MYP4 students kayaking in the beautiful waters of Hornby Island.

Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

As we approach the season of gratitude, I wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to each member of our wonderful Brookes community. Thanksgiving is not just a holiday; it’s a time to reflect on the abundance of blessings that surround us every day. I am grateful for our dedicated teachers and staff who inspire our students, our supportive parents who entrust us with their children’s education, and, most importantly, our incredible students who fill our halls with curiosity, creativity, and kindness.

This season reminds us of the importance of coming together, cherishing the bonds that unite us, and reaching out to those in need. I encourage all of us to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to one another and to contribute to making our school a place of warmth, inclusion, and learning. Wishing you all a joyful and peaceful Thanksgiving!

Looking ahead:

• October 9^th – No school: Thanksgiving
• October 11^th – DP2 parent information session: university guidance (3:30 pm in boardroom)
• October 13^th – Grade 4/5 parent coffee morning (9 am in dining hall)

With gratitude,

Rui

Dr. Rui Li

Principal

MYP4 students enjoying an evening around the campfire.

Academic Reports

The BC Ministry of Education has made some changes to student reporting policies and practices, starting from this academic year. The report card is now called “learning update”, which is the way teachers share information about students’ progress with parents.

For students in grades 4-9, the Provincial Proficiency Scale (Emerging, Developing, Proficient, Extending) and descriptive feedback will now be used to explain where a child is at in their learning and how they can improve. Our MYP students (grades 6-9) will also receive an IB grade.

For students in grades 10-12, letter grades and percentages will still be used to ensure successful transition to post-secondary.

In all grades, students will self-reflect on the Core Competencies and set goals for themselves. This gives them control over their learning and helps them keep growing throughout their lives. You can learn more about the new BC student reporting here.

During this academic year, we issue 5 learning updates for parents, which will provide updates on student achievement. Two of these reports are called Interim Learning Updates, which provide teacher’s comment on a student's performance related to their Engagement and Work Habits.  There are no grades provided in the interim updates. The first interim learning update will be issued on October 20^th.  The first Term Learning Update, which includes grades and comments based on student achievement, will be issued on December 1^st, 2023.

Fun Friday with pets (this is Cedar)

Parent-Teacher Conference

The Parent-Teacher Conference dates are earlier this year and will be held on November 1^st from 15:30 to 17:30 and November 2^nd from 14:15 to 17:30. November 2^nd will be an early dismissal day at 14:00. There will be NO ASAs on these two days. The conferences will be virtual, and the sign up on SchoolsBuddy will open on October 24^th. More information to come.

 Grade 4 and Grade 7 Foundational Skills Assessments

The BC Ministry of Education recommends that all students in grade 4 and grade 7 complete provincial literacy and numeracy assessments each fall. The data collected is used to inform schools, districts and the province about how well students are prepared for academic success and assist in the planning of curriculum and core competency criteria. These assessments will be completed in school later in October, and feedback will be available in early January. Note that the outcome of these assessments will not impact a student’s assessment in their courses. More information can be found here.

BC Graduation Assessments

There are 3 assessments required to earn the BC Dogwood Diploma – Literacy 10, Literacy 12, and Numeracy 10 assessments. Our Grade 10 and 12 students will be writing these assessments during the week of October 30^th. They are done online and students will use their own computers to complete the assessments. The grades from these assessments are scored on a 1-4 scale. Here is a link to an Information for Parents Brochure which helps to explain the BC assessments more completely. The grading scale for these assessments is:

1. Emerging
2. Developing
3. Proficient
4. Extending

And this is Luna.

Fun Friday

Thanks to all the families who brought along their furry friends for Fun Friday today. Students and staff really enjoyed the energy and warmth that the pets brought to the school. Our courtyard was full of laughter (and hot chocolate!) this lunchtume.

Monday, 9th October is a holiday for Thanksgiving - there will be no classes.

Friday, October 13th: Coffee Morning for Grade 4 and 5 families (9 to 10 am). This will be a great chance to meet other families with children in these grades, connect with teachers, and listen to a short presentation. Grade 4 and 5 families have been contacted by the teachers. 

Friday, October 20th is a Pro D Day - there will be no classes.

Cedar (with Jack)

You can now order your Brookes Westshore jackets online!

Through Passion Sports, we have set up an online store for the Brookes Puffy jackets and Rain jackets. The deadline to order by is October 22^nd at midnight.

Please click the link below to get to the store. There is a size chart for each jacket. Unfortunately, at this time we do not have sample jackets to try on for size. The puffy jackets are a different brand than the ones from last year.

Jackets will be shipped to Brookes for pick up after November 13^th.

https://store.passionsports.ca/brookeswestshore

Passion Sports does not offer returns, but if the size you order does not fit, we will purchase the jacket from you.

If you have any questions about this, please email Melanie at mgordon@westshore.brookes.org

Puffy jacket stock from last year

We have a limited stock of the Puffy jackets from last year’s order. The cost is $83.75 each and we have the following sizes available:

Youth Small
Youth Large
Ladies Small
Ladies Large
Mens Small
Mens Medium
Mens XL
Mens XXL

Please email uniforms@westshore.brookes.org if you would like to purchase one.

MYP5 students are well underway with planning their service activities for this year. We have already discussed the reasons why service is meaningful for everyone, and the impacts that even small gestures can have on our immediate environment and beyond. There are several learning goals that service can help students attain, including raising awareness, collaborating with others, taking on new challenges and perseverance.

Some projects that students in MYP5 are planning include:

• Clean-up of local areas, including the wonderful trails and beaches that are within walking distance.
• Collecting donations of supplies and money for local animal/wildlife shelters.
• Reaching out to help those in our community who are less fortunate with clothing drives.
• Making blankets and raising money for the children’s hospital.
• Helping with Fun Friday activities.
• Planning a term 2 afterschool activity.
• A buddy system between MYP5 and grade 4/5 students.
• Managing the little library that was recently established on our property.
• And more!

Students are encouraged to connect their service project with one of the sustainable goals, and if possible, to part of their academic curriculum. Students are practicing their ATL skills and strengthening their learner profile attributes to carry out the mission of the IB and Brookes Westshore.

For the MYP5 students, positive and enriching service experiences this year will motivate them to plan wonderful CAS projects next year. 

We look forward to updating everyone on service in MYP5 in the new year!

Sage (with Aii) 

Diploma Programme

Our DP2 Full Diploma students are currently finishing off their Extended Essay (EE). The EE is a research paper that students write based on a Research Question which they develop, and which is focused on one of their DP subjects. Students can also choose to write an interdisciplinary EE which involves the knowledge and understanding of two subjects and is based on an issue of global significance. 

The Extended Essay is a 4000-word research paper where students are challenged to provide primary research and acknowledge sources in a scholarly manner. They develop research, writing and critical thinking skills which serve them well in the future. 

Our current group of DP2 students have some wonderful Extended Essay research questions that demonstrate how much they have developed over the years. They are ready for university or whatever post-secondary avenue they pursue.

The DP1 students have settled into the programme and are successfully meeting the rigorous learning demands associated with the IB Diploma Programmme. Teachers are excited at how the DP1 students are so actively engaged in their learning.

DP2 Biology and Chemistry students are spending a lot of time in the labs these days - collecting data for their independent Internal Assessments (IAs)!

MYP3 Drama

In small groups students had 30 seconds to recreate famous and sometimes funny art pieces that were projected onto the board. Check out the image that was projected and the quick-thinking work of Mr. B's MYP 3 Drama class.

Sam (with Olivia and Kylee)

Music Club is up and running! 

And the Yoga ASA students are finding their balance.

The senior girls’ volleyball team had their second round of volleyball matches this week, hosting Parkland’s and St. Margaret’s Schools. The girls played very well defeating Parklands 25-9 and 25-13; and St. Margaret’s 25-12 and 25-9.

Special thanks to Emma K, Sophie R, Hanli, Ximena, and Dalia who volunteered to be scorekeepers and linespeople!

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.