It has been a great week of learning at Voyager Elementary. Our hallways are busy and our students are excited to be back in the classroom, under Plan A. Thank you for your consistent support and your patience as we make this last quarter of school the very best it can possibly be. We appreciate our parents, grandparents, and extended family members. We are Voyager Strong! The following announcements and updates should be helpful for you and your family for the week of April 19-23.
SCHOOL PHOTO DAY, APRIL 20: Exciting News!
Strawbridge Studios will be at Voyager Academy Elementary on Tuesday April 20th to take SCHOOL PHOTOS. These photos will also be used in our upcoming Elementary Yearbook.
You can order online at www.strawbridge.net
Click on "Order Pictures"
Type in CODE: FM344524
Fill out your student information to purchase.
Virtual Students: You can have your photo made as well! We are sending out a SignUp Genius to remote families only for a "DRIVE-IN" Photo session. You can bring your child on that designated time, pull up in the carline (at the gym), your student will get out and go into the gym for a quick photo which will only take a few minutes. This is completely optional. Designated time will be Tuesday April 20th 11:30am - 12:30pm. Please look for a separate email with the SignUp Genius Link for remote students.
Yearbooks can also be purchased:
Voyager Academy Elementary School is excited to announce our YEARBOOK ordering is up and ready at Strawbridge Studios!
VOYAGER ACADEMY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2020-2021 YEARBOOK
$22 - UNTIL 4/30/21
$27 - FROM 5/1/21 TO 5/15/21
ONLINE CODE - FMYB110322
https://strawbridge.fotomerchanthv.com/search/FMYB110322
3rd Grade EOG Dates Are On The Calendar: Our 3rd grade students are working so well and are setting their eyes on the summer, but before the break, EOG’s must be completed. Please mark your calendar now for May 10 and May 11. Because EOG testing must be completed in person, we will be asking for remote students in 3rd grade to prepare to be on campus on May 10 and May 11. Testing will begin promptly at 8:00 am and will conclude at 12:00. 3rd grade remote students and in person students may be picked up at 12:00 on May 10 or 11 or the in person students may stay at school until normal dismissal (if needed). All 3rd grade remote students will need to be picked up at 12:00 each day. We will have students spread out throughout the second floor during testing. Because of space concerns our 2nd grade students will have asynchronous learning days AT HOME on May 10 and May 11.
VOYAGER ELEMENTARY WELCOMES A NEW ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL:
YOU BELONG AT VOYAGER EVENT: Parents are invited to a virtual meeting on April 20 that will focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. The link for this event is listed below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4AA4A623A1FB6-diversity
CarLine Update: The Voyager carline has doubled in size. How can you help?
Please be patient and please be kind
If some of you would arrive each morning between 7:15 and 7:30, that would help our traffic flow.
If you need to pick up an elementary student and a middle school student, we ask that you arrive to carline (in the afternoon) at 3:00 or after so that you do not end up getting into the middle school car line lane too early--this will cause a back-up of traffic for all schools. Adults leaving the elementary carline who need to turn right to go to the middle school will not be allowed to turn right until 3:05. If you are in the carline before that time, you will have to exit the parking lot and circle back around to get in line. If we do not follow this procedure, then every direction of the carline backs up and no one will be able to move.
Please have your red carline sign in our window.
Each morning, please make sure your children are ready to exit the car as you pull up to your drop off zone.
WELCOME NEW ELEMENTARY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL: Voyager Academy is pleased to announce that Mrs. Jessica Weiland has been appointed as the new Elementary Assistant Principal effective July 1, 2021. We are thrilled to have Mrs. Weiland join the administrative team. She is a graduate of East Carolina University and North Carolina State University. Mrs. Weiland has taught at Voyager for 10 years which will help us maintain much of Voyager’s rich history and we begin to plan for the upcoming school year. Congratulations Mrs. Weiland!
SURVEILLANCE COVID 19 TESTING AT VOYAGER:
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.
CONSENT FORM LINKED HERE - PLEASE PRINT AND RETURN TO FRONT OFFICE ADDRESSED TO THE SCHOOL NURSE
MEET THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: I just want to reach out and let you know – in case any of your students and families might be interested – that the illustrator of DANDELION MAGIC and I will be celebrating our DANDELION MAGIC book launch with a very special virtual storytime at Quail Ridge Books…… on Saturday April 24th @ 11AM EDT…
You can register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/darren-farrell-maya-tatsukawa-dandelion-magic-tickets-149933592411
It's totally free. And will be totally fun.
PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION UPDATE: Thanks to all who attended the meeting on Monday. There was some great conversation and ideas that we would love to incorporate into our planning for the remainder of this year and going forward. If you were not able to attend here is link to the recording: PTO Meeting 4/12/21
We need your help! We are looking to form committees that will begin to plan for the next upcoming year. We would like to gauge interest meet once before the school year is done and then hit full steam in August. Anything done well takes planning and preparation and we look forward to having some of your join our team. Voyager is truly a great place when we are all working together. Please see a listing of volunteer opportunities attached, and if you are interested, fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/JLGtUFvjgTc9LNxaA
Last big announcement!
We are offering some apparel for pre-order and purchase. This is a trial run with limited selections but we wanted to make sure we got some sprit wear to our Viking family
Buy yours today at this link: https://voyager-academy-pto.square.site/
A FEW DETAILS ABOUT PLAN A:
Students and Staff must wear a mask to school each day.
Families are asked to complete the Greenlight Health Screening each morning.
Temperature checks will be conducted each morning.
Handwashing times and frequent sanitation will continue throughout the school day.
Students will be discouraged from sharing school supplies.
Students will have 15 minutes of unmasked time to each lunch and then masks will need to be reapplied.
Middle school students may NOT be dropped off at the elementary school during morning car line. Middle school students must be dropped off at their building.
Car line begins each morning at 7:15 and concludes at 7:45. If you arrive on campus after 7:45, you are late and you will need to come to the front entrance of the school to check in. PLEASE TRY TO BE ON TIME SO THAT STUDENTS BEGIN THE DAY IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE.
SCHOOL NURSE:
Lunch Details: Here are a few lunch program reminders in preparation for our transition to Plan A on April 12, 2021:
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.
Extended Day Programs at Voyager: Enrollment for the Before and After school care (BASC) programs is now open for full time (4 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 for the April 12th start date is April 2nd.
The enrollment deadline for future weeks 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.
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.
Before and After Care 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 Summer Camp Is Coming: Voyager Academy will offer Day Camp programs for Summer 2021. More details are coming, please mark your calendar for registration that begins April 19.
o Registration will begin Monday, April 19th.
o Camp dates are June 7th – July 2nd.
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.
What Do I Do If My Student Has Been Exposed To Someone with Covid: If an K-3 student has been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID, please call the school or email Mr. Manning 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.
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.
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 attend. 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
Greenlight Directions Video #2
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.