NOVA recognizes that character improvement plays an equal part in the learning process. We design many carefully supervised programs every year to teach the intrinsic rewards of helping others. The student decides between one of many service projects aimed at helping the community and the underprivileged members of society. 40 hours of service is a school requirement for graduation, but most of our students volunteer much more.
NOVA CAS PROGRAM
NOVA CAS Program consists of projects and activities that alongside the service component, include creative thinking and physical activity in carrying them out. Projects from NOVA CAS Program may be the most transforming element of the individual student education. These projects require real commitment, are more time-demanding, and are designed to meet the needs and interests of more enthusiastic students, willing to get the best from the CSP and CAS.
NOVA COMMUNITY SERVICE OBJECTIVES
- To enhance student learning by joining theory with experience and assist students in seeing the relevance of the academic subjects in the real world;
- To impact local issues and meet local needs through direct service, which is meaningful and necessary;
- To increase the civic and citizenship skills of the students;
- To develop a richer context for student learning;
- To help students know how to get things done!
NOVA COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS
As part of our graduation requirements, students need to complete a minimum of 10 community service hours each year through participation in a project or projects included in the NOVA Community Service Program (CSP).
Students may also earn additional CSP hours through participation in a project or projects included in the NOVA CAS Program. These hours will be counted toward the total CSP hours earned by the student, but cannot be used as a substitute for the hours earned in the NOVA CSP. No CSP hours will be given for activities for which a student gets a credit or grade.
Under special circumstances, only with an approval from the Dean of students and the CAS Coordinator, students not involved in the IB Diploma Programme may be involved in the CAS program at the full extent as IB Diplomma Programme students. The same requirements and procedures will be used as for the IB Diploma Program students.
In order to ensure that students are fulfilling their requirements throughout the school year, each student will need to comlpete at least 2 CSP hours at the end of 1st quarter, 5 CSP hours at the end of 1st semester, 8 CSP hours at the end of 3rd quarter, and 10 CSP hours at the end of 2nd semester.
Students enrolled in the school after the end of the 1st quarter will be required to earn not less than 8 CSP hours, while students enrolled after the end of the 1st semester not less than 5 CSP hours. All hours will be reported to the coordinator of the Community Service Program.
Student’s progress in this program will be reported to the parents through the Progress Reports and Report Cards, by the number of CSP hours earned and the following marks: P (Pass) for students meeting the minimum requirement, F (Fail) for students failing to meet the minimum requirement, and I (Incomplete) for students failing to meet the minimum requirement due to valid reasons. However, these marks do not affect the student’s GPA. Students not meeting the minimum CSP hours requirements at the end of the school year will not be issued their report cards until the fulfillment of the minimum requirement, but not later than 2 weeks after the end of the school year .
Students from NOVA Middle School, grades 6 through 8, are encouraged to take part in NOVA CSP and / or CAS. These students and their teachers / advisors should consider this program as a framework for developing the individual talents of young people, teaching them to relate experience of the classroom to the realities of the world, helping them become critical and compassionate thinkers and preparing them for the high school.