A Message from Jerry Salvador - Head of School

Hello to all our Brookes parents and families around the world. As you can see from the video above our teachers are missing you and send you all their best wishes. You can also see that we have had some spectacular weather here on Vancouver Island – which has made the isolation both easier and harder at the same time! Wherever you are in our global community - we hope that this newsletter finds you safe and well.

With our remote online learning community going from strength to strength, I wanted to let you know about our Brookes Virtual Community Centre initiative. This virtual community is the brainchild of Brad Rudner and offers a virtual space for our community to gather, share experiences, learn skills and enjoy each other’s company.  There is more information on how it works below – so why not give it a try? We would love to see our Virtual Community Centre blossom into something that keeps us connected, builds community and fosters creativity.

And talking of creativity – we have included two poems from Grade 9 students that are based on the mathematical ‘Fibonacci sequence’ and are inspired by the poem ‘alphabet’ by the Danish writer, Inger Christensen. Our students continue to learn and grow, and we are so proud of how they have adapted to the changes in their world. These poems are perfect for these spring days on Vancouver Island and a great fit for the upcoming Earth Day. Clearly there are other challenges facing us at the moment, but we still need to be mindful of the bigger picture and what better day than Earth Day to remind ourselves of the power of concerted community action?

Thank you again to all our parents, families and students. We will constantly strive to provide you with the best education we possibly can and are deeply appreciative of your support, hard work and commitment.

Sincerely

Jerry Salvador

A Message from Brad Rudner - Activities Coordinator 

Dear parents, 

Many of us are challenged by the COVID-19 situation. The Brookes students, your children, are trying to adapt to e-learning, working remotely and all the other things this strange time is throwing at them. With uncertainty in the air, anxiety and feelings of isolation heightened, I think it is more important than ever to foster a supportive community and engage in activities that do so.   

From this premise, Brookes' Virtual Community Centre was born. Beyond gaining new skills, I believe that offering virtual non-academic activities to the students can:

1. Relieve some stress
2. Provide much needed social connection and fun
3. Maintain a sense of community

In light of this, we have launched activities for each day of the week that fall into different themes. 

Monday: Move Your Body - physical activity and wellness

Tuesday: Taste and Energize - cooking (first up - the perfect egg - see the picture)

Wednesday: Wonders of Creativity - art, music, writing, etc.

Thursday: Thoughtful Service - acts of support for those in need

Friday: Fun and Fulfilling Pursuits - random activities to spark joy

Each weekday at 1:30 pm Pacific Time, there will be a live video with the instructions and demonstrations for the activity and an opportunity to participate, interact with staff and students in our community, and take a break from the worries of the world.

There is no pressure, obligation or grading for these activities. Students can even show up and just enjoy the social interaction. If they are eager, there will be opportunities for them to lead activities too. 

If students cannot make it at this time, then there will be a recording available shortly after so they can participate at their own pace. Interaction on the forum can and, hopefully, will take place beyond the time that the activity is being broadcast.

Ideally, this can help everyone stay connected, build character, enhance creativity and get to the other side of this thing knowing they have a community of support and care present for them at Brookes. 

Stay well and safe! 

Brookes Community Playlist

We are putting together a playlist of Brookes Westshore's favorite songs - and we want to add in songs from every corner of the globe. Fill in the simple form here and we will gather all your answers and share the playlist!

Something to listen to when you are working, or exercising or just to relax.

Earth Day 2020

The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action. The enormous challenge — but also the vast opportunities — of action on climate change have distinguished the issue as the most pressing topic for the 50th anniversary.

At Brookes Westshore we will be challenging ourselves to do one of the following on Wednesday April 22nd:

Eat vegan food for the day

Have a plastic free day (and remember to recycle!)

Sew a cloth face mask at home

If you want to take up the challenge - let us know how it went!

Sunshine and rainfall, sunshine and rainfall

Dewy grass; and cherry blossom trees, cherry blossom trees
Longer days; and cool weather, cool weather

Blooming flowers; plush clouds, content
Fresh air; blooming flowers;
Spectacular sky, golden hour, smiles

Birthdays, spring break, and family gatherings;
Chirping birds, fresh breeze, and bright colours
Memories, traditions, and life
Fresh fruits, seasonal, delicious; and sweet
Animals, nature, wildlife

Easter; holidays, fun;
Dance, figure skating;
Sunsets and sunrises;
The colours swirl together, effortlessly;
Natural, free, earthy; cheery
Laughs, jokes, horseplay
Books, poems, magazines;
Deer, rabbit, birds, frogs;

Time flies, no worries, relaxed, calm;
Perfect temperature, not too hot, not too cold;
The feeling of stepping outside barefoot, feeling the cold cement underneath you;
The late night drives, and the early morning hikes,
The mid day shenanigans, the evening strolls;
Staying up late, watching the stars, the moon;
The view from my house, the overlook of the water, the city
Adventures, and experiences;
Friends, family, loved ones;
Day trips, long trips, road trips;
Arts and crafts, drawings; boredom
Back to school, reunited with friends, back into normal routine;
All my love for spring, see you soon summer.

by Chantal Jiang

Signs of Spring

There are strawberries, there are blueberries

There are fruits and there are vegetables; there are mammals and there are the rest,
There are big things, and there are small things

There are things with wings, and there are things with no wings.
There are the fast things and the slow things,
And they all mean something to me

Hummingbirds, and the sunshine, and the sunshine,
The life, everything is full of life, life and the sunshine.
The frogs in the pond chirping at night, and the birds in the trees chirping all day.
Flowers are blooming, the earth is full of colour, colour and life,
And sunshine, life, colour, sunshine

Red from sunset, red from the sunrise; green from the trees and the frogs.
Every colour you can imagine is in the garden. Blue from the sky with small white
peaceful clouds; clouds like cotton candy. It is getting warmer,
And life is everywhere. Everywhere, cheering of children playing in the grass, and the grass,
The sweet smell of the grass, so nice to play and roll around in.
The rows of flowers with colourful petals, with colourful petals,
Light up the sky. All shapes and sizes and every colour of the rainbow,
Every colour of the rainbow, ends the winter gloom.

From sweatpants to shorts from long sleeve to short sleeve, everything is getting warmer,
And warmer, and warmer, the yellow sun and the grey blue moon, and warmer, and the yellow sun,
and the grey blue moon, the moon and the sun, the sun and the moon, you can see them now,
how much we missed them all in the winter darkness, the sun and the moon, the cheerful light,
At night it is peaceful, and cheerful, all at the same time,
at night it is quiet with the owls quietly hooting, the world is at peace, it is quiet.
Cheerfull light, peaceful night, the twinkling stars everywhere you look, a planet in the distance.
Cheerful light, stars, the moon, peaceful night, bright stars, life.
In the morning trees out my window, trampoline ready to be jumped on, my guitar sitting on its stand.
Trampolines, and trees, swaying in the breeze.
The basketball hoop ready to be played with, ready to have a ball dunked through it.
Hanging out with friends, playing basketball, eating, watching a movie, laughing.
That’s the best part of all. Basketball, friends, eating, laughing, happiness.

by Alex Buhr​

Useful Links for information on COVID 19

Information about COVID-19, including advice and guidance to schools, is regularly updated on the BC Centre for Disease Control site. Please routinely check this site and its resources:

http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/Documents/COVID19_schools_childcare_guidelines.pdf

All joint statements from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister of Health Adrian Dix are posted here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/ministries/health

The Provincial Pandemic Coordination plan:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/reports-publications/pandemic-provincial-coordination-plan.pdf

KIDS and COVID-19 QA:

http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/coronavirus-(novel)#For--schools--and--childcare

Ministry of Health response plans:- https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/current-health-topics/pandemic-influenza

Novel Coronavirus Q&A from HealthLinkBC: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-feature/coronavirus

BC Centre for Disease Control:

http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/coronavirus-(novel)

These resources can all be found at this link on our website:

https://westshore.brookes.org/coronavirus-covid-19-comprehensive-update/

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