Cupcakes and kindness on Valentine's Day

Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

Our Volleyball and Basketball teams have been busy on the court lately! I am very proud to see our students excelling not only academically but also athletically, being balanced IB learners! Kudos to our dedicated coaches, Mr. T, Mr. Thom, Ms. Roberto, Coach Luke and Isaac, for their commitment!

Love was in the air as we celebrated Valentine’s Day this Wednesday. It was heartwarming to see students embracing the spirit of friendship and camaraderie. The exchange of cards, smiles, and small gestures of kindness created a wonderful atmosphere, showing the close connection within our school community.

Our teachers had a productive Pro-D Day today. In the morning, we delved into the fascinating world of AI, gaining insight that will enrich our teaching methods. Then we focused on enhancing our skills to better support students with social-emotional development and strategies for supporting neurodiversity. A big thank you to our ICT Manager, Mr. Grant, and the guest speaker, Mrs. Sue Hall, for the informative sessions.

We were excited to receive some positive feedback from parents about the SaferSchools family sessions on establishing safe, caring and respectful digital communities, shared in the previous Gryphon Gazette. You can register for another upcoming training on February 28th here: erase Family Sessions (saferschoolstogether.com)

Family Day is just around the corner. It not only celebrates the importance of family but also fosters a sense of unity and support, creating lasting memories that contribute to the overall well-being of our students and their families.

Wish everyone a great family day long weekend!

With kind regards,

Dr. Rui Li

Principal

Our heartfelt thanks to all the families who have been so generous in donating to our campaign in support of the students from Ukraine – your contributions will make a significant difference to their experience of Canada, and their time at Brookes. If you missed our request earlier in the week you can find it here. We are so grateful that our community has stepped up for these students in so many ways. 

If a donation isn't possible for you at the moment, here are two other ways you can be a part of this important work:

• We will be hosting a Silent Auction again next term – if you would like to volunteer as part of the organising team there will be a meeting next week on Thursday at 9 am to discuss our plans. Please email asalvador@westshore.brookes.org if you are interested!
• Also, the students will not be returning to Ukraine for Spring Break, and we are hoping to find families to host them for this time.  If you think your family would be able and willing to open your home to a Ukrainian student for spring break - please contact Linda at lbayes@westshore.brookes.org for further discussions.

Thank you all again for the warm and caring response. 

IB Learner Superheroes Contest!

Do you know what an IB Learner is? What attributes do they have? What behaviours do they demonstrate to let others know that they are internationally minded citizens with big ideas and a genuine compassion for global issues? What does this look like?

The challenge: To design your own IB Superhero! Please check out the following poster for information on how to participate. IB Learner Superhero Contest (2024).docx

 MYP1 are exploring fashion and textile patterns this term in the unit: Textile and Fashion Mondrian and Modernism. Their digitally created patterns will be available on Redbubble for Spring Break. These screen print experiments will be shared with parents soon!

The Cantonese Club had fun learning and playing Mahjong on Monday.

Screen printing with Ms. Barton in the design room.

Dorm students have been super active on the weekends - hiking at Sooke Potholes, watching a Pacific FC soccer match, cooking up a hotpot, making sushi, and hosting a Super Bowl Party this Sunday. Our dorm staff work with the students to keep them happy, engaged, and connected.

On Wednesday we celebrated Valentine's Day with cupcakes at break.

A shout out to our dining crew - follow them on @brookesdiningwestshore for more mouthwatering images!

Our DP2 students are now moving into the final phase of the Diploma Programme and there is a great deal of emphasis placed on their final May 2024 exams. The final classes for DP2 will be April 19th and the first examination occurs on April 24th. Further details on the schedule and examination rules will be posted on ManageBac for students and parents. 

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.

Thanks to everyone who helped with and/or attended the Lunar New Year Activities and Dance! Special Shoutout to DJ’s Isaac and Tristan!

On Tuesday Brandon from White Hatter visited our school to engage our Grade 4/5 and our MYP1 and MYP2 classes in presentations on Digital Literacy. Students were taught about how their use of technology and media resources can influence their lives, including their privacy and safety. Brandon gave us tips and advice for how to act responsibly online so that they reduced their risk of harm to themselves or others.

Our students enjoyed the in-person presentation, answering Brandon’s questions and asking their own. We hope that everyone walked away from the presentation having learned something new or interesting about digital literacy. Most importantly, we hope that all students, teachers, and parents continue to think critically about the choices they have when online and practice the principled attribute of the IB learner profile. Our older MYP and DP students will receive similar presentations very soon.

For parents who would like to discuss digital literacy with their kids, or access to White Hatter resources for parents and caregivers, please check out their website Home - The White Hatter.

Last Saturday the senior boys' basketball team played against Cedar Secondary on Saturday at 2pm for the South Island Championship - and won! This win advances Brookes to the Island Championships as South Island Champions!

The grade 8 girls’ volleyball team hosted two teams from Shoreline on Wednesday. Their first game was against Shoreline, who are currently in 2^nd place in the division. Our girls gave it their best but were defeated 8-15 and 12-15. Next up was Shoreline 2, who are in third place. The game was very exciting, and we came close to upsetting them but in the end lost 14-16 and 13-15. Well done girls! A great effort!

Congratulations to the grade 6-7 girls’ volleyball team. On Tuesday they won both their away games. In their first game, they defeated Victor Brodeur 2 sets to 0 in a close fought game. In their second game, they continued their fine play to defeat Journey 2 sets to 0.

The grade 6-8 boys’ volleyball team played a pair of games on Tuesday at John Stubbs. Their first match-up was against CCC. It was a very evenly matched game with both teams winning a set (24-26; 25-20). Their second game was against John Stubbs, the host school. It was an equally tough game, with both teams playing to a draw (25-19; 18-25). Well done, boys!

Student Leadership Council

Jeongmin has taken over as Service Ambassador, switching places with Eva, who becomes the Deputy Ambassador. Sam is our new Global Awareness Ambassador, and Polina is our new Deputy Ambassador for Global Awareness.

And we also welcomed three new members, Ivan, Lisa, and Bohdan.

Congratulations to our new members and to those taking on new leadership positions.

Finally, we want to thank Seoyun, who has resigned to concentrate on her studies after long service on the Council.

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.