The Ukranian scholarship students ready to welcome guests to the auction last Friday.

Dear Brookes Westshore families and friends,

Thank you to everyone who attended our silent auction last Friday! It was a lovely night filled with community spirit and generosity. Your support made the event a great success! I started jotting down names to thank each of you individually, but the list started looking like a novel! So, to avoid a scroll-worthy newsletter, let me just say: thank you to all our staff, parents, and students who have worked so hard for our silent auction, whether you have donated, collected items around the community, sorted the items, set up the venue, or helped out on the day of the event. All your support is much appreciated and has made a positive impact on our Ukrainian students!

Meanwhile, you can continue to support our Ukrainian students by returning bottles and cans through our school account (thanks to our kitchen staff, Sarah, for setting up the account).

Anyone can bring their empties to this location and give the account name or number to have their refund added to the account. See below for account details. Every little bit helps,and we appreciate your continued support!

Student Service Project

Service projects are a crucial component of our educational experience. I am extremely proud of our MYP5 students for taking the initiative to make a positive impact on the community through their service projects. Laura has been volunteering at the Cherish Community Retirement Home in Langford for a while and is initiating a service ASA for next year. Kate, Hanli , and Liath did a wonderful job helping the Metchosin Seniors’ Association at their 10th Annual Parisian Café. Their dedication and hard work are truly inspiring, demonstrating empathy and civic responsibility.

Grade 4 and 5 Science Fair

Our Grade 4 and 5 students did exceptionally well at the Science Fair today, presenting their projects with confidence and demonstrating great thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills! Thanks to all the parents for their support and our wonderful Grade 4 and 5 teacher, Ms. Jesse and Ms. Alexe, for their dedicated guidance!

Next week

A reminder that Term 3 ASA has ended now and there will be no ASA next week. The last day of school is June 21st (noon dismissal). We will have two end-of-year celebrations of learning next Friday. Parents are welcome to attend.

• MYP4 - DP1: 9-10 am
• MYP1 - 3: 10:30-11:30 am

Students will be dismissed at noon after lunch.

Last but not least, happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads in our school community! We appreciate your hard work, dedication, and the love you give to your children each and every day!

With gratitude,

Dr. Rui Li

Principal

Mr. B in full flight as our live auctioneer, ably assisted by Arlo.

Cellphone Survey

If you missed the email earlier in the week, you can still complete the survey about cellphones at school here (please complete by Wednesday, June 19th). Your feedback will guide us in shaping our approach to cellphone use in our school.

We value your feedback and look forward to working together to create the best possible environment for our students. Thank you for your participation and support.

Ukrainian Scholarship Fund

Sarah from the kitchen (who creates the amazing water jug art) has kindly set up an account at the bottle depot so bottle return money can be used to support our Ukrainian Students. The kitchen staff have got us off to a great start - please consider supporting them with your bottles! 

Location: Langford Return-it Depot 1045 Dunford Ave, Langford

Account name: Brooke's Ukrainian Scholarship Fund

Account number: 899

Of course, you can donate directly to the fund by sending an etransfer to finance@westshore.brookes.org - all donations are gratefully received!

Yearbook Sales will continue until the end of the school year by request only. Please email Ms. Brooklyn to arrange purchase and pick up!

Seismic Scholars: Students Engineer Earthquake - Proof Towers

Students at Brookes Westshore are taking on a challenge that combines Science and Design.  As part of their MYP3 interdisciplinary unit, these young minds are delving into the world of earthquake engineering.

The unit, aptly named “Hard Hats Required! Seismic Upgrade”, focuses on the theory of plate tectonics and engineering structures to withstand extreme environments. The students are tasked with designing and building models of earthquake-proof towers which are then tested in a low-tech simulator.

This hands-on approach allows students to apply their knowledge from different disciplines, fostering problem-solving and self-management skills as they work in pairs. The project also emphasizes the real-world implications of living near fault lines, making the learning experience both relevant and engaging.

The students’ work culminates in a summative assessment where they reflect on their interdisciplinary learning process.

Do you have any expertise or experience in this field? Would you be interested in sharing this with Design classes? If you are working in a Design related field, please do reach out to Ms. Barton to find out more about how you can engage our community and inspire future generations!

MYP 3 Castle Visit

As a part of our unit on living, houses and daily life, MYP 3 students went on a field trip to historical Criaigdarroch Castle. We had a tour in French and got to examine real and replica artifacts from the time period of the once influential Dunsmuir family. The students enjoyed exploring the rooms, practicing vocabulary and listening to a tour completely in French!

Another wonderful day at Camp Thunderbird - this time for the Grade 4 and 5 students. They really enjoyed the beautiful weather and all the fun activities on offer.

Amelie, Ava and Kian from this term's Peer Tutoring ASA. (Not pictured is Kate, who was also a great mentor!)

Peer Tutoring

Over the past two terms, students have committed time outside of class to helping others with their academic goals. We want to extend our appreciation for their enthusiasm and support. Their patience, knowledge, and willingness to assist have made an impact on the confidence of their new friends.

Our peer tutors this year included: Pria, Iris, Justin, Vittoria, Regina C. Valeria R., Amelie, Noam, Kura, Hanli, Avery S., Laura, Armando, Maria, Kate, Meghan, Angelique, Bruno, Eva M. Seoyun, Agneya, Jeongmin, Ximena, Elijah, Ice, Olivia, Arlo, Julia, Eva S-B and Milo L.

Thank you for your time, effort, and experience.

We hope to continue our peer tutoring next year as we encourage students to support their older and younger cohorts, make new friends and strengthen our community spirit!

MYP3 completed their Walkathon to raise money for BCSPCA on Monday. Thank you to Ms. Roberto and Ms. Boily for helping them complete their Walkathon!

Brookes Alumni Brunch

We were delighted to host some of our former students on Sunday, along with past staff members, from both our days as Brookes Shawnigan as well as from our current Brookes Westshore campus. Graduates from the past ten years were represented and the stories told around the tables reminded us all of the strong connections our students and staff share. This was our first step in building an alumni community - watch this space for upcoming activities and events to bring us all together!

A trip to the world famous Butchart Gardens, and a rooftop picnic - another weekend of fun and friendship for our dorm students. 

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.