Dear Voyager Community,
Another incredible week has flown by and there are so many exciting things happening across campus.
This was the first week of our COVID surveillance screening test process and all went smoothly. Thank you to all the families and staff that are participating. Voyager has partnered with the Duke ABC Science Collaborative to assist our school nurse with this process. To date, we have 144 individuals that are part of the surveillance testing process. Surveillance testing is being implemented to identify asymptomatic cases of COVID so that we can prevent further spread of the virus. I encourage all families and staff to complete the consent form and participate in this process to help keep our school community safe and healthy. The surveillance testing consent form is linked here and can be submitted to our school nurse, Chelsea Skoff.
This year Voyager will participate in an engagement review process with Cognia to renew our accreditation. The leadership team is in the process of reviewing the standards and identifying evidence that demonstrates Voyager’s areas of strength for each performance standard. We will be sending out a culture and climate survey during September to gather input and feedback from all stakeholders in our community as part of this process. Additionally, Cognia will be conducting interviews with all stakeholder groups including students, parents, community partners, teachers, administrators, and board members during the month of November. The final outcome of the accreditation review process will be shared with Voyager in December.
We are continuing to build an inclusive learning community and culture at Voyager and celebrate our unique and diverse backgrounds that make our school community feel like family. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee has planned an Origins Family night for September 9th. Please check out the details below and join us for the event.
Voyager will be saying farewell to our current Athletic Director, Alex Owen, as he moves on to pursue a new career path. We are grateful for the many years Alex has served our school community and supported students and our athletic programs. We wish Alex continued success and all the best with his future endeavor. On Monday, we will welcome our new Athletic Director, Jordan Gatcomb. We look forward to the continued growth and success of Voyager athletics under her leadership.
I know we are all looking for the heat to break so things cool off a little as well. We have recently added additional picnic tables to campus and are testing out a misting system on the turf to keep students cool during PE, recess, and games. We are also investigating additional shade options for each building along with more outdoor seating to expand outdoor learning and eating opportunities. We are grateful for the support of our parents and our PTO who are interested in partnering with us on these initiatives.
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 information below for upcoming events and additional resources.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Upcoming Events:
Origins Night - September 9th (6 pm – 7 pm)
Student Support Team
The Voyager Student Services Team will be administering Skills & Competencies and Well-being surveys to students in grades 2-12, August 30th through September 10th. The goal of these surveys are to (a) determine the level of need students may have around healthy and effective skills with respect to the following competencies: Self-efficacy, social awareness, self-management, and emotion regulation; (b) identify the emotional and social experiences students are having at this time; and (c) develop and provide support services and/or resources to students according to the information obtained from the surveys. For questions about the surveys or the intended outcomes, please feel free to contact your child's School Counselor or the School Social Worker.
Topic: EXPO September Meeting
Time: Sep 22, 2021 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97965923734?pwd=L1VFblE2WWJleW9nbmw5b1k5Nkhadz09
Meeting ID: 979 6592 3734
Passcode: 1234
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,97965923734#,,,,*1234# US (New York)
+13017158592,,97965923734#,,,,*1234# US (Washington DC)
Updated Covid Safety Protocols and Procedures
K-12 Public Health Guidance 7/21
School Nurse Update
Let's all take a long, slow, deep breath. We have arrived at the end of the 4th week of school! These last few weeks have certainly had ups and downs. We are ALL learning and growing and re-adjusting to the new normal of in-person instruction AND evolving COVID-19 precautions. Departures from our senses of "normal" can cause increased feelings of stress and worry for all members of the family. Having some healthy habits in place can help take care of you and your family's physical, mental, and emotional health. Here are some suggestions from Mental Health First Aid to practice self-care as a family:
Eat more fruit, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains - eating healthfully can help you and your family take care of your physical health and have energy for the day ahead.
Stay active - exercising can help stimulate feel-good emotions. Focus on increasing your heart rate for at least 20 minutes once a day. Consider taking a walk together as a family, stretch together in the living room, or play a game outside.
Develop a bedtime routine - data from the National Sleep Foundation shows that going to sleep at the same time every night can help regulate the body's internal clock and improve sleep quality.
Talk about how you are feeling - it's important to talk as a family about how everyone is feeling and address questions and concerns children may have. Dinnertime can be an excellent opportunity to practice self-reflection and have family members share their feelings and thoughts from the day.
Parent Calendar for 21 - 22 Activities
The 21-22 Voyager Parent Activities calendar lists all programs and activities so all families have access to the events and programs offered on campus. The calendar is posted on the school website.
To subscribe to 21-22 VA Parent Calendar
View 21-22 VA Parent Calendar on Voyager Website under the Calendar tab
Select the plus sign at the bottom right of the calendar to add to your Google calendar
This will open your Google calendar
Select other calendars, add calendar
Select subscribe to calendar
Once subscribed, Voyager events will populate on your Google calendar
After School Enrichment Programs Coming Soon
Registration will be coming soon for afterschool enrichment programs that will be starting in mid September. Dance, Music, Art, STEM, and Athletics will be offered this fall.
Lunch Program
We are really excited about the new look, ease of ordering and the family portal features. The website makes it quicker and easier than ever to order lunch for your student(s), add funds to multiple accounts and view your order history. If you need assistance email foodnutritionservices@voyageracademy.net.
What you need to know:
There are two systems that work together for ordering and payment
LINQ ONLINE ORDERING - View and order student/staff meals.
TITAN FAMILY PORTAL -Pay your school fees, manage your students accounts and apply for free and reduced meals.
Pre-Payment Options - Please take advantage of the options to prepay your student's meal accounts.
Send/mail Check or money order, made payable to “Voyager Academy” to school with your student. Please place the payments in an envelope marked clearly with your student's name, their ID #, their teacher's name, the $ amount and the check #. Turn in prepaid deposits to the teacher or school office. Payments must be made in full by September 1st. Families with a negative balance will not be able to place additional orders.
The online payment system is coming soon. This is a simple safe and a secure way to make payments to your students account 24 hours a day at your convenience. (Currently unavailable, but coming soon)
Download and Print Out a pre-formatted #10 Envelope for making Deposits
Ordering Rules
There are 2 options for meals. The Lunch meal, which follows USDA meal guidelines or a Vegetable plate.
The vegetable plate contains 3 vegetables (generally two of the same on the day's menu and a third vegetable/legume) with a fruit. It is an optional choice and is not available as a free or reduced lunch meal. The component guidelines for FRM is very specific.
You can pre-order the days you want to purchase a meal for the week or the full month. (You select which days within that week/month)
There is a week advance Order Cut Off date. All orders must be made the Monday of the week before.
We can not accept day before or same day orders. Changes/cancellations can be made up to 2 days before the meal date.
We have relaxed the ordering rules for week 1 and 2 of the school year while Chase Bank completes our point of service account.
Images/photos on the menu are for promotional purposes and are not actual meal photos.
Free and Reduced Lunch meal pricing is available at Voyager Academy.
Applications must be renewed each school year. If a new application has not been completed, the student will automatically revert to “paid” status.
Verification of income is required. Please submit supporting documentation to foodnutritionservices@voyageracademy.net after you complete the application. You can view the USDA Child Nutrition Programs Income Eligibility Guidelines (2021-2022)