Dear Voyager Community,
Happy Friday!! What a busy week on campus and at home learning and growing together. Thank you to all the parents that attended our Elementary School Town Hall on Wednesday evening to discuss our Hybrid Reopening plans for January. Please remember that the Middle School and High School Town Halls will be held next week on Monday and Tuesday. Links to the zoom events are posted below and on the VA parent calendar.
The Hybrid Reopening Plans were reviewed and discussed at the Board meeting last night. Listed below are the key highlights from the Board meeting for your information.
- Board approved the Hybrid Reopening plan to begin in-person instruction on 1/19/21
- Remote learning will continue through 1/15/21
- Board approved using 1/15/21 as an asynchronous remote learning day for students and a teacher work day to allow staff to set up classrooms and prepare for the transition back
- Board approved the Hybrid Operations and Procedures Manual
- Board approved the agreements with Duke and Greenlight app for health screening
- Board approved Melvin Scott as new head basketball coach
I know that many of you are excited for us to return to campus under our Phase II Hybrid Plan. I also understand that some of you may have concerns about the return to in-person instruction in January. Our team will also continue to support our families that have chosen for their children to learn remotely for the remainder of the year. Please know that the health and safety of our staff and students remains our top priority.
We have learned a great deal from the experience of others and the science behind how we can protect ourselves and safely reopen schools. The partnership we have with the Duke ABC Science Collaborative, other charter school leaders, and the public health departments have provided additional insight to support our recommendation to move to the Hybrid Plan in January. Many of our students are struggling academically, socially, and emotionally with remote learning. We are striving to balance the safety needs of our community with the academic, social and emotional well-being needed for successful long term educational outcomes.
These are difficult decisions and I believe we are fully prepared to safely move to phase II with all recommended safety precautions in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We need the support of our entire community to implement our plans successfully and reinforce the adherence to the 3W’s, wear a mask, wash hands frequently, and wait to allow for social distancing. These measures will support our mitigation efforts and protect the health of our school community.
We are also partnering with Duke and Greenlight Ed to help us conduct daily health screenings of our staff and students to gain additional data on the readiness of our Voyager community. This app will also provide community resources for our families to assist with testing sites, health professionals, and COVID-19 community resources. The staff have launched the pilot of this initiative this week. We will be sharing additional information about Greenlight with families in the near future.
Please be assured that we will continue to monitor all data as it gets closer to reopening. We will update the board, and our school community if our recommendation changes. Voyager will adhere to all CDC and NCDHHS guidelines to ensure the safety for all. These guidelines are continuously updated as the science and experience evolves and we are updating our procedures as needed to ensure alignment with all updates.
Your ongoing partnership is greatly appreciated as we continue to navigate the journey ahead. We are very grateful for our supportive families and dedicated staff. A special thank you to our board for their service and support, and to Mrs. Brennen for inspiring our 8th graders during a career talk this morning.
Please know that we are all here to support your child grow, learn, and find their passion. Feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher, building administrator, or student support if we can assist your family in any way. Please review the upcoming dates and information below for additional resources. Have a wonderful weekend!
All the best,
Upcoming Calendar Events:
Dec. 7 - Middle School Town Hall - Reopening Plans Hybrid Model - 5 pm
Dec. 8 - High School Town Hall - Reopening Plans Hybrid Model - 5 pm
Dec. 9 - Diversity Training - Staff PD 8:30 - 10:30
Dec. 10 - Wacky Tacky Dance Party K-12
Dec. 11 -Winter Virtual Assembly (elementary)
Dec. 11 - Career Talk, 8th, Joe Kelly, 8:30, Dir. of Informatics/Duke
Dec 14- 18 - Final Exams
Dec 14 -15 Middle School Toy Drive
Dec 18 Middle School Assembly
Dec.18- Early Dismissal, ES -11:15, MS-11:45, HS -12:15
Reopening Plans – Hybrid Model Town Hall Meetings
Stay healthy and safe – Practice the 3 W’s
Staying current on all of the health metrics and data is also part of our ongoing process. As we work together to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, please remind your children about the importance of the 3 W’s (Wear, Wait, & Wash). Wear a mask, practice social distancing by waiting and maintaining a 6-foot space between others, and wash hands frequently to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Outlined below are some helpful links and resources if you are interested in learning more about the latest data and recommendations.
K-12 Public Health Guidance Updates
Durham Public Health COVID Dashboard
Student Support
Wacky Tacky Dance Party
Time: Dec 10, 2020 - 3:45 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/98215323832?
Meeting ID: 982 1532 3832
Passcode: Hd51Ls
Please contact your school counselor for more details.
Toy Drive
The National Junior Honor Society at the Middle School is sponsoring a Toy Drive to help support the Durham Rescue Mission. The Durham Rescue Mission is in need of 15,000 toys for children this year.
If you would like to participate in the Toy Drive, you may drop off new, unwrapped toys outside of the glass doors at the Middle School. Staff will ensure all toys are brought inside the building.
We will be collecting toys on December 14 and 15 between 9:00-3:00. Toys will be delivered to the Rescue Mission on December 16.
If you have any questions, please contact Melodie Green (mgreen@voyageracademy.net) or Andrea Weber (aweber@voyageracademy.net)
Before and After Care – Now Hiring
Voyager Academy is seeking enthusiastic positive role models to fill open positions in the Before and After school programs for grades K-8. The part-time shifts are Monday-Friday 6:30am-8:30am & 3:00pm-6:00pm beginning mid January 2021. Applicants must be 18years old. You can apply online at https://nc.
For more information contact the Operations Manager, Patrice Johnson at pjohnson@voyageracademy.net
Food and Nutrition Support for Families
Important Update: Food and nutrition support for families in need has been extended through June. From now until June 30, 2021, Durham County Public Schools will provide free meals to all children aged 18 and under. Drive-through pick up of meals is available weekly from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. Pick-up sites are listed here and below. No ID is required to pick up the meals. If you are unable to pick up at the designated time, click here to obtain information on how to have meals delivered to your home.
The students services team has compiled an additional list of resources which can be found here.
Community Partnership with Kate’s Korner for K-5
Kate’s Korner will provide a supervised remote learning space for Voyager Academy Elementary (Kindergarten-3rd grades) and Middle School (4th & 5th grade) students to complete their school work while Voyager is operating in a remote learning environment and parents are working. Additional information regarding Kate’s Korner can be found on their website https://www.kateskornerdurham.
Community Partnership with Student U for Grades 6-12
Student U will provide a supervised remote learning space for families of Voyager Academy Middle School and High School students to complete their Voyager school work in a safe supervised learning center while Voyager is operating in a remote learning environment and parents are working. This community partnership will support struggling Voyager families in need of free child care while they are working during the remote learning environment. Applications for the learning center will be prioritized by Student U for families that qualify for free or reduced lunch, have parents that are essential workers, or have become recently unemployed, are experiencing homelessness, are part of the foster care system, or live in public housing.