Ms. Sandra and Ms. Satsuki getting into the Halloween spirit - ready for the Dance last night!
Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,
Today, our teachers participated in various workshops to enhance their skills in classroom strategies and student engagement. This commitment to learning ensures that we continue to provide the best possible education and a nurturing environment for our students.
I’d like to give a huge shout-out to our sports teams and coaches for their hard work and dedication. Our volleyball teams have been impressive on the court, showing great teamwork and skill. Our soccer team has made us proud, playing with heart and sportsmanship. Our cross-country runners have shown incredible endurance. The junior basketball matches started this week with a strong victory, and our senior team is in training for the upcoming season. We look forward to watching their progress.
What makes their achievements even more special is the way our teams reflect the rich diversity of our school. Sports provide a unique opportunity to bring together students from all backgrounds, build an inclusive environment where everyone can connect, support one another, and grow together. Go Gryphons!
With gratitude,
Dr. Rui Li
Principal
Parent-Teacher Conferences
The Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on November 6th from 3:30 to 5:30 pm and November 7th from 2:15 to 5:30 pm.
November 7th will be an early dismissal day at 2:00 pm.
There will be NO ASAs on these two days other than morning Hockey Academy on the 7th. The conferences will be virtual, and the sign up on SchoolsBuddy will open in late October.
Photo retakes will be on Thursday, November 7th
BC Assessments
MYP5 Students will be completing their Grade 10 BC Assessments (Literacy and Numeracy) during the mornings of Monday October 28th and Tuesday October 29th. These tests are mandatory and all MYP 5 students in attendance on those days will complete them.
Brookes Westshore Strengthens Ties with Educational Institutions in Uruguay
On October 17th, Brookes Westshore, represented by our Executive Director of Recruitment, Martin Staffolani, had the privilege of visiting several prestigious educational institutions in Uruguay. This initiative was made possible through the support of Carmen Sorger, Canada Ambassador to the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, and Anaclara Acuña, Trade Commissioner, who helped coordinate the meetings with the following schools and educational representatives:
- St. Brendan's School
- The British Schools of Montevideo
- Viajeros Sin Fronteras
- Instituto Crandon
During these meetings, we shared insights into Brookes Westshore's success with the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum and explored opportunities for Uruguayan students to participate in our leadership programs. We are excited to deepen our relationships with these institutions and create meaningful educational exchanges.
We extend a special thanks to the Canadian Embassy and the Trade Commission for their invaluable support in fostering this connection.
For any questions about upcoming events and information sessions, feel free to contact Martin Staffolani at mstaffolani@brookes.org.
Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre los próximos eventos o sesiones informativas, comuníquese con Martin Staffolani (mstaffolani@brookes.org).
如果对即将举行的活动和信息发布会有任何疑问，请联系 Martin Staffolani (mstaffolani@brookes.org)。
This week, in DP1 Biology, students investigated the relationship between a cell's volume and its surface area and how this relationship affects the metabolic efficiency of the cell. We modelled the cube shaped cells after human intestinal epithelial cells that have a similar shape as shown below. We used sodium hydroxide and indicator solution to make the "cells" pink, then timed how long they took to change colour when immersed in hydrochloric acid. We found that cells with a greater surface area to volume ratio changed colour more quickly, suggesting that smaller cell size supports greater metabolic efficiency.
University applications
Ice is our first student to receive an acceptance to Kings College, London to study Nutritional Science. Congratulations Ice!
Career Education
Our DP2 class has been busy preparing their university applications and many have already completed their applications. Most universities have a deadline of January 31st to submit applications but there are some variations between universities. In February, universities begin to ask students to submit their predicated grades. I have been very impressed with this class of seniors and their diligence in getting this task completed.
Mock Exams
The week of December 9th - 13th is when DP2 will write the mock exams. The purpose of these exams is to help prepare students for the real thing in May. It helps significantly to run through the rules and regulations of the exams during mocks to help prepare students. These exams are comprehensive exams and include all content they have studied since starting the DP in Grade 11.
Upcoming University visits:
University of Alberta on November 21st at 9:30 am for students.
University Open House
University of Victoria, November 30th, OPEN HOUSE. The campus is open to students and parents and is a wonderful opportunity to explore UVic. Events - Undergraduate admissions - University of Victoria
Congratulations to Tish (DP1), who won a silver medal in Taekwondo at the 2024 Korean Consul General Cup, women’s junior black belt category in her weight class on October 12th at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Amazing Tish!
Brookes Westshore jackets online!
We have set up an online store for the Brookes Puffy jackets and Rain jackets at Passion Sports here.
The store closes on October 27th at 11:59 PM. Unfortunately, late orders CAN NOT be processed.
There is a size chart for each jacket. Unfortunately, at this time we do not have sample jackets to try on for size. Purchased jackets will be delivered to the school.
If you have any questions, please contact Maraina at mlightly@westshore.brookes.org
Pumpkin carving with Tonye and his family last Saturday.
The Senior Girls’ Volleyball Team had an evening of exciting matches on Tuesday. Their first game was against Mt. Douglas School (1st division), a team with a number of solid hitters. In a close game, we won in straight sets 2-0 (25-23; 25-10). In the second game, we were up against Parkland School - also a 1st division school and the hosts. Again, we managed to win 2-0 (25-15; 25-15). The final game of the night, against Edward Milne Community School, was also the most exciting. We lost the first set (20-25) but battled back to win the second set (27-25) to force the game into a third and deciding set. In a nail-biting set, we managed to edge out EMCS (15-13) to win the match 2-1. Our coaches are very pleased with our players great team effort and composure under pressure. Well done, Gryphons!
The Senior Boys’ Soccer Team won their final game of the season on Tuesday night beating Reynolds B in a penalty shootout! Throughout the year, they faced the challenge of being underdogs, competing against schools three times their size, many of which have soccer academies and years of experience playing together. Despite these obstacles, the squad never gave up on one another and battled hard until the end. Their coach is immensely proud of their development, both on and off the field. Congratulations to the team for their remarkable achievement!
Our Grade 7 and 8 Boys' Basketball Team looking proud of their convincing win over Dunsmuir School on Wednesday night.
Taking Big Swings
My name is Emma, and I am in MYP4, and this is my 5th year at Brookes. Outside of school I am a big golfer. Golf is my favourite sport, and it has been for a very long time. I luckily get to compete in multiple provincial and national tournaments around Canada. I love golf because it is time for me to focus and be by myself. Being at school every day and hanging out with my friends is still fun, but sometimes I need some time to myself where I can unwind and focus. And that’s what I do at the golf course. My dream one day is to become a D1 golfer in university with a full ride scholarship and maybe play on the LPGA tour if I have the chance. Every day I can or whenever I have the chance, I am at the course practicing or playing. My dad was a D1 golfer at the University of Washington and my mom works as a golf pro, so golf is really in my blood. As I get older, it has been easier to come to the realization that the journey is going to be very hard for me to get to where I want to be. Becoming good at sport takes effort, but being really good takes a lot of effort.
Term One Events and Activities
- Thursday, October 31st: pumpkin carving and Halloween costume contest
- Friday, November 8th: Remembrance Day Community Block
- Saturday, November 30th: Times Colonist Santa's Parade
- School Spirit Week: December 9th to 13th
- Saturday, December 14th: Pancake Breakfast
Key dates of 2023 to 2025: Key Dates 2024 / 2025 - Brookes Westshore
Lunch Menu
If you would like to know what is on the menu next week for our delicious lunches, please click here.
Follow our dining team on @brookesdiningwestshore for mouthwatering images of our breakfasts, lunches, and dinners!
Please find our School Accessibility questionnaire here.
Safer Schools information: erase Family Sessions (saferschoolstogether.com)
Your comments and feedback are welcome! Please click here to leave a comment, ask a question, or raise an issue. Thank you!
Do you have questions or concerns?
If you have a question about the school or just something on your mind, please feel free to contact our leadership team:
- Rui Li - Principal
- Andrea Salvador - School Manager
- Jacob Baumgartner - School Culture Director
- Melanie Moroz - Academic Director
- Linda Bayes - DP Coordinator & University Counsellor
- Martin Staffolani - Executive Director of Recruitment
Please consider posting a review
If you have a minute, it will really help us to reach new families if you could consider posting a positive review online on Google or here (you will need to log in to the OurKids website to leave a review here). Prospective families love to hear from current parents about your real experiences here!
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.
