Students plant seeds as part of our Earth Day activities this week.

Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,

We celebrated Earth Day this Monday. We were proud to see our MYP1 students work together on their service projects to organize a food waste awareness campaign and some fun activities during the lunch break. It was heartening to witness our students’ global consciousness and collective efforts towards environmental preservation and sustainability.

The DP2 IB exams successfully started this Wednesday. I’d like to thank everyone for your support to make the exams go smoothly and to keep the exam areas quiet. The IB exams are an assessment that measures the knowledge, understanding, and skills that our students have acquired throughout their journey in the IB programme. The exams are internationally recognized, and universities around the world consider them when making admission decisions. The results of the exams are also used to determine the IB diploma, which is highly valued by universities. The IB exams can be daunting, but our students are more than capable of succeeding. The dedication and hard work they have put into their studies will pay off. We believe in our DP2 students and wish them the best of luck!

Looking ahead, we will have a virtual presentation from the White Hatter for our MYP3-5 students next Tuesday to educate our students on cyberbullying, sexting, sextortion, nudes, AI intimate images and the law. Check here for more information. We believe this workshop will be enlightening and empowering for our students.

Dr. Rui Li

Principal

Grade 4 students practice their blending techniques for Art class - and take advantage of the beautiful sunshine this week.

Basketball camp at Brookes Westshore for boys and girls Grade 6 – 10

Coen Salvador-Brown (pictured), former Junior Vikes player, is offering a summer basketball camp designed to work on individual skills and basketball IQ.

Coen has volunteered as an assistant basketball coach for three years with Westshore basketball and is an incredibly popular coach with the players. He also has a multitude of experience working with youth as a swim instructor and lifeguard at the YWCA and leadership coach for Powerful Youth.

Coen will be offering a one-week intensive training camp to work on skills, drills and maximize progression of your player ensuring that players get the most out of every training session and have fun at the same time.

Dates and times: August 19th – 23rd (Monday – Friday) from 9am - 3pm. Program includes lunch. Drop off between 8.30 and 9am and pick up between 3 and 3.30pm.

Cost: $300. Brookes Westshore students receive 20% discount.

To indicate your interest please contact Coen directly by email at csalvadorbrown@westshore.brookes.org by May 15th.

This summer Brookes Westshore and Brookes UK will be hosting Powerful Youth, a leadership program that develops leadership skills and confidence in young people. As a strategic partner, we are pleased to inform you that all Brookes Westshore students are eligible for a 25% price reduction.

Details of the immersive two-week program are available online at https://powerfulyouth.com/summer-leadership-programs/

If you are interested please sign up directly but make sure to identify yourself as a Brookes student.

Questions about the program can be directed to Anna Burk at info@powerfulyouth.com

Cascadia Architects and Ms. Barton present:

Cascadia Kids Workshop

Families are invited to learn about design in and around the built environment in Victoria. Families will learn by doing, crafting and creating models, and imagining new realities for the city using everyday materials.

After the hands-on portion of the workshop, the models will be exhibited alongside the project displays of one of Victorias' leading Architectural practices: Cascadia.

Our own Ms. Barton will lead your workshop alongside Architects from the practice.

This expert team will coach you, engaging in a hands-on dialogue and creating a tactile response to unbuilt projects for the city of Victoria.

The event will culminate in a "crit" where ideas and imagination will be shared. The models will remain on display for the evening's panel discussion with city planners and the design community.

Earth Day 2024

MYP 1's two recycling-themed groups each prepared different service projects around the theme of Earth Day. One group collected, weighed and calculated how much food waste the school collectively produces during our lunch hour. It was great to see more people being conscientious and mindful of what they take!

The other group provided up-cycled and waste-free activities during lunch, including seed planters and rock painting. It's always wonderful to see the school community come together to recognize the importance of Earth Day, and even more so when it's student-initiated.

Well done MYP 1 recycling groups!

Earth Day at Brookes culminated in students watching The Klabona Keepers, a film about the inspiring Indigenous families who succeeded in protecting the Sacred Headwaters in northwest British Columbia from industrial activities.

More Chalk Art in the courtyard with the grade 4 students.

Our dorm students enjoyed last weekend with smores around the fires in the courtyard, some German baking on Sunday, and an early prep of Mothers' Day cards. 

Congratulations to Serge for exceeding his $200 goal in raising funds for the BCSPCA this week! And many thanks to everyone who helped by buying the delicious baked goods on sale!

The MYP1A Marine Protection Group also raised $262.10 from their bake sale! They will be donating the funds to the TeamSeas ocean cleanup project. Congratulations MYP1 A!

Victoria Police Department Golf Tournament

The Victoria Police Department Golf Tournament is a high school event with over twenty schools participating from all over BC. There were 134 participants this year including our Brookes-Westmont team. 

The two-day event took place Wednesday and Thursday at Olympic View. Our team of 5 captured some fantastic highlights, winning the long drive and closest to the pin competitions, placing 8th out of 32 teams and William got a hole in one! 

The team looks forward to participating in the lower Islands and hopefully the provincials in the next couple of months. 

Mr. B's skateboarding ASA students are showing some gnarly skills at the skate park!

Students took part in a tsunami awareness activity this week run by our neighbour Royal Roads University. They had a great day and learned a lot from the team at RRU.

Silent Auction 2024

Items for the auction are coming in fast - our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed so generously! 

We have some amazing items for you - here is a sampler - which one tempts you the most!?

• No Limits Fishing Charter- ½ day fishing charter for four guests.
• Space in Your Place Organizing - 6 hours with 2 organizers package.
• Coastal Bliss Adventures - Bioluminescence Tour for four.

As well as a ton of gift cards for spas, dining, golf, yoga, dog grooming and more!

Tickets for the auction are on sale here!

Grade level theme baskets:

If you would like to contribute to the auction but are unsure what to bring, parent volunteers have come up with these great theme basket ideas so each grade can help put together a unique, theme-based basket. We hope that parents will donate an item to help make up these great baskets.  

Details of Grade level basket themes can be found here.

Head lice is common and although a nuisance, it does not pose any health risk. Regular screening at home by family is recommended to help children feel comfortable, safe and for confidentiality. If you child does have head lice, they do not need to miss school and are able to participate in all school activities. Here are some recommendations to follow:

Head lice spread quickly by close, head-to-head contact. Lice cannot live on furniture or carpet, and they cannot jump or fly. There may be few or no symptoms, but itching may occur. You can help by:

• Checking your child’s head with the wet combing method of detection once a week throughout the year.
• Review the pamphlet How to Get Rid of Head Lice Wet Combing, available online, at your school and Public Health Unit.
• Encouraging your child to wear their hair tied back.
• Treating if you notice live lice on your child’s head.
• Reminding family and friends about the importance of routine head checks, using the wet combing method.

For more information:

Your local Public Health Unit

Read the HealthLink BC File on Head Lice HealthLink BC File #06 Head Lice

The maintenance team have a new helper! A Pacific chorus frog - so tiny, but so loud!

The YMCA-YWCA Y Mind Groups are a free, weekly psychoeducational support group for teens 13-18 and young adults 18-30 experiencing stress, worries and anxiety. Participants learn healthy coping skills through mindfulness, ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and Self-Compassion to navigate their anxiety, connect with other young people and receive support all in a safe and supportive community environment. The program is designed to provide tools and support to folks who experience mild to moderate anxiety and is funded by the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions as an early intervention program.

This mindfulness program uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy that is different from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It does not seek to change the thoughts but to accept them, give space to the emotions and not get pulled into the struggle. It identifies individual internal values to move them forward in a meaningful way. It invites them along using Self-Compassion. It is a valuable life skill that they can use for the rest of their lives.

There is no cost. It is free mental health support. They do not need a referral or diagnosis. They get a Y gym membership during the program (mind/body), a cool workbook and copy of the Happiness Trap graphic book. They do information sessions and intakes to make sure that the program is a good fit for the youth.

Online registration for information/intake sessions is available here:Mental Wellness - YMCA-YWCA Vancouver Island (vancouverislandy.com)

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.