Dear VAES Families,
Don’t forget that this Monday, January 21st is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. There will be no school for students and staff. Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday and commemorates the birthday of American Civil Rights leader, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and celebrates his life, achievements, and legacy. This federal holiday was created in 1983, during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, to honor Dr. King and was first observed in 1986. Some of our teachers may use a wonderful book that we have in our Empathy Read Aloud collection entitled Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport as one of their read aloud books.
We are currently working on our K-3 Empathy project. Our goal is to have inspirational, kind, and empathetic quotes displayed throughout the school on canvases, walls, etc. Students are voting on some of their favorite quotes to display. Your help is needed. We would love to display some quotes in the bathrooms (see picture of an example). They need to be in vinyl so they will stick to the stalls. I know many of you have Silhouette and Cricut machines. If you are willing to create a quote or two with your machine, please email me.
Also, you may have read the article or have seen the video about the teacher that created a Sensory Path in her school’s hallway. I would LOVE to do this for our students! Here is the link to the article and a picture. If you would like to help with this project, please let me know.
One of my favorite parts of my job is when I get to observe children reading, especially when I can see they are enjoying it!!! It was delightful to watch our PE teacher, Mrs. Flowe-Dawson, reading with some of our students one afternoon this week!!
Kindergarten - 5th Grade students will not want to miss the VAHS Game Day Cheer Camp on Friday, February 1st!! All camp participants will attend camp from 3:45pm –6:00pm.
At 6:00pm, campers will join the cheerleaders to cheer during the first half and half-time of the Voyager Academy High School Varsity girl’s game against Oxford Prep. Parents, family, and friends are invited to join us at the game. Game admission is $5. The Varsity girl’s game starts at 6:15. See attached flyer to register for the camp.
You may have received a notification from Remind (the FREE text system/app that we use) that Verizon is charging Remind an additional fee intended for companies that send spam over its network. Our Remind messages aren’t spam, but their efforts to resolve the issue with Verizon haven’t been successful. As a result, the Verizon fee will increase their costs of providing text messaging by 11X—pushing their annual costs into the millions of dollars. Therefore, beginning January 28, 2019, the families who normally get our Remind messages as phone texts will no longer receive these messages via a phone text if they have Verizon Wireless as their phone carrier.
What can you do?
To make sure you continue to receive Remind messages from the school, download the mobile app and enable PUSH NOTIFICATIONS so that you know you have a message in the Remind app or enable email notifications—both of which are free of charge.
To make sure you continue to receive Remind messages from the school, download the mobile app and enable PUSH NOTIFICATIONS so that you know you have a message in the Remind app or enable email notifications—both of which are free of charge.
We are investigating other text/reminder options, but as you know, changing a system in the middle of the year, may be difficult.
ES and MS carline drivers, please try to arrive as close to 1:05 on Mondays or 3:05 Tuesday – Friday. Many of you have been doing this and we have noticed that the ES carline has been running much smoother! Thank you!! If you arrive before you are allowed to turn right out of the elementary at 1:05 on Mondays or 3:05 Tuesday – Friday, you will need to leave campus and get back into the carline on Ben Franklin Blvd. **You cannot wait in the apartment parking lot beside the high school. The apartment complex has been very clear that our parents are not to park in their lot unless they are residents. Also, Please be sure to forward this message to anyone picking up your student/s in the afternoons (grandparents, friends, etc.).
MS ONLY carline drivers should not get in the carline before 1:20 on Mondays or 3:20 Tuesday – Friday as it blocks the elementary car line, especially at the top of the hill at the elementary exit and the two double stacking lanes. If you arrive before 1:20 on Mondays or 3:20 Tuesday – Friday, you will need to leave and wait off campus before you get back into the carline on Ben Franklin Blvd. **You cannot wait in the apartment parking lot beside the high school. The apartment complex has been very clear that our parents are not to park in their lot unless they are residents. The elementary staff will leave the car line entrance after 1:15/1:20 on Mondays and 3:15/3:20 Tuesday – Friday. Also, Please be sure to forward this message to anyone picking up your student/s in the afternoons (grandparents, friends, etc.).
Our next PTO Hospitality Luncheon is set for next week on Wednesday, January 23rd. This month we will be providing a "Cozy Winter Brunch" for our teachers. We truly appreciate your help!! Click on this link to sign up. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508054AACAB29A5FF2-vaes11
Voyager’s first Silent Auction and Fundraiser will be held at Umstead Pines on Saturday, February 23rd from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM (this is an adult only event).
It is rapidly approaching! We need donations as well as items for grade level baskets. Along with the silent auction, we would like to raffle off Grade Level Baskets. The auction team has assigned a theme to each grade level. Please turn in your donations for the themed baskets by January 31. All money that is raised at the Silent Auction and Fundraiser will be given back to the schools!!!
Kindergarten - Arts and Crafts
1st - Family Fun Night
2nd - Gift Cards Galore
3rd - Durham
If you have questions, please contact our K-3 Parent Auction liaisons: Christine Tankersley at cwtankersley@gmail.com and Emily Brogan at EmilyLBrogan@gmail.com.
Please remember that we will follow the Durham Public Schools (DPS) inclement weather advisories including delays, closures, and early dismissals. So, if DPS is closed, we will be closed. If DPS has a two hour delay, we will have a two hour delay. If DPS, has an early release due to inclement weather, we will dismiss early too. If you see that DPS is closed, delayed, or releasing early and you have not seen something for Voyager, know that we will be doing the same thing as DPS. We will post these on our website, send a school connects message, and we will send a REMIND text, as soon as we can.
I’ve noticed that a few parents and students have claimed items from the Lost and Found. YAY!! Don’t forget to check and see if your child has lost a jacket, water bottle, etc.
The high school choral and band classes at Voyager Academy High School are selling mattresses - Yes name brand, quality mattresses on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Voyager Elementary School from 10am-5pm to help with costs of travel competitions. Come by and test out real mattresses set up just like your local Department Store and/or Mattress Dealer. There are all sizes of mattresses and pillows that are incredibly comfortable. You can even finance the mattress should you choose to purchase one. You can do 90 days same as cash or traditional financing. The mattress you purchase will be custom made and delivered to your home for a $60 fee in two weeks - so that means Saturday, February 9th 2019 -- you will get your new mattress and they will set up for you. They will remind you to rotate your mattress every 3 months and there is a 10 year warranty for most of them. Remember - you likely need a new mattress every 8 years. Thanks for all your support!!!
Due to the snow, the sleepover at school that Judy and I had planned for Tuesday, December 11 (for meeting our Boosterthon goal) had to be postponed. We are working to find a date that works for all the participants to have the sleepover – it will be SOON.
**SAVE the DATE for the Elementary Science Night on Tuesday, March 26 from 5:00 – 7:00. More information to come soon!!**
Best,
Leslie Paynter
VAES Principal
Be sure to read MORE VAES INFORMATION where you will find previous information covered in the weekly news, information about Remind text sign-up, fundraising, important dates, carline guidelines and rules, etc.
MORE VAES INFORMATION:
**SAVE the DATE for the Elementary Science Night on Tuesday, March 26 from 5:00 – 7:00. More information to come soon!!**
**SAVE the DATE for Voyager’s first Silent Auction and Fundraiser at Umstead Pines on Saturday, February 23rd from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM (this is an adult only event).**
Please continue to display your ES RED (& MS BLUE) signs for AM & PM carline ALL YEAR!! I am usually at the bottom of the hill most mornings and afternoons and when your sign is displayed, it makes it much easier for staff to know who should go where which means that carline runs faster.
- If you have an ES student, you should arrive on our campus BEFORE 3:15 (1:15 on Mondays). Our carline should be complete by 3:20 (1:20 on Mondays). Staff will walk students from the gym to the front lobby at 3:20 (1:20 on Mondays) and your child will be sent to after school care if you have not arrived by 3:25 (1:25 on Mondays).
- If you have an ELEMENTARY ONLY student, please try to arrive for afternoon carline on the front end from 2:45 – 3:00 (12:45 – 1:00 on Mondays).
- At 3:05, families that pick up at the Elementary and the Middle School are permitted to queue in the middle school line.
- At 3:20, families picking up at the middle school only are allowed to get into the middle school carline.
The Voyager Administrative team also discussed and expressed concern regarding parents parking at the high school and walking over to avoid the carline, and in the morning a potential tardy. We all agreed that ALL families MUST go through morning and afternoon carline, even if you think you might be tardy in the morning. Only staff and families with a walking waiver (families living or working within walking distance of the school) should be parking and walking their children to the school buildings. This is a huge safety issue and concern given the large number of cars on campus and the need to keep pedestrian traffic to a minimum, especially when adults are continuing to use cell phones even after being asked to not use them during carline. The exception to the parking and walking rule is if you have a meeting at the school or if you are bringing something to school that your child cannot carry or get out of the car during the carline.
Do not use your cell phones during carline. This means no talking, texting, or checking emails/Facebook. Given the large number of cars on campus during the AM and PM carline, every adult needs to be focused and vigilant while driving on the Voyager campus. We have ES staff positioned at various locations throughout the carline, in addition to MS staff, HS students, sports teams, etc. walking between buildings and crossing the lanes of traffic. Keeping all students, staff, and parents safe is our priority!
Remind Texts:
Sign up to receive the VAES Remind texts. We have set up group text messages by grade level, K – 3, to ensure that if there is important information, an emergency, inclement weather, etc., we can very quickly and easily send a text message to all families. I hope to send more reminders, etc. via text instead of email. So, if you want to receive reminders, important information, etc. - first, you must download the Remind app. Next, join your child’s grade level group (you can join multiple groups if you have children in different grades) to receive the Voyager texts. You MUST sign up each year. Please click on the link/s for your student’s grade level and join Remind!!
VAES K 2018-2019
VAES 1st 2018-2019
VAES 2nd 2018-2019
VAES 3rd 2018-2019
Photo & Video/Media Release Form:
Don’t forget to click on the media release link below and complete a form for each of your children. This gives permission for photos, videos, etc. Also, be sure to sign that each family has read the Parent/Student Handbook.
CARLINE PICK-UP:
To ensure that all families are clear regarding the afternoon carline pick-up times, we have made a large sign that is posted between the elementary and the high school. The sign states:
Elementary Pickup ONLY: 2:45 – 3:05 (Mondays-12:45 – 1:05)
Elementary & Middle ONLY: 3:05 – 3:20 (Mondays-1:05 – 1:20)
Middle School Pickup ONLY: 3:20 (Mondays-1:20)
Please continue to display your ES RED (& MS BLUE) signs for AM & PM carline ALL YEAR. If you have an ES student, you should arrive on our campus BEFORE 3:15 (1:15 on Mondays). Our carline should be complete by 3:20 (1:20 on Mondays). Staff will walk students to the front lobby at 3:20 (1:20 on Mondays) and your child will be sent to after school care if you have not arrived by 3:25 (1:25 on Mondays). If you have an ELEMENTARY ONLY student, please try to arrive for afternoon carline on the front end from 2:45 – 3:00 (12:45 – 1:00 on Mondays). Also, don’t forget that ALL Mondays are Early Release Days and school dismisses at 12:45.
From 7:15 to 7:25, the carline does not get backed up. You can “breeze” right through!! If you want to ensure that you do not get stuck between middle school cars and risk being late, we advise you to arrive in carline by 7:35.
PTO FUNDRAISER:
If you mention the Menchie’s flyer, every Friday from 12:00 PM to close for the entire school year, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt Patterson Place located at 3604 Witherspoon Blvd. #109, Durham will donate 20% of your purchase to Voyager Academy!!
My Hot Lunchbox & Ordering School Lunches:
My Hot Lunchbox is excited for another great year of delivering school lunches! Due to major improvements we have made this summer, families will need to create a new account. Please note that whichever email address you use for account creation will be the email that receives ALL communications from My Hot Lunchbox. ALL credits will roll over from last year after you create your account. See the attached flyer.
888-894-8295
College Day & Voyager Spirit Day:
One of our K – 12 School Improvement Team goals is to increase our school spirit school wide. Last year, we had College Day on Thursday and Voyager Day on Friday. We will continue this tradition. The College Day Thursdays are days that all staff, students, and parents can wear their favorite college apparel. Also, some of you may have noticed that beside classroom and office doors, we display small signs stating where our staff attended college/university. We hope these activities will promote great conversations about different colleges and college attendance, especially with our middle school and high school students.
Last, but not least, every Friday is Voyager Spirit Day! Wear your Voyager apparel and/or your school colors (red, white, and blue) to show school spirit and pride!!
Elementary Hours:
***Elementary Hours for the 2018 - 2019 School Year:
Monday: 7:45 AM - 12:45 PM (Every Monday is an early release for Professional Development for teachers and staff which begins at 1:15 PM)
Tuesday - Friday: 7:45 AM - 2:45 PM
AM Carline Monday - Friday: 7:15 AM - 7:45 AM
PM Carline on Mondays: 12:45 PM - 1:15 PM (while the field is under construction)
PM Carline Tuesday - Friday: 2:45 PM - 3:15 PM (while the field is under construction)
Important Dates for VAES Families:
** Please note that the elementary (K- 3) operates on trimesters (and not quarters or semesters) to better align with the mClass Reading assessments and the state math assessments. This means report cards will go home every 12 weeks and progress reports every 6 weeks.**
mClass Reading Assessment Dates:
MOY: 1/9/19 - 1/31/19
EOY: 4/23/19 - 5/14/19
Math Assessment Dates:
3rd Grade Mid- Year NC Math Check-in: January 23rd
K – 2nd Mid-year Benchmark Assessment: February 1 - 8
3rd grade EOY NC Math Check-in: April 8 - 12
K - 2nd EOY: May 6 - 10
Project Celebration Dates:
2nd Trimester:
Kindergarten: February 22nd at 11:30
1st Grade: February 15th at 1:00
2nd Grade: February 13th at 12:30
3rd Grade: February 13th at 11:30
3rd Trimester:
Kindergarten: May 16th at 11:30
1st Grade: May 2nd at 1:00
2nd Grade: May 3rd at 11:30
3rd Grade: May 21st at 11:30
OTHER DATES:
Progress Reports Sent Home: Jan. 18
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday/No School for Students and Staff: Jan. 21
Required Teacher Workdays/No School for Students: Feb. 18 & 19
2nd Trimester Ends: Feb. 20
3rd Trimester Begins: Feb. 21
Report Cards Go Home: March 1
Required Teacher Workday/No School for Students: March 11
Spring Conference Day/No School for Students: March 12
Elementary Science Night: Tuesday, March 26 from 5:00 – 7:00
Progress Reports Sent Home: April 5
SPRING BREAK/No School for Students and Staff: April 15 - 22
3rd Grade Reading & math EOG (End–of-Grade)Tests: May 13 & 14
3rd Trimester Ends: May 24
Last Day of School & Report Cards Go Home: May 24
IMPORTANT Carline Reminders:
ALL families MUST go through morning and afternoon carline, even if you think you might be tardy in the morning. Only staff and families with a walking waiver (families living or working within walking distance of the school) should be parking and walking their children to the school buildings. The exception to this rule is if you have a meeting at the school or if you are bringing something to school that your child cannot carry or get out of the car during the carline.
If you are bringing car seats for a field trip, please drop off your child in the carline and then pull around to the front office to drop off the car seat.
Students need to be ready to pop right out of the car in morning carline with backpacks already on their shoulders and lunch boxes, etc. in their hands.
As you are pulling into your unloading zone in the AM, teach your child to unbuckle quickly so they are ready to get out of the car once it stops.
Parents are not to get out of their car to unload their child. Parents may pull up and over to the side and assist their child, if needed.
When there are other children in the car who are not unloading at the elementary, the student's car seat needs to be behind the passenger seat so that the child can unload quickly and doesn't have to climb over the other children in the car.
ALL Kindergarten - Third Grade students MUST be dropped off in the morning carline from 7:15 - 7:45, unless you have a walking waiver stating that you live and/or work within walking distance of the school.
Do not block the crosswalks or the entrances to the elementary in AM and PM carline. We need to keep the crosswalks open so students and staff can cross safely and the entrances open so cars or emergency vehicles can enter and exit.
DO NOT use your cell phones during carline. This means no talking, texting, or checking emails/Facebook. Given the large number of cars on campus during the AM and PM carline, every adult needs to be focused and vigilant while driving on the Voyager campus. We have ES staff positioned at various locations throughout the carline, in addition to MS staff, HS students, sports teams, etc. walking between buildings. Keeping all students, staff, and parents safe is a priority! If one of our carline staff see you on your cell phone, they will ask you to put up your phone, or to pull around to the front office to drop off or pick up your student.
We have families (many of them new Kindergarten parents) and staff new to Voyager and they may not understand all of the traffic logistics. We do not want their first experience at Voyager to be an unpleasant one. So, please be kind!!!
For AM and PM Carline, you MUST have a RED ES sign in your car window/windshield that lists the names of each student you are dropping off and picking up. Place the card/s on your dashboard as you are coming down Ben Franklin Blvd. and entering the Voyager campus. We are still learning names so; this also assists the staff as they call names and load students into their cars.
For PM carline, if you do not have a RED sign in your window with the student names, you will be asked to pull around to the front office to pick up your children. Having a sign with the names of the students riding in your car will make carline run more quickly and effectively.
The safety of our students is our number one concern. If a student is to ride home with someone other than their regular caregiver, the teacher must have had written or verbal confirmation from the parent or guardian. Those carline changes will be on a daily grade level list which will be given to each grade level teacher that is on duty in the gym during PM carline. If your child’s name isn’t on this list with a carline change, the child WILL NOT be placed in the person’s car. The person picking up will be asked to pull around to the front office and the office will call the parent/guardian to confirm this person has permission to pick up your child. If you know that your child will have a PM carline change, I would advise you to write a note, send an email, or call the teacher the day before. Often it is difficult for teachers to check their email or voicemail during the day when they are teaching. If it is an emergency or last minute change, please call the front office and the front office staff will let the teacher know so that the student is added to the grade level list. We appreciate your help and support implementing this new procedure so that all students are safe!
Do not cut in front of someone to avoid having to wait in the carline. This includes NOT making a U-turn in front of the middle school. First, you could potentially cause an accident and this is inconsiderate and often makes the driver that has been following the rules and waiting for their turn very angry.
Remember to be kind to your fellow drivers, staff, students, and volunteers during carline! We are all trying to work together to make carline efficient and safe!!
Please be understanding and respectful to our carline staff if they notice that a driver is breaking one of the rules. They are doing this to ensure that our students and drivers are safe!! Our goals are to make carline safe, quick, and efficient!