CARIBOU, Maine — The Caribou Community School is on track to open on Nov. 9, following the Caribou Code Enforcement Office issuing a certificate of occupancy for the building.
Until Nov. 2, grades PreK-5 will continue attending the extended harvest help program, where they receive face-to-face instruction at various locations in the city, and grades 6-8 will continue remote learning.
There will be no classes for grades PreK-8 from Nov. 3 to Nov. 6 as staff move into the building, acclimate themselves with the new learning environment, and prepare for face-to-face learning.
RSU 39 Superintendent Tim Doak said the building will include over 100 staff, with 81 teachers and ed techs and an additional 20 support personnel. He said all staff will need to begin coordinating and preparing for COVID-19 procedures, practicing safety protocols, and organizing their classrooms in a brand-new building in the days leading up to the school’s opening.
“For some teachers and students,” he wrote, “this opening date will be the first time each has been able to be in a classroom together for almost eight months.”
Looking ahead, Doak said administrators will provide additional updates on public tours as well as important dates leading up to the state of in-person instruction at the new facility.
“I want to thank all school personnel,” Doak concluded, “especially teachers for their flexibility, bus driver/custodians for their Aroostook County work ethic, cooks and cafe workers for the hours of meal preparation and delivery, school administration for all the endless hours planning and organizing for this day, and most importantly, parents and families for the continued faith you have shown in all of us at RSU 39 during this very challenging time.”
