Hello Middle School Parents,
It has been a great week at Voyager Middle School. Along with it being a great week, it has been a fast week. It is hard to believe that next week will be the week before our Winter Break.
December 7, 2020 Town Hall Return-to-School Slide Presentation
Career Talk
Our 8th graders will enjoy another Career Talk, tomorrow, Friday, December 11. Our guest speaker is Mr. Joe Kelly, Director of Informatics at Duke.
If you are interested in being part of our Career Talks, please contact Mrs. Farrish, our counselor, and she will get you signed up. Our Talks are on Fridays from 8:30-9:00 with our 8th graders! tfarrish@voyageracademy.net
From Mrs. Harris:
On Wednesday, December 9th, Mrs. Harris's 8th graders took part in a Webinar sponsored by the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia. The topic of the Webinar was "Foundations of Our Democracy". Students were treated to scholarly instruction focused on Natural Rights, Popular Sovereignty, and Rule of Law. The Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address were cited as supporting documents for the discussion. This webinar supports the current 8th Grade PBL project titled "Dreams of Democracy: The Legacy of our Constitution". Students will continue to work on the project through the 3rd Quarter. Special thanks to Mrs. Johnson for sharing the opportunity!
MS Town Hall Follow-Up
Thanks to all of you who joined the Middle School Town Hall Meeting on Monday, December 7. There were a couple of questions needing further clarification and explanation. Mrs. Schollmeyer and I met with the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teams today, December 10. We will share parts of our conversations and decisions in the very near future so stay tuned that information is coming soon.
HYBRID PROCEDURES MANUAL: Attached is the Hybrid Procedures Manual for our January return. We are currently planning to begin our in-person instruction on January 19th. Cohort A will attend on the 19th. No students will be at school on Jan. 20th and then Cohort B will attend school on Jan. 21 and 22.
VAMS Safety Procedures: VAMS will work to provide the safest environment possible. Listed below are the safety procedures we have put into place:
Face coverings are required for all students, staff, and visitors.
Physical distancing signage and hand washing signage has been posted throughout the building.
Non-essential visitors will not be allowed to enter the building.
Parent meetings will be held virtually.
Teachers will model and teach frequent handwashing and how to use sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
Health screening questions and temperature checks will be conducted on each student before they are permitted to enter the school building. If a child has a temperature of 100.4 or above and/or does not pass the screening questions, the student will not be allowed to attend school. A staff member will follow-up with the students parent/guardian with more information about when they are able to return to school. Health screening will be conducted in the car line before the guardian leaves campus.
Substitute Teachers:
When we return to school in January we will be in need of substitute teachers to cover classes when we have a teacher or teachers who need to stay home for the day(s). If you are interested, please contact your building principal and the building principal will share the next steps!
Toy Drive: The first service project for our National Junior Honor Society is to collect toys that will be donated to the Durham Rescue Mission. They are in need of 15,000 toys. We might not be able to provide 15,000 toys but I know Voyager will provide lots to support children. Our NJHS members will create fliers and will also share their service project with the elementary school and high school. Toys may be placed in the plastic tubs at the FRONT OFFICE not at the back!!!!!! Be on the lookout for more info from our National Junior Honor Society members! You may drop off purchased toys on Dec. 14 and 15. Thanks for your support!
Gift Cards: Several of you have asked about The Giving Tree that the middle school usually has to support Voyager families. This year is quite different for all of us so rather than have tags on our Giving Tree for students to pick a tag to help others, we have decided that we will collect gift cards. No amount is too small. We are thinking that WalMart, grocery stores, and gas stations would be extremely helpful gift cards to share with families in need. Other gift cards are also welcomed! If you would like to participate in our Gift Card Drive, please drop them off at the front office. I will be at school Monday - Friday , December 14-18, from 8:00 - 4:00. You may also mail the gift cards to Voyager Middle School, 101 Hock Park, Durham, NC 27704.
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.teachermatch.org/applyteacherjob.do?jobId=485603
For more information contact the Operations Manager, Patrice Johnson at pjohnson@voyageracademy.net.
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. Apply to Student H Here
Substitute Teachers:
When we return to school in January we will be in need of substitute teachers to cover classes when we have a teacher or teachers who need to stay home for the day(s). If you are interested, please contact your building principal and the building principal will share the next steps!
Stay healthy and safe – Practice the 3 W’s: 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. Masks will need to be workworn except when eating lunch.
REMIND Text: Thanks to those of you who signed up!
4th Grade-In the“To” section of the text type 81010 and in the message type @6agbha.
5th Grade-In the“To” section of the text type 81010 and in the message type @eh9f6kb.
6th Grade -In the“To” section of the text type 81010 and in the message type @beeh8h.
7th Grade - In the“To” section of the text type 81010 and in the message type @cak43k.
8th Grade -In the”To” section of the text type 81010 and in the message type @8cg9ch
DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR:
As always, please email me at gjohnson@voyageracademy.net or call if you have questions, comments or concerns about anything.
Thanks,
Gwen
Gwen Johnson, MS Principal