A Message from our Head of Academics - Linda Bayes

Dear Parents,

Students are engaging in our virtual learning experience and this shows the tremendous support they are receiving from their parents and we thank you.

It has been a significant challenge for students to develop the skills necessary for independent learning in such a short period of time. I am so impressed with how they are managing and engaging. We have a wonderful group of students at our school.

All teachers are documenting the outline of their lessons on ManageBac under messages. If your child has missed a class and needs to catch up on missed work, direct them to the messages where each class should be outlined for students.

I wanted to share a few highlights from this week of online learning. We are all developing news skills and finding ways to to make the most of the new online classroom.

Grade 6 held a lively debate on Thursday discussing the pros and cons of oil development in Canada and its impact on the environment.

Grade 8 students have developed essential agreements to ensure online learning runs smoothly and they are developing strategies to take responsibility for their own learning in this virtual environment.

Grade 9 students are keeping active and fit by creating their own "Just Dance" videos.

All students in Mr. Jones English classes have been asked to find books for independent reading.

Grade 12 students are busy completing all internal assessments for each subject which will be uploaded to the IBO in April. The IBO will be using the predicted grades and internal assessment grades to determine a final mark in order to grant an IB Diploma. They are doing everything possible to accommodate for the cancellation of IB Examinations in May 2020. 

We are thinking of our many students around the world who have been placed in quarantine as mandated by their country of destination. Some are just completing their 2 week isolation but many have another week or two to go. This is a very difficult time for the students and we are thinking about them every day.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to send me an email lbayes@westshore.brookes.org

Grade 10 student Cecilia on Online Learning

I like E-learning. The truth is, I never felt more comfortable learning from home. I don’t mind people; I love seeing teachers and classmates around. It’s the classroom that gets me. I’ve been finding the best position to sit still in class for all of my life, and I always end up being uncomfortable. Nothing ever works; my body parts just can’t seem to find their place. The tablet-chairs at the school aren’t helping either. They require extra attention to balance when sitting on them. But those are just my own complaints. Now I am slowly becoming nostalgic for school. I have no problem staying at home forever, I deal with quarantine just fine. But school is a completely different experience that nothing can compare to. It’s not necessarily a good experience, and definitely not a bad one; it’s just extremely special.

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.