December 18, 2020
Dear Voyager Community,
As 2020 comes to a close it’s a great time to reflect on how we’ve grown and changed since the start of the year. This year I've seen exponential growth in our technology skills, flexibility, and recognition of all that is important in our lives. I wanted to wish all of our Voyager families and staff a wonderful holiday season and a healthy and joy filled new year. May the new year be merry and bright for each of you. Thank you to all the Voyager families that donated so many gifts for the Durham Rescue Mission and gift cards to support our families in need. Your generosity is inspiring and will bring joy and hope to many and brighten their lives. Just look at all the amazing donated gifts!
We have been working on several marketing initiatives to solidify the Voyager brand and create opportunities for prospective families to learn more about our school virtually and digitally since we will not have in-person tours and information sessions due to COVID restrictions. We’ve updated our Voyager logo and created a new mascot and seal to increase our brand recognition. A new virtual tour and digital brochure and highlight video about why Voyager is so special was also developed with the support of our students, parents, and staff. We’ve also made several updates to our website to make navigation easier.
I am extremely appreciative to have partnered with many team members on these strategic initiatives. Some of our updated logos are shown below along with buttons that link to our new digital brochure, virtual tour, and highlight video.
The new year also brings the opening of our application process for admission for the 2021 -2022 school year. Please share our website and marketing materials with families that may be interested in learning more about Voyager Academy. Feel free to post on your social media accounts as well to encourage your friends to apply.
The application period opens on January 1 and closes on February 28, 2021. We are scheduling a virtual information session for prospective families on February 9, 2021. We are also planning an information session on January 13, 2021 for current Voyager 8th graders and their parents to discuss the high school transition and share information about academic, athletic, and extracurricular opportunities available at Voyager High School.
Thank you again to all staff and families for your support and assistance with remote learning this year. We are grateful for our dedicated staff and partnership with all families as we navigated the new educational model. We are excited about the opportunity to reopen with our hybrid model on January 19th, 2021 and look forward to seeing everyone in the new year. Please review the upcoming dates and information below for additional resources.
I hope you all enjoy your holiday celebrations and have a wonderful winter break!! I want to close out 2020 and leave you with a beautiful elementary video highlighting the hope for the new year with our students reminding all of us to shine our light for peace today.
Wishing everyone peace, joy, health, and happiness in the new year,
Upcoming Calendar Events:
Jan 2 - HS Basketball Tryouts
Jan 4 - Remote Learning Day - Teacher Workday
Jan 13 – 8th Grade HS Transition Information Night
Jan 15 - Remote Learning Day - Teacher Workday
Jan 18 - Martin Luther King Day
Jan 19 - Hybrid Reopening - Cohort A start
Jan 21 - Hybrid Reopening = Cohort B start
Jan 28 - EC 8th Grade HS Transition Night - 6 pm
Jan 28 - Board Meeting
Greenlight App - Health Screenings - Speed up Carline
We have partnered with Duke and Greenlight Ed to complete our daily health screening so we can monitor the overall health of our school community. Please set up your Greenlight account today and complete the survey daily for each child even while your children are learning remotely. We will use this data and input to ensure we are ready for reopening safely. The links to set up your account are below.
ACTION NEEDED: Directions and links to set up your Greenlight Account
Setting up your account is simple. Select the link below and enter the email address you use to receive Voyager newsletters. Families with multiple children can select any school their children attends. Once your account is set up you will see all of your children associated with your account and be able to complete the daily health screening for each of them. After you complete your first survey you will see the Greenlight pass cleared indication. We will have students select that option to show the larger pass during car line for screening along with their temperature check. Each student will be able to show their Greenlight pass to ensure they are healthy and can attend school. The app also provides support for families that need access to health care, testing, or additional community resources. Please select the link below to set up your family account now.
Elementary School - activate account here: https://glit.me/go/voyager-elementary
Middle School- activate account here: https://glit.me/go/voyager-middle
High School - activate account here: https://glit.me/go/voyager-high
Account set up questions should be directed to help@greenlightready.com
The app is not yet in the app store so you can't just download it at this time. The developer is currently waiting for approval from Apple. Once you set up your account you can send the link https://app.greenlightready.com/ to your phone. Additional resources are below to assist with setting up your phones for easy access to our Greenlight health screening.
Videos to Help you set up your account and add it to the home screen on your phone
Here is a link to a video that walks through registering for Greenlight:
Greenlight Video from Claire –instructions to add Greenlight to your home screen on your phone
For iPhone users:
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/add-a-web-link-to-home-screen-iphone-ipad/
For Android users:
https://www.howtogeek.com/667938/how-to-add-a-website-to-your-android-home-screen/
Questions regarding setting up your account should be directed to help@greenlightready.com. Once your account is set up you can also use their chat feature.
Biogen and MIT Speaker Series for HS and MS Students
Biogen and the Lemelson-MIT group are proud to introduce the BIOGEN COMMUNITY LAB: SPEAKER SERIES THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH
Please join on the third Wednesday of each month from 4pm – 5pm EST as we present a brand new, free virtual speaker series! Each session will host a different professional within the biotechnology community to discuss topics such as inventions, innovation and much more.
December 16th 4PM to 5PM EST The Next Frontier in Biomarkers, Imaging & Neuroscience!
Register Here: https://mit.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DO-8zy8vQJCL3XG7VKy_wQ
Biogen’s Vice President & Head, Biomarkers Center of Excellence, John Beaver
Stay healthy and safe – Practice the 3 W’s
Staying current on all of the health metrics and data is also part of our ongoing process. 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. Outlined below are some helpful links and resources if you are interested in learning more about the latest data and recommendations.
StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit (K-12)
Durham Public Health COVID Dashboard
Food and Nutrition Support for Families
Important Update: Food and nutrition support for families in need has been extended through June. From now until June 30, 2021, Durham County Public Schools will provide free meals to all children aged 18 and under. Drive-through pick up of meals is available weekly from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. Pick-up sites are listed here and below. No ID is required to pick up the meals. If you are unable to pick up at the designated time, click here to obtain information on how to have meals delivered to your home.
The students services team has compiled an additional list of resources which can be found here.
Community Partnership with Kate’s Korner for K-5
Kate’s Korner will provide a supervised remote learning space for Voyager Academy Elementary (Kindergarten-3rd grades) and Middle School (4th & 5th grade) students to complete their school work while Voyager is operating in a remote learning environment and parents are working. Additional information regarding Kate’s Korner can be found on their website https://www.kateskornerdurham.com, and registration can be completed using this Registration Form
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.