Students were surprised and delighted to meet a new member of our community today!
Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,
We had a very busy week at Brookes. Grade 10 and 12 students are feeling a great sense of relief after finishing their BC Graduation Assessments. Everyone was on time for these exams and the process went very smoothly.
As you can see from the video above - we had a special visitor at lunch today – the big blue Gryphon!!
As you know, on Monday, November 7th, Melanie Moroz will be providing a parent information session at 16 30 on MYP Assessment Criteria. This session is for parents of all MYP 1-5 (Grade 6-10) students who would like to learn more about how student’s summative assessments are constructed, and grades awarded. Melanie will also address how the IB grades are converted into a BC % and/or letter grade.
Remembrance Day is on Friday, November 11th and just a reminder that school is closed on that day.
On December 9th, Term 1 report cards will be issued, and all students will be receiving a grade and teacher comments. The following week will be an opportunity for parents to have a parent/teacher conference. The conferences for parents who live outside the country (most of our dormitory students) will be held on December 15th and conferences for local parents will be held on December 16th. Appointments for conferences will be organized through Schools Buddy and we will let you when the system is open for parents to book appointments. All conferences will be held virtually.
This week, the COVID vaccine shipment did not arrive in time so the pharmacist will come back next week to offer COVID boosters and the flu vaccine to anyone who missed yesterday. We will let you know the details soon.
I hope you all have a good week ahead,
With kind regards,
Linda Bayes
Deputy Head of School
Important Winter Break Information for dorm students and families
Please send all flight and ferry information for your students' winter break departure and January arrival to transportation before November 18th, 2022.
Transportation from the school will be provided only between Friday December 16th and Sunday December 18th.
If your student is leaving before the end of school, a taxi will be arranged to get your student to their destination safely, or private transport may be provided for $200 per student (one way)
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the transportation coordinator - Brooklyn Mayoh transportation@westshore.brookes.org
One of the many amazing costumes seen on Monday for Halloween. More photos below.
IB Approaches to Learning (ATL)
The approaches to learning (ATL) skills are an important component of IB teaching and learning. There are five ATL skill categories: Research skills, Thinking skills, Communication skills, Social skills, and Self-management skills.
The five broad ATL skill categories can be further broken down to sub-skills that teachers can select to align with the learning goals. Each year, our teachers collaborate on the vertical and horizontal ATL mapping to ensure that specific ATL skills are effectively integrated in the curriculum.
At the beginning of each term, our students identify one specific ATL skill that they would like to improve. With teachers’ support, students develop some strategies to practice the ATL skill of their choice throughout the term.
At the end of the term, students self-reflect on their progress with the skill. Over time, students can identify their strengths and weaknesses and become stronger, more self-regulated life-long learners.
I am proud to see our students practicing and demonstrating their ATL skills through their schoolwork, the Personal Project (MYP5), Internal Assessments (DP), and after school activities!
Things are getting very busy as we move towards the end of the year - please take note of the upcoming events so you don't miss out!
We will be commemorating Remembrance Day on 10th November (as November 11th is a national holiday). Our commemoration will be run by the grade 10 students, who have been studying the First World War in their English classes.
- 9.10 am to 9.55 am - grades 9 - 12 in the Dining Hall
- 10.55 am to 11.35 am - grades 4 to 8 in the Dining Hall
Parents are welcome to attend - please RSVP to the front desk.
This year Brookes Westshore is putting in a float for the much-loved annual Victoria 39th Peninsula Co-op Santa Lights Parade on Saturday November26th at 5.30pm.
Friday, December 2nd - Movie Night with fire pits in the courtyard and hot chocolate to keep us warm! Details to follow.
Thursday, December 8th - Winter Concert from 6.30 to 8 pm. Showcasing our talented students, we will open up various areas of our school for short performances by our students - individually and in groups. Grab a hot chocolate and spend time in each 'venue' supporting students and enjoying the festive atmosphere.
If you know a talented student - please encourage them to sign up!
Saturday, December 17th - Brookes Westshore's first Pancake Breakfast. This will be a fundraiser for a local community group - everyone welcome!
Watch for updates in the Gryphon Gazette.
Congratulations to the senior girls’ volleyball team for qualifying for the Island Championships!
Congratulations to the junior girls’ volleyball team.
On Monday our junior girls' volleyball team advanced to the next round of the city playoffs, defeating Royal Bay (ranked 3rd) in a close game (25-20; 24-26; 15-10). This placed them in the top six teams in the city (out of 28 teams!).
Then, after some hard-fought games on Wednesday night they placed 6th in the city playoffs.
This is the highest our school has ever finished in this league!
The team was playing in the top division for junior girls, competing against much larger schools in a David vs Goliath scenario. Well done, girls!
The Grade 6/7 basketball squad enjoyed their first home tournament on Thursday 3rd November.
Brookes hosted both Maria Montessori and Spencer Middle School. We had a great turn out and our home fans witnessed some magical basketball – passing, movement off the ball and points galore!
Most importantly our squad of boys and girls demonstrated great sporting behaviour and encouraged each other both on and off the court.
Our next home game is on Thursday November 17 against St. Pats. Spectators welcome!
What a great team play!
The Senior Boys volleyball team played two games this week at Lambrick secondary school. The boys beat Esquimalt in two straight sets and split sets with Lambrick high school. The boys played amazingly well against a strong Lambrick team and showed them that this small school team should be taken very seriously!
The boys are currently ranked 2nd out of 18 teams!
Join the boys next week here at Brookes when they play Victor Brodeur and St. Andrews on Wednesday. Come cheer your faces off!
GO BROOKES GO!
Parents of grade 6 and 7 students are invited to a coffee morning on Tuesday November 15th at 9 am in the dining hall. This is an informal event - a chance to meet with other parents, talk about progress in the class, and ask questions of the teachers. Please RSVP. We look forward to seeing you there.
And a reminder that on Monday November 7th we will be holding a parent information session at 16.30 on MYP Assessment. Thanks to everyone who has already signed up!
This will be a valuable session for parents who are new to the MYP or want to learn more about how we assess student achievement levels. Please RSVP so we can plan for numbers. Thank you.
University of Victoria - Parent Night: November 13th at 7 pm.
Back by popular demand and offered virtually, Parent Night information sessions are led by Dr. Lisa Surridge, Associate Dean Academic - Faculty of Humanities.
The insightful, research informed and practical information she provides is invaluable to parents/guardians helping their student navigate the transition to post-secondary studies.
Registration is available on our Events page. (link)
Celebrating Cultures Around the World
One of the guiding pillars of Brookes Education Group is Connectivity. This year, our Brookes network of schools will work together to develop a global recipe book housing family favorites from around the world. With your help we hope to bring everyone together through a love of food and a celebration of different cultures.
The global recipe book will be digitally shared with Brookes families later this year. Please send your favourite recipe from your home country to: recipes@brookes.org.
Monday was Halloween and many students and staff came to school in their costumes. The competition for House points was fierce!
Costume Contest Winners!
- Scariest costume: Tish (Lynx)
- Most creative: Koen (Lynx)
- Best DIY: Kingston (Wolf), Alex (Lynx), Liath (Eagle) and Grayson (Wolf)
- Best Group: Mariana (Lynx) and Kori (Eagle), Sam (Lynx) and Matteo (Wolf), Pirates: Austin (Orca), Virat (Lynx), Jaxson D. (Lynx) and Kian (Wolf), Lillian (Orca) and Ava (Eagle)
Thanks to everyone who made the effort and took part in the fun!
Having fun with Halloween games in the gym.
Face painting followed by dancing - a great day of fun and activities!
Friday's dance parties were a huge hit - thanks to everyone who put in the hard work to make the evening such a success, and so much fun for our students!
Powerful Youth is Back for 2023!
The Global Leadership Academy is coming back bigger and better than ever in summer 2023! With five different sessions to choose from across two incredible locations in Canada and the UK, we will be welcoming up to 320 young leaders next summer for an unforgettable experience.
We already have over 100 applicants for the program, so if you or someone you know might be interested in attending GLA next July or August, applying early is highly recommended. Get more information and full program schedules on our website or download our GLA 2023 brochure.
GLA is a youth leadership program like no other, so we understand you might want to learn even more. Read our Frequently Asked Questions and watch our GLA 2022 wrap-up video, featuring both participants and staff talking about the GLA experience.
We look forward to welcoming a fantastic group of young people in 2023 and hope you will join us! If you have any questions, feel free to contact our team directly at info@powerfulyouth.com.
Best,
The Powerful Youth team
Pan de Muerto
Students in the dorms spent an evening together baking Pan de Muerto. This traditional Mexican sweet bread, with its distinctive shape, is commonly made as an offering during Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos), which we celebrated on Wednesday this week.
We are so lucky to have students and families from around the world, sharing their culture, language and traditions with each other. It is such a strong part of our school culture!
In October, MYP3 completed their unit on image development strategies using pineapples as a still life. Then we ate pineapple to celebrate! Included are some examples of personification, distortion, transformation and exaggeration.
MYP 2 PHE hosted a boche ball tournament for grade 5 students at JDF indoor turf this week.
The MYP 1 field trip to Goldstream Park was a great success.
Japanese culture and cuisine: Students made cucumber rolls (called Kappa maki) and miso soup. They learned about Yokai (mythical monsters of Japan) for Halloween. One of the Yokai is called Kappa. Kappa’s favourite food is cucumber (kappa), and the roll is named after this Yokai.
Introducing Ms. Erin Sask
I'm originally from Ontario - I was born in Richmond Hill, near Toronto. I spent my childhood in both Calgary, Alberta and Kingston, Ontario. I loved running from a very early age so naturally, I competed in Cross Country and Track and Field in Elementary and High School.
I always wanted to be a physiotherapist because I broke my arm when I was 7 and had to do therapy, so I decided that a Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics was the way to go! I chose to be a GRYPHON at the University of Guelph. After completing my degree, I moved to Australia and decided to do another degree, this time in Education (Crickey!) My mom was a teacher and said I'd love it- lesson learnt- always listen to your mom.
After earning a Graduate Diploma in Education at the University of Queensland (and meeting Mr. Wood) we decided to go abroad and teach in international schools. First, we moved to the UK, then on to Dubai, then on to Singapore. Quite the adventure!
Our first son was born in Singapore in 2017. We had a lot of fun seeing lots of different countries but decided it was time to return 'home' to Canada. It was a natural choice to move to this beautiful island. Our second son was born in 2020.
I taught at GNS prior to Brookes- so the saying lives on "Once a Gryphon, always a Gryphon!" I am very excited to be back teaching DP once again. This year I am teaching Biology 11 and 12, as well as Grade 10 Math. I am also the CAS Coordinator - so please come and chat with me about any ideas you have for Creativity, Activity and Service.
I love the close-knit community here at Brookes and enjoy our beautiful campus.
Dorm students can enjoy the following activities this weekend:
- Friday - 6:45pm Camosun College Mens Basketball Home Opener Game
- Saturday - 6:15pm Grizzlies Hockey Game
- Saturday - Quiddich Game 2:15pm indoors at JDF
- Sunday - 3:00pm 5V5 Soccer Game in the gym
- Sunday - 2:00pm Learn how to cook Asian Cold Noodles in Cm Rm 1 with Ms Billie
Thanks to our local pharmacy for helping us with 'flu vaccines this year.
Do you have questions?
If you have a question about the school or just something on your mind, please feel free to contact our leadership team:
- Rui Li - Vice Principal and DP Coordinator
- Andrea Salvador - School Business Manager / Events
- Jacob Baumgartner - Community and Wellness Coordinator
- Melanie Moroz - MYP Coordinator
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.
