Voyager Academy Elementary Update:
Spring is here and things are looking beautiful. This week we have celebrated EARTH DAY and tried to determine if more students like the beach or the mountains. My vote goes for the mountains! We are thankful for our Voyager families and we are glad YOU are partnering with us as we seek to develop independent, life-long learners. The following announcements will be helpful for you and your family for the week of April 26-30.
CONGRATULATIONS TO HARPER JACKSON: The 3rd grade classes have been studying about DURHAM. In that study each student created a possible Durham T-shirt design. The students voted on the design they liked best and Harper Jackson’s design was selected. It will be made into a t-shirt that the 3rd grade students and families may purchase.
DID YOU SAY NEXT YEAR? Some of us are so excited about summer that is just around the corner, but we are also very excited about the 2021-2022 school year. Voyager Academy is ready for some normalcy! Our current plan is to begin IN PERSON school on August 5! Monday’s will be early release days for students, just as it has been in the past. School will begin at 7:45 and end at 2:45 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. On Mondays school will begin at 7:45 and conclude at 12:45.
STUDENT SOCIAL EVENT MAY 5: 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).
WALK AND LEARN EVENT: During the 1st week of May, the K-3 students will be experiencing a Walk and Learn event. The classes will travel around campus and stop at various learning stations where the class will complete the learning activity and then walk to the next event. We will have a math station, a music station, a science station, a joke station, a physical activity station, a sensory station and more. Be sure to ask your student about this event.
SCHOOL NURSE: Voyager now has a school nurse. Nurse Jill is on our campus Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 9:00 until 2:00. Please join me in welcoming her to our team.
YEARBOOK PURCHASES:
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 TESTING 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.
CARLINE UPDATE: Carline is getting smoother each and every day. Thank you for all your help. What do we need from you in order to make this even better? I am so glad you asked:
If possible, please arrive at school between 7:15 and 7:30. The majority of cars arrive from 7:30 to 7:45 and then we have back-ups.
While in the morning carline, please prepare your student so they are ready to exit the car when they arrive to the drop off zone.
If you are not in the carline by 7:45, we will begin moving you to the office parking lot area and you will need to walk your child up to the front of the school and check them in. Arriving a little early would ensure everyone child gets to begin class on time.
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
PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION UPDATE: 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 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 you 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/
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.