Primary Years Program (PYP) - the International School of Belgrade

An Introductory Guide for Students and Parents 2011 -2012Creativity, Action, Service (CAS)The Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) requirement is a fundamental part of the IB Diploma Program and ittakes seriously the importance of life outside the world of scholarship, providing a refreshing counterbalanceto academic studies. Through organizing, carrying out and reflecting on the CAS activities and field trips,students are being challenged to step out of their comfort zone in order to develop a spirit of openmindednessand discovery.Through balanced creativity, action and service activities, students are given a valuable opportunity tomeet local and international non-government organizations which open doors to students as they developtheir interests. Moreover, students learn how to take initiative, as they become aware of the humanitarianissues across the world, waking in them compassion and the gift of true giving.Simply put, our students become better informed citizens of the world. Some of the activities that take placethrough the CAS program are: Senjak Clean-Up, Drinka Orphanage Clothes Drives, National DemocraticInstitute Internships, MS/HS Food Drive through Bread of Life organization, and the CAS Fair.English as an Additional Language (EAL)ISB embraces the IB concept of an international education that promotes intercultural understanding. Therich development of language and literacy for all learners is an essential element of all three IB programsat ISB.In order to enable all students in the school to access the curriculum in a manner that allows them tobenefit fully from their education and to reach their full potential, ISB provides an English as an AdditionalLanguage (EAL) program for all students for whom English is not their native tongue. We believe thatlearning a second language is a developmental process that occurs over a number of years. Developingbasic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) can take up to two years while the more demandingcognitive academic language proficiency (CALP), the level of English language competence required tohave adequate access to the mainstream curriculum, can take up to seven years to fully develop. For thisreason ISB considers EAL to be a long-term commitment.16