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Principal's Message from Anne Gillespie
Taken from November 2008 edition of The Brookfielder

Congratulations to our staff and students for a wonderful start to our 2008/2009 academic years. September and October certainly are months where a lot of energy are required by both staff and students as our many clubs, teams and bands get up and running. I am amazed with the variety of events that occur on a daily basis at our school. Congratulations to all the students for getting involved at Brookfield and to the many staff who spend countless hours in extra-curricular activities with our students. We are noticing a marked increase in the number of students joining clubs, trying out for teams and showing school spirit. I’m also very happy to say that the number of parents joining us on the first Wednesday or each month at 7pm in the Library for School Council, has also increased. Well done!.

One of our initiatives this year has been the introduction of our LINK program that links senior students with in-coming grade nine students. It involves social events but more importantly stresses the importance of keeping focused on academics. Our LINK leaders are able to share their experiences and suggestions with our grade nines all in hopes of higher academic achievement and greater extracurricular involvement.

We held our annual Awards Assembly on October 29th to honour academic excellence from the 2007-2008 school year. Well over 100 students were congratulated and celebrated for their hard work. Our Outdoor Education students have completed both a canoe trip and a bike trip this fall and many of our students have attended field trips that have taken them outside the walls of Brookfield. A few highlights of our first few months include seeing our personal fitness students running in the “Rattle-Me-Bones” 10K run for the General Hospital; our Long Walk to Freedom in support of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund; our Terry Fox Run; the many choir activities; hosting two Governor General Award winners in Commemoration of the Persons Case; hearing that we were awarded the $10,000 MusicCan grant for new instruments and learning that 12 of our June 2008 graduates were awarded the Queen Elizabeth II “Aiming for the Top Scholarship”.

Ms. Preston’s grade 12 Drama class is to be congratulated for their wonderful Remembrance Day assembly on November 11th. The significance of this annual event and the hard work that goes into it shows the great respect we all hold for our veterans and those living in war torn countries. We were very proud of our students both on the stage and in the audience.

We have had two very full professional development days this fall that have enabled us as a staff to gather and reflect on good teaching practices all centered on assessment and evaluation of students. The opportunity to talk and share our strategies for improving student success is essential if we are to move our students along towards graduation. The active partnership of home and school will serve to benefit all involved. Please do not hesitate to contact our teachers.

Raising young adults in this fast paced time is certainly challenging but very fulfilling. It does indeed take all of us – you the parents and guardians, our custodial staff, our office staff, our teaching staff, our Vice-Principals and I, working together. We are a committed group, all of us, and what could be more important than raising the next generation of Canadians? Thank you for your support and let us focus on a great finish to this first semester. To those of you in the graduating class of 2008/09 we know from talking with many of you, how fast this last year of yours is going. Make a difference. Leave Your Mark on your school, show your character and make Brookfield a better place because you are in it.