Crocuses are popping up around Victoria, the days are longer, and our students are matching the rejuvenating spring energy this week with their initiative and laughter. Undoubtedly the semester ending contributes to high spirits, also!

This weekend was a festive and social one for Winslow: Friday was a mix and mingle movie night hosted by Claire L. There was a wonderful turnout with a mix of different grades and houses. Saturday activity day involved a trip to a farmers market, a successful baking day, a movie out and arts and crafts. On Sunday, Koto and Claire H. (with help from many others) organized a bake sale to generate donations for Pheonix, a local organization that is providing support to the Ukraine. Finally, the week ended on a celebratory note as Winslow House hosted Chapel and led us through a number of adapted songs, which included our own rendition of “We Are Family”; “Set Fire to the Rain” by Iris and Charleze; a Winslow rap by Natasza, Taeeun and Ava; and a wonderful spoken piece by Emma.

We are so grateful to have such caring, funny, intelligent and committed students in our house!

… Have a wonderful break, Winslow. We hope you have a good rest and can’t wait to see you in April 🙂

What a week it has been! In addition to the usual hustle and bustle of daily life at SMUS and in Winslow House, this week has been all about special celebrations and achievements.

For starters, many of our boarders participated in the school’s presentation of Fiddler on the Roof this week, as well as an accompanying art show at the McPherson Playhouse. From working in props and the orchestra to performing on stage, the musical is always a massive team effort and a highlight of the year. We are so proud of the cast and crew for an incredible production!

We are also thrilled to welcome the newest member of our Winslow family, as Mr and Mrs Doland announce the birth of their son, Nash!

Next week is the last week of Term Four and then we head into Spring Break on March 17th. In the meantime, we are preparing to host a chapel on March 12th, as well as a bake sale and fundraiser for an organization supporting the people of Ukraine. There is no shortage of energy and excitement in the halls these days!

Winslow ended off the week with a break from our academics to show off our many talents at House Games! While part of team Winslow took on the other houses in a thrilling game of floor hockey, others showcased their acting and drawing skills in a Charades and Pictionary showdown. The competition was fierce and laughter filled the air!

Photos from our Floor Hockey Frenzy!

Pictures from Charades and Pictionary!

To end the day, we gathered in the common room for a house meeting to discuss important updates and plans for the upcoming week, our Hawaiian themed house dinner, our service initiatives, house chapel, and more. The Who am I? Kahoot was an especially exciting way to finish off the evening!

We are so grateful for the amazing students who make our community such a special place to be. We can’t wait to see what the next week holds!

This week was a big week with exams for the Seniors and Outdoor Ed days for the Juniors. Many of our Juniors headed up to Mt. Washington for a day of skiing, while others stayed local and did activities around campus.

This weekend there were some fun-filled activities, including felt needling, swimming, a board game cafe, coffee roasting, and an IMAX movie.

It’s a rainy low key Sunday and most boarders are getting prepped for the week ahead or out participating at the Rowing Regatta.

It’s been another busy week with senior students prepping for upcoming AP midterms, grade eights heading to Mt Washington for a day of skiing/snowboarding, and lots of food and festivities to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

We’re also starting to see the first hints of spring; the days are getting longer, the sun is feeling warmer, and the crocuses and daffodils are starting to peek out of the ground. It’s a beautiful time of year to be living in Victoria, BC!

We had another great week here at Winslow House. On Saturday the whole house did an outdoor ice skating activity and Sunday was another action packed house games.

We had a weekend full of festive community events. Friday kicked off with our Christmas Tree decorating challenge and then we were off to Butchart Gardens for the light festival there on Saturday. It was a full building event with Barnacle House. Sunday was our Boarding Christmas Dinner and then a secret Santa gift exchange amongst the Winslow Family.

The new term kicks off tomorrow and we hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

It has been a dynamic couple of weeks here at SMUS as we honoured Remembrance Day, enjoyed a long weekend, and participated in lots of activities on campus, around Victoria, and even farther afield! Some boarders took a trip to Seattle, others went on a university tour of schools in Ontario, and everyone took part in our third House Games of the year. In addition to all the fun and games, folks have been working hard in their courses as term two comes to a close, rehearsing for a very unique production of Hamlet, competing in various tournaments and championships, and putting the finishing touches on college applications.

With only four weeks left to go before a nice, long winter break, spirits are running high and the countdown is definitely ON!

We also said so long to one of our lovely house parents, Carol Adamson, who has been covering a maternity leave since the beginning of the year. We are thankful that we’ll still get to see her on campus, but we’ll definitely miss her abundance positive energy and enthusiasm in Winslow House. Thank you, Ms Adamson!

Hello! 

It’s been a busy start to term 2 to say the least, hence why you didn’t hear from us on the blog last weekend! Wow, everyone has hit the ground running for this new term and there has been a lot going on around the house these last two weeks. 

The Junior B volleyball team won their Bumpkin Pumpkin tournament. Nice work!! Saturday was a full day first with activities that included Quest Reality games escape room, a walk to Pelicana restaurant for some food, visiting the annual Goldstream salmon run, a trip to Galey farms, and yoga. The day finished off with a very spooooky haunted house with lots of great scares and decorations by our very own Charlize, Taeeun, and Fay. 

This week began with an epic Halloween parade during our Monday assembly. Some house highlights for costumes included: Natasza as a beautiful corpse bride, Claire as a fantastic teletubby, Ava as the legendary Drake, Amelie and Juliet in cozy moose costumes, Renata and Sihara as Disney princesses Snow White and Belle, and not one, not two but THREE Adam Sandlers from Ella, Ilona and Charlize. In the early evening, students trick or treated in Bolton house. 

Howlapalooza (open mic) was a great end to the night. Renata was amazing on the drums, Natasza and Micolaj did Polish rapping, and Ella and Claire performed a great rendition of Ice Ice Baby. 

What a week for our senior field hockey team! On Friday this week, in the cold wind and rain, the team played in their final championship game. SMUS counter attacked with two minutes remaining on the clock, which resulted in an equalizing goal to send the game to penalty shots. In the shootout the SMUS players were cool, calm and collected and came out the victors and thus became the provincial champions for the first time in thirty years! What a legacy for this team to leave behind. Well done! 

Saturday activities this week offered up a great variety of options that included: ice skating, card making, billiards, flying squirrel, trivia, laser tag, and yoga. 

Lots more coming up in the next few weeks! Stay tuned 🙂