Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

We continue to monitor the progress of the visa applications for the Ukrainian students. They are all being processed by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada.  We are hopeful that approval from the IRCC will be received very soon. Our expectation is that the students will arrive sometime in the summer and be ready to start school in September. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and supported the scholarship fund, your support is deeply appreciated and allows us to make this project possible.

The end of the school year is approaching very quickly, and students are very excited about their upcoming summer vacation. All grade levels have some kind of field trip or class activity to celebrate their accomplishments. We will also be holding the annual Celebration of Learning on June 23rd and we would love parents to attend. To accommodate students and parents in the dining hall we will be holding 3 separate ceremonies. The times for each ceremony are:

• 9.00 - 10.00 am:  Grade 9, 10 and 11
• 10.15 - 10.45 am:  Grade 4 and 5
• 10.50 - 11.35 am:  Grade 6, 7 and 8

Students will receive a 'grab and go' lunch at 12.00 on June 23rd and will be released for the summer.  

Report cards will be issued on June 27th via ManageBac.

With kind regards,

Linda Bayes

Deputy Head of School

Last year our recent grad, Ben presented at a TEDx event hosted by Royal Roads University. You can see his witty and inspiring talk below. Congratulation Ben - a tour-de-force! 

As we enter the last month of school, it is with great pride that we acknowledge everyone’s hard work, dedication, and commitment to their academic pursuits in the month of May. Our students have demonstrated wonderful accomplishments in various fields in May, as shown in their monthly reflection:

• Grade 4 students are proud of using the scientific method to conduct experiments which helped us explore the stages of matter. These skills are going to support us in our Science Fair next month. – Grade 4 leader: Ms. Jesse Junck
• Grade 5 wrote informational articles on Maureen Beck the paraclimber after attending a talk with NatGeoLive and the students did a great job at summarising her incredible accomplishments. Students also wrote their own word problems in math, which they then assigned to their classmates and then marked each other’s work. It was a lot of fun and they were able to identify and practice their communication skills! – Grade 5 leader: Ms. Alexe Lodin
• MYP 1 (Grade 6) this month are proud of their Design projects and completing and planning for their service projects with a nearby Retirement Home (see last week's Gazette). They are also looking forward to the end of the year; looking back at their accomplishments so far individually and as a whole they are pretty impressed with their hard work. Let's finish our last stretch with gusto, MYP 1! – MYP 1 leader: Mme Julia Friedmann
• MYP 2 (Grade 7) 2 is proud of more than doubling our fundraising goal for our Service Project for the BC Children’s Hospital. We are even happier to know that we were one of only two schools featured by the BC Children’s Hospital in a spotlight email article that was shared with all schools participating in Jean Up this year. We were chosen for our creative and inclusive service project that helped raise money for BC Kids. Our proudest moment yet this year! (see below for a full write up) – MYP 2 leader: Mr. Devin Gallery
• MYP 3 (Grade 8) has had a great month of May and are particularly proud of their behaviour at Camp Thunderbird (see below for photos). MYP 3 students demonstrated the Risk-Taker attribute at Camp Thunderbird as they tried new activities and stepped outside their comfort zone, the Caring attribute as they encouraged each other throughout the day, the Principled attribute through being respectful to each other, the camp leaders, and the other students present at the camp, and the Knowledgeable attribute as they answered “skill-testing questions” posed by camp leaders. You are truly IB learners MYP 3, well done! – MYP 3 leader: Ms. Kayleigh McIntosh
• MYP 4 (Grade 9) had a quiet yet productive time in May. They have been tasked with the start of their Personal Projects and are starting out with some excitement and verve. Sports day was a highlight for our year level, (see last week's Gazette) notably our grade supported their teams bring home house points showing maturity and team spirit. The staff soccer game organized by Santiago, Omar and Fernando was a fabulous highpoint in our service action projects this year!  – MYP 4 leader: Ms. Kate Barton
• MYP 5 (Grade 10) students are approaching the end of the school year and embarking on the course selection process for the Diploma Programme and entering the next phase of their academic journey. This period presents an opportunity for them to reflect on their interests, strengths, and long-term goals, as they make choices that will shape their educational path. It's an exciting time where students can delve into areas of study that trigger their interests, passions and lay the foundation for their future academic and career pursuits. On Friday June 9th, MYP5 will celebrate the end of the school year at Thetis Lake and have the opportunity to paddle board (South Island SUP) with their friends! – MYP 5 leader: Mr. Oliver Wood
• DP 1 (Grade 11) students have been consolidating their knowledge about TOK concepts in the real world, culminating with their final TOK Exhibition to be held next week on June 8th. Please come out and support their learning by enquiring into their exploration during this showcase – DP 1 leader: Mr. Matthew Healing

Congratulations to all our students on their May achievements. We look forward to witnessing their continued success in the remainder of the year!

With gratitude,

Rui Li

Vice Principal of Academics / DP Coordinator

Service with MYP 2 - JeanUp for BC Childrens Hospital

Service as action is a foundational element of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). It seeks to develop caring members of the community who act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and their environment.

The MYP 2 (grade 7) students and the Brookes Westshore school community wanted to help the kids at BC Children's Hospital get out of their hospital gowns and back into their jeans. Through a thoughtfully designed service project the MYP 2 students created and presented informative sessions to all classes in our school about the BC Children’s Hospital during the first week of May. The students created a BC Children’s Hospital informative scavenger hunt and participated in Jean Up with the whole school community on May 12th.

MYP 2 also collected donations for a two-day Walk-a-Thon with a goal to walk 130 KM as a group, which is the total distance from Brookes Westshore to the BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. The students more than doubled their fundraising goal (raising $1,224!) and walked a total distance of 232 KM during their Walk-a-Thon (see below for some images of the Walk-a-Thon).

Our amazing team of MYP students were singled out by BC Childrens' Hospital Foundation for praise for their efforts. BCCHF posted this on their website:

Our friends at Brookes Westshore have been going the extra mile.

There’re just a few days left to complete your fundraising! We’re so grateful for the progress you’ve made in support of BC’s kids.

Based in Victoria, Brookes Westshore have been wow-ing us with their creative fundraising ideas, proving how small actions can make a mighty impact.

• Classes prepared a fun scavenger hunt while educating their community about BC Children’s Hospital to boost donations.
• Presentation skills were honed as students were encouraged to present the importance of our hospital and what Jean Up meant to them.
• And finally, the buzz of a Walk-A-Thon brought together a combined distance of 232km!

Brookes Westshore is just one of many inspiring schools making waves for BC’s kids.

Congratulations to everyone who helped make this initiative such a great success!

Uniforms:

Used Clothing:  If you would like to book an appointment to purchase used uniform clothing for next year, please email our uniform department at uniforms@westshore.brookes.org.  Appointment slots will be available to book in June.

New Clothing:  If you would like to order new clothing from our supplier and would like it guaranteed to arrive before the start of the school year, the deadline to put in your order is the 15th of June. Orders can be placed after the 15th but may arrive later than the first day of school. The website is www.topmarks.ca and our school code is BSL01.  

Blazers for new Grade 11's and 12's: If you are a Grade 10 student you will need a Blazer for the start of school. Please email uniforms@westshore.brookes.org to set up a time for a blazer fitting. 

Thank you!

Our 2022 Team came 3rd in the Westmont Design Prize - can we do better in 2023?

The Westmont Prize (Design) 2023 (Grade 7-12)

Brookes Westshore will be entering one team this year, comprising of multiple age groups.

Please see Ms. Barton to register interest.

This year's topic: "Great Solutions for Great Problems "

Great prizes: The top three teams will receive money towards the university tuition of their choice!

This begins now so there is more time to work on your project! (N.B:  You need to commit to working with each other over the summer break and for most of term 1.)

The prize has an exciting partner, Inspire UVic. They will invite up to three projects to pitch their design idea to the INSPIRE: STEM for Social Impact program at UVic for further development with the community of interest.

They have lined up industry experts who have achieved incredible success and are well-known in North America.

They are also working on providing micro-credentials to all participants in this design competition.

But that's not all! Participating in this competition will provide you with invaluable experience, knowledge, and connections to advance your future education, career, and life.

The Monument Marble Roll 

This is the second year I have had the year one Design class complete this project. Last year the students worked individually but this year I had everyone work with a partner. For this assignment each group had to pick a real-life monument to replicate out of cardboard, popsicle sticks etc. They also had to incorporate a slide into the structure for a marble to be able to roll around or through the monument. There were many Approaches to Learning (ATL) being demonstrated throughout this project but one of the most important was affective skills of mindfulness, perseverance, and self-motivation (practicing analyzing and attributing causes for failure).  

Everyone worked hard and learned a lot about teamwork as well as gaining a deeper understanding of the Design Cycle. Great job Year 1! 

Mr. Dean 

Camp Thunderbird

Brooke’s students from grades 4-7 visited Camp Thunderbird this week to connect with our local community and the outdoors. Students spent their day rock climbing, honing their archery skills, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding. Connectivity is a vital educational pillar at Brookes, and this trip was an excellent opportunity for students to 'learn about the world from the world' in a different educational environment.

Camp Thunderbird staff and teacher chaperones were engaging our students using provocations to learn about local plants, trees, and wildlife species. Interacting with the outdoors and being active has its obvious benefits for health and wellness, but participating in these trips provides opportunities for students to use their interpersonal skills in a real-world setting. Students were motivating each other to step outside of their comfort zone, problem solving together while participating in activities and demonstrating empathy to their peers. They made choices and collaborated with members of their local and school community. The result was an enriching and authentic holistic experience for everyone involved.

It was a fantastic day!

Artful Afternoon

The first annual Artful Afternoon at Brookes was a great success! We had a great turnout and all the parents had lots of fun painting Dr. Currie’s expressive interpretation of the classic BC humpback whale. Sage catering services provided delicious high tea delicacies during the event, and we would like to give a special shout-out to Ms. Bayes, who provided china for the event.

Thank you to everyone who came to the event, and we hope to see you all next year when another unique guest comes to Brookes and shares their creativity with our community.

Sports Day 2023

Here is the slideshow of last Friday's Sports Day at Juan de Fuca Rec Centre. What a great day!

Max McArthur (MYP2) recently competed at the Middle School Track and Field Championship on Wednesday, 30^th May at UVIC. He qualified for the 2000m Final, and with a leg injury leading up to the race, he made a last-minute call to give it a go. Max finished 6^th overall, amongst a field of the strongest runners his age.

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 Manager / Events
• Jacob Baumgartner - Community and Wellness Coordinator
• Melanie Moroz - MYP Coordinator