Dear Voyager Community,
Thank you to all the families and staff that joined the school level Town Hall meetings to discuss our Hybrid Reopening Plans. We appreciated hearing all of your questions and support as we continue to navigate the journey ahead this year. We all understand there is apprehension, but we believe Voyager is prepared to take the next step to move forward safely with the hybrid model on January 19, 2021. There will be an asynchronous learning day and a teacher workday on January 15, 2021 to allow additional time for teachers to fully set up their classrooms. Please know that we will continuously monitor all the data and metrics and assess whether we need to pivot to another plan. Given the uncertainty this year it is important that all families are prepared and remain flexible should we need to pivot to another phase in order to ensure a safe learning environment for all. Presentations from the Town Halls are linked below the newsletter for families that were not able to attend. Scheduling questions should be directed to the building principals.
During the Town Hall meetings we discussed the importance of better measuring our Voyager specific COVID related metrics to improve our decision making about school reopening plans. Through our collaboration with Duke and Greenlight Ed we have access to a health screening app that will provide another measure utilized to support our reopening decision process. The ability to monitor the staff and students that have become positive or are under quarantine will assist us with determining if we need to pivot to remote learning or if can continue to stay the course with our reopening plans for January 19, 2021. Voyager staff have already registered and are participating. We need all families to join as well so that we can complete our health screening process efficiently and measure the reopening readiness for the Voyager community. Additional information about the Greenlight app can be found in the K-12 Town Hall presentation below.
Please set up your Greenlight account today and complete the survey daily for each child even while your children are learning remotely. We will use this data and input to ensure we are ready for reopening safely. The links to set up your account are below.
ACTION NEEDED: Directions and links to set up your Greenlight Account
Setting up your account is simple. Select the link below and enter the email address you use to receive Voyager newsletters. Families with multiple children can select any school their children attend. Once your account is set up you will see all of your children associated with your account and be able to complete the daily health screening for each of them. After you complete your first survey you will see the Greenlight pass cleared indication. We will have students select that option to show the larger pass during car line for screening along with their temperature check. Each student will be able to show their Greenlight pass to ensure they are healthy and can attend school. The app also provides support for families that need access to health care, testing, or additional community resources. Please select the link below to set up your family account now.
Elementary School - activate account here: https://glit.me/go/
Middle School- activate account here: https://glit.me/go/
High School - activate account here: https://glit.me/go/
Account set up questions should be directed to help@greenlightready.com
The app is not yet in the app store so you can't just download it at this time. The developer is currently waiting for approval from Apple. Once you set up your account you can send the link https://app.greenlightready.
For iPhone users:
https://www.macrumors.com/how-
For Android users:
https://www.howtogeek.com/
Thank you for partnering with us to ensure we monitor our health for the safe return to school for all. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Questions regarding setting up your account should be directed to help@greenlightready.com. Once your account is set up you can also use their chat feature for assistance.
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. Check out the Biogen MIT Speaker series also listed below. Have a wonderful weekend!
All the best,
Upcoming Calendar Events:
Dec 14- 18 - Final Exams
Dec. 14-18 Elementary Gift Card Drive
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
Jan. 2 - HS Basketball Tryouts
Jan. 4 - Remote Learning Day - Teacher Workday
Jan 15 - Remote Learning Day - Teacher Workday
Jan 18 - Martin Luther King Day
Jan 19 - Hybrid Reopening - Cohort A start
Jan 21 - Hybrid Reopening = Cohort B start
Jan 28 - EC 8th Grade HS Transition Night - 6 pm
Jan 28 - Board Meeting
December Town Hall Resources
K-12 Town Hall Presentation Dec 2020
Elementary Hybrid Plan Presentation
Voyager Academy Hybrid Operations and Procedures
Biogen and MIT Speaker Series for HS and MS Students
Biogen and the Lemelson-MIT group are proud to introduce the BIOGEN COMMUNITY LAB: SPEAKER SERIES THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH
Please join on the third Wednesday of each month from 4pm – 5pm EST as we present a brand new, free virtual speaker series! Each session will host a different professional within the biotechnology community to discuss topics such as inventions, innovation and much more.
December 16th 4PM to 5PM EST The Next Frontier in Biomarkers, Imaging & Neuroscience!
Register Here: https://mit.zoom.us/
Biogen’s Vice President & Head, Biomarkers Center of Excellence, John Beaver
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.
StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit (K-12)
Durham Public Health COVID Dashboard
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
Contact Patrice Johnson – pjohnson@voyageracadmy.net for details
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.