Get Involved: CAS at AIS
The Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) program at AIS for grades 6-12 is underway. The most important thing is to plan ahead and stay involved all year long. Students will have opportunities through school CAS groups, but need to think about, and plan for, involvement in activities beyond the school day. While Advisors will help with the planning and reflection process, students need to take initiative for activities. In other words, don’t just think about it, do it!
While all families received a summer mailing letter defining CAS and its requirements, there are several new and continuing efforts at AIS this year worth noting. Required CAS hours each year should be distributed evenly among the three areas; however, beginning this year, the minimum for each category has been reduced to allow for more flexibility:
Grades 6-8:
Minimum required for each category: 5 hours
Total hours required: 30 hours
Grades 9-10:
Minimum required for each category: 10 hours
Total hours required: 60 hours
Grades 11-12:
Minimum required for each category: 25 hours
Total hours required: 150 hours over 2 years
CAS Opportunity Days will continue this year beginning in September and will take place on the first Saturday of most months. This is a great way for Middle and Upper School students to get involved in service projects in the wider community. E-mail registration forms will be sent with information about the available opportunities one week beforehand and announced in the daily bulletin. We are looking forward to working closely with both Chastain Park Conservancy and Atlanta Food Bank again during these opportunity days.
Several new student-initiated groups are forming, including: Debate, CARE Corp Teens, Students for International Relief (SIR), and Toolbank. Other potential groups include the International Award Scheme, Outward Bound/Ecowatch, Venturing, and an In-line Skating team. These and existing CAS groups would love help from the parent community. Please contact me or Lucy Ke, the CAS representative for the PO, if you can help.
News about these and other activities as well as essential CAS information will soon be available on the AIS website. So it should be a busy and exciting year for CAS at AIS. As we reach out to the community, please also help us with your support and ideas. As the adage goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and in the end our students can make a difference with all of our help.
Please contact Tobin Bechtel, CAS Coordinator (tbechtel@aischool.org) with questions or suggestions concerning CAS.