This year's Personal Project Exhibition in full swing.

Dear Brookes Westshore families and friends,

I checked the calendar twice today just to be sure, and yes, it is already May.

This week, we had the pleasure of celebrating our MYP5 students at their Personal Project (PP) Exhibition, one of my favorite events of the year. It was a wonderful showcase of curiosity, creativity, and persistence. Congratulations to all of our MYP5 students for the thoughtful and meaningful work they shared. Thanks to our parents for coming out to celebrate this important milestone with them. And a big thank you to all our PP supervisors and our PP Coordinator, Ms. Barton, for guiding and supporting students along the way!

It has also been a busy week beyond the classroom, with multiple field trips taking place across the school. These experiences add so much to student learning and help build a strong sense of community. Thank you to all the staff who made them possible.

On the DP side, our first week of IB exams has gone smoothly. We are proud of how our DP2 students have approached this period with focus, calm, and determination.

Wishing everyone a good weekend ahead.

With gratitude,

Dr. Rui Li

Principal

• Tofino Trip: Grade 10/MYP5: Thursday, April 30th to Sunday, May 3rd
• Monday, May 18th to Thursday, 21st May - Grade 8 and DP1 Strathcona Park Trip
• Friday, May 22nd - Graduation 2026

Earth Day Environmental Challenge Winner Announced!

We’re excited to celebrate the winner of last week’s Earth Day Environmental Challenge! Thanks to their outstanding commitment, creativity, and dedication to making a positive impact, they truly stood out and inspired us all to take action for our planet. A huge congratulations and thank you to everyone who took part and showed such incredible Gryphon spirit in protecting our Earth! Click on the video above to find out who won!

The Service as Action component of the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) is a central element that empowers students to apply their learning in meaningful, real-world contexts. It encourages students to take action as a natural outcome of their academic inquiry, whether through community projects, environmental initiatives, or direct acts of service, helping them connect what they learn in the classroom to making a positive difference beyond it. As a precursor to the Diploma Programme’s Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS), Service as Action helps students build the habits of reflection, initiative, and responsible action that will be further developed in the DP.

At Brookes, Service as Action is more than a curriculum requirement, it is a key part of building character and fostering a strong sense of purpose. Students are encouraged to take ownership of initiatives that matter to them, cultivating empathy, leadership, and a commitment to sustainability and community engagement. By embedding service into everyday learning, Brookes nurtures students who are not only academically capable but also compassionate, responsible global citizens ready to contribute meaningfully to the world.

Service as Action: Women's Health Slideshow

Camille, Lauren and Said Ali have put together a slideshow about women's health - a topic that they have become increasingly passionate and informed about - for their Service as Action Project. The slides give an introduction to women’s health, focusing on how both mental and physical health are important and connected. They highlight key areas such as mental well-being, reproductive and sexual health, and common health conditions that can affect women. The presentation emphasizes awareness, prevention, and education showing that understanding your body, recognizing signs of potential problems, and making safe, informed choices are essential. It also stresses respect in relationships, especially through communication and consent, and encourages reducing stigma around topics like mental health and menstruation. The overriding message is that learning about women’s health helps people stay safe, seek help when needed, and support a healthier, more informed community. If you would like to see the whole slideshow (appropriate for Grade 9 and above) please email: communications@westshore.brookes.org.

Inspiring Growth and Innovation: Our MYP Personal Project Exhibition

This week our school proudly showcased the culmination of weeks of dedication, creativity, and inquiry at the MYP Personal Project Exhibition.

The Personal Project is a significant milestone for MYP students, representing the final step in their journey through the programme. Designed as an independent, student-driven inquiry, it challenges learners to explore a topic of deep personal interest while applying the skills they have developed throughout their MYP years. At its core, the project embodies the IB’s commitment to developing inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who are prepared to take initiative and reflect meaningfully on their learning.

Throughout this process, students engage in a rigorous cycle of goal-setting, research, planning, creation, and reflection. They are required not only to produce a tangible outcome but also to document their learning journey and evaluate their growth as independent learners. This emphasis on both process and product helps students cultivate essential skills such as time management, critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-reflection - competencies that will serve them well beyond the classroom.

What made today’s exhibition especially inspiring was the breadth and depth of the students’ work. Projects spanned a remarkable range of interests, from comparing classical and vernacular Chinese, honing the perfect serve in tennis, analyzing the impact of different room setups on mood and sleep, developing a new student orientation package, and even working towards a session in a Boeing 737 flight simulator! Each display told a story of curiosity sparked, challenges overcome, and ideas brought to life through perseverance and creativity.

It was evident that our students fully embraced the opportunity to take ownership of their learning. They demonstrated not only academic skill, but also resilience and passion, speaking confidently about their projects and reflecting thoughtfully on the obstacles they encountered and the lessons they learned along the way. These are the qualities that define lifelong learners.

The success of the Personal Project is also a testament to the strong support system surrounding our students. Our teachers and families played a crucial role in guiding students through the process - encouraging inquiry, providing feedback, and helping them stay focused and motivated. We are equally grateful to our families and wider community for their encouragement and for joining us in celebrating this important achievement.

As we reflect on this year's exhibition, we are reminded of the true purpose of education: to empower students to explore their passions, think independently, and make meaningful contributions to the world around them.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all of our MYP students. Your hard work, commitment, and creativity have truly inspired us, and we look forward to seeing how you continue to shape your futures with confidence and purpose.

Staff vs Senior Boys Basketball Match

Our annual staff vs senior boys basketball match was held on Thursday, and it proved a close fought encounter! With something of a size advantage, the staff team were pushed to their limits by the highly skilled and motivated senior students.

Congratulations to everyone who took part, and also to those who came along to cheer - it was a game with a lot of laughter and good will and showcased respect and good sportsmanship.

The staff were able to squeeze out a narrow victory 43-38. Go Gryphons!

Reusable Cup Project

Local coffee shops Starbucks and Pilgrims are proudly teaming up with our MYP3B students to support their Earth Day Challenge: encouraging everyone in our school community to choose reusable cups for their favorite daily drinks!

Let’s show our Gryphon spirit - remember your reusable cup, Gryphons!

An owl and a raccoon had a bit of a disagreement on Charlie's Trail last week - to the delight and amazement of our grade 4 and 5 students who were walking by (it happens very quickly - watch carefully!) 

Do you have questions or concerns?

If you have a question about the school or just something on your mind, please feel free to contact our leadership team:

• Rui Li - Principal
• Andrea Salvador - School Manager
• Jacob Baumgartner - School Culture Director; Grade 4 to MYP2 Coordinator
• Kate Barton - MYP 3-5 and Personal Project Coordinator
• Linda Bayes - DP Coordinator & University Counsellor
• Martin Staffolani - Executive Director of Recruitment

Your comments and feedback are welcome! Please click here to leave a comment, ask a question, or raise an issue. Thank you!

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.