Karaoke Community Block was great fun on Thursday.

Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

Today marks the issuance of the Term 2 learning updates, a reflection of the hard work and dedication by our students throughout the term. All parents and guardians are encouraged to download a copy from ManageBac for your own files. We also encourage you to take the time to review the learning updates with your child(ren), celebrating their successes and discussing areas for growth. Remember, every challenge presents an opportunity for learning and improvement.

As we head into the Spring break, I want to wish everyone a well-deserved safe and rejuvenating time off! Whether you are traveling, spending time with loved ones, or simply relaxing at home, I hope this break provides the opportunity to recharge and return refreshed for the remainder of the academic year.

The first day back to school after spring break is Tuesday, April 2^nd. 

I would like to invite you all to our annual Spring Fling on Thursday, April 4th from 3.30 to 6pm. We will host a delicious BBQ in the courtyard, with music and fun family games run by our students. The BBQ is a great opportunity for us all to chat with teachers and families and build community. We'd love to see you all there to celebrate the Spring and the start of the term! 

Please RSVP to: events@westshore.brookes.org. 

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held virtually on April 10^th (3:30 - 5:30 pm) and April 11^th (2:15-5:30 pm). There will be no ASAs on these two days. April 11^th is an early dismissal day at 2 pm. Sign up on Schoolsbuddy will be open on Wednesday, April 3rd. Grades 4 and 5 will have student-led conferences on April 11^th. More information will be sent out by Ms. Jesse and Ms. Alexe.

Our special congratulations to Kura, who has just been accepted into the extremely competitive Faculty of Commerce at UBC! Well done Kura!

Wishing everyone a fantastic Spring break and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in April, filled with new opportunities for learning, growth, and community engagement!

Dr. Rui Li

Principal

Silent Auction 2024

A message regarding the Silent Auction 2024 was sent out on Managebac yesterday. Please also note that a letter to local businesses is coming home with your child today - please ask them for it! 

The Silent Auction will be on Friday, June 7th. 

If you are interested in being a part of this great event - helping us to build on last year's success - there will be a meeting for anyone interested on Thursday, April 4th at 2.30 to 3.30 pm (right before the Spring Fling) in the boardroom.

Today is the last day for ASA sign ups!

Digital Photography ASA Request

Do you have a "point and shoot" digital camera you no longer use?  We would be so happy to make use of it for our Digital Photography club.  Please connect with Kate Barton kbarton@westshore.brookes.org. 

Digital Photography ASA will run again next year. In the meantime enjoy these photographs which were taken on walks around our area and edited in Adobe Lightroom by Everett, Toby, and Noah. Well done boys!

Measles Vaccinations Prior to Spring Break Travel: Measles is a contagious, airborne virus. There is a high risk of measles cases being brought back to B.C. due to ongoing measles outbreaks globally and decreasing vaccination coverage rates in Canada. Public Health Agency of Canada and the Provincial Health Officer and the BC Centre for Disease Control have issued statements advising individuals to check their measles immunization records and to vaccinate against measles prior to Spring Break travel. Vaccine appointments can be booked through local public health units. 

MYP3 Science

This week the MYP3 students are wrapping up the last week of class before spring break with their very own individual scientific investigations! The challenge is for them to come up with an investigation where "temperature" is either the independent or dependent variable. Some students ran the classic Coke-and-Mentos experiment with Coca Cola stored at different temperatures, some ran an experiment with dry ice, and there are many more creative and curious ideas! 

MYP 2 Mathematics

In MYP 2 Mathematics we have been learning how to construct nets and calculate the surface area and volume of 3D shapes. Here are some amazing examples of paper cities built by the students as part of the summative assessment for the unit. After building their paper cities, students calculated the surface area and volume for a few buildings of their choice to demonstrate how they can use mathematical formula in a challenging context. Can you spot (and name) the 3D shape with the most faces?

Positivity Presentation

This week Student Leadership Council members put together a short skit for the grade 4 and 5 students to illustrate the importance of positivity, and to engage their younger peers in a discussion about the value of a positive mindset. 

DP1 Biology

Mr. Hussack worked with his DP1 students to set up several experiments to end the term. The focus was on chromatography, a biophysical technique that enables the separation, identification, and purification of the components of a mixture for qualitative and quantitative analysis.

MYP1 Textiles and Fashion: Mondrian and Modernism. 

It’s wonderful to see our young students engaging with Digital Textile Design and promotion. Our MYP1 students have truly embraced creativity by drawing inspiration from modern artists like Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee, and Patrick Heron. 

Did you know that the designer Yves Saint Lauren produced an entire collection of dresses in the 1960s inspired by Piet Mondrian? The students were inspired by this and created digital patterns inspired by these Modern Artists arriving at stylish Contemporary results! 

You are invited to explore the Redbubble shop and discover these one-of-a-kind creations. If you wish to edit your child's design, please reach out to kbarton@westshore.brookes.org. 

Enjoy browsing our Redbubble shop!

BC First Peoples Class

MYP5 ended term two by visiting WMYETEN nature sanctuary in Highlands for 'forest bathing'. Our tours were led by a certified forest therapist, Andrew and the director, Koi. The directive was to slow down, have a break from technology and learn some Indigenous examples of spirituality among a beautiful, protected old growth forest. Our students reflected that they felt peaceful and really needed the panacea of sunshine that came out just for us. 

Karaoke Community Block

Everyone gathered in the dining hall on Thursday to enjoy an afternoon of karaoke. A great way to end the term, come together in harmony, and celebrate some amazing talent! Thanks to the SLC Creativity Commitee for organizing such a successful event.

MYP 1 Field Trip

The MYP 1 class enjoyed a trip to the downtown Board Game Cafe and to Gyro Park. 

Grade 5 enjoyed a trip to Thetis Lake earlier this week.

MYP5: Diploma Programme preparation

Ms. Bayes met with an excited group of MYP5 students this week to provide them with information about the Diploma Programme. The students are already very knowledgeable, and the process of subject selection is going smoothly. It is important for all parents of students entering the Diploma Programme to discuss the course selections. Students are choosing subjects which they will study in both years of the programme. There are no changes made in DP2 (Grade 12).

Ms. Bayes will be holding a parent information session on Wednesday, April 17th at 4pm. We encourage all parents of MYP5 students to attend. Ms. Bayes will provide a recording for parents of international students and will provide the link after the session. The course selection form has been shared with students and parents via ManageBac.

DP1

Our DP1 class has been attending an Extended Essay (EE) class since the beginning of the school year to assist them in developing the academic skills required to successfully complete the EE. One of their biggest challenges is developing the Research Question for their essay and it is a critical component. Students are now in a position to start researching and exploring their topic in depth and developing an outline for the essay. Each student is assigned a supervisor who will provide support and guidance until the essay has been completed. They are developing some very interesting research questions!

DP2

Our graduating class is moving closer to the start of IB Exams on April 24th. Their last day of scheduled classes will be April 19th. All students have a copy of the exam schedule. We encourage all parents to review this schedule with their child. Once students get back from spring break, Ms. Bayes will be reviewing examination procedures with students. 

School Uniform

As we look ahead to our return from spring break, we would like to let students and parents know that we will be enhancing our efforts to enforce our uniform guidelines more strictly. Our school uniform serves as a visible symbol of our collective identity and commitment to excellence. By adhering to these standards, we not only demonstrate our respect for tradition but also showcase our unity as a community dedicated to academic achievement, inclusion, and personal growth. 

This will include the renewed implementation of rental uniform and the rental fee for students not meeting the uniform guidelines. Your support in reinforcing the importance of adherence to the uniform policy is appreciated. For any questions, feel free to contact Mr. B. 

A Great Showing at Provincials for Brookes Basketball

The senior boys' basketball team competed at the BC Provincial Championships last week playing in 4 games and finishing 10th in the province for 1A schools.

It was an unforgettable experience for our team who lost a really tough game on the first day to a strong Maple Ridge Christian School team. On Thursday and Friday, they were able to rebound and beat Cedar Christian from Prince George with Player of the Game going to Tristan, followed by another win on Friday against rival Duncan Christian with Player of the Game honors going to Kura.

The last game of the tournament on Saturday against Osoyoos was filled with excitement as Noam hit a game-tying 3 pointer with 1 second left to force overtime, but unfortunately the team was unable to edge out a win in overtime.

Coach Luke said “The tournament was an amazing experience for our team. To be able to represent our school at the highest level of basketball in the Province was an unforgettable experience. The organizers did such a great job setting up the whole tournament and made all of us in the team feel like professionals the whole time.”

The team will be losing Mahad, Fawaz, Tristan, and Kura to graduation for next year. With a large core of the team returning for next season they hope to continue the streak of Brookes Basketball making it to the provincial championships!

Go Gryphons!

Senior Girls Soccer

The senior girls' soccer team competed in their first game of the season yesterday against Mt. Doug!

Our girls fought hard for 80 minutes with minimal substitutions but ultimately fell short 5-1. Yesterday was the debut game for many new players, shout out to Amelia, Dany, and Polina! Another special shout out to our rookie goalkeeper Eva, who made some amazing saves in her debut game!

Our Brookes Player of Game goes to Maria! Maria also played in her first game and showed great enthusiasm and skill in her position while having the biggest smile on her face! Well done Maria!

Finally, we would like to announce that this year’s captain has been named as Laura from MYP5. Laura has demonstrated remarkable leadership, commitment, and positivity that we need to lead our team! Congratulations Laura!

Thank you to everyone who came out to support our first game!

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.