Here is a slideshow of some of yesterday's daytime performances of the Winter Showcase - we hope you enjoyed the evening show!

Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

Yesterday, the magic of music filled our dining hall during the Winter Concert, showcasing the talent and hard work of our students and teachers. The performers dazzled the audience with their passion and skill, creating an enchanting atmosphere that truly captured the spirit of the season. Special thanks to Mr. B, Mr. Grant, and our SLC Student Welfare Committee (especially Tish, the Ambassador) for making this winter celebration a success!

This week, as we bid farewell to our retiring DP2 members (Nina, Kura, Russell, Michael, and Aristotle) of the Student Leadership Council (SLC), we’d like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to their dedication and contribution to our school community. We also warmly welcome the new members joining the SLC (Theo, Jordyn, Valeria, Regina, Polina, and Frederick). The torch is passed to a fresh group of leaders who bring enthusiasm and innovative ideas to the council. We look forward to witnessing more positive changes that will emerge under the guidance of this dedicated and dynamic team. Thanks to the SLC organizer, Mr. MacKnight, for supporting and guiding the SLC.

As we wrap up this term’s after school activities this week, we extend our gratitude to the dedicated instructors and enthusiastic participants for making these extracurricular experiences memorable. Term 2 ASA sign-up will open on SchoolsBuddy next Monday, December 11^th, at 6 pm.

A reminder that the last day of school before winter break is December 15^th and students will be released at 12:30 after lunch. There will be supervision available if parents are not able to pick up their child at this time.

With kind regards,

Dr. Rui Li

Principal

Outgoing SLC members - Michael, Russell, Nina and Kura. Thank you!

Incoming SLC Members receive their red ties from SLC President Susie and Vice President Luca.

The SLC is ready to work on next term's activities.

Westmont Prize 2023

On December 1st, two teams of four students went to UVIC to attend the Westmont Prize 2023 Gala event. This competitive Design prize sees students identify a problem in our complex world and look to find solutions to it at a local level. The challenge began back in August 2023 when the two teams formed and began to research and investigate their chosen “problem”. For 3 months they worked independently in their own time, using the IB design cycle to guide their journey. In early November they attended a one-day workshop alongside the other participants, brainstorming and refining their ideas and learning from industry experts in webinars. The final stage of the competition tasked each team to create a video, to explain to the team of judges what their challenge had been and the solutions they had designed.  

Our middle school team: Emma, Max, Nathan, Caleb

The middle school team chose to find solutions to the issue of a lack of public Parasport facilities in our local area.  

Our senior team: Susie, Tish, Emmett and Liath. 

The senior school team chose to find solutions to the issues of teen mental health and addictions here in the Greater Victoria region.  

We invite you to watch the video from the senior team in the link below.

Please join us in congratulating the teams for their participation this year.  

We are enormously proud of your efforts and recognize your work as embodying the IB learner profile and the hallmark of a Gryphon. Our middle school team was awarded the Audience Choice award and look forward to competing again in the future. Our senior team took so much away from the experience and will be able to choose to participate next year.  Their efforts will be recognized in their Brookes Westshore school references as they begin to apply for scholarships, grants, and university entrance in the coming years. Kudos to all involved! 

Term 2 ASA Sign Up will begin Monday December 11^th at 6:00pm!

Spots will be randomized and NOT first come first serve, therefore do not worry about being the first time sign up! Spots will be finalized over Winter Break. A preference-based system will be used to select your preferred activities per day. Select #1 for your first choice, #2 for your second choice, and #3 for your third choice. You can do this for each day. 

Term 2 ASA's run from Monday January 15^th to Friday March 8th.

For any questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Brooklyn 

School Ski Trip to Mt Washington Alpine Resort

Brookes Westshore is happy to announce the date of this year’s school wide trip to Mt. Washington Alpine Resort as Wednesday, January 24^th, 2024! 

Enjoy a full day of skiing or snowboarding on the many snowy hills of Mt. Washington in the beautiful Comox Valley. There are packages available for all skill levels, including lift passes, gear rentals, & lessons.  

Prices range from $100 to $215 depending on the package selected.  

If you are not planning to attend, please use the sign-up button below and select the “not attending” option. Brookes Westshore will remain open to all students not going on the trip; therefore, it would be greatly appreciated if parents could let us know if their student is not attending so we can plan accordingly.  

Please use the sign-up button below to register your student. Schools buddy waivers will be available in December for those who have signed up and invoices will be sent to parents as soon as possible.  

For any questions or concerns, please contact Brooklyn bmayoh@westshore.brookes.org or call the Brookes Westshore Front Desk.

We have already received over 80 submissions for the school wide ski trip! Our deadline for sign up will be Friday, December 15^th so get your registration quick! 

We look forward to seeing you all on the slopes!! 

SIGN UP HERE 

Pancake Breakfast 2023

Pancake Breakfast 2023: Saturday December 16th (starting at 9.30 am with two sittings). Join us for some delicious food and a whole lot of fun! All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Goldstream Foodbank - help us reach our $3,000 goal!

Tickets ($20 for adults, $15 for children under 12) are on sale here!

If you would like to reserve a table - after you have bought your tickets - please let us know: events@westshore.brookes.org (tables are for a minimum of six people).

From last year - dress like a teacher (this year you can dress like a twin on Wednesday!)

Spirit Week

December 11th – December 15th.

• Monday: White out - Lets bring on the snow! Wear as much white as you can.
• Tuesday: House Colours - Games in the gym at lunch for house points, Teacher/ Student Volleyball after school.
• Wednesday: Twin Day – Find a friend and make sure you match! 
• Thursday: Festive Day – Red, Green, Bells, Reindeer, bring that holiday cheer! 
• Friday: PJ day – Lets take it easy on the last day of school, roll right out of bed and into your classroom.  

Spring Break Trips - India, the UK, and a winter tour of the best of BC!

We have three amazing trip opportunities for our students coming up in March 2024. The three trips available to students are:

UK Spring Break Tour (March 16th - 30th) - Grades 6-9 - $4,200 CAD

Cost is all inclusive including flight, insurance, accommodation, one week integration with the Brookes UK school and one week of tour activities.

India Spring Break Tour (March 16th - 30th) - Grades 10,11 - $4,600 CAD

Cost is all inclusive including flight, insurance, accommodation, one week integration with the Brookes Kochi school and one week of tour activities.

BC Winter Tour / skiing trip - (March 18th - 29th) Grades 8-12 - $3,950

Cost includes transportation, accommodation, skiing at Mt Washington, Whistler, Vancouver and a visit to Harrison Hot Springs.

If you missed the presentations from Graham Brown this week, you can find more detailed information here.

Invasive Species Removal

Some of our DP students spent time last weekend out in the cold working alongside Colwood’s Green Team to remove invasive plant species from Colwood Creek Park. This was a great way to contribute to our community, meet new people, connect to nature, and make a positive environmental impact! Thanks to everyone who took part!

Brookes Westshore acknowledges that our school is on the traditional lands of the Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) and Lekwungen (Songhees) ancestors and families.
With gratitude, we live, work and learn here where the past, present, and future of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, faculty and staff come together.