Orla wearing a kimono - from last week's visit from Saku Chosei High School

Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

It was heartening to see the school bathed in pink this Wednesday, representing a powerful stance against bullying and a commitment to creating a culture of inclusion and support. The sea of pink shirts worn by our students and staff was a collective voice saying, “We stand together for kindness and empathy”. Thanks to everyone’s participation in fostering a positive and respectful atmosphere within our school community. Let’s carry the spirit of Pink Shirt Day forward, remembering that every day is an opportunity to promote understanding, compassion, and acceptance.

We are thrilled to share the fantastic news that our Senior Boys’ Basketball team has won the 3^rd place in their recent Island Championship and has successfully earned a spot in the Provincials next week. This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and teamwork demonstrated by our talented athletes. A big shout-out to Coach Luke, Coach Isaac, and Ms. Kat! We wish the team good luck next week in Vancouver!

Looking ahead:

• Next week (March 4^th- 8^th) will be the last week of Term 2 ASAs. Term 3 ASAs sign-up opens on Monday, March 4^th. Term 3 ASAs starts on April 8^th.
• The last day of school before spring break is March 15^th – regular dismissal time at 3:20 pm.
• Term 2 Learning Update will be issued through ManageBac on March 15^th. This update includes teacher comments and grades for each subject. Parent-Teacher conferences will be held on April 10^th and 11^th. Sign-up opens on April 3^rd. More information to come.

Thank you for your continued support and I wish everyone a great weekend!

Dr. Rui Li

Principal

More fun activities with Saku Chosei students

Textiles ASA  with Ms. Barton

PYP and MYP students Sophia, Olivia, Ava, Hannah, Sophie have been busy creating their own textiles projects! 

National Youth Climate Activism Award

Last year our student Finn was the recipient of the award and this year he is on the peer review panel that is selecting the 2024 winners.

There are 25 prizes of $500 (ages 14 and under), and $1000 (ages 15-19). The submission portal is now open on their website and the contest closes on April 22nd . Here is a link to our website for more information:

https://www.youthclimateactivismaward.org

Junior Leadership Council

The JLC (junior leadership council) has been successful this term! Starting with getting a digital clock on its way to the gym, planning the Grade 6/7 Lunar New Year festivities, and some fun Fridays soon to come!

We would like to invite anyone in Grades 6-8 to apply for the JLC for Term 3.

We meet on Wednesdays from 3:30 - 4:30 pm! If you are interested, talk to Mr. B or Susie in DP1 to get an application form.

We would love for you to join us in helping make a difference in the school community!

Last Chance!

Registration for the Tofino Trip is 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)

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.

MYP 5 have been challenged with creating portraits that showed facial proportions with an interesting pose that included a hand. You can see some of their results in these images. 

DP1 Physics students determining the heat capacity of different metals. 

Math Challengers at Camosun College

Students from Grades 8 and 9 took part in the Victoria Regional Competition at Camosun College last week.

Math Challengers is an enrichment, coaching and competition program that promotes mathematics achievement among students in Grades 8, 9 and 10 by:

• challenging students with stimulating and thought-provoking questions, and
• having school math teams compete with each other at local, regional and provincial tournaments.

The program builds skills, promotes strategic problem-solving, and exposes students to complex problems that require creativity and persistence in order to be solved -- all a critical part of our increasingly technological society. Moreover, it provides an opportunity to bring 8th, 9th, and 10th graders together to promote a lively exchange of mathematical ideas through competition!

Congratulations to the Brookes Math Challenger Team!

The Grade 6-7 girls’ volleyball team hosted two games this Wednesday and won both. They defeated Dunsmuir (2-0) and Bayside (2-0) to finish up their season. Congratulations to all the players and coaches for a great season!

On Monday the grade 6 - 8 boys' volleyball team took down West Saanich in 25-10 and 25-18 and then bested Royal Oak 25-12 and 25-14. Congratulations to the boys and coach Mr. Thom for a successful season! 

On Wednesday The grade 8 girls’ volleyball team played in the first round of the playoffs yesterday at Central. They lost against a very strong team from Central (0-2) and split sets (1-1) with a team from Glanford. Well done, team! 

Hello, Brookes Westshore community. We are Susie and Eva. Alongside Ms. Bayes and other students, we have been cooking, baking, and fundraising for Out of the Rain. We cook two meals a month to feed 15 youths, each meal costing approximately $60. This is a fun, creative and meaningful way for us to learn new skills and help those in need while doing so. If you would be willing or are interested in donating to support our CAS project, please reach out to Ms. Bayes for details. Thank you!

Careers in Engineering

On Thursday, the DP1 and DP2 students were delighted with a visit from one of our parents, Dr. Bree Sharratt. Dr. Sharratt spoke with the students about careers in Engineering and the program of study in Faculties of Engineering. We are very fortunate to have so many talented parents in our community who are willing to share their experiences with students.

University Acceptances

Maggie has been accepted to University of Toronto with a $2000 scholarship.

Russell has been accepted to Western with a $3500 scholarship.

Universities continue to process applications well into March and there are several students still waiting to hear.

IB Examinations

The May Session IB examinations begin on April 25th. The schedule has been posted in ManageBac for both parents and students. The last day of classes for our graduating class will be April 19th. This will give them a few days to prepare before the exams begin on April 25th. I will be going over the schedule and exam procedures with students as soon as we return from spring break. Graduation day is May 17th. There are a small number of students writing exams on that last day.

MYP 5 Parent Information Session

Just as we start preparing one group to write the final IB exams, we are preparing our next group to start the IB Diploma Programme. I will start meeting with all returning MYP5 student next week and will be providing them with information about the programme and begin the task of subject selection. Subjects chosen for the DP are studied for both DP1 and DP2 years and it is important that students choose carefully. 

There is a Parent Information Session scheduled for Wednesday April 17th at 4PM for MYP 5 families. This is an important information session for parents and I hope you can all attend.

Open Mic Session

Last weekend the dorm students organised an open mic session in the main common room. Everyone had a great time celebrating the amazing talents of our students! 

Writing Contest Results: 

Thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to our winners! 

Grades 4-7: 

• 1st place for Grades 4-7 = Quinnlyn (MYP1) - 200 House Points, $50 Gift Card 
• 2nd place for Grades 4-7 = Harper (Grade 5) - 100 House Points, $25 Gift Card 
• 3rd place for Grades 4-7 = Saeron (Grade 4) - 50 House Points 

Grades 8-12: 

• 1st place for Grades 8-12 = Aii (MYP5), “The Key Conspiracy” - 200 House Points, $50 Gift Card 
• 2nd place for Grades 8-12 = Susie (DP1), “One Odd Umbrella” - 100 House Points, $25 Gift Card 
• 3rd place for Grades 8-12 = Romina (MYP3), “A Crime Scene from the Pages?” - 50 House Points 

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.