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Service Learning (Community Service)
Student achievement goal III, “Responsibility to the community” includes a service learning component that allows students to earn hours for their participation in service learning projects. Service learning is a teaching method designed to involve students in authentic and meaningful service to their communities. Service learning makes connections between the classroom and the community and provides structured time for students to reflect on their service experiences. It is intended to instill a sense of civic responsibility by encouraging students to access their impact on the community as active contributors to society. Students can engage in a variety of activities.
Activity Options
Students may choose to participate in faith-based or civic or politically related services. For faith-based services, the activity must have a secular purpose and be based on a recognized need in the community. Activities must affect individuals beyond the immediate religious community and may not include preparation or participation in the performance of religious services. For civic-related service, activities must occur in a public place under the supervision of an adult. Service learning hours will not be awarded for fund-raising.
Service learning activities are divided into three distinct categories: Direct Service, Indirect Service, and Advocacy or Research. Schools will have the option to identify specific service learning opportunities unique to their communities. Students who engage in individual projects will be allowed to submit hours earned from nonproselytizing religious activities, scouting requirements, and national society memberships. Schools should remember that service learning involves more than just volunteering to help. It must include a process by which students learn and understand why the help is needed in this area. For example, in doing a food drive, students should learn about where the food is going and why it is needed by that particular group.
Direct Service—this service directly affects or includes the recipient(s):
- Working with youth through education and recreation programs
- Working with senior citizens
- Working with sick or disabled individuals
- Working with immigrant populations
- Preparing and serving food for others
- Tutoring young children
Indirect Service—this service benefits the environment or the community:
- Collecting or distributing food items or clothing
- Organizing benefits for special causes or events*
- Engaging in neighborhood beautification projects
- Engaging in local conservation efforts
- Constructing ramps to benefit the disabled
- Restoring a wetlands area
Advocacy or Research—this service educates and promotes action on public interests:
- Informing the public about a variety of issues through FCPS 24-7 Blackboard sites, video-streaming sites, or protected Internet sites
- Working with local political organizations
- Advocating on behalf of underrepresented segments of the community
- Making a speech on a public issue
- Developing and conducting surveys or studies on a public interest area
Conducting experiments
Civics:
Service learning is a county requirement for all students in the 8th grade.
- Longfellow will require 5 hours of verified service for each of the first 3 quarters.
- If you have completed 2 hours of service during the summer prior to your 8th grade year, you may include those.
- If you were called to serve Longfellow this summer, "start to success" "orientation" "packet preparation" you may include up to the full 5 hours required for the first quarter.
- Hours do NOT carry over from one quarter to the next. (If you completed service for NJHS or confirmation or the scouts or for any other reason, you may use those hours toward your civics requirement.
- Service does NOT include:
- free babysitting (unless it is for a community event SO that parents may attend),
- volunteering to help a private business such as...Veterinary hospitals (unless it is for a community service they provide) SO if you're not sure, please check...don't assume. Again… no work for a private business or at your parents office…unless they work for a charitable organization. The business will appreciate it, but it is not service learning.
- Trash pickup, unless it is part of an organized community effort (which you can organize, but you’ll need to provide evidence)
- Service to your place of worship that is associated with instruction of the religion or the religious service itself. (if you babysit so that others may attend, play music or sing for the benefit of the church community, that is a service to your community, but not participating in the actual service, please save those hours for your confirmation or consider it a contribution as a member of your religious group.)
- Service records and reflections are due one week before the quarter ends (unless you have signed up to help with a project that will be completed the last week, in which case you need to let your civics teacher know.)
- The most heavily weighted portion of the service requirement is the reflection piece. Please be sure you will be able to demonstrate service to the community and the connection to what you have learned in school about being a responsible member of the community.
- Service DOES include:
- assistance for your elderly (elderly does NOT mean 50ish...) or disabled neighbors...please get out there and rake their leaves, shovel their driveways when it snows...help them out. In these circumstances, you may have to insist that they allow you to do this for them. If they insist on paying you, ask them to donate what they would have given you to their charity of choice. Then, very important, have your parent sign your service record to avoid embarrassing your neighbor.
- Opportunities posted below:
2011-2012 Service Learning Opportunities:
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On Saturday, February 18th and Saturday, March 17th we are planning to start seeds indoors in the Fellowship Hall at our Columbia@Crossroads location during our food pantry hours so the clients can help with the task. We are also going to help the clients plant herb seeds in small containers that they can take home on March 17th. The volunteers should arrive by 9:00 am for orientation.
Parents and students are welcome. The attached permission form is required for anyone under 18 volunteering without an accompanying adult. If we finish early, we will work in the garden.
Please have the students email me if they are interested in volunteering either of these dates. We need to limit the number of volunteers, so I need to know how many will be coming. They do not have to volunteer for both dates. This is only for the seed planting project. If they want to volunteer for the food pantry, they need to contact Betsy Pankey BetsyPankey@aol.com
Directions to our Columbia@Crossroads campus from Falls Church:
Take Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) east approximately 3.9 mile
Turn left onto Glen Carlyn Road - there is a left turn lane at the light
3245 Glen Carlyn Road is on your right just past St. Anthony's Church
Note:
- Glen Carlyn Road is not the same as Carlin Springs Road.
- Building is reddish brick, with steeple/cross and sign.
- Large parking lot at the back of the church building - take driveway to the parking lot
- COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS AVAILABLE AT KENT GARDENS ELEMENTARY
Kent Gardens Elementary School needs volunteers to help with Homework Help and Storytime during their monthly PTA meetings. Volunteers are needed on Tuesday, February 21 6:45 - 8:30 and Tuesday, March 13 6:45 - 8:30.
To sign up to help during the February 21st meeting, please follow this link: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2808697891 . To sign up for the March 13th meeting, please follow this link: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2808830287 . Volunteers are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact Diana Kost (dkost@cox.net) with questions.
- SHARE will be having a “Stuff the Bus” Food Drive on Saturday, February 4 at the McLean Giant from 9:30am-5pm.
Students will be greeting and handing out flyers to incoming shoppers to encourage them to donate food to our food pantry.
We will also need help unloading, sorting and storing food at SHARE that day from 4:30-6:00pm.
To sign up please go to: http://tinyurl.com/SHAREFoodDrive2-4-12
Local Service Learning Opportunites - Please read through this list and help out whenever you can!
NJHS (National Junior Honor Society):
Fifteen (15) hours necessary for the year.
Eight (8) hours could have been completed in the summer.
*If your student is in NJHS, he/she will be permitted to apply five of the total service hours to both Civics and NJHS for the entire year.
If there are any further questions, please contact Liane Paulson
*The five (5) shared hours represent a change in NJHS service hour requirements.
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