WHY CHRISTIAN SERVICE?

In the spirit of the Gospel of giving service to others and putting into practice what is learned in the classroom, junior high students must provide a minimum number of service hours each year.

The goal of the Christian Service Program is to teach San Gabriel Mission Elementary students to serve others; in the Christian and Dominican traditions, service to others is both our responsibility and our blessing, for it is God who first served us.

GOALS OF SERVICE

• Live the Dominican Charism in a tangible and measurable way
• Gain a greater and deeper understanding of their community and themselves as contributing, caring human beings.
• Experience a heightened awareness of and sensitivity to the needs of others, within their school community and in the larger community.
• Continue to serve beyond the minimum by organizing their time, talents, and resources to enhance the quality of life in their community.
• Incorporate Christian service into the culture of their school.
• Use this program as a tool for academic success and enrichment.
• Discover how our school can make a difference in the community.

MANDATORY MIDDLE SCHOOL SERVICE REQUIREMENT

San Gabriel Mission Elementary School requires every middle school student complete volunteer hours of direct service to the school, parish and community each year. This service experience will be filled as part of an annual Christian Service Project under the direction of Ms. Felix. The time students spend in service to others is intended to complement the Religion curriculum at every grade level and represents a percentage of a student’s Religion grade for the academic year.

Hours are to be served in the following time frame:

DOCUMENTING SERVICE HOURS

All junior high students are required to journal their experiences every time they volunteer, first tracking the location and number of hours they served, obtaining the signature of the supervising adult and also writing a reflection, noting struggles they may have encountered, what they learned, and how they believe they made a difference through that service. Students’ Service Journals will be collected at the end of every trimester and evaluated by the teachers for completed hours, thoroughness of tracking and communicated understanding of the purpose of service through the students’ reflections.