Her MYP service log wants 'meaningful community engagement'. She's offered to walk the neighbour's dog

ivory_kettle_822810 Aug 2026

Grade 7, and the service part of the programme is now being tracked properly. They need to log activities through the year, with a short reflection for each one. Her first proposal is walking the elderly neighbour's dog twice a week. She does care about the neighbour, and the dog, but I suspect the school wants something bigger. She thinks I'm overcomplicating it. What have your children logged that the school accepted? 🤷

4 comments

peach_fern_474510 Aug 2026
Does the school give a list of examples, or a rubric for what counts? I would ask the coordinator before she starts, rather than have her log months of activity and be told at the end it doesn't fit the criteria.
gentle_window_316110 Aug 2026
honestly the dog sounds better than half the 'projects' parents end up doing for the kids 🤷
dusk_paper_442910 Aug 2026
CBSE schools have something similar for community service at the senior level, and from what I have seen, the regular small things were accepted more readily than one-off events. My daughter tutored a younger child in the building every Saturday. The teacher's only feedback was that she wanted more detail in the reflections, not a bigger activity.
cinnamon_bookmark_214110 Aug 2026
No idea about MYP, ours are both in State Board schools. Walking an elderly neighbour's dog twice a week, regularly, through the year, sounds like real help to a real person though. Maybe the reflection is where it becomes 'meaningful': what she noticed about the neighbour, why the dog matters to her, what it changed. Whatever she chooses, I'd keep it, because a 12 year old who keeps a commitment for a whole year is doing well ❤️
- ivory_kettle_822811 Aug 2026
  That's fair. I think I was picturing a beach clean-up with a banner. Showed her your comment and she said 'see'. Letting her log the dog.