[Guest Igusiakisses]

Well, in my school what they allow you to do as far as creativity is concerned, is to have private lessons from extracurricular languages. If you don't have Spanish at school and attend it after classes,then there is no problem in having it in your creativity section.

Apart from this Martial Arts and dance account both for creativity and action, what is indeed extremely profitable.

Edited October 27, 2007 by Igusiakisses

[icecoldstar]

I do NOT understand why would schools have different restrictions, but here we go

my school can do basically anything... This year, IB is not actually collecting the CAS forms from our school, so our CAS coordinator is like, oh **** it, you guys do whatever you want, just be winthin reason. You cant say, oh snap, i played video games and i want that to be my creative hours. what you can say is that oh snap, I played guitar or i took tennis lessons, that is damn creative... that's basically how is works here

[Ashika]

Ours is really lax.

Like, people actually count band as action :/

[linlinchen0502]

In our school, we have to fill evaluation forms for CAS hr. Right now, I haven't filled any yet, though I have volunteered about 150 hrs in the summer. Uhh, on the form it says we have to get signature from whom in charge of the activity. So you choose to either filling a bunch of forms or writing a report describing what you've done.

PS: I'm only an partial so do I have to complete 150 hrs CAS as well? I heard of the rumors that our coordinator don't even ask for CAS hrs......

Here're something I found, hope it will help

Creativity is interpreted broadly to include a wide range of arts activities as well as the creativity students demonstrate in designing and implementing service projects.

Action can include not only participation in individual and team sports but also taking part in expeditions and in local or international projects.

Service encompasses a host of community and social service activities. Some examples include helping children with special needs, visiting hospitals and working with refugees or homeless people.

http://east.usd259.org/ib/cas.html