Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,
The IB 5 Year Evaluation Review has been successfully completed and I want to thank all members of our community for their involvement in this process. The evaluation visit was conducted virtually and the IB evaluators were able to visit several classrooms to experience the learning environment here at Brookes Westshore.
We will not receive the official report until May. We will share those results when they arrive. We did have a final meeting with the team, and they shared a very positive outcome from their visit. They congratulated us on the safe and nurturing environment we provide for learning, and also the rigorous and well-articulated curriculum.
The 5-year Review is a detailed reflection of our practices, and we are very proud of the accomplishments we have made over the past 5 years. These accomplishments would not be possible without the support of our school community and the outstanding students who attend Brookes. Thank you everyone for making Brookes Westshore the learning community it is.
Monday is Family Day and time for a well-deserved day at home.
Grade 12 students have started receiving acceptances from the University of Toronto. Jiyoung was accepted to Engineering at UofT and Raymond was accepted to Humanities. Congratulations to you both!
With kind regards,
Linda Bayes
Deputy Head of School
Students from Saku Chosei Junior High School, Japan sing Oh Canada to our students today.
Ukrainian Students arriving in April.
As you will have read earlier in the week - we are delighted that we have eight students from Ukraine coming to our school in April. Our heartfelt thanks to all of your kind and generous responses. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. We are fully committed to ensuring the students have an amazing and full experience at Brookes Westshore, and we need your help to make that happen!
We, all staff, students, and parents, did a wonderful job for the IB programme evaluation this week.
Thank you everyone for your great effort and now we deserve a great Family Day long weekend! Family Day is a wonderful way for us to celebrate the importance of family in our lives. It is a chance for families to bond, connect, and make lasting memories together. Our school recognizes the importance of family and we believe that spending time with loved ones is essential for creating a healthy and happy community.
Living in a dorm can often feel like being part of a big family. Sharing a living space with other students creates a sense of togetherness and camaraderie that can help students to feel supported and connected. In many ways, dorm living is similar to family life. Students learn to share and compromise, do various activities and play games together. Just like in a family, there may be conflicts and disagreements, but learning how to work through these challenges is an important part of the growth and development of students. Living in a dorm can be an incredibly rewarding experience that provides students with a sense of community and belonging that will stay with them long after their graduation. I wish everyone a wonderful Family Day long weekend!
With gratitude,
Rui Li
Vice Principal of Academics
Students from Saku Chosei Junior High School visited us today (more below).
Students form Saku Chosei run our students through some games and activities
Hanli (grade 9) playing piano for our visitors from Japan.
Masquerade Ball
Friday, March 3rd, 2023
Arrive in your best garments and be prepared to witness the most magnificent evening of the century!
- Grade 4 - 5: Just Dance & Mask making at Lunchtime (other grades are welcome too!)
- Grades 6 & 7: 3.30 pm to 5 pm - formal dress optional / no ticket required.
- Grades 8 - 12: 7 pm to 10 pm - formal dress and ticket required.
Grade 8 - 12 Tickets in advance at the front desk: $8 / Tickets on the door: $10
SENIOR BOYS' BASKETBALL FUNDRAISER EVENTS!
Our Senior Boys basketball team is going into the playoffs ranked 3rd in BC! These athletes have been working very hard to keep this provincial ranking and we are looking for your support with the travel fees!
We will be running three fundraiser events to help cover the costs of the Island and Provincial fees. The accommodation and travel fees for both tournaments are approximately $5,000.
Our goal is to raise $2500 to help cover some of these costs for our athletes.
To sign up for these events or to donate please use the QR Codes below (they will bring you to an online form to complete), click the link, or you can fill out a hard copy at our front desk. Details in the links.
Thanks for your support! Go Gryphons!
- Basketball Team Fundraiser Lunch Time Event (Can only sign up through a Brookes Westshore email) - signup by February 24th.
Calling All Present and Future Brookes Parents!
The Arts Committee in the Student Leadership Council is planning to host a Parents’ Paint Night at Brookes Westshore school to fundraise for future scholarships for students at Brookes.
Dr. Currie, a fellow Brookes parent, will be giving a lesson on how to paint a beautiful landscape of British Columbia using palate knives. We will also provide complementary art supplies and hors d’oeuvres!
We’re unsure how many parents would be interested in joining, so if you’re considering attending, please contact us at: lredivo@westshore.brookes.org.
Thank you!
Visit of students from Saku Chosei Junior High School, Japan
Today we were joined in the afternoon by 120 students from Saku Chosei Junior High School in Japan. The students all gathered in the dining hall for a short welcome ceremony that included songs (Tish) and piano (Hanli), as well as welcoming words from our Student Leadership Council President and Vice President (Nina and Kura). The students from Japan then introduced our students to a range of games and activities from Japan, including Kendama, Kemari, Shogi, and Aya tori.
Everyone had a great time - there was a lot of laughter and joy as the two groups met and learned from each other. Connection across cultures is at the heart of the IB and is central to the philosophy of our school. Thanks to Ms. Sheri for organising this great event.
Valentines Day
"I want to thank the QSA Group who made this Valentine Day Celebrations an inclusive celebration. Every student (even teachers) in the school received a card and candy. You are true IB Learners, and we are proud of you." Ms. Bayes
Thank you to those who indulged in our bake sale yesterday afternoon. We raised $177 for the Cridge Centre for the Family, an organisation that supports victims of domestic violence. -- Emma and Ryan in MYP5.
Grade 4 Charity Fair: Sharing the Planet
On Friday last week our grade 4 class presented at their 'Charity Fair'.
This project was the culminating activity for our unit: Sharing the Planet. The unit was focused on learning about animal adaptations and exploring how humans impact local species. At the end of a unit we always try to incorporate service and action. In this case, the students researched different charity models, and then made use of the design process to design their own charities. Throughout the design process they asked questions, imagined, planned, created, sought feedback from their peers, and improved their projects, and then presented them. The presentations in the dining hall were all engaging, well thought out, and passionately articulated. Everyone took part in a scavenger hunt questionnaire that guided them through reflection on the design process.
DP2 Chemistry Presentations
In DP2 Chemistry, we just started a new and our last unit – Energy. This week, the students chose an energy source of their interest, researched about it (how does it work, advantages and disadvantages, real world applications), and presented their findings to their peers. Our DP2 students have demonstrated great research and communication skills through this activity.
MYP Visual Arts
MYP1 are finishing their Boop the Snoot unit. Check out these cute handmade sgraffitto boards!
Super Bowl Sunday with some Chiefs fans (above) and the Girls' Basketball Team (below). The girls' team will be playing for fun at Queen Margaret’s on Tuesday - every week the team gets bigger, as they inspire others to join in! We started from 6 players and now have a squad of 14! Go Gryphons!
Our dorm students made Japanese Curry last weekend with Ms. Satsuki!
Japanese curry is one of the favourite meals to be cooked in the dorms! Twelve students helped prepare and cook the the meal and over thirty students enjoyed the meal together! Ingredients in the curry included chicken, carrots, potatoes and onion. Students were very excited, and the curry was gone within minutes of being plated!
Thank you Ms. Satsuki for the delicious meal!
Dorm Activities Feb 17th - 20th
- Friday 6:15pm - Grizzlies Hockey Game!
- Saturday 7:00pm - Sushi Night with Ms. Satsuki
- Saturday 8:30pm - Spa Night with Ms. Brooklyn
- Sunday 11:30am - Pacific FC Indoor Soccer
- Sunday 11:45am - Spin Class with Ms. Thia
- Sunday 1:00pm - Senior Care Home Visit
- Sunday 6:15pm - Ant-Man at the movie theatre
- Monday 2:00pm - Beautiful Beach Walk with Ivan
Senior Boys' Basketball
The Senior Boys' Basketball team placed 1st in the South Island Championships last weekend!
This is a huge accomplishment - this is the first time that Brookes Westshore has been the South Island Champions from any sport. We played Duncan Christian in the finals and had an impressive and convincing win of 96-36!
The Tournament Director approached our team after the game and expressed how he was most impressed by how well we played together as a team and how everybody had a huge roll in the win. Tristan won player of the game in the finals with his strong post play, along with several big rebounds and 7 points in the second half!
Next week, the team looks forward to the Provincial Qualifying Island Championship Tournament. Brookes is going in as the #1 seed from Vancouver Island. There will be some tough match ups as they will be up against Campbell River Christian School and Nanaimo Christian school. Nanaimo is ranked #5 in BC and 2nd from the Island.
Congratulations to our Senior Boys' Basketball team!
The eagle has landed (again)
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
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.
