Captain Meares Elementary Secondary School

09/14/2026

09/14/2026

This Week at CMESS — September 14–18

Welcome back, everyone! Here's what's happening:

🕗 Daily Start Times
Classes begin at 8:40 a.m. each day. The kitchen opens at 8:00 a.m. for breakfast — all students are welcome to come in and eat before the bell.

📁 Blue Folders
Please return Blue Folders as soon as possible — we need signed waivers and updated family information on file for every student. Quick check: emergency contacts, phone numbers, and current address.

🚐 Tofino Permission Slips — Due Monday (Gr. 10–12)
Slips must be in by Monday, September 14 so we can finalize arrangements before Saturday's departure. If a slip doesn't come in by Monday, we can't take the student on the trip.

🏐 Volleyball Starts Tuesday
Practices run Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30–5:00 p.m., starting Tuesday, September 15. Players need indoor shoes and gym clothes, and should be picked up at 5:00.

🍔 Welcome Back BBQ — Friday at Noon
Join us Friday, September 18 at noon. Families are warmly invited — come eat with us and say hello to the staff.

📞 Reporting an Absence
If your child will be away or late, please call or message the school in the morning. It helps us account for every student quickly.

👟 Indoor Shoes
All students need a pair of indoor shoes to keep at school — it keeps our floors clean and our gym safe.

🚲 Helmets and E-Bikes
Helmets are required by law for all cyclists in B.C., at every age — please make sure your child is wearing one. Under provincial rules, students must be 16 or older to ride a standard e-bike, and 14 or older to ride a light e-bike. Riders under 16 also can't carry a passenger.

09/11/2026

SD 84’s Nootka Sound Outdoor Program & Vancouver Island West International Program has already begun its outdoor explorations for this school year! CMESS Secondary students had such a great afternoon snorkeling with salmon (and shared salmon lovers 🐻) on the Conuma yesterday afternoon!

09/11/2026

Happy Friday! Today is a School Not-In-Session day. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

09/09/2026

September's Lunch Menu! ✨ We're serving up tasty favorites, fresh fruits & veggies, and plenty of fuel to keep our students learning strong all September long.

09/05/2026

Happy September everyone!

09/05/2026

Nominations for SD84 school trustee close at 4:00 pm on September 11, 2026 — one week left.

Open seats: two in Electoral Area 1 (Gold River), one in Area 2 (Tahsis), one in Area 3 (Zeballos), and one in Area 4 (Kyuquot).

Nomination packages are available at the Gold River, Tahsis, and Zeballos Village Offices, at the School Board Office and Kyuquot Elementary Secondary School for Area 4, and at https://sd84.bc.ca/trustee-elections/

One detail to plan around: the candidate declaration must be witnessed — by a lawyer or notary public if you're submitting by mail, fax, or email, or by the Chief Election Officer or designate if you're submitting in person.

Questions? Gillian Leask, SD84 Chief Election Officer, at 250-283-2241. Full details in the notice below.

Vancouver Island West School District 84. SD 84 serves schools in Gold River, Tahsis, Zeballos & Kyuquot including Tsawalk Learning Centre.

09/03/2026

Welcome back, CMESS families! 🌲

Our first day of the 2026–27 school year is Tuesday, September 8 — and it's a half day, with dismissal at 12:00 PM.

Tuesday, September 8
🕣 8:30 AM — School opens, breakfast available
🕘 9:00 AM — Morning Meeting in the gymnasium. All students and families are welcome — please join us.
🕤 9:30 AM — Classes begin
☕ 10:30–10:45 AM — Recess
🕛 12:00 PM — Dismissal

Please note there is no lunch served on the first day, as students go home at noon.

Wednesday, September 9 is our first full day, and regular hours begin: doors and first bell at 8:40 AM, lunch 12:00–12:45, dismissal at 3:05 PM for Elementary and 3:17 PM for Secondary.

School supplies — we've got it covered ✏️
CMESS provides all classroom supplies for 2026–27. There is no supply list to shop for. Students only need to bring:

Indoor shoes
Gym strip
Water bottle
Backpack

This year our students are organized into three cohorts — Primary (K–4), Middle (5–8), and Secondary (9–12) — so that programming and supports fit where learners actually are.

Questions before Tuesday? Call the office at (250) 934-6305 or email [email protected].

We can't wait to welcome our students and families back. See you September 8!

08/29/2026

And here we are at the end of August! Our office opens Monday, August 31st for new registrations, and students and families can get caught up for back to school by checking out our website! The countdown to back to school is on. We are looking forward to welcoming back students and staff on Tuesday, September 8th.

Captain Meares Elementary Secondary School Tahsis, BC. Vancouver Island West School District 84, BC.