Community input has been invaluable during this challenging time, and we thank you. As promised, we have made available a recording of the event.
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Dear Voyager Community,
Thank you all for sharing such valuable input and feedback on our surveys, task force, and great questions during our Town Hall Zoom. Your input provided guidance for the development of our plans and recommendations to the Board for the upcoming school year. We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has made this a challenging and stressful time for everyone and I want to assure our community that we are here to help support your needs as we forge ahead together. The safety and health of our students and staff remains paramount in guiding the decisions for our return to school.
While our phased in approach starting with remote learning for the opening of the 20-21 school year is not what any of us desire, we believe this choice is the best solution for our entire community at this time. We are confident that the incredible educators at Voyager will rise to this challenge. Our team will remain steadfast on our mission and core values so that all students will have the opportunity to grow and reach their maximum potential for academic, social, and emotional development while maintaining the health and safety of all students and staff in our school community.
We understand that some families may have unique health concerns and may want to continue with remote instruction even when we move to a hybrid blending learning model offering both in-person and remote instruction when we move to Phase II of our Reopening Plan. We heard the feedback during the Town Hall from families and will delay the enrollment for extended remote learning until later in August so that families will have more of an opportunity to assess their student’s needs. Additionally, we received feedback from families asking that we shorten the commitment to extended remote learning and not require a full year commitment. The extended enrollment commitment will now end at winter break. We will reassess needs at that time to determine if an additional extension is necessary.
We also recognize that implementing remote learning may cause additional challenges for our families. With that in mind, our task force is trying to find innovative solutions to support families while we are offering remote learning. I have reached out to the UNC School of Education and they will post family needs for tutoring/child care on their list serve for college students looking for work. The details are provided in the UNC attachment. Additionally, our PTO has generously offered to coordinate with families to plan for family pods to partner together as a cooperative supporting each other with child care and supervision while their student completes remote assignments at home. We recognize that there are no perfect solutions and these can be challenging times.
Working together we can support one another. Our school Social Worker and school Counselors are also available to assist your family with nutrition needs, mental health concerns, and connecting you with any needed social services. Please reach out to them or your building Principal if your family is in need of assistance. We hope that these initiatives will support your family so that you remain with your Viking family as we begin the new year.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school remotely and will be sending information in the near future about virtual Open House dates. The school calendar was also revised to allow for a full week of staff planning to prepare for remote learning as we begin the new year ahead. The first day of school for students is now Monday, August 10, 2020 and your child is expected to participate in remote learning on that day. Teachers will be taking attendance during remote learning and reporting results to our attendance office. Our school funding is determined by our attendance on the first day of school so it is important that your child is engaged in remote learning on the first day and every day they are healthy. The back to school forms will be sent out on Monday to your School Mint account for completion. Please submit all back to school online forms by August 3, 2020. We understand that the modification to remote learning may have changed your plans for attending Voyager Academy. Please notify Mary Beth Hawkins in our admissions office at marybeth@
Also see the links below for your information and reference are the revised school calendar, the 20-21 Reopening Plan Guidelines and Procedures, and the Remote Learning Plan which were approved by the Board last evening. An FAQ document will also be developed to provide further support and assistance in the near future. Please continue to check your email for updates, schedules, and any new announcements. I look forward to getting to know you and your children as we partner together for the new school year ahead. Go Vikings Go!
All the best,
Ellie
REVISED calendar 2020-2021 for Board Mtg.docx.pdf
20-21 Reopening Guidelines and Procedures 7 16 20.pdf
32L.VoyagerAcademy.
UNC School of Education Help Wanted Resource.pdf
Thank you all for sharing such valuable input and feedback on our surveys, task force, and great questions during our Town Hall Zoom. Your input provided guidance for the development of our plans and recommendations to the Board for the upcoming school year. We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has made this a challenging and stressful time for everyone and I want to assure our community that we are here to help support your needs as we forge ahead together. The safety and health of our students and staff remains paramount in guiding the decisions for our return to school.
While our phased in approach starting with remote learning for the opening of the 20-21 school year is not what any of us desire, we believe this choice is the best solution for our entire community at this time. We are confident that the incredible educators at Voyager will rise to this challenge. Our team will remain steadfast on our mission and core values so that all students will have the opportunity to grow and reach their maximum potential for academic, social, and emotional development while maintaining the health and safety of all students and staff in our school community.
We understand that some families may have unique health concerns and may want to continue with remote instruction even when we move to a hybrid blending learning model offering both in-person and remote instruction when we move to Phase II of our Reopening Plan. We heard the feedback during the Town Hall from families and will delay the enrollment for extended remote learning until later in August so that families will have more of an opportunity to assess their student’s needs. Additionally, we received feedback from families asking that we shorten the commitment to extended remote learning and not require a full year commitment. The extended enrollment commitment will now end at winter break. We will reassess needs at that time to determine if an additional extension is necessary.
We also recognize that implementing remote learning may cause additional challenges for our families. With that in mind, our task force is trying to find innovative solutions to support families while we are offering remote learning. I have reached out to the UNC School of Education and they will post family needs for tutoring/child care on their list serve for college students looking for work. The details are provided in the UNC attachment. Additionally, our PTO has generously offered to coordinate with families to plan for family pods to partner together as a cooperative supporting each other with child care and supervision while their student completes remote assignments at home. We recognize that there are no perfect solutions and these can be challenging times.
Working together we can support one another. Our school Social Worker and school Counselors are also available to assist your family with nutrition needs, mental health concerns, and connecting you with any needed social services. Please reach out to them or your building Principal if your family is in need of assistance. We hope that these initiatives will support your family so that you remain with your Viking family as we begin the new year.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school remotely and will be sending information in the near future about virtual Open House dates. The school calendar was also revised to allow for a full week of staff planning to prepare for remote learning as we begin the new year ahead. The first day of school for students is now Monday, August 10, 2020 and your child is expected to participate in remote learning on that day. Teachers will be taking attendance during remote learning and reporting results to our attendance office. Our school funding is determined by our attendance on the first day of school so it is important that your child is engaged in remote learning on the first day and every day they are healthy. The back to school forms will be sent out on Monday to your School Mint account for completion. Please submit all back to school online forms by August 3, 2020. We understand that the modification to remote learning may have changed your plans for attending Voyager Academy. Please notify Mary Beth Hawkins in our admissions office at marybeth@
Also see the links below for your information and reference are the revised school calendar, the 20-21 Reopening Plan Guidelines and Procedures, and the Remote Learning Plan which were approved by the Board last evening. An FAQ document will also be developed to provide further support and assistance in the near future. Please continue to check your email for updates, schedules, and any new announcements. I look forward to getting to know you and your children as we partner together for the new school year ahead. Go Vikings Go!
All the best,
Ellie
REVISED calendar 2020-2021 for Board Mtg.docx.pdf
20-21 Reopening Guidelines and Procedures 7 16 20.pdf
32L.VoyagerAcademy.
UNC School of Education Help Wanted Resource.pdf