Hello Middle School Families,
Wow, it was certainly a short week. Our students continue to work hard as January is almost over. It’s hard to believe we are getting close to the end of the third quarter. I spent time reviewing report cards and noticed we have some students who need to work a little harder, attend class daily, and turn in their work. We continue to work with students and their individual needs. Our staff has been discussing ways we can also support the social and emotional component of learning. Be on the lookout as we have some great ideas that we will share in the very near future!
UNC Interns: Voyager Middle has two interns working with us this spring. Kensie Coble will be in fourth grade with Ms. Green and Mrs. Weber. Abigail Livengood will be working with the fifth grade team specifically with Mrs. Easterly. Kensie and Abigail began their work on January 19. Both will be providing 25 hours of assistance each week and in a variety of ways. We are very fortunate to have Kensie and Abigail work with our teachers and students
Student Services Team
The Student Services team is continuing their student socials and parent enrichment events each month to further engage our community while we are learning apart. Please check out the details below. Students will enjoy a karaoke party together on February 4th. The Durham County Cooperative Extension will share programs to engage children now and throughout the summer at the next parent enrichment night scheduled for February 11th. Both programs are designed to further connect and support our students and families.
Student Socials & Parent Enrichment Sessions Have Returned!
The Student Services Team of Voyager Academy Presents…
Thursday, February 4, 2021: Karaoke
Thursday, March 4, 2021: Freeze Dance
Thursday, April 15, 2021: 20 Questions
Thursday, May 6, 2021: Family Dance Party
Thursday, February 11, 2021:
Durham County Cooperative Extension: Programs to Engage Your Children Now Thru Summer
Thursday, March 11, 2021:
How to Raise Healthy, Thriving Children: Nutrition Tips for Families
Thursday, April 22, 2021: Diversity & Inclusion
Virtual Tour -
The link below will take you directly to a virtual tour of each of our school buildings along with drone footage of our campus. This will provide prospective families with a good sense of our incredible facilities since they will not be able to tour in person. The virtual tour will allow you to walk through the buildings and get a 360-degree view. The navigation menu will also allow direct access to each of the rooms on the tour.
FREE TUTORING: National Honor Society Tutors/Viking Buddies Back In Business
The NHS is excited to be "virtually" back in full swing this year (although we miss seeing each other in person) and going strong! We are starting to plan some events for the upcoming school year. The NHS is most excited to have the tutoring/buddy program back up and running. We have sent out links to your child's teachers for them to request tutors. But in addition, this year we are also providing a link for parents to request tutors for their children!
We all know that these are trying times and we are glad to be able to help with anything from homework to studying for a test. Maybe your student could just benefit from talking to a peer and would like to sign up for a Viking Buddy to talk to through the day, who can give some tips on time management or test taking strategies.
Please click here to request tutoring from NHS!
Lottery Application
The new year also brings the opening of our application process for admission for the 2021 -2022 school year. 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.
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/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 indicating your are clear. 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.
Middle School- activate account here: https://glit.me/go/voyager-middle
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.
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,
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. Apply to Student H Here
Job Opportunity at Voyager Academy
Voyager Academy is seeking enthusiastic positive role models to fill open positions in the Before and After school programs for grades K-8. The part-time shifts are Monday-Friday 6:30am-8:30am & 3:00pm-6:00pm beginning mid January 2021. Applicants must be 18years old. You can apply online at https://nc.teachermatch.org/applyteacherjob.do?jobId=485603
For more information contact the Operations Manager, Patrice Johnson at pjohnson@voyageracademy.net.
Carline Number - Very Important
You should receive an email to provide you with your child’s car line number. The car line number that you receive will be used during afternoon carline. If your child was at Voyager during 2019-2020, the car line number will be the same as in the past. If your child is new to Voyager, the 4 digit number you received is your child’s 4 digit number that will be used for dismissal each day. On the first day of carline, the MS will provide you with a piece of blue cardstock. You will need to write the names of all of your children on the cardstock and write their carline number beside each student’s name. Again, we will provide you with a piece of blue cardstock. Some of you may have your blue card from last year! We need you to display your sign on the right side of your dashboard as this will help our staff who are outside monitoring the dismissal process. This is done daily.
If you did not receive your car line number prior to the Winter Break, please send an email to Gwen Johnson at gjohnson@voyageracademy.net requesting your car line number.
Stay healthy and safe – Practice the 3 W’s: 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. Masks will need to be worn except when eating lunch.
REMIND Text: Thanks to those of you who signed up!
4th Grade-In the“To” section of the text type 81010 and in the message type @6agbha.
5th Grade-In the“To” section of the text type 81010 and in the message type @eh9f6kb.
6th Grade -In the“To” section of the text type 81010 and in the message type @beeh8h.
7th Grade - In the“To” section of the text type 81010 and in the message type @cak43k.
8th Grade -In the”To” section of the text type 81010 and in the message type @8cg9ch
DATES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL
SCHOOLNET CHECK INS
Thanks for all the support you have provided the Middle School. We are thankful to have you on this most unusual journey that we are on!
If you need anything, please email!
Gwen Johnson gjohnson@voyageracademy.net
Principal, Voyager Middle School