Dear Voyager Community,
FALL FESTIVAL IS TONIGHT!! We hope to see many of you at this wonderful PTO sponsored event. Thank you to Robin Lalor and Elaine Bahr for coordinating the festivities and all the volunteers that are making this possible. Thank you to the parents that are continuing to host and feed our staff at monthly luncheons. The teams appreciate your generosity and all the delicious treats. The elementary and middle school students enjoyed all the fun on Thursday at their “Day of Awesomeness” celebration. The Middle School has also had a fun filled spirit week and are celebrating their favorite holiday today.
We are excited to host a COVID Vaccine Clinic on Friday, November 5th to support our families with the process. The flyer with details was sent out on Thursday to all families with details. Our school nurse will also be reaching out to families after the clinic to get updated vaccination records for our students. We will continue to monitor the community spread of COVID, the positivity rate, and our staff/student vaccination rates to guide decision making on our ongoing COVID protocols. The only change to our current protocols is that athletes that are vaccinated are no longer required to participate in Covid surveillance testing since we have experienced a significant decline in cases. This modification was recommended and board approved last night.
The 22-23 and 23-24 school calendars were also approved by the board last night and will be posted on the website in the near future.
School safety procedures and emergency preparedness are critical components to ensuring the safety of all students and staff in the event of any security incident, severe weather event, or crisis situation. The Voyager team has an emergency crisis manual and have trained staff on all procedures. Teachers have had conversations about school safety with their classes and explained drill procedures for a fire, lockdown, shelter in place, and evacuation of the school.
Fire drills are conducted in all buildings on a monthly basis and students and staff exit the building and report to a safe location. During a lockdown, students will remain secure in their classroom with their teacher away from all windows and doors and remain silent. During a shelter in place students will remain secure in their classroom and instruction will continue. A shelter in place may be called if there is a medical emergency and we need to keep all hallways clear for paramedics. A shelter in place drill was held in each school building last week. There may also be an emergency that would require us to evacuate from the school to an alternate location. Practice drills allow us to ensure that our staff and students will be prepared and know how to respond if we experience an emergency situation.
Partnering with families is important as we continue to improve our school safety and emergency preparedness. Please talk with your children and assure them that the safety drills are a precaution to ensure that we practice and prepare to keep everyone safe in the event of an emergency. Please remind your children that they should feel calm and safe and listen to their teacher’s directions.
If the school has a lockdown due to a threat inside the school or in the surrounding neighborhood we ask that parents do not enter the school. However, if parents are already at school during a safety drill or lockdown we ask that parents proceed to the nearest classroom and remain with the class until the announcement is made ending the lockdown.
The School Messenger system that we use for newsletter updates will be used to notify parents for weather alerts or if an emergency event does occur at the school. Parents are not notified when drills are conducted. It is important to make sure you update the school if you should change your phone or email address so that we can reach you in an emergency.
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:
10/29/21 – Fall Festival
11/2/21 - Pre-ACT
11/5/21 - High school movie night; Covid Vaccine clinic (4-7pm)
11/10/21 - Parent Enrichment Night
11/11/21 - School Closed for Holiday
11/12/21 - Board of Directors Campus visit
11/16/21 - PTO Meeting
11/17-19 - Cognia Engagement Review
11/24-26 - School Closed for Holiday
12/2/21 - SIT Team Meeting
12/9/21 - Board Meeting
12/13-12/16- HS Final Exams/EOCs
Athletics
Fall Sports:
We still have a few teams competing in our fall season! Our varsity Co-Ed Cross Country team will be competing in regionals this Saturday, October 30th, at Wake Med Park. Our women’s tennis team is still alive in the NCHSAA State Tournament as they beat East Columbus High School on Tuesday, 5-1. They will be hosting fellow conference opponent Roxboro Community on Tuesday, November 1st at 4pm. Please stop by the Eno Valley Swim & Racquet club and show some support for our amazing tennis team! Speaking of tennis and states, Junior Kate Flintom is competing for a state title as I currently type this. If she wins her matches today she will compete for an individual state title tomorrow.
The NCHSAA just released their state bracket for men’s soccer and Voyager Academy is the #1 seed in the east region. We will host NE Carolina Prep. on Monday, November 1 at either 6:00 or 7:00pm. All tickets will be $7.00 cash.
Winter Sports:
I can’t believe we’re into the winter sports season already. High school basketball tryouts were this week and the teams look ready to get the season started. First home games will be the JV and Varsity men's teams as they host Durham School of the Arts on November 11th. JV will play at 4:30 and varsity will play at 7:30pm. The women kick off their season the following week on November 17th as all three teams will be hosting Research Triangle High School. Tip-offs will be JV 4:30, Women 6:00pm, Men 7:30pm.
Middle school basketball tryouts will begin on Monday, November 1st. The girls will go 4:30 - 6:00pm and the boys will go 6:00 - 8:00pm.
High school swimming will get their season started bright and early on Wednesday, November 3, 6:00am. If you are interested in swimming and haven’t spoken with Coach please feel free to email Coach Gatcomb for more information.
Please go to the following link to make sure you have your child’s necessary paperwork completed and uploaded prior to the start of tryouts
https://app.formreleaf.com/
COVID Screening for Athletes:
Due to the decreased cases we have seen with COVID-19 Voyager has decided that vaccinated athletes are no longer required to be part of the Mandatory Athlete Screening process. If you are a student athlete on a team and have been fully vaccinated please drop off a copy of your vaccination card to Coach Gatcomb’s office or you can email it directly to jgatcomb@voyageracademy.net Please note: This policy may be subject to change if there is an increase in case numbers.
Other Additional Notes:
In other exciting news, the Athletic Department has decided to not charge currently enrolled Voyager Academy students for game admission. Beginning November 11th if you show your student ID you will get to watch home sporting events for free! Please note, this does not include any of our away games or any home NCHSAA state tournament games that we may post. I am hopeful this change will encourage our student body to come to more games and show support for fellow classmates!
Best of luck to all of our remaining individuals and teams in their state tournament. As always, be sure to follow us on Twitter for updates @VAHS_Vikings while our athletic website is currently being updated.
Go Vikings, Go!
Nurses Corner
Lunch Program
Help us understand your child's school meal experience! The information you provide is important to know the direction school meals need to take in order to make your experience better. Please answer the following questions only as they apply to meals offered at the schools. Do not answer for food sent from home or for food purchased and delivered to school from local fast food establishments. There is a section of questions that will require your students' input. This survey is geared to help us improve the food item options (not the vendor), the payment system as well as continue to provide healthy and affordable meal options to all Voyager Academy students.
The survey can be found by clicking this link https://forms.gle/
Lunch Program
November’s lunch menus are live and ready to take your orders. We’ve added 3 new menu items this month as well as a special holiday dinner on November 23rd. New to the menu in November… Cheese Pizza, Turkey Hot Dogs and Southwest Beef w/ Corn Chips! Don’t forget to select your students' milk preference (low fat flavored milk or 1% unflavored milk) at check out. Milk is a mandatory component of the meal plan and included in the price.
The lunch ordering rule is a week in advance. You will have until 5pm on Saturday Oct 30th to order for the 1st week of November. We will revert back to the week in advance on Sunday. We recommend parents order for the month , then add funds to your Titan account the week ordered. If you have a negative balance, the system will prompt you to pay before ordering. There is a $2.80 flat fee charged by the bank per deposit online to Titan. (Example: $100 deposit + $2.80 fee = $102.80) m. You can also pay using A check or money order made payable to Voyager Academy. Please include your child's name and id# on the memo line. 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 School & Enrichment Updates
Stop by the Extended Day program booth at the Fall Festival to meet some of our vendors and play some games! We will be located in the elementary school parking lot.
- Before Care is Open for registration.
- There are currently no openings in after care and the waitlist is full. We will notify current waitlist registrants if an opening becomes available.
- 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@
voyageracademy.net.
STUDENT SUPPORT
Renters impacted by COVID-19 can apply to NC's HOPE Program
North Carolina renters who are behind on rent or utility payments, or face homelessness or eviction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, can apply for financial help to stay in their homes through the NC Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions Program (HOPE). Please visit www.HOPE.NC.gov for more information and to apply online. If you cannot access the HOPE website, please contact the HOPE Call Center at (888) 9ASK-HOPE to speak with a program specialist, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Inquilinos afectados por COVID-19 pueden postularse al programa HOPE de NC
Los inquilinos de Carolina del Norte que están atrasados en los pagos de alquiler o servicios públicos, o que enfrentan la falta de vivienda o el desalojo debido a la pandemia de COVID-19, pueden solicitar ayuda financiera para permanecer en sus hogares a través del Programa de Oportunidades de Vivienda y Prevención de Desalojos de Carolina del Norte (HOPE). Visite www.HOPE.NC.gov
Updated Covid Safety Protocols and Procedures
Voyager Sick Child Policy & Guidelines
K-12 Public Health Guidance 7/21
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”