The Spring Fling was a lot of fun yesterday. We are so happy to welcome families on to campus and enjoy time together!

Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

Welcome back to Brookes after a rejuvenating and refreshing spring break! It was truly heartwarming to see the enthusiasm and engagement of our students in classes on the first day back. It was evident that everyone was eager to dive back into their studies.

This Wednesday, we had a successful DP2 Art Exhibition, which is a great opportunity for our Art students to showcase their artistic skills and techniques they have learned during the 2-year of the IB Diploma Programme to express their personal narratives through a diverse range of mediums. We were very proud to see our students’ conceptual depth and critical thinking skills through their creative work. Congratulations to all the Art students on their personal growth, achievement, and creativity! Thanks to Ms. Campbell, our DP Art teacher, for all her support to the students!

We would like to thank all the families who joined us yesterday for our annual Spring Fling event. It was a pleasure meeting you all. The campus was filled with joy, delightful aroma of BBQ, and vibrant atmosphere as students, parents, and staff came together to celebrate and create lasting memories. A special shout-out to our events committee for organizing this special event!

A reminder that Parent Teacher Conferences are held virtually next Wednesday, April 10^th (3:30-5:30 pm), and Thursday, 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. Conference signup is open on SchoolsBuddy until Tuesday, April 9^th.

As we embark on the rest of the school year, let’s continue to ensure the safety of our school community by driving slowly around the school premises and being mindful not to park too close to our neighbour’s driveway.

We appreciate your ongoing support and involvement in our school community, fostering a spirit of curiosity, collaboration, and growth.

Dr. Rui Li

Principal

We would like to let you know that Dakota, our front desk coordinator, has accepted a new position in a different industry and her last day with us will be Wednesday, April 17^th. It has not been an easy decision for her, and she will be missed dearly!

Since her arrival at Brookes Westshore Dakota has been an invaluable member of our team. Her contributions have made a significant positive impact on our community. We want to thank Dakota for her dedication and hard work during her time with us. Her expertise and positive energy have been greatly appreciated. While we are sad to see her leave, we are also happy for her as she embarks on this new chapter in her career. We wish her nothing but success in her future endeavors!

In the meantime, we are actively working on finding a replacement to ensure a smooth transition. We already have a lot of applications and will start the interview process next week.

MYP 5 Information Session

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.

Silent Auction 2024

Tickets for the Silent Auction on June 7^th will go on sale next week! Keep your eyes open for a in ManageBac email! Tickets will initially only be available for families and their guests – we will open up sales to the wider community in a few weeks.

If you have a donation for the auction, or have solicited one from a local business, please drop it off at the front desk at any time! There are some great items already in – but we need more!

Images are from last year's auction to remind you of the fantastic items and delicious food you can expect!

MYP 4 Design Request

Please consider donating some used and no-longer loved shoes to Mrs. Barton in Design for deconstruction and recycling in our MYP4 Shoe design unit: Walk in my shoes!

(Please note all students will use gloves and masks so this will be a hygienic operation!)

Grade 4 students enjoying their music class with Mr. Owyn.

DP Art Exhibition

Congratulations to Lada, Kristina, and Montana for their stunning art and film work that was showcased this week. 

Brookes Students UK Trip 2024

A group of our students travelled to the UK over spring break. They were hosted by our Brookes UK sister school in Bury St. Edmunds and had a great time visiting some of the iconic spots in the UK: Cambridge and its famous university, London and its landmarks, and Stratford upon Avon (the birthplace of Shakespeare) were highlights. We are lucky to have a school in the UK that can act as a base for our students, and we are so grateful for their hospitality and warm welcome. 

The art of youth climate activism

Patricia Lane interviewed our DP1 student Finn for an article in the National Observer. They talked about his climate action work and involvement in the BC youth parliament. Great work Finn! Click here for the full article.

Public Health Nurses will be returning to Brookes on April 9th, 2024 to offer immunizations to grade 6 and 9 students.

Grade 6:

Students in grade 6 who received their first dose of HPV in fall 2023 will be offered their second dose of HPV, as well as any other outstanding immunizations for which parental consent was provided last year.

Grade 6 students will not be immunized without consent of a parent/guardian/representative.

Grade 9:

Grade 9 students will have the opportunity to receive any immunizations they missed last fall.

Grade 9 students can make an informed decision about immunization regardless of their parent/guardian/representative decision to consent or refuse immunization.

For more information visit HealthLinkBC: The Infants Act, Mature Minor Consent and Immunization.

Grade 7 and 10 students:

Public Health will be providing catch-up immunizations to Grade 7 and 10 students who missed their Grade 6 or 9 immunizations in the 2022/2023 school year. Only students whose parent/guardian/representative provided consent (grade 6), or who provided mature minor consent (grade 9) during the 2022-2023 school year will be offered immunizations. Public health will not be providing new consent packages for grade 7 and 10 students.

If you have any questions, please contact the West Shore Health unit at 250-519-3490 and ask to speak to a school health nurse.

Our campus is in bloom!

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.