Community Service @ CAISL
Creating, Achieving, Inspiring, SERVING and Leading
Service - done by students, modeled by adults, it is central to the growth at CAISL. There is always something happening in Community Service.
SECONDARY COMMUNITY SERVICE CLUB
The Secondary Community Service Club was split into three sections: Middle School (Grades 6, 7 and 8), Grades 9 and 10, and Grades 11 and 12. They meet regularly and organize activities based on the organizations (IPSS and other community-based organizations) they support. Activities include bake sales, fundraising activities such as Season/ Celebration Grams (Halloween, Winter Holidays...), and participation in activities such as Banco Alimentar drives and house rebuilding projects with Associação DOMUS (Grades 11 & 12).
HIGH SCHOOL HONOR SOCIETIES
National Honor Society, Tri-M, the Thespian Troupe, and the Honorable Art Society are clubs organized by High School students and each one has a service component, so it is not uncommon to see them engaged in fundraising events or service activities as part of their club actions.
Holiday postcard created by the Honorable Arts Society Members.
Halloween Bake Sale
Photo of an "Open Mic" session organized by the Tri-M.
Photo of an "Open Mic" session organized by the Tri-M.
Photo of an "Open Mic" session organized by the Tri-M.
Photo of an "Open Mic" session organized by the Tri-M.
Photo of an "Open Mic" session organized by the Tri-M.
INDEPENDENT SERVICE PROJECTS
In addition, IB students may choose to organize their collaborative and independent CAS Project focusing on the Service strand of the CAS Program and support either an organization that CAISL works with and supports or students may choose to advocate for and support a different organization (in previous year there have been CAS Projects that supported Aldeia SOS Bicesse with school supplies; Comunidade Vida e Paz with winter coats and shoes' drive; Ronald McDonald Lisbon with higiene products drive).
SERVICE LEARNING
Students and teachers may choose to organize Service Learning Projects, in which subjects' goals, performance indicators or content are aligned with needs identified in the community - so students plan Service Learning initiatives such Grade 8 Migration Symposium with the Lisbon Project; Grade 6 Fundraising Initiatives for Water in South Sudan after reading A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park.
PARENT PARTICIPATION
The Parent Support Group has also created a Community Service Club and they meet monthly to provide CAISL parents with opportunities to become active members in the community, creating positive impact for society and modeling behavior for the students.
Activities include participating in Banco Alimentar with students, organizing fundraising events to benefit different charities, and knitting beanies and booties for XXS Prematuros (an association supporting families with premature babies).
Community Service News
For the past month and a half, a skillful number of the CAISL Parent Support Group parents have been working together to meet the “XXS Association” challenge, and participate in the fourth edition of the “XXS-XXL, Pequeno em tamanho, Grande no Coração” campaign.
8th graders learned about immigration in their social studies class, and within this context they attended an Immigration Symposium at the CAISL theater.
For the first time this year, CAISL's fine arts department came together to organize a joint Induction Ceremony to recognize High School students for their contributions to CAISL's music, drama and art programs.
The national food drive campaign – Banco Alimentar – took place on the weekend of 27-28 of November and it involved CAISL students, staff, faculty and parents. Collectively, we gathered 3 132 kg of food in a local supermarket.
On Monday, for the first time in a long time, our eighth-grade students were able to gather in the theater for a symposium on immigration.
Done in video format this year, the Tri-M Musical Honor Society Induction ceremony aims to recognize High School students who contributed positively to CAISL's music program.
Last Friday, CAISL's National Honor Society welcomed new members.
Community Service club is supporting two worthy causes during this Holiday season: the Lisbon Project and Make a Wish foundation.
Our school community donated 1740 kg of non-perishable food to Banco Alimentar. Thank you to all who contributed for such an outstanding number!
CAISL is a student-centered educational community in which we challenge ourselves and each other to do our best and to make positive contributions to our diverse and ever-changing world.
CAISL partners with these and other Community Based Organizations
Works towards avoiding food waste and organizes 2 national food drives (May & Dec.) to support families in economic constrains. Partnership with CAISL since 2002.
Helps people in Braga, north of Portugal, build or improve a place they can call home. Works in partnership w/ Fuller Center for Housing (formerly it used to
partner w/ Habitat for Humanity). Partnership with CAISL since 2004.
Provides services that satisfy the basic needs and psycho-social support of elderly people; Contributes to stabilize or slow down the ageing process; Develops conditions that preserve and motivate elderly people’s usual life environment. Partnership with CAISL since 2006 (although interrupted during COVID).
Integrates citizens with severe special needs into all aspects of life aiming towards autonomy and independence by providing different services and activities (training towards the job market).
Supports children with cancer and their families on an emotional, social and logistical level homes in Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra and Funchal. Partnership with CAISL since 2018.
Supports children at risk who have been referenced by the court or child protection services due to: Economic instability or poor housing conditions; Child negligence; Abandonment; Parents’ addictions; Mental illness. Partnership with CAISL since 2014.
Supports cancer patients and their families; promotion of healthy habits; cancer prevention; encourages professional development and cancer research. Partnership with CAISL since 2014.
Their Mission is to ingrate and protect the lives of migrants and refugees in the city of Lisbon by providing information, mediation, and supporting the acquisition of language skills. Partnership with CAISL since 2016.
Its main purpose is the rehabilitation of burnt land located throughout the national territory. The land is public or publicly managed and the actions are exclusively conservationist in character, with no commercial purpose. Partnership with CAISL since 2019.
Supports people in homeless conditions or social vulnerability working towards their social reintegration. Partnership with CAISL since 2020.
Local (Sintra) group that addresses social needs faced by children (0-16 years old) and elders. Partnership with CAISL since 2021.
Promotes sustainable development and protects the environment through education, advocacy, political reflection and action. Partnership with CAISL since 2021
Supports people in homeless conditions or social vulnerability working towards their social reintegration.
Involves community members through activities to preserve nature; Raises awareness towards nature values and the role of society in its preservation; Brings citizens closer to the conservation and preservation paradigm of ecossystems; Promotes active citizenship by reinforcing environmental awareness and empower volunteers to be agents in the change process.
Promotes human rights and social inclusion, supporting especially sexual and ethnic minorities.