Dear VAMS Families,
Wow, school is out for the summer! We had a terrific year at the middle school. I am so proud of all of our students. Not only did we strive to increase in the area of academics as we pushed our students to excel, we also continued our focus on our Core Values. We provided our students many opportunities to support others by helping the students of Pender County, collecting items for the children of Duke Hospital, and helping one of our families. These are just a few of our total school activities. Our students had socials, a semi-formal, guest speakers, and ended the year with Shaved Ice.
Parents, thank you so much for the continued support you have provided Voyager Middle School. Our job is much easier because of all of the help and support you provide. Not a day goes by without a parent or grandparent in our building helping our teachers.
I hope all of you have a terrific summer! Be safe as you travel! Enjoy quality time with your children as they are “simply the best!”
Our teachers are in the process of creating supply lists for next year. Once the lists are completed, the lists will be on the Voyager website. We will also post some suggested readings for the summer. We hope to have both on the website by the end of next week.
We should also have our 2019-2020 Open House/Pick Up Schedules information for you in the very near future. Stay tuned!
Math Update
Many of you are aware that we will not receive our math scores until later in the summer. We will receive reading scores, hopefully, next week. If not, I feel confident we will receive the following week. I have included a letter from Mrs. Howell, our testing coordinator, providing you with more information regarding the math scores.
Dear Parent/Guardian:
The new mathematics North Carolina Standard Course of Study and Extended Content Standards adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE) in 2016 and 2017 are being taught for the first time this year in classrooms throughout North Carolina. As such, new Mathematics (End-of-Grade (EOG)/NCEXTEND1) tests aligned to these standards will be administered for the first time in spring 2019.
The first priority when implementing new tests is to ensure the results of the test scores are valid and reliable. When new tests are administered for the first time, student scores are delayed while the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) processes the test data and completes all necessary analyses. These processes and analyses will take place during summer 2019. Due to the necessity of this critical process, in 2018–19 students will not receive their test scores at the completion of the test administration. Instead, the scores for these tests will be delayed until August 2019. With results from the new tests being delayed, schools will use the results from other available student information to assign final grades and/or make placement decisions. Once the SBE has approved the scores (achievement levels) in August 2019, schools will provide parents with each student’s score and Individual Student Report.
We appreciate your understanding as we move into this next generation of tests and work toward providing the most accurate information possible concerning student performance on (EOG/NCEXTEND1) tests. If you have questions or concerns about the delay of your child’s test scores, assignment of grades, or placement decisions, you may contact me at lhowell@voyageracademy.net or contact your child’s principal.
Sincerely, Laura Howell
Voyager Academy
K-12 Testing Coordinator
Enjoy the summer,
Gwen
Gwen Johnson, Principal