Dear Voyager Community,
Fall has arrived on campus and the kids are enjoying the outdoors at lunch, PE class, and recess. We had another exciting week of learning and growing on campus and demonstrating our core values. I had the opportunity to see a class debate in English, view students researching Native American tribes and creating a presentation in Social Students, see 3D printed student designs from the Computer Models and Physical structures classes, and watch the HS Volleyball team compete. Voyager really showed our true colors on Wednesday with a “Purple Out” day sponsored by the High School Student Council. The campus was a sea of purple to raise awareness and demonstrate our support for student, Layla Sawyer, and teacher, Laura McGinnis, who are fighting cancer. What an incredible demonstration of empathy and concern for our school community. Voyager is truly a special community!
New NC legislation requires that School Boards of Education formalize and approve their face mask policy on a monthly basis as we continue to implement COVID mitigation strategies. Voyager’s Board met last night and approved the face mask policy which formalizes the existing procedures at school. The mask policy will be posted on our website and is linked here for your reference. The School Board, Foundation Board, and school also stared the conversation on how to best utilize the Carter House property to better meet the needs of our school community along with our regular monthly finance and operations topics.
Thank you to all the parents and guardians for joining in on the parent/teacher conferences. The parent teacher partnership is a critical element in helping your children be successful in the classroom. I also wanted to thank the 134 families that have completed the Cognia created surveys for the renewal of our accreditation. External accreditation is an important process that verifies the academic standards and school community at Voyager.
Family input is an important part of the process to assess how well we are doing with engaging families and building a strong school community. Please complete the two Cognia created surveys that are needed as part of the review process. One survey will measure family engagement and the other survey measures culture and climate for our school. Student, teacher, and staff surveys are also being shared to gather additional input into the process. Please complete the family engagement and culture and climate surveys by September 30, 2021. We are striving for 100% family participation but need at least 25% participation. The surveys are linked below for your convenience.
Family Surveys (please complete both short surveys)
Carline Reminders
We’ve seen a big improvement in the carline operation and we appreciate your cooperation with arriving at the designated time, not blocking driveways on the public streets, not parking and idling on the public streets, and being a courteous driver and respecting the School Resource Officer and staff directing traffic. A few quick reminders are below:
- The high school parking lot is available in the morning if you would like to avoid carline and walk your child to school. Please remember that a parent must walk their elementary or middle school student to the building to ensure their safety.
- Parents should not pull into a parking spot at the elementary, middle school, or pull into the Hock House driveway to drop off their child. This is unsafe for your child and blocks staff members from parking.
- Please drive slowly while on campus to ensure the safety of all.
Thank you for your continued support and the trust you have in our team to help your child grow and learn to reach their potential. 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:
9/24/21 – Fall Conferences
9/30/21 - Accreditation Team Meeting
9/30/21 - HS Mid-Terms
10/1/21 - HS Mid-Terms
10/4/21 - End of First Quarter
10/4-7/21 - MS NC Check-ins
10/8/21 - ES and MS report cards go home
10/8/21 - ES and MS Day of Awesomeness
10/26/21 - PSAT
10/27/21 - RTA Re-test
11/2/21 - Pre-ACT
Updated Covid Safety Protocols and Procedures
Voyager Sick Child Policy & Guidelines
K-12 Public Health Guidance 7/21
NEWLY ADDED!! COVID-19 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The guidance and protocols for COVID-19 in schools is new, the Sick Child Policy looks very different this year compared to years past, and all of the new information can feel overwhelming. Parents and families, we know you have questions and we are here to help! We have recently added a
COVID-19 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) link to our website under the COVID & Reopening tab.
You can find the link here: COVID-19 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Here are a few of the most received questions. For additional FAQs and answers please refer to the link above.
Q. I kept my child home from school today. It looks like it’s just a cold or maybe allergies. Can they come back to school when they are feeling better?
Anytime a child has symptoms of an illness that include (fever, cough, headache, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell, difficulty breathing) they will need to get a PCR COVID test to rule out COVID BEFORE they can return to school. Even if it looks like just a bad cold, allergies, or an upset stomach, the current guidelines from the CDC and department of health say that a child test negative on a PCR COVID test OR bring in a note from the doctor explaining their symptoms before returning to school. If a child returns to school without this documentation, they will be sent back home.
Q. My child was sent home from school today because they aren’t feeling well, what do I do next?
Please have your child get PCR COVID tested and report those results to your child’s principal and the school nurse, Ms. Skoff cskoff@voyageracademy.net. Your child should remain home until you have received their results and sent them to the school.
Q. I have multiple children that attend Voyager, but only one of them is not feeling well. Can the other children still come to school?
No. If any child in the home is not feeling well, ALL children that attend Voyager must also stay home until the sick child has tested and received a PCR COVID test result.
STUDENT SUPPORT
Please join the Student Support Services Team on October 20th from 6:30-7:30p for our second Parent Enrichment Night! Topics will include:
- Bullying
- Mental Health Support
We are looking forward to an informative session that will equip parents with resources and also support them in the home around these vital topics. Please check out the flyer linked here for details.
Lunch Program
The Titan Family Portal and LINQ Online Ordering system work together like a checking/ debit card account. All student lunch accounts must be preloaded with funds for ordering. Parents then order lunches for students based on the funds available in their Titan account. Families who have a negative balance on the account will no longer be permitted to order lunch online. Please be sure to send your student(s) to school with lunch if no meal was ordered. If your student's lunch account currently has a negative balance, please pay this balance as soon as possible by either form of payment:
- Online at https://family.titank12.
com There is a $2.80 flat fee charged by the bank per deposit online. (Example: $100 deposit + $2.80 fee = $102.80) - A check/ money order made payable to Voyager Academy. Please include your child's name and id# on the memo line. You can also use this pre-printed form.
Lunch menus are published for the month of October. The lunch ordering rule is a week in advance. If you need assistance email foodnutritionservices@
- LINQ ONLINE ORDERING - View and order student/staff meals. Website: https://family.
onlineordering.linq.com - TITAN FAMILY PORTAL -Pay your school fees, manage your students accounts and apply for free and reduced meals. Website: https://family.
titank12.com
Before & After Updates
There are currently no openings in after care and the waitlist is full. We will reevaluate space availability based on staffing in mid-October.
After School Enrichment Programs
Registration for Enrichment Programs is now closed and classes have started! As a reminder, students will need to be picked up from the instructor immediately following each session.
Registration for Spring Enrichments (February 7th - May 6th) will kick off in mid-December. If you need assistance or would like to offer a course this coming Spring, please email enrichments@
INTERESTED IN PART TIME WORK AT VOYAGER – SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS
PART TIME POSITIONS AVAILABLE FOR BEFORE AND AFTER CARE
- Competitive hourly rate
- Great staff and friendly children
- Organized programming for before and after care
- Apply on employment site on Voyager website under “About Voyager”
PART TIME BUS DRIVER OPPORTUNITIES
- Safely transport students to field experiences and athletic events
- Maintain safe bus environment for students
- Available to drive activity bus for field trips and athletic events
- Flexible hours
- Competitive hourly rate
- CDL license required
- Apply on employment site on Voyager website under “About Voyager”