A quiet moment to study and reflect in front of the fire on a snowy day at school.

Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

Another snowfall last night and the campus is gleaming in the sunlight. The snow has added to the excitement for the first ski trip to Mt. Washington on Saturday.

This week’s newsletter is packed full of photos from around our school. Students studying hard inside and outside their classrooms; students enjoying some of the many activities we offer them as ASAs, and a general theme throughout of cooking and food. You can see students involved in the international cooking ASA, the dorm cooking competition, and some of Sarah’s amazing fruit sculptures form her work with Sage Dining in the dining hall.

On a much more serious note – the events unfolding in Ukraine this week have made us all pause and reflect on the future we are preparing our children for. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine, and particularly with those involved in our sister school in Kyiv.

Also, please note the update on COVID 19 – we will be sending local students home with at-home testing kits next week.

 With kind regards,

Jerry Salvador

Head of School

Discover why IB students succeed!

An IB education helps students develop transferable skills and become independent, lifelong learners.

At Brookes Westshore, we offer the Middle Years Programme (MYP 1-5 / Grade 6-10) and Diploma Programme (DP 1-2 / Grade 11-12). There are two different routes in the Diploma Programme: IB Diploma candidates and Diploma Course candidates.

Here is a summary of the strengths for the various IB programmes (data and information taken from the IB webpage)

DP – Diploma candidates

Requirements

6 subjects (3 standard level + 3 higher level)

IB Core (Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge, Creativity Activity Service)

Strengths

IB DP students have significantly higher levels of critical thinking and global mindedness than their non-IB peers.

IB DP students have significantly lower university dropout rates than their non-IB peers.

DP – Course candidates

Requirements

6 subjects at standard level (or higher level if they so choose)

Strengths

79.7% of DP course students enroll in university immediately after high school.

Higher persistence in university than non-IB students with 85.4% continuing on to their second year at university.

MYP

Requirements

• 8 subject groups
• Service Project
• Personal Project (MYP 5)

Strengths

MYP students perform significantly better than non-IB students, particularly in Narrative writing, Expository writing and Scientific literacy.

You can also check the IB webpage of FAQs for students and parents for more information.

COVID 19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Tests

In the coming week, all local students will be provided with a box of five Artron rapid antigen at-home tests to take home. Dorm students already have access to the tests through the School Nurse.  

The information below on when and how to use the tests is summarized from BCCDC.      

When to Use the Test 

These tests are intended for students in K-12 schools. They should only be used when the student has symptoms of COVID-19.  

Do not give your child a rapid COVID-19 test if they do not have symptoms of illness. 

Test instructions will be included in the box, and also in this BCCDC instruction document. 

Visit BCCDC for up-to-date information on COVID-19.  

Important Dates

Term 2 ends on March 18th and Term 2 report cards will be issued on April 8th.

Spring Break is March 19th - April 3rd.  The first day back to school is April 4th.

Graduation Portraits

Graduation Portraits have been pushed back to February 28th to March 2nd. Students should be in formal uniform for their portraits. 

Mr. Wood puts the Grade 9 Science class through their paces.

Grade 9 hard at work in their Math class.

Grade 11 students focusing on their Biology class.

Grade 8 have been working through the Periodic Table.

The Design 6 students are working on their monument projects when there was a "Styrofoam malfunction". 

The Cooking ASA is a popular activity and you can see that our students are working hard on their culinary arts - lots of chopping for Sam and Esosa!

Pink Shirt Day

Wednesday was Pink Shirt Day around the world, and Brookes Westshore students and staff showed their support by wearing pink shirts (and hats, and masks!). 

Pink Shirt Day helps to celebrate our diversity while raising funds to support inclusive anti-bullying programs for kids in our communities.  

Our students raised $357.80 for CKNW Kids' Fund (cknwkidsfund.com)

Fruit Art from Sage Dining

A shout-out to Sarah of Sage Dining!

Every day Sarah creates a unique artwork in the water jug in the dining hall - made out of fruit! They are intricate and amazing - and, on top of their beauty,  they add flavour to the water!

Thanks so much Sarah - your efforts are noticed and appreciated!

Brookes Westshore Master Chef

The Cooking Competition 2022 was opened last Sunday by Yaqueline, Emiliano, Luis and Antonio. The team made a sophisticated Mexican seafood dinner: Ceviche as an appetizer, Taco Gobernador as the main dish, and Lime Sorbet for dessert.

Their great cooking skills, creativity and teamwork lead to an exquisite meal. The food was shared with 15 lucky dorm students, who came not just to support their friends but also to vote for them.

We are looking forward to the Japanese themed meal this Sunday!

You can see last year's competition recipes here.

Students had a blast on the weekend at the local Haunted Manor mini golf! 

Dorm Activities for February 26th and 27th

• Friday 8:00pm - Dodgeball Game

• Saturday 5:00am-7:00pm - Ski Trip!

• Saturday 2:00pm - Crafts in common room 1

• Saturday 8:00pm - Paint night

• Sunday 10:15am - Revolution of Our Times - A Film by Hongkongers hosted at UVIC

• Sunday 2:00pm - Beach walk at Royal Bay Beach

• Sunday 4:00-7:00pm Cooking Competition