A Message from our Head of School - Jerry Salvador

Dear Brookes parents,

As you will have seen in the news, there has been an outbreak of a novel Coronavirus, which started in the city of Wuhan, China. As an international school with students from China and around the world, we are monitoring the situation carefully.

In light of the situation and in line with Ministry protocols we are actively monitoring the health of all our students, including the group of students from China who are visiting us at the moment.

We are also using this situation as a learning opportunity for students. We have met with each class and provided our students with factual information on the Coronavirus based on the current information available from the WHO and the BC CDC.

We also wish to assure you that we are in communication with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health who will alert us of any further actions to take if needed.

We will continue to keep you up to date on developments on this situation. Currently, there are no further steps needed.

Linda Bayes, who is both a biology teacher and registered nurse, met yesterday with all classes to explain transmission of the disease, symptoms, precautions and what to do in case a student experiences any of these symptoms.    

Cathy Mingo has met with dormitory staff to go over the Ministry of Education recommended protocols in the unlikely event that we have anyone suspected of having the Coronavirus.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to give us call.

Background Information:

Here is the most recent message from the BC Centre for Disease Control on the Coronavirus (as of Friday 24th January at 4.30pm). Please note:

The risk to British Columbians and Canadians is considered low. BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and provincial and federal authorities are monitoring the situation closely. To date, there have been no cases of illness caused by the coronavirus in British Columbia or elsewhere in Canada. 

We will check the BC CDC website regularly to keep up to date on the situation.

A Message from VP of Academics - Linda Bayes

Over the last week we have been focusing attention on our uniform policy. Inevitably over time students start to add in their own interpretation of what is ‘uniform’. We would like to ask parents to support our uniform policy and ensure students arrive at school appropriately dressed. We believe that a uniform helps to build a sense of community and school identify, it helps us to encourage the break down of barriers between groups, and it helps with morning decision making!  

Slime Time! How does changing the components of a slime mixture alter its properties?

Since Chemistry is the study of matter, chemists are interested in finding out what different materials, such as slime, are made of, how these materials behave, and how they can be changed into other materials. The young chemists of Grade 6 had a blast with this inquiry - altering the balance of components in slime to see how it effected its properties: how heavy, sticky, bouncy and dense each mixture was. You can see they had a lot of fun! 

After School Activities Up and Running!

With over forty after school activities (ASAs) available to them, students at Brookes Westshore are spoilt for choice. A core aspect of our educational philosophy, and of the International Baccalaureate curriculum, is for students to find a balance between activities that involve the mind, body and spirit. We encourage students to choose a range of activities that will enrich their school experience and broaden their perspective on what is possible. Chess and pottery and just two of the activities we run (see photos) and students of all ages are getting involved, learning new things and having fun!

Next Friday, enjoy dinner and a movie at Brookes!

Dinner will be served from 5:30-6:30pm and the movie will begin at 6:30pm.

Today (Friday) our students voted on their favourite movies and the top choice will be revealed on Monday 27th.

There will be complimentary popcorn and hot chocolate - please dress comfortably, bring your sleeping bag and pillow and enjoy a relaxing movie night with your friends! 

Mt Washington Alpine Resort Day Ski Trips

ALL PERMISSION FORMS & WAIVERS ARE DUE BY FEBRUARY 10TH

Dates: Saturday, February 29th & Monday, March 9th

Enjoy a full day of skiing at Mt Washington! Students can choose to either ski, snowboard or snowshoe and tube for the day!

All information and details about the trips has been sent through Managebac.

We would greatly appreciate receiving all forms as soon as possible!

Please note that there has been a change in the morning departure time, the morning bus will leave Brookes Westshore at 4:45am, students must be dropped off by 4:30am.  

If you have any questions please email  aijasalvador@westshore.brookes.org and I would be happy to help!

Mt Washington Overnight Ski Trip (Dorm students)

Date: February 21st to 23rd

Dorm students will head to Mount Washington for a two night stay at the Vancouver Island Mountain Centre! On Friiday night the group start the trip at the snow tubing park. And on Saturday and Sunday we will start off the day with a lesson and ski for the rest of the day. 

If your son/daughter would like to participate on this trip a detailed pakage with all of the trip information, prices and waiverswill be sent out early next week on Managebac.

If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to email aijasalvador@westshore.brookes.org

Dodgeball is Coming!

On Friday February 7th, the Dodgeball BC team will be back by popular demand at Brookes Westshore!

Play and learn with the Pro's - a once in a lifetime opportunity to be on court with the stars of the team.

Play begins at 7pm and ends at 8:30pm.  All local an dorm students are welcome to join and we will meet in the Brookes Gym at 6:45pm.

3 on  3 Basketball Tournament

The gym was packed on Friday night at our 2nd Annual Brookes 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament! Over 50 students participated in this year’s tournament!

The grade 6-8 teams played on one side of the court, while the grade 9-12s battled it out on the other side. Everyone showed great enthusiasm, team spirit and worked hard the whole night. It was a special night to be able to watch our players compete in our home gym and show great sportsmanship.

All teams played a round robin style and the grade 6-8s finals was a tough match between team Blue and team Yellow! Team Blue came out on top and the tournament MVP went to team blue’s Connor Carroll.

Claire Emmerton showed outstanding leadership throughout the tournament with her positive attitude and desire to never give up. These traits led to her winning the 6-8 leadership award!

The grade 9-12 final was a great matchup with team Blue playing team Yellow! The championship game was another close battle but again, team blue was the champions led by the MVP– Isaac Salvador Brown.

Stan Shih took home the leadership award for the grades 9-12 which he earned through his team-first attitude and ability to include everyone!

Thank you for all of the support from our parents and students!

Senior Boys Basketball

On Monday, the Senior Boys Basketball team travelled to Mill Bay to take on the Francis Kelsey Breakers! The boys played hard on both sides of the court and it payed off resulting in a win for your Brookes Gryphons!

On Wednesday, the boys played Claremont and Brookes ran their offence beautifully! However, the Claremont Spartans were strong and resilient, and the game ended in a loss to this athletic team.

The team is now getting ready to face St Andrews and Royal Bay next week!

Let’s go Gryphons!

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