Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,
Happy Lunar New Year! On Wednesday this week we had a special lunch (delicious fried noodles and ginger beef among other items), along with student-led activities from the many countries that celebrate the Lunar New Year. Students tried their hand at calligraphy, origami, and even trying to pick up marbles with chopsticks! It was a delight to take a moment and celebrate the diversity of our community and take joy in sharing the different cultures represented in our student community. Happy Year of the Snake!
Term 2 interim learning update will be issued next Friday, February 7th. In this interim update, homeroom teachers and advisors provide descriptive feedback on students’ ATL (Approaches to Learning) development progress (no grades). The ATL skills are an important component of IB teaching and learning. There are five ATL skill categories: Research, Thinking, Communication, Social, and Self-management skills. With teachers’ support, students engage in self-reflection as part of their learning journey. Encouraging them to take ownership of their learning not only improves academic performance but also fosters lifelong skills that will serve them beyond the classroom.
With potential snow in the forecast this weekend, a reminder that in the event of severe inclement weather, we will generally follow SD62 (Sooke School District) school closure decisions as published on their website. However, any decisions will be made in the best interests of the safety of our students, staff, and families. We will do our utmost to send out the confirmation about our school closure via email by 6:40 am.
With gratitude,
Dr. Rui Li
Principal
Please find an audio recording of the Gryphon Gazette here.
Illness and absences
The recent round of illnesses and absences over the last few weeks has prompted us to urge a strong reminder for everyone to be diligent about washing their hands as much as possible, using hand sanitizer when you can’t wash, covering your coughs and sneezes and wearing a mask. Students with fever should please stay home. Please do your best to keep us all healthy!
Brookes Book Day: Friday, February 7th
As part of our ongoing efforts to encourage reading, we will celebrate Brookes Book Day on Friday, February 7th.
- English teachers will incorporate special activities into their lessons.
- Students are invited to dress up as their favourite book character and compete for House points in a costume contest in the courtyard at lunchtime.
Book Donations
We would be delighted to receive any donations of books that we could add to our supplies for independent reading in Grades 4-10. Perhaps you would like to make some room on your bookshelves? Or perhaps you remember a book you particularly loved when you were young, and would like to pick up a copy at a local bookshop to add to our shelves? Here is a list of recommendations if you need some inspiration!
We will have a box at Reception next week to receive your donations.
Thank you!
DP2 Chemistry
The DP2 Chemistry class IA (internal assessment) data collection is underway! For all DP science classes, students are required to design and conduct their own scientific experiments and collect data for their IA's as part of their IB assessments. This year, we have students synthesizing aspirin via different purification methods, investigating the relationship between iodine clock reaction and pH, and exploring if temperature impacts the colours of anthocyanin in different pH.
MYP1 Science
On Wednesday the MYP1 Science class had a presentation on diabetes by 4th year pharmacy students Priya and Carter. Students learned about diabetes, about which sugars are hidden in which foods, and had the opportunity to explore how glucometers, continuous glucose monitoring sensors, and insulin pens are used by people with diabetes. Thanks so much to Heart Pharmacy and Ms. Mackenzie for organizing this fascinating and hands-on presentation.
Fun Friday
Every other week we put on extra activities for the students to enjoy for our Fun Fridays. Last week we had RC car racing in the courtyard, along with Just Dance in the dining hall and underwater themed chalk art. With the sun shining it was a great way to finish off the week and offer some creativity, connection, and fun!
MYP2 field trip to Soap for Hope.
Soap for Hope provides essential hygiene products and linens to Community Facilities serving vulnerable people. They do this by repurposing gently used products that would otherwise end up in the landfill. Our students had a great time - gaining insight into who is vulnerable in our community, and how simple acts of service make a huge difference.
Ukrainian Students celebration
Ms. Bayes baked a cake to celebrate the fact that all the Ukrainian scholarship students have been with us for a year now - we are so proud to have them as part of our community and are excited to think about them graduating next year!
Evenings and weekends are busy times for our dorm students! This week students were making dumplings and spring rolls in preparation for lunar new year, as well as making raspberry cheesecake during our Sunday baking session. There was also an air-dry clay activity and a Vikes basketball game to enjoy!
Strengthening International Partnerships: María del Pilar Ponz Laguna Visits Brookes Westshore
We were excited to welcome María del Pilar Ponz Laguna, Academic Director at the Canadian School in Mexico, for her second visit to Brookes Westshore. This visit marks an important step in further strengthening our articulation agreement with the Canadian School, a partnership designed to offer students from Mexico a seamless academic experience at Brookes Westshore.
During her visit, María del Pilar had the opportunity to meet with faculty, students, and staff, discussing ways to enhance the educational exchange and ensure smooth transitions for students moving between the two institutions. By aligning our curricula and academic pathways, we aim to provide students with a clear and supportive route from Mexico to Brookes Westshore, ensuring they feel at home both academically and culturally.
This collaboration underscores Brookes Westshore's commitment to fostering international partnerships and offering a truly global learning experience for our students. We look forward to continuing this fruitful relationship and welcoming more students from Mexico to our community in the future.
Youth Climate Activism, by Finnegan (DP2)
We all want to make a difference, we want to find solutions, and we want to live in harmony with the Earth.
- But why do young people’s voices matter in the race to tackle the climate crisis?
- Whether it's starting a recycling program, cleaning up our neighbourhood, or organizing a protest — why do our small acts of environmental advocacy matter?
The answer is simple: Youth are powerful change-makers. We have the creativity, the drive, and the passion to lead the way toward sustainable solutions for our planet. Our leadership is vital—not just for finding answers, but for inspiring others to take action, too.
And here’s the thing: Even the smallest act can trigger a ripple effect. Something as simple as making a recycling poster or attending a beach clean-up can snowball into something much bigger. It gets people thinking, it gets them talking, and before you know it, more and more people are reflecting on how their everyday actions impact the Earth.
I’m the Chair of a group called the Youth Climate Cabinet; we are a youth-led national organization. We’re all about amplifying youth voices in the climate movement. Every year, we run a contest called the Youth Climate Activism Award where we invite young people from across the country to share their climate activism stories.
We're constantly impressed by the energy, creativity, and dedication of Canadian youth. For example, a group of Vancouver students collected, sanitized, and refilled unclaimed water bottles from gyms to distribute to unhoused people. A student named Mishka in Québec, is using podcasts and zines to raise awareness about local environmental issues, while Sophia in Saskatchewan led a campaign that made public transit free for youth under 13, reducing car traffic and promoting sustainability. There are so many ways young people are stepping up to tackle climate change, and it’s incredible to see the diverse, creative solutions emerging. Check out their stories on our website https://www.youthclimateactivismaward.org/
If you and your friends have a climate action project that you’re passionate about, we’d love to hear from you! You can apply for our 2025 Youth Climate Activism Award up until Earth Day (April 22). So, if you’ve got a project in the works—or if you’re just starting to develop your plan—this is your chance to share your story!
The Youth Climate Activism Award comes with a prize of:
$500 (ages 14& under) OR
$1,000 (ages 15-19)
The grade 6-8 boys’ volleyball team had their first two games on Tuesday, drawing 1-1 against Glanford and losing 0-2 against Pacific Christian School. Thanks Ava, Lillian, Pria, Kylee, and Jaanvi who volunteered to be scorekeepers and linespeople for the games.
The grade 8 girls’ volleyball team had its first pair of games on Thursday, hosting teams from Spencer Middle School and Journey Middle School. In their first game, they defeated Spencer (21-7; 21-7), while in their second, they lost against a strong team from Journey (13-21; 11-21). Their coaches were very pleased with their fine play, especially their good serving and solid teamwork.
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!
Term Two Events and Activities
- Lunar New Year Dance - Friday, 31st January
- Saku Chosei School (Japan) visit - Thursday, 13th February
- Pro D Day - no classes - Friday February 14th
- Inclusion Assembly - Thursday, February 20th
- Pink Shirt Day - Wednesday, February 26th
Key dates of 2023 to 2025: Key Dates 2024 / 2026 - Brookes Westshore
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
- Melanie Moroz - Academic Director
- Linda Bayes - DP Coordinator & University Counsellor
- 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.
