French program students: Community service is not a requirement for students following the French curriculum at Rochambeau, however, for all the reasons listed above, students are strongly encouraged to become actively involved in their community. 

IB students: Service is a requirement of the International Baccalaureate MYP and DP programs. The following guidelines apply, along with some specific requirements and documentation which you can find in the IB section below.

All community service hours must be reported in the x2VOL platform for validation by the Community Service coordinator. (Instructions for creating an x2VOL account)

For community service hours performed outside of Rochambeau, a Community Service Documentation Form must be completed by the student, signed by the volunteer coordinator, and uploaded to x2VOL

All Community service activities performed outside the school must be performed through a non-profit, tax-exempt organization in a public place - not in a private residence. Nursing homes, although not non-profit, are an exception.

All activities must be secular in nature.
[For more information about policies regarding SSL hours in religious context, please see MCPS Q&A.

One community service hour must be awarded for one hour of service, with a maximum of 8 hours per 24-hour period.

All activities must be performed without financial compensation.

The supervisor must be over 18 years of age and someone other than a member of the student's family.

The nonprofit, tax-exempt organization must comply with all federal, state, and local laws that forbid discrimination on the basis of race, creed, gender, age, disability, religion, and/or national origin. The organization must prohibit sexual harassment, verbal abuse, threats, and/or physical violence directed toward others.

Service as Action (SAA) in MYP (3ème/9th and 2nde/10th)

Service as Action (SAA) is a required part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP) offered in 3ème/9th Grade and 2nde/10th Grade. It is an essential component that allows students to extend their learning beyond the classroom walls and into the community. It gives students the opportunity to connect and contribute to the real world and empowers them to become global citizens.

Service as Action = To make a positive difference and to learn through those actions.

The IB MYP SAA has 3 overall objectives:

To develop students’ understanding of an underlying issue (such as poverty, literacy, or pollution) by authenticating the need for a service, serving the community, and/or challenging themselves. 

To develop students’ planning and reflection skills.

To build authentic connections between what students learn in the classroom and what they encounter in the community through opportunities to apply concepts, skills, and knowledge.

Is SAA the same as Community Service?

Although IB MYP SAA has a community service component, it is broader and encompasses more types of activities than community service.

Community Service: Students volunteer to provide service.

MYP SAA: Students engage in community service activities with intentional academic and learning goals.

As a result, students can count some of the hours they spend on their IB MYP SAA activities as Community Service hours.  The hours that students can count are hours spent actually performing a service to the community.  These hours should be performed according to the school’s regulations for Community Service and reported to Rhonda Trad using the school’s Community Service Documentation Form.

Is there a required number of hours for IB MYP SAA?

SAA is first and foremost a set of qualitative experiences and learning. There is no required number of hours to perform.

The MYP requires that students meet yearly expectations for SAA:

All MYP students must complete at least 5 approved service experiences annually.

Each experience must exceed one hour of service.

When should students engage in SAA experiences/projects?

For an activity to count as part of a student’s IB MYP SAA experiences, it should be performed between the beginning of the school year and the end of the summer of the current school year. 

For instance, an activity performed in July 2024 cannot count for the school year 2024-2025 (but an activity performed in July 2025 can). 

Students should make sure they perform as many SAA activities as possible before the end of each school year in June.

How do students get their SAA experiences/projects approved?

BEFORE the start of the experience/project:

• Students fill out SECTION 1 of the SAA Experience Approval Form and share it with the IB Coordinator and their Professeur.e Principal.e for approval.
• If necessary, students fill out the SAA Risk Assessment Form and share it with the IB Coordinator and their Professeur.e Principal.e. 

AT THE END of the experience/project:

• Students fill out SECTION 2 of the SAA Experience Form and share it with the IB Coordinator and their Professeur.e Principal.e.
• Students provide evidence of their participation (photos, emails, etc.).

Students can report to Rhonda Trad the applicable SSL hours using the school’s Community Service Documentation Form.

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) in DP (1ère and Terminale)

CAS is a core component of the DP curriculum, and students must select activities that align with their interests and values. CAS projects can combine any or all of the three strands of creativity, activity, and service.

A CAS project challenges students to show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making.

CAS is introduced at the beginning of 1ère IB DP, and work must extend a minimum of 18 months through the spring of the Terminale year.

A good CAS program must relate to your personal qualities, aims, and ambitions. It must be  balanced and reflect the individual student's desire for growth

As with the IB MYP SAA, students can count some of the hours they spend on their CAS activities as Community Service hours The hours that students can count are hours spent actually performing a service to the community.

These hours should be performed according to the school’s regulations for Community Service. and reported to Rhonda Trad using the school’s Community Service Documentation Form.