Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

Thank you to those MYP1 and 2 parents who attended the coffee morning this Tuesday - it is so important to us to connect with our community of parents and listen to your thoughts and ideas about our school. 

Term One report cards are issued on December 9th. Parent teacher conferences (virtual) for local parents will be on December 16th and there will be an early release from school at 14.05 on this day. Conferences for parents living outside of Canada will be held on December 15th. Booking times for conferences will be done through Schools Buddy. We will send out invitations to book your appointment in the first week of December.

Grade 12 students are well on their way to completing their University Applications and I encourage parents to be part of this process. Please drop me an email or set up an appointment if you have any concerns. The deadlines for applications are mid to late January and I would like to have the bulk of the applications ready by the end of December.  

The school has been abuzz this week with the success of our volleyball teams - We are a small school, but thanks to the dedication, skill and drive of our students and coaches our teams are having a great season. Go Gryphons! 

November 25th is a teacher professional development day and there is no school for students. All teachers will be working on completing documentation and planning for the upcoming IB Programme Evaluation which will occur in February 2023.

Next week is Spirt Week - designed to raise awareness about those in our community who are less fortunate than ourselves. A toy and food drive is being held in conjunction with the spirt week. Students earn house points for each donation they bring. Bins will be available in the front lobby to drop off toys and food. Thank you for your support.

Please remember to always complete a daily health check before sending your child to school. There has been an increase in the number of students and teachers away with colds and other ailments. Teachers are reminding students about hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette as we progress through the cold and flu season.

With kind regards,

Linda Bayes

Deputy Head of School

A message from Graham Brown

I am very excited to let you know that Brookes Westshore students will once again have the opportunity to visit our Brookes UK school over Spring Break 2023.

I'd also like to announce that, for students in grades 6 to 10, we will be offering an exchange opportunity to spend a full term (April to July) at the Brookes UK school. 

I will be hosting an information session for staff and students on both these programmes on Thursday, November 24th at 12.30. 

For parents there will be an information session on Tuesday, December 6th at 7pm in the school boardroom. If you are interested but cannot attend, information will be sent out after the meetings. In the meantime, please email me to indicate your interest.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Graham

The Grade 11 / DP 1 Biology classes have been learning about the Cell Cycle and Mitosis.

In the lab this week, students were staining onion root tips to find out if cells were dividing and what stage of Mitosis (cell division) they were in. They were excited to be able to capture some images under the microscopes (see above).

The Grade 5 Art class have been busy - including working on blind contour drawings with Mr. Dean.

This week was Transgender Awareness Week, which is an annual event that honors victims of transphobic violence and leads to Transgender Day of Awareness on November 20th. The Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) at Brookes prepared a short presentation in the morning announcements on Monday regarding what Transgender Awareness Week is, its history, and some basic trans terminology.

They also showed a short documentary in the dining hall on Friday called “The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone.” The documentary is half an hour and is about the life of Georgie Stone, a trans woman and a transgender activist from Australia. The QSA highly recommends this incredible documentary that can be found on Netflix.  Spanning 19 years, "The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone" reveals the memories of Georgie Stone as she helps change laws, affirms her gender, finds her voice and emerges into adulthood.

Overdue: 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.

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

Request from our Rowing Crew

 A call out to our community: if you have a rowing machine sitting unused and unloved - please consider lending it to our rowing team for winter training! 

Now that the winter season is on us our rowing crew are moving inside to train on 'ergs' (indoor rowing machines) and keep their skills honed ready for next spring. They are eager to work hard - they just need the machines!

If you have a rowing machine - please contact us here. We will arrange pick up and it will be put to good use!

Many thanks!

Brookes Westshore Crew

BC Training and Education Savings Program Grant: In support of Education Savings Week (November 14th-18th), we are sharing this letter with families/guardians of students in Kindergarten through Grade 4 to let you know your child may be eligible for a $1,200 BC Training and Education Savings Grant for their post-secondary education.

Updated information about upcoming events.

Next week is Spirit Week in support of the Goldstream Food Bank. Themes for the days are:

• Monday: Twin Day
• Tuesday: Dress up as your favourite holiday
• Wednesday: Toy Drive / PJ Day - donations of food/toys/$2
• Thursday: Dress up as a teacher

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.  Staff and students will be walking beside our decorated bus as part of the parade - please come along and support us!

Friday, December 2nd - Movie Night with fire pits in the courtyard and hot chocolate to keep us warm! Movies to be decided.

• 3.30 pm to 5 pm Grades 4 to 8
• 7 pm to 10 pm grades 9 to 12

Thursday, December 8th - Winter Concert from 6.30 to 8 pm. Showcasing our talented students, we will open up areas of our school for short performances by our students - individually and in groups. Enjoy a hot chocolate and spend time in each 'venue' supporting students and enjoying the festive atmosphere.

If you would like to come and watch the students perform - please RSVP here (link now working - apologies). See you all there!

Saturday, December 17th - Brookes Westshore's first Pancake Breakfast.  Everyone welcome!

Book your spots here.

Taco Night!

Over twenty students joined the Authentic Mexican taco night last weekend. We made everything traditionally and from scratch. Victor, one of our dorm students, shared his knowledge and a homemade recipe with the group as he was experienced in making authentic tacos. 

Many students were involved in this process to make this all possible. Some students were cutting meat and vegetables, while others baked and fried tortillas.

It was so special to see students from all different cultures coming together to create, learn and enjoy a delicious meal together!

Vancouver Weekend Trip

This past long weekend, our dorm students were eager and excited to take a trip to Vancouver! We started off by visiting Granville Island, as it is one of the most popular places to visit in Vancouver year-round. This popular market is surrounded by the ocean and sells food, artisan products, gifts, art and much more! 

After the market, we headed to our hotel which was located in the heart of downtown and we explored the area. The hotel location made it easy and convenient for visiting the top downtown destinations, shopping areas and restaurants. At the end of the day, our students jumped in the hotel's heated pool and hot tub, this was the perfect way to warm up before bed!

On Saturday, students enjoyed taking in the beautiful sights of the city, shopping and visiting the famous steam clock in Gastown. The steam clock is another key tourist destination as there are only six other working steam clocks in the world. We enjoyed seeing the Steam Clock show off by whistling and shooting steam from its five whistles!

After visiting the clock, we all enjoyed a delicious four course meal together at the Spaghetti Factory. It was so nice to share our stories and the adventures of the day!

On Sunday, we visited Tsawwassen Mills large outlet mall on our way home. This mall features unique designs based on First Nations architecture including a ceiling that resembles a longhouse and indigenous art on display. Tsawwassen Mills has an exceptional mix of premium fashion brands, factory outlets and restaurants and our students enjoyed one last shop together!

During the ride home to Brookes, we reminisced on our wonderful weekend away, and we can't wait for more trips like this in the near future!

And on Sunday night the students in the dorms baked Lemon Curd Loaf with Ms. Billie

Congratulations to the senior girls’ volleyball team for a great performance at the 1A Island Championships. The girls won 4 and lost 2 to finish 5^th on the Island.

Our tournament highlight was the game against the eventual tournament champions, Nanaimo Christian School. Although we lost, it was Nanaimo Christian’s toughest game.

Semvia was awarded a 2^nd team all-star for the tournament. Congratulations Semvia!

The team’s season record was 13 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses.  Congratulations to everyone involved - it has been a great season!

The Brookes Senior Boys' volleyball team also competed in their Islands tournament this week at St. Andrews School, and they did not disappoint. The boys beat Duncan Christian School, Victor Brodeur and St. Andrews to make it to the championship match against Nanaimo Christian School. The boys put up an excellent fight but ended up losing in two close sets.

The boys finished second place in the tournament and will advance to the BC CHAMPIONSHIPS in December.

The boys are the SECOND-BEST TEAM ON ALL OF VANCOUVER ISLAND! And ranked within the top 8 of all single A Senior Boy teams in BC!

Their coach and school are incredibly proud of them, their dedication and hard work!

(You can read Coach Gallery's biography below.)

Not to be outdone, our junior basketball team took to the court this week. They didn't win, but no one could doubt their commitment and desire!

Introducing Devin Gallery

Hailing from the east coast of Canada in nautical rich Nova Scotia, I was born and raised in the oldest established town in North America. Annapolis Royal, a town with a whopping population of 500 people was where I spent my years living, growing, and learning. Small community and strong connections have been the foundations that have helped shape my life.

I hold an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from Acadia University and Post-Graduate degree in Education from the University of Sunderland in the United Kingdom. In July of 2006 I accepted a job in Shanghai, China at an IB International School teaching and learning in the Primary Years Programme (PYP). Shanghai became my home for the next 15 years of my life. I became a PYP Coordinator for my school and remained in this role for three years and in 2019 I was a guest speaker at an IBO conference in Shanghai.

After adopting the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project into our school’s curriculum I became very passionate about creating enthusiastic readers, writers, and inquirers. After extensive training in Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York I took on the role of Literacy Coach for the next seven years, helping to plan and deliver workshops for teaching staff to understand classroom expectations and provide strategies on strengthening program delivery in the classroom. During my last two years in Shanghai, I took on the administrative role of Curriculum Coordinator at our school and was responsible for building and supporting a professional learning community among teachers, administration, parents, and students across multiple campuses.

Additionally, I am a classically trained concert and jazz percussionist. While in Shanghai I played in an indie rock band for nine years called “Boys Climbing Ropes”. We extensively toured China, played alongside some of the world’s best indie rock and punk bands, playing venues and festivals and recorded multiple albums (available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music)

I am an avid traveler and obsessed with Asian food! While in Shanghai my wife and I adopted three dogs who we love to let explore the beautiful outdoors of Vancouver Island.

Here at Brookes, I am the MYP 2 Year Level Leader, I teach MYP Physical Health Education and coach the Senior Boys Volleyball team.

I am so thrilled to be a part of this vibrant school community and will continue to learn, grow, and support everyone within it.

Powerful Youth is Back for 2023!

Powerful Youth seeks to build a global community of passionate young people who are equipped with the tools to create profoundly positive change within themselves and their communities.

Held during the summer months at Brookes Westshore and Brookes UK, the Global Leadership Academy is an award-winning leadership training program that brings together youth from around the world to build valuable leadership skills, self-confidence, and global perspective.

Using an experience-based learning approach, the two-week program includes hands-on activities, engaging projects, and community service to help youth create meaningful change in their lives and the lives of others. 

Brookes Westshore students are eligible for a 20% discount to attend GLA UK (ages 14-18) and a 50% discount to attend GLA Canada (ages 12-18). A scholarship program is available for students requiring additional financial aid. Visit www.powerfulyouth.com for more information about dates and prices, and to apply online.

Two teams of Brookes Westshore students have entered the Westmont Design competition this year. They were a credit to Brookes this week at a whole day workshop for the Design prize 2022. They are competing for many prizes, the first prize being scholarship funding of $10,000 split between their team for further education (university and college).

They now have five days to create two videos: One is five minutes long, and the other is a shorter trailer style clip. These videos will be presented to judges in the coming weeks. We wish both teams the best of luck and are proud of their creativity and commitment! As Ms. Barton says: "They have come so far and have brilliant ideas!"

Dorm students can enjoy the following activities this weekend:

• Friday 8:30pm - Music Trivia with Brooklyn in Common Room 
• Saturday 2:30pm - Bilston Creek Farm Market with handcrafted items for sale, hot food, drinks, and visit the beautiful lavender farm
• Saturday 3:00pm - Plant Tulips with Ms. Billie
• Saturday 5:15pm - Royals Hockey Game (sign up closed) 
• Sunday 2:00pm - Learn how to make homemade dumplings with Ms. Billie 
• Sunday 2:30pm - 5v5 Soccer at JDF

Please sign up for all activities in activities book! 

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