Although daily attendance is expected for students and staff, anyone experiencing or displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19 is expected to stay home. If you will not be attending school please notify us by calling 493-4240 or contacting the RSU 39 School Nurses' Office.
In order for all of us to stay healthy, it will be important to stay home when we are not feeling well. Please refer to our At-Home Screening Tool guide for the symptoms to be looking for with your child.
Additional information about COVID-19 symptoms can be found under the Health & Safety tab on this webpage.
WALKING AND PERSONAL VEHICLE TRANSPORT
Parent drop-off will occur near the main entrance of Caribou Community School (CCS).
Students will be escorted to a designated entrance where their temperature will be taken and their hands will be sanitized before moving to their classroom. If desired, students will receive their breakfast to bring to their classroom for consumption.
Arrival Time: First and foremost, the earliest arrival time for students walking or who are dropped off at CCS is at 7:40 AM as our school day begins at 8:10 AM. It is our goal to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for all and your help with observing the student drop-off time is necessary to ensure proper supervision is in place for all of our arriving students.
Parent Loop: To access the parent loop you will want to enter CCS from Bennett Drive. Once you enter the school driveway off Bennett Drive you will want to stay to the right as this is the parent drop-off loop. A left turn will bring you into the parking lot. Once in the parent loop, please proceed to the student drop-off school entrance. A designated student drop-off will be clearly marked and a CCS staff will be stationed here to escort students into the school. Parents are asked to stay in their car during student drop-off as many parents are planning on driving their child to school. See the Parent Drop Off Loop link below for a view of the Parent Loop
PreK-2 students will enter CCS at Door 1
Grades 3-5 students will enter CCS at Door 2
Grades 6-8 students will enter CCS at Door 3
Please pull up to the curb on the right at any open parking spots along the loop allowing a flow of traffic on the left side. Dropping students off on the left side of the parent loop in the passing lane will quickly back up traffic and can create a potentially unsafe situation. All students will exit the car on the school side or the passenger’s side of the vehicle. This will prevent students from being near the traffic that will be moving on the driver’s side of your car. Please have your child ready to exit the vehicle upon entering a parking spot to keep the flow of traffic moving. Waiting for a parking spot next to your child’s entry door will slow traffic, please use the closest open parking space for student drop-off and pick-up. After dropping off your child(ren), proceed to the end of the parent loop that exits out on Glenn Street.
Some parents/guardians are more comfortable pulling into the main parking lot, parking their car, and then walking their child/children to the door. This option is welcomed, but please use a parking space to prevent blocking another vehicle's movement.
RSU 39 SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION
Students that ride the RSU 39 School buses or vans will need to follow established transportation guidelines and protocols in order to be transported in RSU 39 transportation vehicles.
As of March 7th, 2022, wearing a mask on the school bus is optional.
Students will follow current COVID-19 guidelines outlined by the transportation director and the driver of the bus when it comes to social distancing.
It is encouraged that students who are not family members should maintain a minimum of 3 feet of physical distance while in the aisle or on the steps of the bus.
Please refer to the RSU 39 Transportation video for more information when COVID-19 guidelines if/when COVID-19 transportation protocols are required to return.
RSU 39 Transportation Video - When social distancing must be enforced due to COVID-19
The following protocols will be used when attending Caribou Community School during the COVID-19 pandemic. These protocols/practices may be adjusted during the school year based on new guidance from the Maine CDC, the Maine DOE, the Maine governor, and enacted upon by the superintendent, or the RSU Board of Education:
CCS will follow spacing and masking guidelines in accordance with the latest guidance from the Maine CDC, Maine DOE, and RSU 39 School Board
As of February 2022, CCS will no longer take part in contact tracing. If contact tracing resumes, teachers will need to keep an accurate seating record for their students that can be accessed at any time by the administration and the nursing staff to perform contact tracing.
In the classroom, unless guidance changes, CCS teachers will do their best to seat students 3 feet or more from neighboring students.
Moving throughout the hallway, CCS will practice single file walking with approximately 3 feet or more between students where possible. Stanchions and traffic flow stickers will be used throughout the building to help guide movement.
Learning outside is encouraged and 4 sets of bleachers will be set up for outdoor learning across the campus.
As of March 7, 2022, masking in RSU 39 is optional for students and staff. When masks are mandatory, the CCS staff will create scheduled times for needed mask breaks throughout the day. Each teacher will also have a plan for students to take unscheduled mask breaks when needed by the individual.
CCS has several water fountains located throughout the building with water bottle fill-up stations. As of March 7, 2022, the handheld water fountains will become operational as it was not accessible during COVID protocols. Students and staff are still encouraged to bring a water bottle daily to stay hydrated. (CCS Water bottles have been purchased for the 2021-22 school year and are available in the office for those students or staff who do not have one)
Lunch
Students in K to 5 will sit with their homerooms. Quiet conversations are allowed during lunch.
Students in 6-8 will be allowed to sit where they choose. Once a student selects a seat, they must stay in this seat throughout the duration of the lunch unless directed differently by the duty personnel.
Students in 6-8th grade who choose not to follow established lunch protocols may be assigned a seat by the duty aide.
Recess
Grade levels have been assigned recess times and playground locations.
Caribou Community School Schedule
Student arrival - 7:40-8:10
Student Dismissal:- 2:30-2:48