Fresh Minds Symposium

The Grade 9s went to the first annual Fresh Minds Symposium at the University of Victoria on Monday, November 4th and learned about various ways to create sustainable green projects. We explored renewable energy sources, the production cycle and ways to promote recycling, reusing and reducing in our communities. Students from all over the province attended and Brockton students were able to see many initiatives happening in schools across the province.

Click here to learn more about the Fresh Minds Symposium.

The Zero Food Waste Challenge

On October 20 to 24th the grade 4 and 5 students took the 'Zero Food Waste Challenge' at Keats Island and became the 11th school in 17 years to accomplish the goal.

They learned to take only what they need, eat what they take and to share with others. The students are challenging others to try the 'Zero Food Waste Challenge' at home.

Keats Island Adventures

Grade 4 and 5 students left Keats Island full of wonder, appreciation for each other and nature, and enthusiasm and eagerness to take action with what they have learned. They are growing as “Greenstars” and shrinking their ecological footprints.
“I liked the connection to me, family, community, and the world.”
“I enjoyed slowing down because in the city we don’t have enough time to enjoy each other and family.”
“I loved just watching the waves.”
“When you are speeding through life, you don’t have time to see real life.”

MYP Outdoor Education Trip

Last week the MYP students went to Strathcona Park Lodge on Vancouver Island. Rock climbing, canoeing, high ropes and zip lines were just a few of the activities that they enjoyed. The students worked as a team to paddle their canoes, and to safely traverse the high ropes and zip lines. They also learned about minimal impact camping and some wilderness skills, such as making a toothbrush from a willow branch, and making rope from cedar bark. The students camped "without leaving a trace", which included the pleasure of licking their bowl and cup clean after each camp meal.

After School Craft Club

Grade 1 & 2 students have been having lots of fun on Wednesday afternoon making various crafts to take home.

Walk to School

With great enthusiasm many of you participated in the walk to school event this past Wednesday. It was great to see all the rosy cheeks and fresh faces walk through the door ready to start the day. Congratulations to you all!

Grade 4 Wacky Weather Fieldtrip

The Grade Four class ventured to the HR MacMillan Space Centre as part of their Unit of Inquiry on Weather. We used public transit, which included a wonderful ride over to downtown Vancouver on the Seabus.


When we arrived we travelled to Mars on the Mars Simulator and learned about weather conditions on Mars and in space. In the Colour of Fire Workshop we learned about the orders of colours of the rainbows and the different colours that can be produced when chemicals burn. The highlight of our fieldtrip was the Wacky Weather workshop. We learned about air pressure and weather conditions. The most fun was had constructing a weather vane and nephoscope. We are now using those instruments in our observations of weather patterns, specifically wind and clouds. It was a beautiful day and we ate our lunch beside the water in the courtyard. An exciting time was had by all.

Terry Fox Run

We had a spectacular and dry run last Friday, with all students and some members of staff running for Terry Fox. A big THANK YOU to all the parents who volunteered and prepared snacks and drinks for the runners and those who came out to cheer us on! Your efforts helped in making the run such a great success!

Grade Two's Visit Science World

The grade 2 class took their first field trip of the year to Science World to learn all about Roller Coasters. What a ride!

First Day of School 2008

Welcome everyone to a new school year!

Sports Day

Sports day was a very loud and enthusiastic success. The students competed incredibly well throughout the day earning points for their house teams. The day started off well with an amazing dance competition and each event was hard fought right down to the final tug of war event, won by Cheakamus. Each house earned a huge number of points and at the end of the day Tantalus was declared the winner of Sports Day!

Spring Concert

Bravo to all the students that participated in the Spring Concert. The students performed cohesively, collaboratively and with tremendous commitment to themselves and to their peers. Thank you once again to parents, staff and students for all your hard work and contribution to the success of this Brockton event. It was an amazing evening!

Kindergarten Hip Hop Artists

Grade 2 & 3 Tingling Dancers

Bridge Ceremony

On Monday, June 2 the Grade 5 and 6 class gathered at the Canyon House Banquet Room at the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Mr. Hinnell and Mrs. Brun started with a few words of wisdom for us, then we had a delicious meal together, and the students were presented with superhero names, IB pins, Bridge Ceremony certificates, and Brockton track jackets. There were many laughs, some touching memories shared, lots of pride in accomplishments, and encouragement for the future. Congratulations Grade 5/6 for your move onto MYP!

Lynn Valley Days Parade

A HUGE thank you to all the families who represented Brockton and created a "Sea of Red" at the Lynn Valley Day Parade and a special thanks to those who decorated and helped tie the balloons! A great time was had by all including the spectators who were dancing to our music. Brockton rocks!

Grade 6 Camp

The Grade 6 camp last week started in the pouring rain with thunder and lightening and ended in bright sunshine. We had a gorgeous afternoon for kayaking; another for wading in Porpoise Bay and burying each other in the sand, and finally it was sunny for writing reflections and eating gelato. We need to thank Simon and Paul VERY VERY VERY much for coming to camp with us. They were excellent cooks, campfire starters, van drivers, and soccer players.

“I learned how to make tents and live inside them. It was really hard and uncomfortable, but it was fun!” Stella
“It was a good learning experience. It was challenging in a good way.” Gray
“I enjoyed sleeping with a caterpillar named George.” Michael

In the morning George was returned to a nearby tree

Kayaking in Deep Cove

Students in grades 1 and 2 participated in a 3 day kayak camp in Deep Cove as part of the extra-curricular program. The students learnt about water safety, how to do a 360 turn and played piano keys on the water – ask them how!

Vancouver Aquarium

On Tuesday May 20th , the Grade 3 and 4 classes visited the Vancouver Aquarium to support their learning in their Units of Inquiry. The students participated in a workshop about oceans as a habitat – the animals and plants that live there, as well as ocean conservation – how our garbage can harm this habitat and all that lives there. As part of the workshop the students were able to study live aquatic animals and make their own sea creatures with special adaptations to survive pollution. They were also able to visit the different exhibits within the aquarium. Some of the highlights of the trip, as reported by Grade 4 were:

"Watching the beluga show" – Reeva
"Lots of cute animals, like the sea otters" – Jinny
"I loved looking at the sharks" – Jack
"I liked watching the sea otters frolicking in the water" – Shamus

North Shore Spring Triathlon

“Pain is temporary – Pride is forever”

Congratulations to all fifteen triathletes who competed in the North Shore Triathlon on Monday. Well done! This group of risktakers should all feel proud of their accomplishment.

“As I jumped across the finish line I heard a beep and 'Here’s comes number 25!' It made me feel awesome” - Tyler
“I found out that I’m a pretty fast swimmer” - Jack
“I felt really happy that I was able to do such a long distance.” - Faizan

Mountain Bikers Clean Up!

The Mountain Biking club wound up their spring season with a trail building event. They put in several hours of hard work cleaning up the trails at Loutet Park.

The folks at Endless Biking were super impressed with the effort everyone put in. Click here to find out what they had to say about our kids.

Powell Lake Canoe Trip

We paddled across 6 lakes...

Through a hail storm...

Portaged the canoes repeatedly through forest trails...

And woke in the morning to loon calls!

Bon Appetit!

The students studying French in the senior school enjoyed a delicious meal in a French Bistro yesterday at the Salade de Fruits Café in Vancouver. Students were able to try authentic dishes such as crepes, quiche, and that popular Quebecois favourite, poutine. Tantilizing French desserts of crème brulee, ganache au chocolat and profiteroles topped off our meals.

As the Bistro is part of the Francophone Cultural Centre of Vancouver, some students took the opportunity to browse the French DVD’s, books and magazines. Madame vanHemert was thrilled to see students communicating in French not only with the waiter but with her and each other, and she was particularly pleased by comments from other diners that Brockton students were very polite and courteous. Merci beaucoup a tous et a toute!

Congratulations Badminton Players

The Brockton Badminton team had a great tournament on Monday. We participated in the GVISAA junior badminton championships and 4 out of six of our players made the semi-finals in their respective divisions. One of the players, Theresa went on to win her category with a record of 8-0. Congratulations to Max, Harley, Erik, Sara, Julika and Theresa who all participated in the event.

What a save!

The junior floor hockey team played in a tournament on Monday against three other schools from the lower mainland.


The team won two of their first 3 games quite convincingly with excellent leadership from their captain, Duncan. This placed them second in the round robin stage and meant that they would play their semi-final against Maple Ridge. This was to be the most exciting match of the whole tournament. Within the first five minutes we were 2 goals down; after half time Brockton scored two goals to equalize. The game ended in a 2-2 tie. The game was still a tie at the end of the overtime period. The winner would be decided through a penalty shootout! Alexander was in net. He saved his first six penalties, but unfortunately neither team scored any goals, resulting in a sudden death shoot out. Evan dribbled up to the opposition goalie and scored. Now it was all down to Alexander, the pressure was on. Their best player dribbled up to Alexander who stood tall and made an amazing save. We were in the final! Unfortunately we were beaten in the final by Hope, but the team should be extremely proud of their efforts. The team nominated Alexander as most valuable player, but acknowledged that they would not have made it to the final without Evan. Well done everyone!

Trash Bash 2008

To mark Earth Day, April 22nd, Grades K to 6 picked up garbage from the school grounds and nearby local community. Although most of the garbage was only small pieces of plastic wrapper we managed to fill several bags. To reduce the garbage for this event we used rubber and gardening gloves or tongs and grabbers, as well as reusing grocery bags and class room garbage bins. The students were enthusiastic about their task, especially as we were outside on a beautiful sunny day, and were amazed at how much garbage was out there. It also helped to remind us all to put our garbage in the proper place and not drop it on the ground.

Big Thank You!

Senior Ultimate

The senior ultimate team had a great competition this week at Mackin Park in Coquitlam. Thirteen of the senior students played against other independent schools from Greater Vancouver. We had a number of great games over the day and our team managed to win the Division III Championship game 8-7 in extra time against Waldorf. Well done to the players.

GVISAA Track & Field Meet

The entire senior school competed in the Greater Vancouver Independent School Athletic Association Championship Track and Field meet this past Wednesday. Every student competed in at least one event. Many students were in many events and challenged themselves to try new things that they had never done before. It was a cold and slightly breezy day, but our students performed very well and Max should be commended for making the final of the 100m event. Take a peek around the PE department for photos from the event.

The House the K's Built!

The Kindergarten class had a guest speaker, Hart, join us to share how homes are built and the tools that are used in building. We learned a lot from and had a ton of fun! We were also really surprised by what Hart brought with him - a wooden PLAYHOUSE made by him and Ethan for the class to build! What a wonderful learning experience! We had a fantastic time constructing the playhouse and have been enjoying playing in it since. Thank you so much, Ethan, Hart and Ursula, for your generous gift!

Provincial Gold

Flynn (grade 3) competed in the B.C. Provincial gymnastics competition last weekend in Kamloops. He performed extremely well against other gymnasts older than himself. At the end of the competition he was awarded the GOLD medal for the all around competition. This is a tremendous achievement; well done Flynn, we are extremely proud of your achievement!

Keats Outdoor School

Last week the Grade 4 and 5s were away at Keats Outdoor School.

'The hardest part was coming up Doom/Joy Hill. The best part was canoeing.' Leander

'The best part was when we went polar dipping, and this will sound silly, but the mariachi band (the wake up call) because I usually need someone to wake me up in the morning.' Rianette

'I learned that you should never pull a starfish hard from a rock.' Jinny

'I have learned that if you have a tire that has been used, reuse it and make a tire swing.' Lauren

'I have become a Green Star by being water friendly, GHGs are not a word in my house, toxins are bad.' Tyler

'The food was delicious and so tasty. Thanks for the great outdoor experience.' Aidan

Roots and Shoots

On Tuesday the grades 7, 8 and 9 students travelled to Science World to participate in the Roots and Shoots conference. The conference was hosted by the Jane Goodall Institute. The students worked with other students from the Lower Mainland to discuss issues important to them and to plan for action. Workshops included: school sustainability, environmental issues, climate change, and the size of your global footprint to name a few. The students will be encouraged to continue their participation in this organization in the coming months and take action in these important global issues.

PYP Exhibition

The Grade 5/6 class has been working very, very, very… hard on the PYP Exhibition. On Tuesday, the Senior students and Grade 1 came to see it and on Wednesday, Kindergarten, Grades 2, 3, 4, and parents came to see the work.



Danielle says it was, “scary at first, but fun.”



And Karina adds, “it was a good new experience. I was a little scared at first, but I ended up having a good time."



We will remember seeing each other’s work and especially Nick’s “explosive” attempt at a rocket.



Thank you to those who came to see our hard work on Immigration.

Brockton Science Fair

The Brockton Science Fair was a tremendous success this year. The Grade 7-9 students showcased their projects for nearly two hours. Over the two hours the students answered questions from the judges, as well as the student body and community at large. We had many excellent experiments to judge and the final decisions were very difficult to make. In the end, the Sir Isaac Newton Award was presented to Erik for his experiment with different wavelengths of light as he tried to determine if the wavelength would affect evaporation time of alcohol. Second place went to Theresa and Julika, who experimented with natural dyes; while third went to Anjali who compared absorption ability of natural and synthetic materials. Well done to all students who took part and thank-you to the many community members who came to view the projects.

Made In Canada World Premiere!

Performed last Friday evening, our Brockton School Play: Made in Canada was a big success! With about 150 in attendance, the grades 4, 5 and 6 cast outdid themselves and really shone on stage.

Thank you to all those who were involved in the play and to those who helped out and to everyone who supported our production. The students have definitely grown from their experience. In keeping with our PYP philosophy, the play was a wonderful opportunity to further develop the grades 4/5/6 units of inquiry. Be on the look out for the Made in Canada edited video (Thanks to Alan) at the grades 5/6 PYP exhibition in April. Congratulations to all.

Dr Sun Yat-Sen Gardens

The Grade 5/6 class went to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Gardens last Thursday. We got very lucky with the weather: the sun came out and showed the house, gardens, and ponds in a very beautiful way.

Stella said, “We went inside the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden. Ms. Claudette led us to the main room. She told us many stories…. I really liked the garden, especially since it was familiar to me. It was a good trip.” Dante agreed, “I didn’t have a favourite part of the trip because I loved it all.” Karina summed it up, “we learned about…feminine and masculine, how ancient Chinese houses were designed, and about immigration and [the] Head Tax.” Finally, Hannah said, “I LOVED IT! It was educational (not a word a child uses everyday, eh?) but it was still fun!”

We need to thank Karina and Sheila’s mums for coming along to help. The class was so well behaved the parents and I had very little to take care of! Well done!

Cross Country Ski Club

The cross country skiing was a resounding success with participants enjoying fabulous weather, amazing views and the thrill of going downhill and jumps in the terrain park. Everyone enjoyed the tailgate parties in the parking lot with hot chocolate compliments of “Mrs. D”.

Doubles Badminton Tournament

The senior school has just wrapped up the doubles badminton tournament. Each house had three teams competing for house points for their teams and after 6 weeks of competition the results have been totaled. Monashee is the big winner in the tournament, taking first and second place, while there was a three way tie for third. Congratulations to all the students that took part over the term and especially to Jonathan, Max and Julika who ended up in the top spots.

Whole School Inter House Event

All three houses competed in three cooperative challenges on Wednesday afternoon: finding the pathway in a grid, building a free standing tower from newspaper and spelling their house name in bodies.

The events were highly contested and final results are outlined below:

Tower : 1st - Tantalus, 2nd - Cheakamus, 3rd - Monashee
Name: Draw between all three houses
Pathway: 1st - Monashee, 2nd - Cheakamus, 3rd - Tantalus

Thank you to Tantalus house for organizing the event.

Jump Rope for Heart

This morning all of the PYP students began their day of community service by participating in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Jump Rope for Heart. All of the students competed in several inter-house challenges: the most people skipping on one rope at one time (Cheakamus 1st), the best trick (Tantalus & Cheakamus tied 1st) and the most jumps in 5 minutes (Cheakamus 1st). After an hours skipping there were certainly lots of red faces for all the hard work. Congratulations to everyone and particularly to the organizing committee. Don’t forget to bring in your donations by February 29th.

PYP Basketball Team Plays at UBC

The Junior Basketball team played against LGCA last Friday at UBC. Their defense was amazing which was reflected in Lions Gate’s inability to score any baskets. Congratulations to everyone who played, you are all superstars.

Manning Park Senior School Trip

Senior school students had their annual trip to Manning Park this past weekend. The students enjoyed a day of cross country skiing and a day of downhill. The snow was great and we even had time to play hockey.

Making Music with Groovy City

This year PYP students have been busy composing their own music in Brockton's IT lab using the Groovy City software.

Winter Fun Day