The Student Leadership Council Student Welfare Committee ready for Thursday's community block presentation. Meghan, Theo, Ivan, Arlo and Tish.

Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

It has been an eventful week at Brookes Westshore! On Thursday we had our Inclusion community block. Inclusion is the heartbeat of our school, fostering an environment where every student feels valued, respected, and heard. The community block was organized and led by our Senior Student Leadership Council (SLC). Special thanks to the SLC Student Welfare Ambassador Tish, her committee, and house captains. I am very proud to see the growth in confidence and diverse skills among our student leaders. They have become exceptional role models, representing the values and spirit of our school with utmost dedication.

To celebrate our commitment to inclusivity, we encourage all students and staff to participate in Pink Shirt Day next Wednesday, February 28^th. Let’s proudly wear pink as a symbol of unity against bullying and discrimination, promoting kindness and acceptance throughout our school community.

This afternoon, the Japanese Cultural Fair was a resounding success! Students showed their enthusiasm and appreciation for cultural diversity. This fair not only broadened our students’ perspectives but also strengthened our sense of global community within the school.

As part of our commitment to holistic education, we would like to share with our families some free resources on learning healthy relationship skills and coping with stress. Check more details here and here.

I wanted to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated students, staff, and parents for contributing to the richness and inclusivity of our school environment. Have a great weekend!

With kind regards,

Dr. Rui Li

Principal

Students of Saku Chosei Junior High School visiting Brookes today (more photos next week)

The last day for term 2 ASA's is March 8th.

Term 3 ASA sign up starts on Monday March 4^th and will remain open until March 15th. 

Registration for the Tofino Trip is now open until Sunday March 3rd. 

Please note: Registration does not guarantee a spot on the trip. Everyone who registers will receive an invoice and legal waivers by March 8th. The first 28 students for each date to send back their signed waivers and payment to finance before March 15^th will reserve their place on the trip.

You will receive a confirmation from Ms. Brooklyn confirming your spot. 

If you have any questions, please see Ms. Brooklyn in her office or email bmayoh@westshore.brookes.org. 

REGISTER HERE (Must Use a Brookes Email)

TRIP INFO

Cost of Trip: $500

Includes:

• 2 nights' accommodation in an Oceanview Cabin
• 6 Meals (2 breakfast, 2 lunch, 2 dinner) + snacks and smores.
• 3-hour Surfing Lesson
• Bus and Transport Fees

Click here for more information.

Karaoke Community Block

Do you love singing and performing? Are you interested in showcasing your vocal talents (or lack thereof)? Or do you want to try something new? Join next month in the Community Karaoke block organized by the Creativity Committee!  Participate by yourself or with a group, singing one of your favorite songs! Earn house points and enter into a raffle for non-uniform coupons.

Want to find out more about the Powerful Youth Summer Program for ages 12-18? Scan the QR code below or click here.

Kingston and Cyrus taking care of the salmon eggs.

Salmon Egg Incubation Project
Every year we are fortunate to receive 100 Coho salmon eggs from Ocean and Fisheries Canada for the purpose of incubating and hatching of the eggs. The incubation of salmon eggs is a fascinating process that offers students a hands-on learning experience. Initially, the fertilized eggs are carefully placed in the tank, mimicking the natural environment of a riverbed. Two DP1 students have taken on this service project and have prepared the tank prior to arrival of the eggs and have been monitoring the eggs since their arrival in January. The temperature of the tank is carefully monitored and maintained at 5C to ensure a successful hatch. The eggs started hatching last week and have transformed into alevin and are now hiding among the rocks. We will keep you updated on their development. Once they have reached the fry stage, we will transport them to Goldstream park to release them into the creek.

Our Senior Boys' Basketball team are playing at the Island Championships this week. You can watch a livestream of the game here (thanks to Duncan Christian School as hosts). 

They convincingly won their first game on Thursday 71 to 48 and are playing for a place in the finals today (as you read this!). If they win - they will be invited to the Provincial Championships in March! See below for Thursday's match against Port Hardy - watch for Tristan's dunk at 3.20.09! 

The grade 8 girls’ volleyball team travelled to Spencer Middle School for a couple of games on Wednesday. The girls played well, winning against a team from Central Mountain Lelem (15-10; 15-8) and losing narrowly against the host school (10-15; 12-15).  Congratulations, girls!

Community Block

The Inclusion community block on Thursday was hosted by the Student Leadership Council. There was information, engagement, and activities - all on the theme of inclusion. Students came away with not only enhanced knowledge, but also actions and language to promote and strengthen our school community.

"Who we are" Grades 4 and 5

In the primary years, students learn to incorporate service into each unit of inquiry through the form of action which is the last step of the inquiry cycle.

In our first unit, "Who We Are", students designed lessons to teach each other skills or something they are knowledgeable about. They catered these lessons to all types of learners and reflected based on their experience and feedback offered by their peers.

In grade 4, students are working with the central idea "animals sense and respond to their environments". Their service project connected to this unit will be creating projects about native species and how we can help preserve their habitats.

In grade 5, students are working with the central idea "body systems are connected" and will focus on spreading awareness about choices that affect the function and health of the human body systems in their cumulative inquiry. 

University Acceptances

DP2 students continue to receive university acceptance letters. This process will continue into March. Those receiving letters this week are:

Montana - UVIC President’s Entrance Scholarship for maintaining a 96% academic average.

Nina – University of Toronto and received the International Merit Admission Reward which comes with a significant scholarship.

Scott – University of British Columbia, Faculty of Applied Science

Tristan – University of British Columbia (Applied Biology) University of Toronto and University of Western Ontario.

Lada – University of Victoria

Russell – University of Waterloo (with a $2000 scholarship) and University of Toronto (with a $10,000 scholarship)

Congratulations to all of you!

MYP5 Parent Information Session

The MYP5 students have already begun asking questions about the DP and I know they are excited about choosing their subjects. I will be meeting with all MYP5 students before the break to introduce them to the programme. Parents play an integral part in supporting students to select subjects and I invite the MYP5 parents to join me on Wednesday April 17th at 4 PM for a parent information session on the Diploma Programme. This session will focus on the philosophy and structure of the DP, selecting subjects, graduation requirements for BC Dogwood and IB Diploma, and University admission requirements.

Brookes Alumni

We were delighted to be visited by three Brookes alumni this week - Stephen, Yu and Rhea - we love to see our past students and are so happy that they still feel so connected to our school.

Stephen Zhang (now at UBC studying Math) with Dr. Li

Ms. Satsuki, alumni Rhea (working in movie animation) and Yu (double major in International Relations), Mr. Hernandez, Mr. B, and Ms. McLeod (a former Brookes teacher). 

Thanks to all our donors and to Olivia from MYP4 for organising the Coat Drive - we were delighted to donate 49 coats to the Mustard Seed!

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.