NEWS FROM ELEMENTARY: Happy New Year from Voyager Academy. The following announcements will be helpful for you and your family for the week of January 16-20.
MLK JR. DAY: In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, school will be closed on Monday, Jan. 16th. This is set aside as a day of service. We hope you and your family are able to serve your community in some way on January 16th.
PARENT TO PARENT NEWS: Hi VAES parents,
My name is Kelly Sitton and I've helped organize the Elementary School staff luncheons with a hospitality team. We've had very successful lunches for the employees so far this year -- because of YOU and your generous donations. Please know how much the staff and hospitality team appreciate your dedicated participation. We whole-heartedly thank you, and want to give you a few updates!
Some of you have donated funds towards the cause, which have been helpful in buying last-minute items for the lunches. We've used this money wisely, and as extra funds accrued through the semester, the hospitality team was able to surprise teachers with a fun Gift Card Raffle at the December luncheon! We purchased small gift cards to places such as Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts & Panera. Staff members entered the raffle at lunch, and Principal Manning drew names from the raffle bowl during a school-wide assembly. It was a lot of fun for the students to cheer for their teachers and participate in this gift-giving event! Your donations made this possible.
You may have noticed that we did not create a Sign-Up Genius this month for a VAES January Luncheon. Having just returned to school after the holidays, we decided to hold-off on doing a large luncheon. Instead, we plan to stock the staff/teacher lounge with snacks and drinks! We feel this is a simple, yet still meaningful, way to love on our staff for January. If you're interested in helping, please check out the link below.https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508054AACAB29A5FF2-vaes6
Otherwise, the Hospitality team looks forward to Staff Appreciation week next month, February 6th - 10th. We will definitely need your help for the February Staff Luncheon, held at the end of that week, so keep an eye out for a sign-up genius at the end of January!
100TH DAY OF SCHOOL: Can you believe it? Voyager students will have been in school for 100 days on January 26th. WE ARE PLANNING TO CELEBRATE THIS BIG EVENT ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 27TH. Be on the lookout for the creative ways we will celebrate the success of our students.
SUPER BOWL FRIDAY IS COMING TO VOYAGER ELEMENTARY ON FEBRUARY 10.
SECOND QUARTER ACCOLADES PUBLISHED: Voyager seeks to honor students as often as possible. At the end of each quarter, Voyager Academy publishes a list of STUDENT ACCOLADES. The honorees selected for the 2nd grading period will be published the weekend of January 11th. We are so proud of all of our students. Thank you for striving for excellence and for working so hard.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
Listed below are some important dates for the month of January:
January 16: School Closed in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Week of Jan. 24: 3rd grade will complete NC Math Check-Ins
Jan. 24-25: 2nd grade will complete mid-year math assessment
Week of Feb. 6: 2nd grade and kindergarten will complete mid-year math assessment
VOYAGER IS INTO SERVICE: Did you know that "one in three families face the daily crisis of diaper need" (NC Diaper Bank.org)? Come out for an hour-and-a-half of volunteerism and service to assist and show support for the Diaper Bank of NC and its beneficiaries! It's easy! It's fun! And it makes a difference for those in need! Our next event is Monday, January 16th from 9-10:30a. Sign-up at: https://x.gldn.io/e/hfSgEoGhXrb
AED TRAINING: Parents, I thought it was important to make sure every Voyager family understands that each building at Voyager is equipped with an AED machine. Each building also has an emergency response team where all members of the team have been trained in how to use an AED. On Wednesday, January 4, 2023, Voyager was awarded with the PROJECT ADAM HEART SAFE SCHOOL AWARD. Our emergency response team hosted emergency AED drills and our school was the first school in Durham to be awarded the Project Adam Banner. Stop by and see our new banner that is displayed in the first grade hallway! It is our top priority to seek to keep all students and staff as safe and as healthy as possible.
HEART HEALTH: The students at Voyager will be learning all about how to stay heart healthy during the week of February 6-10. Be looking for details about this fun week.
HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR CHILD? We are so thankful for the partnership we have with all of you as we seek to create the most solid independent learners possible. What can you do to assist your child with this journey?
Read with your child each night and/or encourage them to read to you. Practice makes better!
Have your child keep a journal where they are able to write down things they have learned, questions they have or ideas that have come to mind. Students need practice writing.
If you have a 3rd grade student–please, please practice their multiplication tables each week.
Continue to encourage your student to work hard and to strive for excellence. They can do it and we are confident of this!
MID-YEAR READING ASSESSMENTS BEGIN: On January 5, 2023, the elementary teachers will begin our mid year mClass reading assessments. We look forward to seeing the growth our students have made during the first semester. Keep reading with your child!
MID-YEAR MATH ASSESSMENTS: Voyager will begin mid-year math assessments in - late January and early February.
YEARBOOK PURCHASE: If you would like to order a yearbook please click on the link and follow the steps. You can order a yearbook for $22.00 until Feb 1st. After Feb 1st the price will go up to $27.00. The deadline for ordering yearbooks is March 1st.
https://strawbridge.fotomerchanthv.com/search/YB26681
CHICK-FIL-A READING CHALLENGE: We are so honored to partner with Chick-Fil-A on Roxboro St. They will be giving a FREE gift card to students every month who read 15 books. The January challenge has begun. As your child reads or you read to your child, please record the books on the reading log and return it to your child’s teacher once you have 15 books listed. Your child can earn one free gift card per month.
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE: Each and every Monday, Voyager will dismiss students at 12:45 pm. Since our staff attend meetings every Monday, it is imperative that students are picked up on time.
UPDATE FROM SCHOOL NURSE: Our CDC COVID-19 Community Level is: HIGH
**Masks are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED indoors, even if you are vaccinated**
If you have symptoms of illness, COVID-19 testing is highly recommended
People with a positive test for COVID-19 MUST wear a mask for 10 days.
People with symptoms or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.
BIRTHDAY ROCK: The Voyager Birthday Rock is such a popular thing! We hope you and the students enjoy seeing the various birthday designs. The Birthday Rock is available on a sign up basis. The sign up was sent out late summer. If you would like to see if there is any availability left, please click on the link below.