Service Learning
Service Learning
Service Learning: At-a-Glance
St. Ignatius School offers a program of hands-on service that, like our academic curriculum, increases in depth and intensity each year. Students participate in these projects at least once a month:
- PreK: Collect gloves, socks and hats at Christmas and artwork/cards for Jean's Place.
- Kindergarten: Collect food for the hungry and deliver it to St. Vincent de Paul
- 1st Grade: Pick up litter on school grounds
- 2nd Grade: Write letters to the homebound elders of our parish community
- 3rd Grade: Deliver meals to homebound elders with Meals-on-Wheels, and write letters to the residents of Transition Men’s Shelter
- 4th Grade: Deliver meals to homebound elders with Meals-on-Wheels, and recycle the school's milk cartons.
- 5th Grade: Deliver meals to homebound elders with Meals-on-Wheels, Recycle cans and bottles to raise funds for technology in our school, Visit elderly residents at Courtyard at Mt. Tabor Assisted Living
- 6th Grade: Volunteer at the Oregon Food Bank.
- 7th Grade: Visit children at the Providence Child Center for Medically Fragile Children
- 8th Grade: Serve lunch to 250 - 300 people without homes at the Blanchet House, and help with food prep and serve dinner at Transition Supper
Our students also serve together as a community on several school-wide service learning projects:
- Raise funds to purchase food for Transition Suppers
- Christmas Boxes for the Community Transitional School
Why Service?
Our comprehensive service learning program empowers our students to make a sincere difference in the lives of others. As they mature, our students gain the facility to connect and be comfortable with people of all walks of life, and by the conclusion of the program they have fully grasped the God-given dignity of all people. With a genuine sense of gratitude, our students no longer see service as an obligation but as an opportunity to form personal relationships based upon compassion, justice, and love.
Visit Us!
If you are interested in cultivating a sense of gratitude in your child’s heart, call us today!
To learn how our service learning program shapes your child, please read the detailed description below.
Service Learning: In-depth
PreK: Jean's Place
Students donate gloves, socks and hats to the women at Jean's Place, a women's shelter, in Portland around Christmas. They send the women artwork/thinking of you cards throughout the school year.
Kindergarten: Food for the Hungry with St. Vincent de Paul
Kindergartners collect food for the hungry and deliver it in person to the St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) pantry in the St. Ignatius Parish Center. The kids have the opportunity to meet the SVDP Coordinator, learn about their services, and see the pantry for themselves. Right from the start, our students learn a responsibility to feed the poor.
1st Grade: Caring for the School Grounds
The 1st graders pick up litter on the school grounds while they discuss the importance of caring for the earth. Our students learn to treasure the school grounds, and to do their part to help beautify the environment.
2nd Grade: Writing the Homebound Elders of the Parish
The 2nd graders reach out through writing to the homebound elders of St. Ignatius Parish who often feel isolated. The bright letters from the children lift the elders’ spirits, help them feel valued, and keep them connected to the parish community they deeply miss. The students come to realize the difference a loving gesture can make to those weighed down by loneliness.
3rd Grade: Meals-on-Wheels and Pen Pals with Transition Men’s Shelter
The 3rd graders, along with the 4th and 5th graders, work with Meals-on-Wheels to deliver lunches to homebound elders around Portland. Our students bring bright smiles and laughter to those who often have very little interaction with the outside world. Our 3rd graders also become pen pals with the residents of the Transition Men’s Shelter. Their letters send a tender sign of encouragement to the men at a time when they may feel forgotten by the greater community. Our students earn a wider view of how others struggle in the world, and how to respond to those struggles with compassion.
4th Grade: Meals-on-Wheels and Arts & Crafts at Reedwood Senior Center
The 4th graders, along with the 3rd and 5th graders, work with Meals-on-Wheels to deliver lunches to homebound elders around Portland. Our 4th graders also wash and prepare all the student milk cartons from lunch for recycling.
5th Grade: Meals-on-Wheels and Sponsoring Children in Africa
The 5th graders, along with the 3rd and 4th graders, work with Meals-on-Wheels to deliver lunches to homebound elders around Portland. The fifth graders also have a monthly visit with the elderly residents at Courtyard at Mt. Tabor. These projects together open our students’ eyes to the way they can make a difference in our local community. The students are able to share their gifts of compassion and patience that they learn while at St. Ignatius. Our 5th graders also meet monthly to collect and sort cans and bottles to raise funds to help bring new technology to St. Ignatius.
6th Grade: Oregon Food Bank
Sixth graders volunteer at the Oregon Food Bank, located in northeast Portland, four times a year. They repackage bulk food donations into family-sized portions for distribution to individuals and families in need throughout Oregon. The service is connected to religion class and the theme of Catholic social teaching: "option for the poor and vulnerable." Jesus calls us to feed the hungry and to take care of our neighbors.
7th Grade: Providence Child Center
The 7th graders go to Providence Child Center for Medically Fragile Children to visit with severely disabled children. This can be a very enlightening experience, and also tremendously challenging. Our students come to see that children with disabilities are no different than they are -- that these children deserve the same respect and kindness due their friends. The children at Providence enjoy this genuine kindness and companionship with their peers, and they greatly inspire our students by who they are in their struggles. Our 7th graders can’t help but humbly recognize their own blessings, and deepen the sense of a gratitude that walks hand-in-hand with the desire to serve.
8th Grade: Blanchet House and Transition Supper
The 8th graders work with the Blanchet House to serve lunch to 250 - 300 people without homes. After they serve, the children eat with the Blanchet staff, all men in recovery who are transitioning to a better life. The 8th graders also do food prep each month for the Transition Supper, while every other month students volunteer to serve the meal to the men in the shelter. The clients at both Blanchet and Transition Projects are honored to show the children the ropes, and enjoy the fresh air that their youthful spirits bring. Our students see that giving back does matter -- that there are solutions that work, and that with the help and understanding of others, people in need can indeed overcome their struggles to create better lives for themselves.
School-wide Service Learning: In-depth
Transition Supper Funding
Similar to Operation Rice Bowl, our students collect their own spare change throughout the weeks of Lent (the holy season of preparation for Easter) for Transition Projects. At all ages, our students develop discipline in being consistently mindful of those who are less fortunate.
Christmas Boxes for Transitional School
In December our families provide Christmas boxes to children without homes through the Transitional School. Families volunteer to provide Christmas gifts for an individual child, then shop for that child over the holiday season. On Christmas morning, the child receives this very special, personalized package of gifts, and our students and their families are blessed with the joy of giving as they practice the true spirit of Christmas.
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Service Learning: In-depth
PreK: Jean's Place
Students donate gloves, socks and hats to the women at Jean's Place, a women's shelter, in Portland around Christmas. They send the women artwork/thinking of you cards throughout the school year.
Kindergarten: Food for the Hungry with St. Vincent de Paul
Kindergartners collect food for the hungry and deliver it in person to the St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) pantry in the St. Ignatius Parish Center. The kids have the opportunity to meet the SVDP Coordinator, learn about their services, and see the pantry for themselves. Right from the start, our students learn a responsibility to feed the poor.
1st Grade: Caring for the School Grounds
The 1st graders pick up litter on the school grounds while they discuss the importance of caring for the earth. Our students learn to treasure the school grounds, and to do their part to help beautify the environment.
2nd Grade: Writing the Homebound Elders of the Parish
The 2nd graders reach out through writing to the homebound elders of St. Ignatius Parish who often feel isolated. The bright letters from the children lift the elders’ spirits, help them feel valued, and keep them connected to the parish community they deeply miss. The students come to realize the difference a loving gesture can make to those weighed down by loneliness.
3rd Grade: Meals-on-Wheels and Pen Pals with Transition Men’s Shelter
The 3rd graders, along with the 4th and 5th graders, work with Meals-on-Wheels to deliver lunches to homebound elders around Portland. Our students bring bright smiles and laughter to those who often have very little interaction with the outside world. Our 3rd graders also become pen pals with the residents of the Transition Men’s Shelter. Their letters send a tender sign of encouragement to the men at a time when they may feel forgotten by the greater community. Our students earn a wider view of how others struggle in the world, and how to respond to those struggles with compassion.
4th Grade: Meals-on-Wheels and Arts & Crafts at Reedwood Senior Center
The 4th graders, along with the 3rd and 5th graders, work with Meals-on-Wheels to deliver lunches to homebound elders around Portland. Our 4th graders also wash and prepare all the student milk cartons from lunch for recycling.
5th Grade: Meals-on-Wheels and Sponsoring Children in Africa
The 5th graders, along with the 3rd and 4th graders, work with Meals-on-Wheels to deliver lunches to homebound elders around Portland. The fifth graders also have a monthly visit with the elderly residents at Courtyard at Mt. Tabor. These projects together open our students’ eyes to the way they can make a difference in our local community. The students are able to share their gifts of compassion and patience that they learn while at St. Ignatius. Our 5th graders also meet monthly to collect and sort cans and bottles to raise funds to help bring new technology to St. Ignatius.
6th Grade: Oregon Food Bank
Sixth graders volunteer at the Oregon Food Bank, located in northeast Portland, four times a year. They repackage bulk food donations into family-sized portions for distribution to individuals and families in need throughout Oregon. The service is connected to religion class and the theme of Catholic social teaching: "option for the poor and vulnerable." Jesus calls us to feed the hungry and to take care of our neighbors.
7th Grade: Providence Child Center
The 7th graders go to Providence Child Center for Medically Fragile Children to visit with severely disabled children. This can be a very enlightening experience, and also tremendously challenging. Our students come to see that children with disabilities are no different than they are -- that these children deserve the same respect and kindness due their friends. The children at Providence enjoy this genuine kindness and companionship with their peers, and they greatly inspire our students by who they are in their struggles. Our 7th graders can’t help but humbly recognize their own blessings, and deepen the sense of a gratitude that walks hand-in-hand with the desire to serve.
8th Grade: Blanchet House and Transition Supper
The 8th graders work with the Blanchet House to serve lunch to 250 - 300 people without homes. After they serve, the children eat with the Blanchet staff, all men in recovery who are transitioning to a better life. The 8th graders also do food prep each month for the Transition Supper, while every other month students volunteer to serve the meal to the men in the shelter. The clients at both Blanchet and Transition Projects are honored to show the children the ropes, and enjoy the fresh air that their youthful spirits bring. Our students see that giving back does matter -- that there are solutions that work, and that with the help and understanding of others, people in need can indeed overcome their struggles to create better lives for themselves.
School-wide Service Learning: In-depth
Transition Supper Funding
Similar to Operation Rice Bowl, our students collect their own spare change throughout the weeks of Lent (the holy season of preparation for Easter) for Transition Projects. At all ages, our students develop discipline in being consistently mindful of those who are less fortunate.
Christmas Boxes for Transitional School
In December our families provide Christmas boxes to children without homes through the Transitional School. Families volunteer to provide Christmas gifts for an individual child, then shop for that child over the holiday season. On Christmas morning, the child receives this very special, personalized package of gifts, and our students and their families are blessed with the joy of giving as they practice the true spirit of Christmas.
Back to top