olgaimperowicz

[olgaimperowicz]

CREATIVITY — MAJ

I decided to bake matcha cookies. It was a very enjoyable experience as I got to combine one of my favourite drinks - matcha with a cookie. I am proud of the progress I have made as I have tried this receptive before and it did not work, this time the cookies turned out perfect

[olgaimperowicz]

reflection on learning outcomes

Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth

When baking I realised i had to become more organised and precise in what I’m doing if i want to exceed. Organisationand precision are things I struggle with. This CAs experience made me realise how important these traits were not only in school work but also in everyday life, even in my hobbies. Once i learned to keep a tidy work space and measure everything precisely i became better in baking. 

When tutoring i realised explaining math was a strength of mine i dint know i had. Once i had the chance to explain basic math concepts in my own words i became more sure of myself. I helped others understand and realised where my math problems were rooted.

2. Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

For my CAS I undertook new activities like volunteering at a foundation or volunteering. These activities were unlike anything id done before as it required me to approach the children and parent myself. At first i was a bit intimidated and was not sure how to approach them. I had a lot of responsibility on my hands as i was trusted to take care of the children and tech them, in the case of tutoring, and help with supplies, clean and interaction with children and parents in the case of the Ronald mc Donald foundation. I felt a bit overwhelmed and shy at first, but as I completed more tasks ibecame more confident in my own abilities. I became more confident in my communication skills and learned how to offer help respectfully.

3. Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

I initiated a tutoring programme allowing kids from my neighbourhood to come to me with their homework for tutoring sessions. I kept reminders in my calendar and planned my week accorimngly to have time to help other kids with their homework. I announced myself by writing on my neighbourhoods group chat every two weeks, reminding the kids and the parents i was willing to help their kids. 

For the Ronald mc Donald foundation i had to prepare multiple documents before joining the foundation. This required a lot of planning and many emails. I had to keep multiple deadlines to get the documents i needed. I followed a set of stpes. I had to contact the foundation, find the documents i needed, visit the foundation to pass on the documents, later come back to sign some agreements and thanfinally attend a first timers meeting. 

4. Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

Weekly tennis practice combined with school work sometimes felt overwhelming, however no matter how much was going on i always made sure to make time to attend my tennis practice. This taught me commitment and managing my workload more efficiently. I stayed dedicated during the most busy periods.

5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

During my volunteering shifts in the Ronald mc Donald foundation I effectively collaborated with others. This experience taught me division of work and proper communication. I met a lot of interesting people and developed new connections. Together with other volunteers we collaboratively sorted than distributed books and games around the hospital, together it went faster than anticipated and became quite an enjoyable experience. 

6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance 

During my time volunteering in the hospital I became more concious of the importance of support for the parents and children during illness. I interacted with both the parents and the kids. I was happy to see the kids smile and be happier when they saw us, the volunteers. The parents started up conversations with me and the other volunteers. The kids were excited to see usz as we carried the books and toys for them around the hospital. This experience made me relilize the importance of a positive and friendly envoierment during treatment.

7. Recognize and consider the ethical implications of actions 

When I first started tutoring my brothers friends I didn’t realise how much they aprecieated my help. I hlped them with things that were easy for me since they are all in 5th and 6th grade. Tutoring kids in my neighborhood helped me recognize how easy it was to help others. Not only did I explain some concepts to them, but I also helped them in school and helped them become more confident in their abilities. I also improved my relationship with my brother's friends. 

8. Develop new skills and self awareness 

All the activities I participated in helped me gain new skills and self-awareness. Tutoring allowed me to be a better listener and learn to explain better. I developed new teaching approaches for the kids and realized I needed to be more patient. Baking helped me develop new receipts and skills like better organization and being more precise. I also became more creative and learned the technics of baking. Tennis allowed me to become a better tennis player. I developed not only technical skills but also became more reliant and in general more athletic. I developed a routine. Volunteering at the Ronald McDonald's Foundation made me a more conscious person. I developed communication skills and became a better team worker.

[olgaimperowicz]

CAS PROJECT — ACTION

The bingo night was the most enjoyable part of the project. I enjoyed talking to the residents and hearing their stories, getting to know them was pleasant. First, we walked around the nursing home inviting some of the less social residents to come to the garden where we played. I helped a lady who was not able to get down by herself and took her to the garden. I had a good time talking to her, I also felt she was grateful for my help. She told me how uplifted the residents felt after visits of volunteers. We played bingo and the residents liked it very much, they also enjoyed the snacks we prepared. We took turns coordinating the game, helping the seniors with the game, and talking to them. First, we explained the rules but some still needed help understanding. During the game, I developed my communication skills and recognized the ethical implications of my actions. I realized how important it is to volunteer and help in the community. In the end, we gifted the bingo game we bought to the nursing home, they decided to make the bingo games a weekly occurrence. From now on they will play the bingo game we provide every Friday. We also got a thank you diploma recognizing our project. It was a very pleasant and eye-opening experience for me as I saw the positive effects of our project.

[olgaimperowicz]

CAS PROJECT — PREPARATION

The preparation for the bingo night was the most challenging for me. We had a lot of things to prepare and think about, considering the game itself, the number of people that would show up, and the food and drinks we wanted to serve them. We had to consider many things like the allergens or illnesses like diabities. For this project, we were prepared to provide food for around 40 people which was a challenge as some of the snacks had to be sugar-free. For the bingo game itself, we decided to order a ready set online, it contained cards and tokens. Here we came across a challenge. The game came later than expected giving us less time to asses whether it fits our needs. We were quite surprised to find the game did not come with enough tokens. We used our creative problem-solving skills and decided to replace the tokens with pens, and for the people who were not able to write with plat beads. When preparing we decided to include prizes, an herbal tea set for the winner, and smaller ornaments for the second and third place, we also gave away additional cookies for the places from 3 - 6. To plan everything we called each other and discussed everything we needed to do along with the division of tasks. It was a very valuable experience as handling so many tasks was quite challenging. I developed my planning, organization, and time management skills in the process.

[olgaimperowicz]

CAS PROJECT — PLANNING

We contacted the nursing home introducing our idea for the bingo night. We had multiple phone calls and exchanged phone numbers. here are some of the conversations we had. A date was set and an announcment for our bingo night was hanged in the nursong home. We directly contacted the coorddinator of volunteering. It was a valuble experierience for me as it was my first time having to write an official proposal. I got to know some of the technicalities of wanting to organise an event of your own outside of school. It developed our communication skills, planning skills and time managment skills as we had to set a date for everything we wanted to do and keep the deadline.

[olgaimperowicz]

reflection

Throughout my CAS experience, I most enjoyed baking. This is a passion of mine which was born out of necessity. I had to cook for myself sometimes, soon this became a passion of mine. I wanted to explore cooking and baking however I just couldn't find the time to do it. The CAS provided me with the opportunity to pursue it. I expanded my baking skills. I explored new techniques like torching and developed my own recipes. I managed to create sugarless cookies and variations of my favorite dessert - crème brule. 

My greatest challenge during CAs was time management. I really enjoyed visiting the Ronald McDonald Foundation however it was hard to find a time window in my week to visit. I also couldn't go if I wasn’t in perfect health, as I could not put the children there at risk. Because of this I often couldn't visit. To overcome this I had to find an alternate service. I decided to tutor the kids in my neighborhood as it was a more flexible option for me. I really enjoyed talking to them and helping them with their homework. It helped me be more connected and engaged in my local community. 

During the CAS experience, I developed IB learner profile attributes. My visits to the hospital with the Ronald McDonald Foundation helped me be more caring, open-minded, and a better communicator. I interacted with other volunteers and the children staying in the hospital this helped shape me as an IB learner. My weekly tennis helped me be more principled and balanced. Now tennis and sports have become a part of my routine. My tutoring sessions allowed me to develop my communication skills and be more knowledgeable as well as open-minded. Baking helped me become more reflective as I had to reflect on what I did right and wrong when inventing my own recipes. I also became a risk taker and an inquirer. 

[olgaimperowicz]

[olgaimperowicz]

activity — June

i attended my weekly tennis practice. We focused on running and our reflexes. We practiced moves like forehand, backhand, volley, and smash. It was a demanding experience, however I enjoy seeing the progress i make.

[olgaimperowicz]

activity - June

I attended my tennis practice on Warszawianka courts. We played matches, both in doubles and one on one.

[olgaimperowicz]

service MAY — i visited the Ronald mc donald foundation together with ewa Pham . We were tased with organizing children’s books, and later we distributed them around the hospital to the play rooms. We talked to the children, asked for their favorite books and games. It was a very nice experience i enjoyed talking to the kids and parents.

[olgaimperowicz]

MAJ - creativity

Me and my brother decided to combine a milkshake and crème brûlée dessert. We made a vanilla milkshake and added a layer of caramelised sugar on top mimicking the dessert we were inspired by. I enjoyed working together with my brother, i am proud of myself for developing a new receptive combining a new technique i learned-torching with one of my favourite desserts.

[olgaimperowicz]

MAJ - ACTIVITY

During tennis practice we did some exercises and practiced our aim.

[olgaimperowicz]

MAJ - ACTIVITY

This week I attended my tennis practice. This week we mosty played matches against eachother and practiced serving.

[olgaimperowicz]

KWIECIEŃ - ACTIVITY

I attended my weekly tennis practice.

[olgaimperowicz]

Service-maj

Today me maja terach and ewa pham went to dom Opieki społecznej Syrena. We made some arrangements and promoted our CAS project to the residence and got to know them better. We talked to them and answers any questions regarding our organised project.  We set the datę for the bingo night, it will take place on the 5th of June. In total we spent about an hour talking to the elderly residents and getting to know their expectations towards our project. We are looking forward to organising the bingo night and spending time with the  people we got to know as they were very kind and happy to see us. 

[olgaimperowicz]

KWIECIEŃ - ACTIVITY - TENNIS

[olgaimperowicz]

MARZEC - ACTIVITY - Tennis

this week I attended my weekly tennis practice, i warmed up and played a match with my group members.