Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,
A big thank you to our guest speaker, Shannon Husk, for the insightful presentation on Finding a Balance with Digital Technology this week. It was a timely reminder that digital life is everywhere now, and it is essential for the school and families to work together in guiding our students to be responsible digital citizens. Thank you to the parents who joined us for the informative session. For those who could not make it, you can access Shannon’s presentation here. There is another free virtual session on May 7th (6:30-7:30 pm) provided by Safer Schools Together. You can reserve a spot here.
We also want to thank all families who participated in the Parent-Teacher Conferences yesterday. These conversations are key to the home-school partnership that supports each student’s growth and learning journey.
This week wrapped up with a joyful school-wide music performance by the FAME (Friday Afternoon Music Experience) ASA team. It was wonderful to see our community come together to celebrate creativity and expression, sharing music, smiles, and a sense of connection that makes our community special! A big shout out to all FAME members for the amazing performance!
With gratitude,
Dr. Rui Li
Principal
Silent Auction
Mr. B was out in the morning sun today letting families know about the upcoming auction. We have lots of amazing items to bid on (see below) - there is free childcare available, and a cash bar!
Bring a friend, or family, or a group of coworkers! It is a great evening, and all for a very good cause, and you might make the winning bid on something really special!
Click here for tickets.
Start planning your bidding strategy!
Take a break and enjoy a stay at one of these amazing spots:
- One night stay for two people including a welcome basket with champagne at Owls Perch Tree House in Sooke
- Bear Lodge Condo at Mount Washington - two beds, two baths, ski in/ski out. (Book any 4 consecutive nights, excluding ski season weekends. Valid April 2024-April 2025)
- Two nights stay at the Sandmann Inn, Vancouver
- One night stay in the Oceanview Room at the Prestige Hotel in Sooke
How about these fun activities?
- Five spin class passes with Spin Co
- 1-month unlimited yoga pass at The Lab
- ZipTrek Tour (two adults) at Bear Mountain
- Pacific FC Box at Starlight Stadium
- Four 2025 ticket vouchers for Pacific FC (also a 2022 Alternate Pacific FC Jersey, a pride scarf, a PFC tank top, and a drink cozy)
- Two, 2-hour tours for 4 with Coastal Bliss
- Two passes to Butchart Gardens
Or why not just bid on some items for your home or as gifts?
- Quilted flower garden
- A beautiful whale painting
- A Lego Batmobile Set
…and many more items from gift cards to works of art!
Designing Dreams: MYP2 Architecture Unit
The MYP2 Design students are embarking on an exciting journey in their Architecture unit, titled "Design a Dream Home." This unit encourages students to explore the intricate relationship between architecture and cultural identity. Through this exploration, students will develop their skills in designing homes that reflect diverse cultural backgrounds and personal identities.
Unit Overview: The unit focuses on the key concepts of Identity, Form, and Function. Students will inquire into how different cultural identities are expressed through architectural forms and functions. They will engage with questions such as: What relationship does architecture have to the environment? and: Are houses around the world more similar than they are different?
The photographs shared with you showcase Criteria C: Creating Skillful Outcomes. A significant part of the unit is focused on Criteria C, where students will outline a plan considering resources and time, demonstrate technical skills, and follow their plan to create a solution that functions as intended. This criterion emphasizes the importance of skillful execution and adaptability in the design process.
Upcoming Exhibition: Watch this space for a student-curated exhibition on the bridge in May, where the final models of their dream homes will be showcased. This exhibition will highlight the creativity and technical prowess of our young designers, offering a glimpse into their innovative solutions and architectural visions.
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
On Thursday morning Mahayla Galliford, from the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, joined our MYP2 drama classes. In addition to her work with Bard on the Beach, Mahayla is a grad student at UVic specializing in Early Dramatic Writing. She led our students through some activities that focused specifically on the language and imagery of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The students explored different lines from the play, creating tableaux (frozen images) allowing them to build a deeper understanding of the text.
Students: Be a Winner of the 2025 National Youth Climate Activism Award!
Make up to a 5-minute video or write a short essay of 500 words with or without photos and tell us how you are taking meaningful steps toward improving the outlook for our planet with respect to climate change.
The award comes with a prize of:
- $500 (ages 14 & under)
- $1,000 (ages 15-19)
Visit https://www.youthclimateactivismaward.org/ for details on how to submit your entry.
In 2023, I wrote an essay about artistic activism and how drawing with Robert Bateman’s outdoor Nature Sketch Group motivates me to advocate for the protection of wild spaces on Vancouver Island. My friend Parker encouraged me to submit my work for the Youth Climate Activism Award (YCAA)—and I won!
The following year, I was asked to participate in the Youth Climate Cabinet. I joined a peer review panel of award alumni to adjudicate the 2024 YCAA entries. 2024 was an exciting year, as generous grants from groups like the Trottier Foundation and The Raffi Foundation helped us to expand our reach beyond British Columbia for the first time. We went national and opened the YCAA to youth across the whole country!
The Youth Climate Cabinet is happy to open the submission portal for our 2025 Award. Speaking at events like the Victoria Climate Action Youth Forum has helped us to connect with young Canadians. The climate movement is intergenerational; youth voices play a critical role in driving positive change. Sharing our stories about the actions we take to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis builds community. Plus, it helps to combat climate anxiety.
Together our voices are amplified and send a powerful message to politicians, and community and policy decision-makers. Big or small, what actions are you taking in your own backyard, or right here at Brookes Westshore? We accept group entries, so feel free to submit a video or essay with your friends, or even your entire class! The Youth Climate Cabinet wants to shine a light on your story.
We will be selecting up to 25 winners for 2025!
Apply for the National Youth Climate Activism Award before Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22!
If you have any questions, please ask!
Finnegan; fbrown@westshore.brookes.org
Mother’s Day Student Bake and Craft Market - Friday, May 9, 2025
Sign up as a vendor by April 18th!
Do you have a special skill? Are you an aspiring entrepreneur? Do you want to earn extra pocket money and work for charity? Consider applying as a vendor and make products to sell for our market! The market is a great way to practice creating a business, handling materials, and making profits while doing something you love!! Ask us if you have any questions.
Contact: hloubser@westshore.brookes.org or talk to an SLC member!
Attention, Future Architects and Creatives!
Design Victoria’s Family Day Educational Event is here to inspire you—and it’s going to be epic!
When: SUNDAY 4th MAY Where: The Rotunda, 1515 Douglas St.
Join us for an unforgettable workshop led by talented professional architects, and guess what? Ms. Barton, our beloved creative mentor, will be right there guiding you through the magic of design! Together, you’ll use recycled materials to create mind-blowing architectural models.
Check out all the details here: Family Day Event
Let’s turn trash into treasure!
We need YOUR help to save clean recyclables—like cardboard, plastic containers, bottles, and more—to build stunning architectural models. From soda cans to cereal boxes, every bit of clean recycling can spark ideas and shape new designs.
So, start collecting and let’s make architecture that’s as green as it is gorgeous. Bring your clean recycling to Ms. Barton by Monday April 28th. Let’s design the future together—one recycled masterpiece at a time!
Spread the word. The more, the merrier!
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
- Earth Day Community Block - April 22nd (guest speakers to be announced)
- Silent Auction in support of the Ukrainian Scholarship Fund - April 25th from 7 pm to 10 pm in the Dining Hall
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.
