Hello Middle School Families,
It’s been another awesome week at Voyager Academy! As the third quarter is quickly coming to an end, please check to make sure all 3rd quarter work has been completed and turned in to the teacher. Our fourth and final quarter for the year begins March 16.
Middle School Boys Soccer Interest Meeting
If you are interested in playing boys’ soccer this year at the Middle School, please join us Monday, March 8th at 3pm on a zoom interest meeting. In the meantime, please visit the link below for information regarding physicals and a link to FormReLeaf where each athlete needs to be registered prior to trying out. Please email me with questions aowen@voyageracademy.net. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!
https://voyagerathletics.bigteams.com/main/adnews/ID/53282650
Below is the link for the soccer interest meeting on Monday at 3:00
Richie Mitchell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Soccer Interest Meeting Time: Mar 8, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/99024211487?pwd=U1BuRU5HR0pwSWxVdlJCVGpaRHdXdz09
Meeting ID: 990 2421 1487
Passcode: vNYXu1
Returning to School
On March 16 middle school students who are in Cohort A will return to school In Person. Our students who are in Cohort B will Zoom into the class based on their schedule. Our Remote students will zoom into the class based on their schedule. Schedules will be emailed to 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students next week. Fourth grade teachers will share more information about your fourth graders as they will not receive a schedule. We will also send the School Bell Schedule to you so you will know more about the time of classes, lunch, outside time and elective time.
Cohort B will return to school In Person on March 18.
CLUB HUB - WHAT IS IT?
Wow, what a great afternoon we had on Wednesday as we had so many
students interested in our Club Hub offerings. Mr. Eisenson and I are
Co-sponsoring the Service Club and both of us were so impressed with ideas our members shared with us. Several of our members volunteered
to reach out to various places to see how the Service Club could be of help. We will meet again on Wednesday, March 10 at 3:00. During this Club Hub time we will make decisions regarding our projects for the reminder of the school year.
Club Hub from Ms. Wicker
Thanks to everybody who helped make our Club Hub kickoff such a success! It was so much fun to see everybody. There will be some adjustments to the exact meeting times for individual clubs, but they will all continue to meet on Wednesdays between noon and 4 pm. Please watch your email this weekend for an updated schedule of meeting times from Ms. Wicker.
If you missed out on the fun, it’s not too late! Visit our Padlet to view our club offerings. (https://padlet.com/lwicker/kzydkheywi8vbg53) The form to sign-up is located in the top left corner.
Please reach out to Ms. Wicker at lwicker@voyageracademy.net if you have any questions!
Check out our current offerings:
Social/Homework/Organization Club with Ms. Livengood and Mrs. Easterly
Kahoot! Club with Mrs. Liller
Photography Club Mrs. Miller and student host Andrea DP
Art Club with Mr. Winstead and student host Claire S.
Ukulele Club with Ms. Wicker
Recorder Club with Ms. Wicker
Theatre/Drama Club with Mrs. Thompson
Among Us Club with Ms. Wicker and Mr. Winstead
Service Club with Mrs. Johnson
Sewing/Crafting Club with Mrs. Thompson
Check Ins through SchoolNet
Several of you have asked about your child’s Check In results. We do not receive student reports for this year’s check ins but our teachers can
certainly share information with you. Our students participated in Reading, Math, and Science (grades 5 and 8). Our teachers created check-ins through School Net based on the subject material that had been taught. The information we received shows areas of strength for each student and areas that need improvement for each child.
Before and After School Care:
Before and After school care (BASC) program enrollment is happening now. BASC will open on March 16th for Middle/High school students. To ensure we are properly staffed for students to ratios we will use the following.
The enrollment deadline for the March 16th start date is March 5th.
The enrollment deadline for future weeks will be two weeks in advance. If you register on March 16th, your students start date will be March 29th.
BASC Programs will be available only on days that your child is scheduled to be at Voyager Academy:
Early Care: Middle School ---6:45am – 8:15am
After Care: Middle School ---3:15pm – 6:00pm
Voyager Academy BASC knows what it takes to keep children safe, so you can feel sound in registering your child. We pay attention to every detail both big and small in training staff for COVID-19 restrictions and protocols. All students must be pre-registered in order to attend The BASC program. Parents use the Charter Pay online billing system for program registration. If you need help with your username or password, please visit https://charterpay.org/login/recovery. Once you register for the program you will receive our complete Parent Handbook. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me directly at pjohnson@voyageracademy.net.
Lunch Information:
Parents, you can order your child's lunch, pay at the time of order, and we will deliver your students lunch to their classroom. Lunch orders must be placed at least one week in advance. For instance, March 1st lunch order should be placed before February 22nd. You also have the option to purchase lunch for the entire month. Payment options are by debit/credit card or ACH bank draft. Order Lunch online at CharterPay.org.
K & W Cafeteria will provide lunch on Monday for Cohort A & Thursday for Cohort B.
Chick-Fil-A will provide lunch onTuesday for Cohort A & Friday for Cohort B.
All meals will be delivered in hot and cold containers to maintain food safety guidelines.
Drinks are not provided with lunch.
Elementary and Middle school students will eat lunch in their classrooms.
High school students will eat lunch in their 2nd Bell classroom.
Students also have the option to bring their own lunch to school. Students that pack their own lunch will not have access to microwaves.
High school students will not be allowed to leave campus for lunch.
If you have any questions about before and after school registration or lunch ordering please feel free to reach out to Patrice Johnson, Operations Manager at pjohnson@voyageracademy.net. Technical and account issues should be directed to support@charterpay.org.
IMPORTANT INFO FROM the PE DEPARTMENT
The Physical Education students will not be using the locker rooms to change into uniforms. Please have your students wear comfortable workout clothes and athletic shoes when they are in the PE rotation.
They need to bring their own personal water bottle to be used during class. Please send water and not sports drinks.
Mrs. Liller and Mr. Blackston
Parents of 7th Grade Students
We are still in need of updated immunization records for 13 of our 7th grade students. If you have not provided an updated record please do so as soon as possible. You may email it, fax it, or drop by school and give to us. THANK YOU! We really need you to help us with this information.
YEARBOOK
Yes, we are going to have a YEARBOOK. Just a reminder that Ms. Pam needs pictures.
To upload pictures you will need this URL plicbooks.com/go/wNRyg.
We would like a portrait picture but also some fun shots to add to the pages. Make sure when you download, pick your student's grade level and add the name of the student. Thank you in advance for your help.
RE-OPENING PLAN
Cohort Schedules:
Cohort A- in-person M,T, remote W, Th, F
Cohort B- in-person Th, F, remote M, T, W
Remote All Year – remote M-F
Wednesday (school sanitized between cohorts, asynchronous remote learning, small groups, & office
Links to resources to support all learners
The websites highlighted in this list offer an opportunity for you to delve into topics that students might be interested in.
K-5 Virtual Enrichment and Extension Resources
6-8 Virtual Enrichment and Extension Resources
In addition, we would like to encourage your child to participate in a contest being offered by the popular educational website, "Flocabulary." In honor of Black History Month, they are sponsoring a rap-writing challenge where students research a black historical figure and create a unique rap about them. The link to the contest is below. It includes a very thorough video to explain the rules and requirements.
Flocabulary Rap Writing Challenge
Student Services Team - Mrs. Farrish and Mrs. Gittens
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.
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.
UPCOMIMG SOCIAL EVENTS For STUDENTS
Sponsored by our Counselors
Thursday, April 15, 2021: 20 Questions
Thursday, May 6, 2021: Family Dance Party
Thursday, March 11, 2021:
How to Raise Healthy, Thriving Children: Nutrition Tips for Families
Thursday, April 22, 2021: Diversity & Inclusion
(click here for a .pdf version)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does my child need to wear a mask to school each day? Yes, please provide at least two masks per day in case the mask breaks during the day.
Can my child wear a gator mask? No, the gator masks do not provide as much protection as a cloth, tight fitting mask.
Can I drop off my middle school student at the elementary school during morning drop off? No, only elementary students may enter the elementary building.
Should my child bring a water bottle to school? Yes, we are asking for each student to bring a water bottle to school each day. Please make sure the student’s name is on the water bottle.
Do I need to utilize the Greenlight App? If your child is coming to in person learning, we will need you to use the Greenlight App. Parents will need to show the student has been cleared on the app each morning. This will happen in the car line before the student is allowed to enter the building. If a parent has not completed the health screening (on Greenlight) before arriving at school, it will slow down the process of getting students admitted into the building. Thank you for completing this each morning.
Do I need a car line sign? Yes, you will receive a Blue car line sign. We will give you the sign on Day 1.
Will the staff heat lunches? We are not able to heat student lunches during this school year because of COVID restrictions.
Hybrid Policies and Procedures
Car Line Here We Come! Voyager Academy car line will begin promptly at 7:45 am. As we prepare to receive students as safely and as quickly as possible, please help our staff by completing the following:
Make sure the Greenlight App is complete and you are ready to show the PASS to the Voyager staff member. If the App is not ready to be shown, we will need for that car to pull to the side until we can get the student checked in. Directions and a step by step video of how to install Greenlight App is listed below.
Voyager Greenlight Directions Video
Greenlight Directions Video #2
As you are waiting in the carline, please turn down the car heat and make sure your student is not totally bundled up or when we complete the temperature check, it will read HIGH.
Staff members will NOT be able to unbuckle students from their seatbelt. Parents will need to have students ready to exit the car when they pull up to their drop-off zone.
Please make sure every person inside the car is wearing a mask as you complete morning and afternoon carline. This will help keep everyone safe.
Each student should have a CAR LINE NUMBER and a bright blue to make it easy for you to find. This card must be displayed on the sun visor of your car. This is the only way we have of calling your student down to the carline (each afternoon). If for some reason, you do not have your Blue CAR LINE SIGN , please have your numbers ready.
Greenlight App: It is imperative that all Voyager families set up the Greenlight App. 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.
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
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!
PLEASE SET UP YOUR GREENLIGHT ACCOUNT!
YOU WILL NEED IT FOR CARLINE!!!!!
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.
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
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
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 or call !
Just remember ---YOU are “simply the BEST!”
Gwen Johnson
gjohnson@voyageracademy.net
Principal, Voyager Middle School
919-433-3301 ext. 101