Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

The last day of school is always a very exciting day for students - today was no exception. The Celebration of Learning ceremonies today were an experience that makes me feel very proud of the accomplishments at Brookes by students and staff.  Everyone has worked hard to reach their potential and are now ready to move onto their next stage of learning next year. Congratulations to all students.

Every year, we identify an area for Programme Development and this year faculty worked to promote literacy in the school. We all feel very passionate about the development of literacy to promote learning and life-long learning for students.  The reading block was continued for Grade 4-8 students and this 30-minute block every day has been very successful.  It wasn’t always an easy time for students, but they have all developed the ability to sustain their reading and they are reading at a higher level than I would have expected. This initiative would not have been possible without the commitment by faculty to make this work and the ability of students to develop interest in reading.  We also arranged for students to visit the public library every cycle and the students enjoy this experience very much.  I congratulate all students and faculty!!

We have also made great strides in developing meaningful service projects this year. More initiatives will be promoted next year to make our service commitments even better. Students take great pride in their service projects, and it has been very rewarding to witness their development in this area.

I just received news this week that our one of the students from Ukraine has received her Canadian visa.  I anticipate the remaining students will receive their visas very soon and we can start making arrangements for their travel to Canada.  It is has been a long process and I would like to thank everyone who has supported our efforts to bring 8 Ukrainian students to Brookes to continue their education.  I have continued to have contact with them in Ukraine and they are all very excited about their future here at Brookes.

Final report cards will be issued on Tuesday, June 27th via ManageBac.  I suggest that everyone download their child’s report for their records.  Students who are leaving Brookes will lose access to ManageBac at the end of July.

This will be my last newsletter as Deputy Head at Brookes and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and commitment to creating a positive learning environment for our students. I will still be a regular on campus as the CAS Coordinator and Guidance Counselor for the Diploma Programme.

With kind regards,

Linda Bayes

Deputy Head of School

It has been a remarkable year filled with growth, resilience, and unwavering dedication. We are immensely proud of each and every one of our students for their hard work, perseverance and achievements throughout the year. We extend our deepest gratitude to our amazing team of educators, support staff, and parents for their unwavering commitment to our students’ success. During this well-deserved summer break, we encourage our students to continue their pursuit of knowledge, whether through reading, exploring new hobbies, or engaging in meaningful experiences. May this break be a time of rest, reflection, and renewed inspiration. We will be excited to welcome you back for another incredible year in September!

With gratitude,

Rui Li

Vice Principal of Academics / DP Coordinator

One of the MYP 5 French classes wrapped up a unit all about the fundamentals of French cuisine with a special lesson and presentation on crêpes. Many thanks to our special guest and well done to the students who all tried the special machine to cook!

More delicious food: 

Recipes from around the world!

Our sister schools are working together to develop a Global Recipe Book of family favourites from around the world.

With your help, we hope to connect our families through a love of food and a celebration of cultures.

The global recipe book - filled with recipes from around the world - will be digitally shared with all our Brookes families - past and present!

We'll be working on this in earnest in September - but wanted to start early so you can think about your favourite recipes over the summer!

If you have a favourite already - please send it to: recipes@brookes.org. 

On Tuesday June 20^th, the Grade 5 class welcome’s Simona’s Nonna for a fascinating talk about her story of immigrating to Canada from Italy in 1966. She told us about her 12-day ship and train journey, which took her from her home in warm Calabria to the cold winter of Winnipeg, talked about her work as a professional seamstress, and even shared some valuable cooking tips!

What better way to end the year than linking Lego with understanding 3D sculptures? Students were very eager to show off their creations at the end of class!

Ms. Campbell on CTV News

Here is a short interviews on CTV news (from Monday June 19th) for the book Ms. Campbell, our MYP & DP Visual Arts Teacher, illustrated last summer: “Heart Berry Bling”, by Indigenous Canadian author Jenny Kay Dupuis. The interview is mostly with Jenny about teaching Indigenous history in schools, Ms. Campbell talks about using the book in classes towards the end of the clip.

On Monday, all of the Grade 11 students participated in the Group 4 (DP Sciences) Project at BC Parks in Bamberton. Students worked in groups to prepare their topic and research questions. Then, they collected their data and came up with conclusions based on their findings. In the afternoon, groups presented to the whole cohort to share what they had learned. We had a great day!

Our MYP 4 class took a break at our local beach (Royal Bay Beach) to unwind together before the end of the school year. We are so grateful to live in such a beautiful environment, with the ocean just a short walk away from our front door!

Yearbooks

Please note that 2022/23 Yearbooks have now sold out. Grade 12 students can collect their copies from the front desk over the summer, or they will be mailed with transcripts. 

Preparing for next year

School Supplies

We supply basic stationery needs for students, but they are welcome to bring notebooks, binders or loose-leaf folders – whichever works best for them is acceptable. We are trying to avoid sharing many items like pens, pencils, rulers, and calculators and encourage students to bring their own.

A scientific calculator is required for MYP4-5 (Grade 9-10). In the Diploma Programme (Grade 11-12), a graphing calculator is required, and these can be purchased from the school.

Laptops

Students in Grade 4-6 will be provided with Chromebooks during class time and won't need to bring a device to school. 

For students in MYP2 (Grade 7) and higher grades, it is expected that they bring a Windows or Mac laptop to school with enough battery life to last through the day. Please remember to bring a charger if necessary. Microsoft Office 365 is provided by the school and does not need to be purchased. Limited IT support, including troubleshooting and basic repairs, is available for student-owned devices.

Please note that Chromebooks and iPads are not recommended, as some lessons may require the use of software that is not compatible with these devices (e.g., Logger Pro, Inkscape). 

Kate and Hanli have been working on their year-long service project this year, which was building a Learning Library for next year. It will be used as a book exchange at the school and will hopefully introduce students to new and interesting books!

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