GO VIKINGS GO!
In this issue...
- Attention 11th graders: Information about the Oct. 29 PSAT
- “Remote Learning Days”: 9/25, 1/4, 2/18, 2/19, 3/16
- The new daily schedule, beginning on Sept. 28, 2020
- It’s fun, it’s educational, it promotes social and emotional health: Advisory is Back!
- Voyager Academy Science Olympiad program wants you!
- Come join the VAHS Bass Assassins
STUDENT WELLNESS
- Hey Vikings--Are you eating mineral rich foods?
- Need a Quick Workout?
- Who ya gonna call? STESS BUSTERS! Stress is Busted in Ms. Kehoe’s Health/Phys. Ed. class
- How teens across the country are staying mentally healthy?
COLLEGE AND CAREER
- How CFNC (College Foundation of N.C.) can help you plan, apply, and pay for college
- Take community college courses at Durham Tech. while at VAHS: How to attend and information.
- Ordering 2021 graduation items like caps and gowns/Class Rings.
STAYING ORGANIZED AND INFORMED
- Stay up-to-the-minute on your child’s progress: become a “parent observer” on his/her Canvas account.
- Students must regularly check their voyager academy email accounts.
- Remote learning tips for parents: how to help your child be successful in a remote learning setting.
- Check out the VAHS counselor’s blog (and subscribe).
- Parents: sign up to receive text messages from the school.
- Other great sources of information for and about VAHS.
- Important dates.
Attention 11th graders: Information about the Oct. 29 PSAT
VAHS will be offering the PSAT to any interested 11th grade students. The PSAT test will take place on Thursday, October 29th, beginning at 8:00am in the HIgh School Commons. Masks will be required and all COVID health and safety precautions will be followed. The test will only be offered once and there is no make-up date. Students who choose to take the PSAT will be excused for that portion of the school day. Parents may register their student at PSAT Registration . The cost of the exam is $16.
The PSAT is a practice test that prepares students for success on the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). Additional information for students and parents about the PSAT can be found at https://www.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt. Additionally, Juniors who do very well on the PSAT may qualify for the NMSQT Scholarship Competition. Test results are usually received in December. Students will receive their test book back as well as a score report that gives specific information about their correct/incorrect answers, difficulty level of questions and content each question assessed. VAHS counselor, Jill O'Kane will make arrangements to distribute and explain results to students.
Questions regarding the PSAT administration, should go to Laura Howell, VA Testing/Accountability Coordinator.
“Remote Learning Days”: 9/25, 1/4, 2/18, 2/19, 3/16
North Carolina has mandated that all public schools designate 5 days of the academic year as “Remote Learning Days.” These are categorized as school days, but instruction is asynchronous, i.e. students learn independently at home. Here is a description of the roles and expectations of both the student and the teacher, on Remote Learning Days.
- For teachers, each of these is a teacher workday, while 9/25 and 3/16 are also parent/teacher conference days.
- Teachers are to provide at least one assignment for students to complete and submit on each of these days. It is the teacher’s discretion as to the content and delivery. It could be everything from a previously assigned work, to a review assignment, to a recorded lesson with new content and accompanying assignment. Since it is not a live lesson, i.e. the teacher isn’t available to answer questions, so assignments are considered to be similar to homework. Students must complete and submit the assignment that day, by 11:59pm, to be marked “present.” If they do not, they are marked “absent.” It can be referred to as the, “attendance assignment.”
The new daily schedule, beginning on Sept. 28, 2020
Beginning the week of September 28, VAHS will not be providing live instruction on Wednesdays. Instead, this will be a day for students to have some flex time and learn remotely, in a way that reduces live screen time instruction. And Monday will no longer be an early release day.
During Wednesdays, VAHS students may receive instruction in various ways. On this day students may schedule a time to meet with a teacher during office hours to receive remediated instruction, or enrichment. Instruction may include everything from review assignments, to independent work introducing new content, to (30-minute maximum) recorded lessons to be viewed at the student’s convenience. It is important to note that a student must complete and submit a given assignment for each Wednesday class (by 11:59pm Wednesday) to be marked “present” for the class by the teacher. If it is not submitted, the student is marked “absent.”
The Wednesday Schedule:
8:30am – 10:30am: Professional Development time (previously Monday afternoons).
11:00am – 11:30am: Advisory (1st and 3rd Wednesdays)
1:00pm – 4:00pm: Office hours
The VAHS Daily Schedule (click here for a .pdf version)
It’s fun, it’s educational, it promotes social and emotional health: Advisory is Back!
VAHS Advisory resumes on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and will take place from 11:00 to 11:30.
First Semester Advisory dates are: 9/30, 10/7, 10/21, 11/4, 11/8, 12/2, and 12/9.
Advisory will consist of fun, educational, and collaborative activities to help students re-connect. Advisory is especially critical in this remote learning environment as we support students’ social and emotional wellbeing. All students are expected to attend. Prizes and Incentives for attendance and participation will be awarded!
Voyager’s Science Olympiad program wants you!
Science Olympiad is a program at Voyager where a team of students compete with partners in different science events against other schools. We have teams at all levels: elementary, middle & high school. We start preparing for these events in the fall and compete in the spring. If your student is interested in participating and would like to learn more about this year’s program, please complete this INTEREST FORM. We’ll be sending out more specifics about the program soon, in addition to scheduling some zoom info sessions. We are also looking for an elementary coach for this year. If you are interested in helping coach the elementary team, or any of our teams, please email Kristin Jantz at scienceolympiad@voyageracademy.net
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A google doc version of what is above can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-tVc1KlA2WNE5XW8Ck6alphMpCaGc-wrrP8Ew0v2NPc/edit?usp=sharing
Come Join the VAHS Bass Assassins!
It’s that time of year to get dust off your rod and reel and get out there on the water. We would love to be able to start a new season of bass fishing with a few great middle and high school teams (ages 10-18) that would be interested in getting out on the water and fishing for some amazing prizes and some all around fun!. We are also in need of boats and men/women willing to be captains for these teams. If interested please contact Christine Huntington VAHS Bass Assassins Adviser at chuntington@voyageracademy.net
Hey Vikings--Are you eating mineral rich foods?
Ms. Kehoe's Strength and Conditioning 1 students explored nutrition and identified vitamins and minerals to incorporate into your diet on a daily basis. After the unit concluded, students created an informative brochure or poster of a mineral in order to help other students and faculty receive more information about what these minerals are, why they should be included in your diet and what food sources to consume in order to get the daily requirement needed. Here is an example of an informative brochure addressing phosphorus by one of our fellow students.
Need a Quick Workout?
In Ms. Kehoe's Health/Physical Education class, students learned about the importance of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and how they can incorporate this type of workout into their daily physical activity. At the end of the unit, they had to create their own workout and become the class fitness instructor as they led their peers through the different exercises.
So, if you are bored of your current workout routine and need a change or are strapped for time, here is a HIIT workout from one of our fellow students.
(click here for a .pdf version)
Who ya gonna call? STRESS BUSTERS! Stress is Busted in Ms. Kehoe’s Health/Phys. Ed. class
In Ms. Kehoe's Health/Physical Education classes students learned about exactly what stress is, how it affects the body and various coping strategies to reduce and/or prevent it. At the end of the unit, students had to create a "Stress Buster" video discussing these various topics. Below are a couple examples from some of my students.
If you are struggling to deal with stress in a healthy manner, take a listen!
Stress Buster advice from Peyton
(click here)
How Teens Across the Country Are Staying Mentally Healthy
Click here for a great article about how teens across the U.S. a staying mentally healthy.
How CFNC (College Foundation of N.C.) can help you plan, apply, and pay for college
Any student or parent who missed the live CFNC webinar is invited to view the recorded version: https://youtu.be/hq1XpNAuH9I
Additional resources include these two new "how-to" videos.
1. How to Create Your CFNC account - https://youtu.be/S0L0_OeM67E
2. How to Use CFNC Career Tools - https://youtu.be/jKlk17y53J0
Take community college courses at Durham Tech. while at VAHS: How to attend an information session
Information Sessions are now available to Juniors and seniors who are interested in taking dual enrollment courses at Durham Tech. Community College during the second semester. Attending a virtual information session is the first step in this enrollment process. Please visit https://www.durhamtech.edu/dual-enrollment to find out more and register for an Information session. Also, see the slides below to meet the Durham Tech. College liaison with Durham Tech. at Voyager.
Ordering 2021 graduation items like caps and gowns/Class Rings
Families of Juniors and Seniors are required to fill out a Contact Card with Herff Jones in order to establish a direct contact. Juniors will have the option to purchase class rings, and seniors will be ordering caps and gowns and any other graduation products directly from the company. - See the video Here: https://youtu.be/ksboq5QNrEM
- Go directly to the website here: https://hj-contact-card.herokuapp.com/
Stay Up-to-the-Minute on Your Child’s Progress: Become a “Parent Observer” on His/Her Canvas Account
Click here to become an “Observer” in your child’s Canvas account. Once there, you can set it up to receive notifications about upcoming assignments, and grades just entered, keeping you updated on progress, daily.
Students Must Regularly Check Their Voyager Academy Email Accounts
Voyager Academy High School strives to make all students career and college ready. Good email communication skills are essential for a student to experience that success.
Parents, please remind your students to check their VAHS student emails often. This account is set up so that the staff can readily communicate with the students through a secure server. Also please remind your students to use their VAHS email account when emailing teachers as many times their personal emails do not contain their names or are inappropriate and we do not know who is contacting us in regards to an assignment or question.
Remote Learning Tips for Parents: How to Help Your Child be Successful in a Remote Learning Setting (see full article here)
- Make a schedule and stick to it.
- Reduce distractions.
- Use a calendar and color-code it. Use an electronic calendar if possible, like Google, or Canvas.
- Stay in touch with your child's teacher.
- Get plenty of exercise.
PARENTS: Sign up to receive text messages from VAHS
Even though you may have been subscribed from last year, all must re-subscribe. This is because some cell phone numbers may no longer belong to last year’s subscribers (as people may change numbers or mobile providers). Click below for subscription instructions, sorted by student’s graduation year.
VAHS Counseling Department Blog
Please be sure to check the VAHS Counseling Department blog frequently. The blog provides news, information, and opportunities for VAHS students and parents all in one convenient location. Topics range from Career/College Counseling and Application Support to Summer Programs and Opportunities. Check it out!
CLICK HERE FOR THE VAHS COUNSELING DEPT. BLOG
PARENTS: Sign up to receive text messages from VAHS
Even though you may have been subscribed from last year, all must re-subscribe. This is because some cell phone numbers may no longer belong to last year’s subscribers (as people may change numbers or mobile providers). See subscription instructions below, sorted by student’s graduation year.
For parents of class of 2021:
In the “To” section of the text, please type 81010 and in the message section please type @vahsp21
For parents of class of 2022:
In the “To” section of the text, please type 81010 and in the message section please type @vahsp22
For parents of class of 2023:
In the “To” section of the text, please type 81010 and in the message section please type @vahsp23
For parents of class of 2024:
In the “To” section of the text, please type 81010 and in the message section please type @vahsp24
OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION
FOR AND ABOUT VAHS
Voyager Academy Academic Calendar
The Voyager Academy High School Website
The Voyager Academy Athletics Website
Important Dates