Our code of conduct
ROOTED | GROWING | CONNECTED
Our Code is organized around three ideas. They are not rules. They are how we think about who we are and how we live and learn together at CMESS. Every student, family member, and staff member holds all three.
ROOTED
In who we are — our families, cultures, and identities, and in this place.
Safety, identity, and belonging. The Code starts here because nothing else works if students do not feel safe to be themselves.
GROWING
Through what we learn, the mistakes we make, and the people we are becoming.
Learning, effort, and repair. Mistakes are part of becoming who we will be — so is making things right when we cause harm.
CONNECTED
To each other, to the land, and to the wider community we belong to.
How we treat each other — in person and online, when adults are watching and when they are not.
How we respond when something goes wrong
Our first move is almost always restorative — a conversation about what happened, who was affected, and what is needed to make things right. Restorative does not mean soft. It means starting with understanding rather than starting with punishment.
Telling is not snitching
If something doesn’t feel right, you don’t have to be sure and you don’t have to do it alone. Here are three ways to raise a concern.
1
Tell a trusted adult. Your teacher, an EA, the Principal, an Indigenous Support Worker, a visiting Elder, or any adult you trust. You can ask to talk in private.
2
Use the office phone — 250-934-6305. Call home any time during the school day if you’re worried about yourself, a friend, or a situation. This doesn’t count against the phone rule.
3
Use ERASE. A confidential online reporting tool — you don’t have to give your name. Reports go to our District Safe School Coordinator, Ben Anderson, who follows up.
erase.gov.bc.ca
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Don’t wait for an ERASE report or an adult to come find you. 911 is faster and free.
