Dear Voyager Community,
I hope your new year is off to a healthy and happy start. It’s wonderful to be back on campus with our students and staff and feel the excitement and possibilities for the new year that lies ahead. Our staff and students returned eager to connect with one another and continue learning and growing together. Thank you to our families and staff for the collaboration and partnership as we all work together to ensure the success of our students.
These are definitely challenging times as we continue to tackle all the new COVID challenges presented by the Omicron variant. We can continue to keep our school community healthy and safe by getting vaccinated and boosted, wearing masks, and testing as needed to mitigate further spread of the virus. Voyager has continued our surveillance testing to support a healthy school community. Feel free to reach out to the school nurse if you want your child to participate in the testing process or if you have questions related to vaccination guidelines. Please continue to update the school nurse with your child’s updated vaccination records. The Voyager team is working tirelessly to ensure we implement Covid safety protocols that allow us to remain learning on campus together.
We’re also busy planning ahead for next year too. The 2022-2023 application process is now open. Information, resources, and the timeline for the application and lottery process are under the admissions tab on the website. We will be hosting a virtual information night on February 3, 2022 for all prospective families. Voyager continues to strive to reach a diverse demographic that reflects our community. Please reach out to your friends and neighbors and share information about our wonderful school community. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee will also be meeting on Monday to discuss recruiting initiatives at area preschools and community centers. Voyager also partners with the Head Start program and has already shared our school brochures and participated in their open house. Please remember to submit an application by the February 28, 2022 deadline for any siblings that you would like to enroll for the 2022-2023 school year. Students that are already enrolled at Voyager do not need to reapply.
Voyager High School will also be hosting information nights for our rising 8th graders so they can learn more about the opportunities available at our high school. Please reserve the dates below and look for additional information coming soon with the zoom link for the virtual sessions.
The Board of Directors is also in the process of planning for the future as well and seeking new applicants. The application is posted under the Board of Directors tab if you or someone you know is interested in serving on the Voyager School Board to support our school’s vision, mission, and strategic plan.
Please know that we are all here to support your child grow, learn, and find their passion. Feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher, building administrator, or student support if we can assist your family in any way. Have a wonderful weekend!
Upcoming Events:
01/07/22 - 2nd Quarter Report Cards Issued
01/07/22 - mClass MOY Assessments Begin (K-3)
1/10/22 - HS Parent Open House - zoom
1/24/22 - 8th Grade Transition to HS Night - zoom
1/26/22-EC 8th grade Parent night-zoom-High school Transition
2/3/22 - Info Night for Prospective Families - 5 pm
2/7-11/22 - MS Check Ins
Nurses Corner
SURVEILLANCE TESTING AND VACCINATION UPDATES
As many of you have seen, COVID-19 and the Omicron variant are hitting Durham especially hard right now. This is just a reminder that we offer weekly surveillance testing for students here at Voyager Academy. Students perform the swab procedure themselves and only need to swab the front part of the nose. We have students of ALL ages and from every grade level participating! Students are encouraged to participate even if they are fully vaccinated or may have previously had COVID-19. Parents, if you haven’t signed your child up yet and would like to, it’s not too late. The swab process itself takes less than one minute and adds an additional layer of protection to our in-person learning community!
Also – if your child has received their COVID-19 vaccine or booster, please remember to update the vaccination survey so that we can have up-to-date records. In addition to protecting individuals from serious illness, students who are fully vaccinated are not required to quarantine from school after an exposure or close contact to COVID.
If you have questions or are interested in enrolling your child in our surveillance testing program, please email cskoff@voyageracademy.net
Voyager Sick Child Policy & Guidelines
STUDENT SUPPORT
NCDHHS Resource for Families
LIHWAP is a temporary emergency program that helps eligible households and families afford water and wastewater services. The program provides a one-time payment for eligible low-income households directly to the utility company. LIHWAP runs through September 2023 or until the funds run out.
Individuals can apply online at epass.nc.gov. Individuals can also apply by printing a paper application from epass.nc.gov and dropping it off at or faxing it to their local county Department of Social Services or by calling their local county Department of Social Services to apply by phone.
National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Although slavery is commonly thought to be a thing of the past, human traffickers generate hundreds of billions of dollars in profits by trapping millions of people in horrific situations around the world, including here in the U.S. Traffickers use violence, threats, deception, debt bondage, and other manipulative tactics to force people to engage in commercial sex or to provide labor or services against their will.
In recognition of this important topic, the NCTSN has compiled a list of resources for children, teens, parents and caregivers, educators, child welfare and juvenile justice professionals, and mental health providers.
Some resources include:
Trafficking Screening Tools
Child Sex Trafficking: What You Might Not Know
Mental Health Interventions for Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth
Understanding the Complex Needs of Commercially Sexually Exploited Children
National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month External Resources
View these resources HERE.
Social Skills Groups
It's not too late!! 6th-8th graders and 9th-12th graders can still join Dr. Link's Social Skills groups after school!! This will be a fun, informative, reflective, and safe way for your student(s) to learn, build, and hone these important skills. WHY are social skills important?!? Great question! Because relationships are an integral part of our daily lives. Starting, developing, maintaining, and repairing meaningful and healthy relationships with others is possibly one of the most important yet underappreciated set of skills that we can develop and utilize over the course of our lives. Such important skills include, but are not limited to, active listening, conflict resolution, effective communication, non-verbal communication, assertiveness, perspective-taking, and reflective apologizing. Further development and/or honing of these skills, widely known as social skills, is most likely one of the best ways to improve our relationships with others.
Beginning in January, Voyager Academy is excited to be able to offer 6th-8th grade and 9-12th grade students an opportunity to participate in a Social Skills group after school! If you are interested in having your child participate, please contact Dr. Monique Link, School Social Worker, to enroll or for more information - mlink@voyageracademy.net
919-433-3301 X 146. The respective flyers are provided below.
LUNCH PROGRAM
Voyager Academy is pleased to announce our participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) effective January 3, 2022. We know the importance of meals in fueling both healthy minds and bodies. Even though school meals and ordering may look a little different than years past, our goal is to provide children with the well-balanced nutrition they need to be healthy and stay focused during the school day. Meals, foods and beverages sold or served at schools meet state and federal requirements which are based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines.
The price for lunch under NSLP will be $4.00 for full price, $.40 for reduced and free for students that are eligible for reduced priced student meals. Families can complete a Free and reduced price meal application online at Family.TitanK12.com. The monthly lunch menu is available on our School Nutrition website by clicking here.
LUNCH FUND DONATIONS
Some families require more help than others with daily purchases and outstanding meal balances. A few extra dollars from families with the ability to donate can help us make sure all of our children have consistent access to nutritious school meals, while keeping Voyager Academy’s finances strong! If you would like to contribute to the Voyager Academy Lunch fund, you can do so on the School Store at TitanK12.com
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
We hope you will accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience families experienced this week. We understand how important after care services are for working families. The rising number of staff absences due to COVID related issues may require us to revisit our ability to provide a safe environment for all students enrolled in the future. Please know that closing after care will always be our last option once all resources have been exhausted. We will be applying a credit to family accounts for the inconvenience of the missed days in January. An email will be sent to families from the Care Program Director. Please feel free to email careprogram@voyageracademy.net with any questions or concerns.
Here are a few program reminders:
Before and after care payments should be made using the Titan School Store on the family portal dashboard or by check. Do not use Charter Pay for any future payments.
Due to continued staffing shortages, there are currently no openings in after care. The waitlist is closed for the 2021-22 school year. We will make an announcement via email, if the program re-opens for new enrollments.
The payment system on the Titan school store is only for currently enrolled students. If a family not enrolled makes a payment on Titan, the funds will be refunded minus the service fees charged by the processor.
ATHLETICS
Welcome back Vikings! I hope everyone had a wonderful break and is as excited as I am to get our games going again.
Home athletic contests Jan. 10 - 14
1/11: Middle school girls and boys basketball vs. Vance Charter. Girls 5pm, boys 6pm
1/14: Middle school girls and boys basketball vs. Henderson Collegiate. Girls 5pm, boys 6pm
Additional notes:
Middle school basketball games will be $5 cash at the door. Students get in free with their student ID.
We will be hosting an Athletic Booster meeting on Thursday, January 11th at 6:30pm over Zoom. Please join us by using the link below
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73417550144?pwd=r990l98ekrot_VagpHa72cXQ9WnkA1.1
Meeting ID: 734 1755 0144
Passcode: 1GYKnw
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tGmY3_LP8EXHXRPuPKmMAPkqOGIC7HFq/view?ts=61b96565
LET'S STAY CONNECTED
Let’s stay connected! Scroll on over to our Voyager Academy website to see all the updates and additions. Be sure to follow, friend, like and subscribe to all our Social Media accounts! #GoVikingsGo #VoyagerVikings
Amazon Smile
It’s the most wonderful way to support all of the great things we are doing at Voyager and to help us expand our program offerings in academics, extracurricular activities, professional development, athletics, the arts and more!
Now, it’s easier than ever to support us just by shopping online! Whenever you make an eligible purchase from Amazon, Voyager Academy will benefit at no additional cost to you. All you have to do is select Voyager Academy Inc. as your charitable organization on Smile.Amazon.com. You shop…Amazon donates!
What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop with AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to Voyager Academy Inc.
INTERESTED IN PART TIME WORK AT VOYAGER – SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS
PART TIME MIDDLE SCHOOL EC TEACHING ASSISTANT
Provides one-on-one assistance with academics and behavioral supports needed and may lead small group activities.
Assists the teacher with executing instruction and evaluating its effectiveness, participates in planning.
Assists with the delivery of special services for students in need of functional life skills.
Competitive hourly rate
Supportive school climate
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”