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Social Service Hours
Dear Parents:
As you may have heard already, the German School Washington, D.C requires social service hours from our students in grades 8-12. However, unlike the public schools who require 75 hours of community service, we will be requiring only ten hours per year. Students will be earning these hours by taking part in activities within the curriculum, the school or the community.
As a general rule, all service learning must be performed with a nonprofit tax exempt organization. Assisted-living facilities and nursing homes are the only exception to the nonprofit rule. (List of organizations that offer community service-learning hours: www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/ssl/ )
One service-learning hour is awarded for every hour of service outside of the instructional day. A maximum of 8 hours may be earned in a 24-hour period. All service-learning activities must be secular in nature, occur in a public place and be supervised by a nonprofit organization representative. Parents or relatives cannot serve as supervisors for their child or relative.
We would like to give you an overview of the process of earning community service hours.
Step 1:
Students will be able to obtain the student service learning activity form here or by stopping by Ms. Fabina's office and picking up a copy in person.
Step 2:
The student chooses one or more activities either in school or in the community. If there are any questions as to whether or not an activity that a student wants to participate in is approved, please contact me prior to beginning the activity.
Step 3:
The student completes the 10 hour requirement and fills out the activity form. The activity supervisor fills in the hours of service and signs the form.
Step 4:
The student brings Mrs. Fabina the completed and signed form and the hours are entered into the database.
For Grade 12 Students only: To be eligible for graduation, each student must hand in their signed forms no later than June 1.
Student may also complete their SSL (Student Service Learning) hours during the summer. All hours must be handed in to Mrs.Fabina by the last Friday in September.
Students may also choose to fulfill their entire service learning requirement at one time. As an example: if a 9th grade student completes 40 hours of community service, the requirement has been met and no further hours are necessary.
Volunteering is such an important and worthwhile experience. As the Montgomery County Public Schools home page puts it: “Quality service learning provides the student with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and career exploration opportunities that lead to effective citizenship in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world.” If you have any questions regarding the student service learning program, please contact either Mrs. Zänglein or Mrs. Fabina and we will be happy to assist you.
Please encourage your children to read the FAQs for Students.