Hello Middle School Families,
Wow, what a week! Monday---Teacher Workday, Tuesday---Cohort A was in the building, Wednesday, no students in the building, Thursday, all students were Remote due to weather and finally, Friday, Cohort B is in the building!!!!! We are all excited to see the students in Cohort B.
We are so very proud of our Remote Students. They continue to work hard and stay focused as they are continuing to work from home and zoom into class!
Report Cards - Be on the lookout for Third Quarter Report Cards! You will receive the report card via email as we have learned how to send report cards to you via a Mail Merge thanks to Mrs. Hawkins!
Blue Signs for Carline - Cohort A and B families, hopefully you have received your Blue Carline Sign and have added the needed information to the Blue Card. If you have not received a Blue Card, we have plenty so just let me know during morning or afternoon carline. If you do not have your child/children’s carline number, please email gjohnson@voyageracademy.net.
Student Computers We need students to bring their computer to school and take it back home at the end of the day. We also need students to make sure that computers are charged each night. Students who have loaners also need to bring their computer each day and take it home at night for recharging.
If you are in need of a computer, please let us know ASAP so we can ensure we have enough to support our students.
Science Olympiad
Congrats to our middle school Science Olympiad team members who did an excellent job representing Voyager at the regional tournament: Ella Adams, Kate Bakelaar, Luke Bakelaar, Will Baker, Jake Brennan, Mitch Brennan, Vivian Brennan, Alaina Bustillo, Sophie Chorosevic, Kate Cunningham, Amelia Fay, Wendy Fergus, Amaris Iwara, Eisley Jantz, Samantha Kolls, Jordan Oakley, Dakota Peaks, Calista Robinson, Zoe Robinson, and Reid Zebrowski. They prepared for months, collectively competed in 32 science related events and medaled in 23 of them!! The team came in 5th place overall and qualified for the state tournament!
The elementary tournament is this weekend, but the awards ceremony isn't until the following weekend, so we won't have those results for a couple weeks.
The high school team has already competed in their regional tournament.
Thanks you to Mrs. Jantz for coordinating Science Olympiad!
Middle School Happenings - Enjoy news from each grade level:
News from Mrs. Weber and Ms. Green’s 4th Grade
We are excited to meet our new students that will be joining us for the rest of the year with Remote 4th grade. We will miss those that have gone Hybrid, and know that they will be successful. This week was spent logging onto programs as well as learning procedures and expectations. Check back next week to see what we are learning about Electricity and Magnetism.
Hello 5th Grade Families,
It was SO good to have students in the building this week! The buzz was similar to the first day of school! Remote students and students in Cohorts A and B did a wonderful job adjusting to their new class schedules and bell schedule. Thank you for everything you are doing at home to help your child be successful. It doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated. The 5th-grade team would like to remind you to check your child's Google Classroom and PowerSchool accounts often. This is a great way to stay on top of all assignments and grades. Third-quarter grades are complete and ready to be viewed in PowerSchool. Physical copies of report cards are being emailed Friday, March 19th. Wednesday, March 24- Friday, March 26th will be asynchronous days for ALL students. There is no in-person instruction OR live Zoom classes on those days. Students should complete the assignments that teachers post to Google Classroom for all 3 days.
If you have any general questions, please reach out to your child's homeroom teacher. If you have specific questions about an assignment, please reach out to the appropriate teacher.
Fifth Grade Team
Hello 6th Grade Families!
We are excited about the changes and looking forward to finishing 4th quarter strong.
March 19 - School begins at 7:45 for all students in the new schedule, Cohort B is on Campus, Cohort A and Remote are on Zoom
New Schedule for all students (Click Here)
Keep using the Team Homework Site
3rd Quarter ended March 12 --> Check PowerSchool so there are no report card surprises
Open House SlideShow (Click Here)
Open House Video (Click Here)
New Schedule Zoom links and Google Classes (We will be going over this with the kids)
News from Mrs. Wilcox ------Seventh Grade Math
This week we have taken the opportunity to do a couple of exploration activities where the students look at some data (once they collected the data and once I provided the data) to see what they can infer from it. I love to hear them say, “I wonder…” They are really thinking about what they see which gives them a chance to really internalize the formulas rather than memorize them. We have now looked at complementary, supplementary and vertical angles along with triangles. We have used those relationships to find the missing angles in a drawing. Then we ended the week moving on to circles. Sunday (3/14) was Pi day! Serve your family some pie to celebrate!
Join the HS Chorus or HS Band
ATTN: 8th grade families! Registration for 2021-22 is just around the corner!! Want to be part of a nationally recognized choral & band program at Voyager High School? JOIN CHORUS OR BAND! No experience necessary! NEW STUDENTS WELCOME! More info in the videos below. Contact the directors with more questions:
Jenny Hobgood (Chorus) jhobgood@voyageracademy.net
Max Puhala (Band) mpuhala@voyageracademy.net
Join Voyager Band! https://youtu.be/QdUoc5L_Tvs
Voyager Chorus wants YOU in 2021-22! https://youtu.be/0YKdEAf6eI4
CLUB HUB - WHAT IS IT?
What fun we are having! The Service Club will share information with you very soon. For our first project, we are going to support the children at UNC Children’s Hospital. More info to come!
Clubs:
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
Mark You Calendar Now: The majority of the VAMS staff will be receiving their 2nd COVID vaccine shot on March 24. Because of this, remote learning will be held for all students on March 25-26. Voyager will not be offering before or after school care on these two dates. The students will have assigned remote lessons to complete on this day (no small groups). This will be an asynchronous learning day to be prepared in case a large portion of the staff is not feeling well. We wanted to make sure you had a good amount of time to obtain child care for these two days.
What Do I Do If My Student Has Been Exposed To Someone with Covid: If a 4-8 grade student has been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID, please call the school or email Mrs. Johnso and we will talk you through the details of how long you may need to quarantine. Please complete the Greenlight App, because it will automatically give you a date where you will be allowed to return to school.
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.
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
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, 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 gaiter mask? No, gaiter masks do not provide as much protection as a cloth, tight fitting mask and they are not acceptable for school.
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 if they want water. Our water fountains are not available. Our water filling stations are available. Please make sure the student’s name is on the water bottle.
Do I need to utilize Greenlight? If your child is coming to in person learning, we will need you to use the Greenlight. Parents will need to show that the student has been cleared based on Greenlight each morning before entering the building. 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. We will also take the temperature of each child 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. If you do not have your carline number, please contact Mrs. Johnson.
Will the staff heat lunches? We are not able to heat student lunches during this school year because of COVID restrictions.
How do I get my carline number? You need to email Mrs. Johnson at gjohnson@voyageracademy.net. We will provide you with a carline sign on the first day you come through carline.
What do I do if a neighbor drops my kid off at school and they do not have access to my Greenlight? Please take a screenshot of your Greenlight and share it with the person who is bringing your child to school.
Where do I drop off my Middle Schooler in the morning? Middle School students are dropped off at the back of the school. Middle School students may not enter the building until 7:45 UNLESS they are attending Before School Care. If your child is attending Before School Care, you need to contact Patrice Johnson at pjohnson@voyageracadem.net.
Lunches - Students need to bring their lunch or you can order your child’s lunch through CharterPayOnline. We will not have extra lunches so please send lunch with your child.
Hybrid Policies and Procedures This link gives you access to the Hybrid Plans and Procedure Manual.
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 Greenlight is complete and you are ready to show the PASS/Clear to the Voyager staff member. If you hae not completed Greenlight 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. This also includes the adults in the car.
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 : It is imperative that all Voyager families set up the Greenlight. 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.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!
PLEASE SET UP YOUR GREENLIGHT ACCOUNT!
YOU WILL NEED IT FOR CARLINE!!!!!
Greenlight - 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.
Middle School- activate account here: https://glit.me/go/voyager-middle
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
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