April 23, 2021
Dear Voyager Community,
It seems crazy that next week is May already. We are preparing for all the end of year programs, testing, summer enrichment, and camp opportunities. Our students, teachers, and staff continue to work hard in the classroom as they close out the 2020-2021school year with a strong finish. As I walked through the elementary school this week our students were engaged in deep learning about reading strategies, identifying homophones, and learning how to paint a portrait. Middle School students were practicing their Spanish, creating weavings in art, learning about equations and fractions, and how to find evidence while reviewing a text passage. Our high school students were focused on quadratic equations, geology, and learning about how to protect the coral reef, while others were singing their hearts out. Hands on science experiments are also underway as students learned about dissection and natural selection. We are all so happy to have the students in class and actively engaged in their learning.
21-22 Calendar
As we prepare to close out the 2020 – 2021 school year we are already actively planning ahead for the start of the 2021 – 2022 school year. The calendar committee met to review the previously approved calendar to identify if any changes were recommended. At this time, we are planning to move forward with our current 2021-2022 calendar which is posted on our website. We are planning for in person instruction for all students Monday through Friday and are not planning to offer a remote option. Please remember that the Voyager calendar has a built in early release day on Monday to allow for staff professional development and collaborative team planning in the afternoon. After school care will be available on the Monday early release days for students that register. Please contact our school registrar, Mary Beth Hawkins if your plans for your child to return to Voyager in August have changed for next year.
Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week – May 3rd - 7th
Next week is National Teacher Appreciation week. Please join us as we celebrate and honor our teachers and staff that help our children learn and grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Summarized below the letter is an outline of recognition activities planned for each day next week for all Voyager staff. Thank you to our school community for helping us recognize and show our team how much they are appreciated and valued.
Covid-19 – Safety Reminders
As you know we have had 3 positive Covid-19 cases on our campus that were community related. To date, we have not had any secondary school infections. Everyone is doing a great job wearing their mask, washing hands frequently, and maintaining distance when possible. Please remember to keep your child home if they are not feeling well so that we can ensure we do not spread illnesses on campus. Thank you to all families for completing the Greenlight App accurately and for those families that have signed the consent form for their child to participate in the Covid surveillance testing. This process has helped many other schools identify asymptomatic Covid cases and control the spread of Covid. Please read additional information below about the surveillance testing process with Duke and consider submitting a consent form for your child to participate in the process to help us keep our entire community healthy. You also may have seen that the state will be relaxing policies in the future. We are planning to continue to enforce our masking and screening policies so that we can help mitigate virus spread and keep everyone healthy.
Please know that we are all here to support your child grow, learn, and find their passion. Feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher, building administrator, or student support if we can assist your family in any way. Please review the upcoming dates and information below for additional resources.
Have a wonderful weekend!
All the best,
Upcoming Calendar Events:
May 5 - Student Social Dance Party
May 10-26- EOG/EOC/EXT1
May 27 – Graduation Orange County Speedway
Teacher/Staff Recognition Week – May 3 – May 10, 2021
Join us as we celebrate the dedication and hard work of our Voyager staff. The PTO will be providing a breakfast on Monday at each school. Families that wish to recognize and support the teachers and staff are encouraged to join us as we honor and recognize our team each day next week. Listed below are the themes for the day. Thank you for helping us make our team feel special!
Monday: Breakfast
The PTO is coordinating a breakfast to honor staff
Tuesday: Bring Your Teacher a Plant or Flower Day
We are asking for each family to consider sending in a plant or flower to honor your child's teacher. Teachers help us grow and we want to thank them for their efforts.
Thursday: Treat Your Teacher with A "TREAT" Day
Students are asked to honor their teacher with a SNACK, GIFT CARD, CANDLE, LOTION or any item you feel is fun.
Friday: Voyager will be providing lunch for all staff
Voyager Summer Camp
1. Register for Voyager’s Summer Day Camp or one of the Specialty Camps of your choice on CharterPay.Org.
2. Go to the Activities section of the Guardian/Staff Portal.
3. Select the Activities/Field Trips tab to view the camp options.
4. Complete the Summer Camp Registration Form for each child. The $30 registration fee will be applied to your account after registration is complete.
5. Select the Camp or weeks of your choices and pay the $97.50 deposit. The deposit is non-refundable. The balance of $97.50 will be due by June 1st for each week of camp selected.
https://www.voyageracademy.
Voyager HS Music Program Performs at the Drive-In!
What a year it's been!! Join us for a night of performances showcasing our talented HS musicians & all they've accomplished over the last year at the Raleigh Road Drive-In Theater in Henderson, NC. You don't want to miss it!
WHERE: Raleigh Road Outdoor Theater (3336 Raleigh Rd Henderson, NC 27537) http://www.
WHEN: Thursday, May 13th
COST: Admission is FREE!!!
SCHEDULE:
6:00: Gate opens to the public
6:30-8:00: Cabaret performances featuring our HS Chorus & Band students
8:00-Band & Show Choirs perform!
9:30: Hairspray! (stay to watch on the big screen if you can!)
Concessions will be sold for the duration of the event, no outside food allowed.
Questions? Contact Jenny Hobgood jhobgood@
News from the Student Services Team
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
May is a time to raise awareness of those living with mental or behavioral health issues and to reduce the stigma so many experience. May 2nd through May 8th has been set aside as Children's Mental Health Awareness Week. The Student Services Team invites the entire Voyager community to Wear Green on Thursday, May 6th to raise public awareness, better the lives of children with serious emotional disorders and show our support of these children and their families. Click the link (Children's Mental Health Awareness Month 2021) for additional resources and activities to promote awareness.
May Student Social
Join the Student Services Team on Wednesday, May 5th at 3:45 p.m. for a Voyager Academy Dance Party. See the flyer for additional information (Dance Party).
Summer Programs
Find engaging summer opportunities for children of all ages and interests to include academic, recreation, art, STEM, and much more. See the compiled list for all summer opportunities (Summer Programs).
Science Olympiad
Great effort by the entire Middle School Science Olympiad team this year in learning a very large quantity of high level science concepts and information! After qualifying at the regional tournament, they competed against the top 35 schools in North Carolina at the state tournament this past weekend. Competition was tough, but our team did great, ranking 18th overall and earning 5 event medals! Congrats to the following students who medaled and were top 10 in the state in their event!
2nd place for Ornithology: Luke Bakelaar and Reid Zebrowski
3rd place for Picture This: Vivian Brennan and Calista Robinson
4th place for Write it Do it: Vivian Brennan and Calista Robinson
6th place for Dynamic Planet: Vivian Brennan and Calista Robinson
7th place for Circuit Lab: Eisley Jantz and Amelia Fay
The rest of our wonderful state team: Ella Adams, Amaris Iwara, Kate Bakelaar, Jordan Oakley, Will Baker, Mitch Brennan, Kate Cunningham, Jake Brennan, Sophie Chorosevic & Zoe Robinson.
Summer Camp Opportunities
Voyager will be offering multiple opportunities this summer for enrichment, remediation, and camp experiences on campus. Identified third graders that have not met the Read to Achieve requirements will have the opportunity for Summer Reading Camp to focus on literacy skills. Students in K-8 that are not at grade level in math and literacy will have the opportunity to participate in the Summer Jumpstart program. Additionally, Voyager will be offering a traditional summer camp with exciting programs and enrichment opportunities to keep your children engaged and learning during summer break. Program details will be sent out by the Director of Operations on Friday, April 23, 2021.
Voluntary Surveillance Testing at Voyager
RE: Surveillance COVID-19 Testing at Voyager Academy
As part of our return to safe in-person instruction at Voyager, we are participating in a COVID-19 surveillance testing program. Surveillance testing will help us identify individuals who have COVID-19 but do not show symptoms.
The primary goal of our surveillance COVID-19 testing is to limit the number of infected individuals at our school. The testing data will help us plan our learning accommodations and safety procedures for the summer and the upcoming school year.
How the testing program will work
Surveillance COVID-19 testing will take place at our school from April 22, 2021 to June 30, 2021.
We have asked a team of Duke doctors to help us administer this program and analyze the testing data from our school. Testing data sent to Duke will be de-identified, meaning that Duke will not be able to know who participated in testing or their individual results.
Here’s what you need to know:
- We will send you a consent form to complete on behalf of your child(ren). (Included below, please return in an envelope labeled School Nurse).
- If you sign the consent form and agree to participate in the testing program, your child will be assigned a unique identification number. This number will be used in place of your child’s name for all testing-related procedures and data sent to Duke to help protect your child’s identity.
- Each week, a set of identification numbers will be randomly selected for testing. You will know ahead of time which week your child will participate in testing.
- Students selected for testing for a particular week will receive a nasal swab on the designated day at the school by a Duke clinician.
- While the tests we have selected are accurate in most circumstances, it is possible to receive a false positive result. If your child’s test gives a positive read-out, your child will immediately receive a second test to confirm the result.
- Our school administrator or nurse will contact you if your child receives a confirmed positive result for COVID-19, and we will provide instructions for picking up the student and how to isolate at home.
About the testing kits
We will start the program by using the Quidel QuickVue test and will switch to the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test in early May. These tests were chosen because they:
- Use a small swab in the front part of the nose (nares).
- Provide quick results (10-15 minutes).
- Have high accuracy.
- Are suitable and accurate in individuals with and without symptoms.
- Are approved for use in adults and children.
- Can be administered in the school.
- Can securely transmit results to our school or public health department (i.e. it is HIPAA compliant) [Ellume test].
We will send additional information about this program soon. We hope that your participation in this surveillance COVID-19 testing program will help you feel more comfortable about your students being at school.
Thank you for your role in keeping our school community safe and healthy.
CONSENT FORM LINKED HERE - PLEASE PRINT AND RETURN TO FRONT OFFICE ADDRESSED TO THE SCHOOL NURSE
Before and After Care
Enrollment for the Before and After school care (BASC) programs is now open for full time (4/5 days) registration. BASC will transition to full time care beginning Monday, April 12th. To ensure we are properly staffed for students to ratios we will use the following.
- The enrollment deadline will be on the first Monday after 1 week. i.e. If you register on April 9th, your students start date will be April 19th.
- Fees are charged on a monthly basis and are due by the first of the month.
- Early Care: $50 per month (No sibling discount)
- After Care: $205 per month for 1st child and $195 per month for siblings.
- There is a one- time non- refundable registration fee of $30.
- BASC Programs hours:
- Early Care: 6:45am – until carline opens for Elementary, Middle School and High school
- After Care: 2:45pm – 6:00pm for Elementary and 3:15pm – 6:00pm Middle School.
- Voyager Academy will offer Day Camp programs for Summer 2021.
- Registration will begin Monday, April 19th.
- Camp dates are June 7th – July 1st.
- Specialty camps will be also available.
Voyager Academy BASC knows what it takes to keep children safe, so you can feel comfortable 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/
Lunch Program
Here are a few lunch program reminders in preparation for our transition to Plan A in April.
- Lunch ordering is now available through the end of May.
- Lunch orders must be placed at least one week in advance. Orders placed less than that will not be honored. A refund will be issued and you will need to provide lunch for your student that day.
- K & W Cafeteria will provide lunch on Monday & Thursday.
- Chick-Fil-A will provide lunch on Tuesday & Friday.
- 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.
- Payment options are by debit/credit card or ACH bank draft. Order Lunch online at CharterPay.org.
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
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.