Thank you all for coming along to the Welcome (Back) BBQ!
Dear Brookes Westshore families and friends,
What an exciting week it has been! It is wonderful to see so many smiling faces – whether from returning students or those new to our community – bringing positive energy to the start of the school year! I want to thank everyone who joined us for our community BBQ yesterday. It was the perfect way to celebrate this fresh beginning!
With the spirit of togetherness, I’d like to highlight a few positive trends we’ve seen in the first week. First, I’d like to commend our students for their efforts made in following our new cellphone policy. We have seen real improvements, with students becoming more mindful of putting their phones away during class and break times. There has been a noticeable increase in face-to-face conversations and engagement during breaks, which is wonderful to see!
I also want to commend our DP students for their incredible flexibility and adaptability in managing classes across two campuses. We are working with them to iron out any issues. It is exciting to have access to such excellent classrooms at RRU and to be in partnership with them. The experience of attending classes in a university setting will help them prepare for their future studies and foster their independence.
I am so proud of how inclusive and welcoming our students have been to one another as they return to school. Transitioning back into routine after the summer break can be challenging, but our students have shown resilience, and there is a strong sense of community and belonging.
Thank you all for your continued support. I am excited for the week ahead and look forward to seeing the great things our students will continue to achieve!
With gratitude,
Dr. Rui Li
Principal
School Trips 2024
School trips sign-up is live! Please go to Schoolsbuddy to sign your child up for their grade's trip!
Consent forms and waivers for activities will need to be signed and/or returned as soon as possible. Please keep an eye on your emails!
- Grade 8: September 10th to 12th to French Beach
- Grade 9: September 20th to 22nd Horne Lake (Only a few spots left!)
- Grade 10: September 13th to 15th to East Sooke Park (Please sign up before Wednesday)
- DP1 and DP2: September 27th to 29th to Rathtrevor Beach (Full - we are starting a waiting list)
Students from SAKU Chosei High School sang a traditional Japanese song to our students last year.
The SAKU Chosei Junior High School Grade 8 students are coming in February 2025!
The students from SAKU Chosei Junior High School, Nagano, Japan, are once again visiting Vancouver Island in February. We love to host them at Brookes for a day of cultural exchange and community.
SAKU Chosei are looking for possible homestays for pairs of students for the ten days of their stay. Remuneration for the homestay is $1,000 for hosting two students. Mr. B has the full details of their trip, expectations of the homestay, and dates. Please contact him directly on jbaumgartner@westshore.brookes.org if you are interested.
DP at Royal Roads University
The Diploma Programme students are settling in well to their new classrooms at Royal Roads University. Ms. Bayes talked them through university entry requirements this week, and how the IB HL classes may give them credit for first year university courses.
Student Houses
This week saw our new students being inducted into their House. We are developing a school tradition of friendly rivalry between houses and there was a lot of joy as students learned which house they were being placed in! Mr. B had the help of the Brookes Gryphon as he announced the houses for the Grade 4 and 5 students in the courtyard!
Congratulations again to Finnegan on winning a Global Young Journalist award. Finn sent us this note over the summer:
I wanted to share this link with you from the ceremony for the Global Young Journalist Awards that took place this summer. It was in real-time and very exciting as people logged in from every continent except Antartica. The judges gave feedback to the winners and runners-up from each category, and then the winners gave acceptance speeches.
If you skip ahead to about 1:10:40 Priya Chauhan introduces the Media Category and then Suyin Hayes talks about the runner up and the winner (my submission). Suyin says she could imagine my work in The New Yorker - which is just about the best compliment I have ever had. My speech comes right after Suyin and ends at about 1:14:20.
Click here for the link.
There was a lot of joy on our first day of school - reconnecting with classmates and making new friends all around the school.
Assemblies
Every student attended an orientation assembly on Tuesday. We introduced the faculty and staff to them; we ran through the key elements of the new cell phone policy and reiterated the uniform policy. Students learned about the IB learner profile, checked in on their advisor groups, and were briefly introduced to the After School Activities (ASA) program. The Student Leadership Council was highlighted, and students were encouraged to add their names for consideration for the Council when they feel ready.
Bringing our school community together with regular assemblies helps our students connect and thrive as we move through the term.
The tables in the lobby are a great place to relax, meet new people and practice your chess skills.
2024 - 2025 Academic Timetable
Please note the slightly earlier start time for MYP3 - MYP5 students
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
- Linda Bayes - DP Coordinator
- Melanie Moroz - MYP Coordinator
- 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.
