A Message from our Head of School - Jerry Salvador

We had two standout events at our school this week. The first was the weekend trip for our students to Tofino. As you can see from the photo above, we were blessed with stunning weather and the students had an amazing weekend learning about this unique part of the world. They also learned to surf in the waters of the Pacific – too cold for me! Our activities team are doing such a great job in offering our students so many opportunities to learn about our amazing island and the people and places we are so lucky to live alongside.  

The rest of the week was mostly focused on Halloween activities – culminating in a wonderful Halloween dance on Wednesday evening. It was such a pleasure to see our students from around the world coming together to put on a great evening of entertainment for each other. We had an escape room, face painting, a photo booth, music, food and a whole lot of laughter. Many parents, faculty and students made the effort to dress up in spooky and original costumes and the whole school was bedecked in Halloween themed decorations all week!

Thank you to everyone who makes our school such a vibrant and exciting community!

A Message from VP of Academics - Linda Bayes

We have had a wonderful start to the year and it is now time to review student progress. Interim report cards will be issued for students by November 2, 2019.  These reports provide a snapshot of each child’s “work habits” and “achievement”.  There will not be any grades or written comments on this report. The Term 1 reports are issued on December 4, and will contain grades and comments.

Please note: we will be holding a Parent Information Session on Tuesday November 19th from 5.30 to 6.30 pm that will focus on assessment in an IB programme.

All reports are issued through ManageBac and parents need to have set their password for their ManageBac account.  Please contact the Front Desk if you have not been able to access ManageBac.

Grade 10 and 11 students will be completing the BC Numeracy and Literacy assessments the week of Nov. 4. These assessments are a requirement for the BC Dogwood Diploma. We work towards all students earning a BC Dogwood in addition to the IB Diploma.

The last day of school before the Winter Break is Friday December 13. 

It is expected that all students attend school until this date and return from holidays and ready to be in class on Jan 6. Absence from classes beyond the dates set for Winter Vacation is very disruptive to student learning. Thank you for your cooperation!

Surfs Up in Tofino!

Last weekend, a group of students spent three days and two nights in Tofino and Ucluelet, a place famous for its surf culture and wild natural scenery. Together, we experienced ancient old growth rainforests, ocean inlets and popular sandy beaches. On our journey to Tofino we stopped at Cathedral Grove, a well-known oasis of magnificent temperate rainforest with enormous 800-year-old trees. These giant trees reach 75m in height and 9m in circumference. 

On our arrival in Tofino, we explored several long sandy beaches, hiked in the local rainforests and visited the Amphitrite point lighthouse. In the evenings, we reflected on our days activities and watched the beautiful sunsets. Our students showed a great appreciation for the breathtaking view, the sky was filled with golden hues spotted with dark tree line silhouettes bringing to life a picture-perfect experience.

On Saturday, we surfed with a group of professional instructors from Live to Surf! The instructors began on-shore, explaining how to read waves, stand on the board and gave us safety instructions. They waded in, alongside us out into the ocean, and taught us all the tips and tricks! Our students thrived in the water and everyone exceeded our expectations surfing! Nobody gave up and each student did incredibly well, representing our school, and making us all very proud!

A "Spooktacular" week at Brookes Westshore

Halloween Week at Brookes Westshore was a blast. Monday was filled with guts and gore! Pumpkin guts and gore that is. On Monday we carved pumpkins that were later used to decorate the school for Halloween week and for the school dance. On Tuesday, students learnt about Halloween stories, and even created their own spooky stories themselves.

Wednesday was our Halloween dance! Students came in their costumes and boogied their way through the night, first by dancing to Just Dance, and then dancing to songs picked by all ages! At the dance students were able to strike a pose at the photo booth, battle their way out of an escape room, wrap their friends up in a mummy wrap game, and more. From Supergirl to creepy villains everyone was out there dancing and having fun!

Thursday, Halloween Day, more students carved pumpkins, there was a Halloween party, and dorm students went trick-or-treating AND trick-or-eating, which is similar to trick-or-treating but instead of receiving candy, students collect canned food goods for those in need. 

Congratulations to our costume contest winners. Calloway won the best costume award for his alien carrying him costume. The superhero team (Emmanuel, Andy, Patricio, Victoria, Vanessa, and Josefa) won best group costume. Ayla and Kiki who won best dynamic duo, and Emily who won most environmentally friendly costume with her butterfly wings made from an old sheet! 

Awesome costumes out there, everyone! We look forward to the next celebration!

On Sunday, October 20, two of our students - Simon and William -  traveled to Nanaimo with Mr. Turkington to compete in the Vancouver Island Swim Meet. Hundreds of athletes from all over Vancouver Island competed in what was a very exciting day of races. Our athletes were excellent representatives for Brookes - congratulations Simon and William!

Hello everyone at Brookes Westshore! 

Thank you very much for helping make the first 6 activities along Colwood Creek with your students a huge success! We managed to remove daphne and other invasive plants from an area measuring over 2000 square metres, removed approximately 35 cubic metres of invasive plants, and planted 167 native species! Way to go! What an accomplishment! 

Thanks from the  Green Team Victoria

The Juan de Fuca Social Club had it’s Halloween Dance on Wednesday. Kaelin, Mauricio and Mr. Dean dressed up, danced and socialized with the local Special Needs community. A good time was had by all who attended. If you are interested in this Service activity please get in touch with Mr. Dean. 

The grade 7/8 Boys and Girls Basketball teams got their respective seasons underway. 

On Monday, the boys traveled to Sooke to face off against Dunsmuir and Journey Middle Schools. In the first game against Dunsmuir, the boys took a commanding lead, keeping the opponent scoreless until half time. The final score was 31-6, with Connor leading the team in scoring. Brookes' second game against Journey was a real 'barn burner' with several lead changes. The game came down to the wire with Brookes squeezing out a hard fought 34-32 victory to start the season 2-0. Mahad led the team in scoring and Efosa battled through injury to lead the team in assists. 

On Wednesday, the Girls team hosted Dunsmuir and GNS to kick off their inaugural season. The team, consisting of 11 girls came out flying in their first season opener. A balanced scoring attack, led by Ayla's team leading eight points helped them cruise to a 28-16 victory. The girls second game against powerhouse GNS had lots of bright spots, including Samira swishing a long two from the corner, Eva getting an in-game hug from her teammate after making a contested shot, and Nyah playing some tenacious defense. Unfortunately, the GNS team proved too experienced and eventually pulled away with a 38-18 victory. 

Due to a change in BC Provincial Exams, please find our updated Academic Calendar on our website.