NEWS FROM ELEMENTARY: We are back into the swing of things and I hope your family is as well. Listed below are some important reminders for you and your family for the week of October 31-November 04
ELEMENTARY FAMILY MARATHON: Keep walking and keep talking! Our Elementary Family Marathon is underway. If you need more information about our Family Marathon challenge, click the link or contact Mrs. Flowe-Dawson (mflowedawson@voyageracademy.net) or Mrs. Boyd (tboyd@voyageracademy.net).
ON SITE WALKING EVENT: As our family marathon comes to a close, we will be walking the last 1.2 miles of the marathon on Voyager’s soccer field. This event will take place on Nov. 18th. Each grade level will come out and walk and we want to encourage parents and grandparents to come and walk with us as well. The times each grade level will be walking are listed below:
First Grade: 8:15 start time
Second Grade: 9:15 start time
Kindergarten: 10:15 start time
Third Grade: 11;15 start time
PTSO FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Save the DATE! The PTSO is hosting a FREE Family Game Night NEXT Friday, November 4th from 6-8pm in the ES gym. Bring blankets/folding chairs & board games! We will have popcorn, refreshments, & apparel/gear for sale. Bring cash and small bills, please.
Sign Up Genius to volunteer - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090948a4ab23a4f94-ptso
THIRD GRADE PROJECT CELEBRATION: Our 3rd graders will be hosting their Fall Project Celebration on November 3.
HEALTHCARE KNOWLEDGE SPEAKERS: Currently, third graders are learning about the human body systems and senses. The students are exploring the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. They are also learning about vision, hearing, disabilities and clean bills of health. On Tuesday, they had some health guest experts come into the classroom to teach the students more about the health field. The students were very engaged in the learning.
NOVEMBER STAFF LUNCHEON SIGN-UP: If you are able to volunteer or provide a food item for the November Staff Luncheon, please sign up on the link below. We truly do LOVE this monthly event. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508054AACAB29A5FF2-vaes4
MORNING MEETINGS ARE THE BEST: Mr. Manning has been visiting classrooms and running a morning meeting. He has the students greet one another, share with each other, and participate in an activity. Mr. Manning challenged the students to remember 12 items on a tray in 12 seconds. He explained that many students are visual learners. On the tray, were items that Mr. Manning uses or appreciates. The students welcome him visiting the classroom and doing activities with them.
BOOK CHARTER READING DAY: K-3 will host a BOOK CHARACTER READING DAY on Oct. 31. Students and staff will be able to DRESS UP as a popular book character on this date. Classrooms will be hosting a variety of fun and active reading events to highlight the importance of reading, reading, reading. WHAT CHARACTER DO YOU THINK MR. MANNING WILL DRESS UP AS?
STUDENT ACCOLADES: Voyager Academy recognizes how very hard all of its students work. We would like to begin to honor students as much as we can for all of their hard work. Listed below is a brief guide to how we will seek to honor students at Voyager Elementary:
Quarterly, each classroom teacher will honor one student, per category, who has shown growth or excellence in the area of math, reading or project work. These students will receive a certificate at the end of each grading period.
Monthly Character Award: Voyager has 5 character traits, as students display one of these traits, the teacher can nominate them for a monthly character award. The students will be highlighted during morning announcements and will receive a printed certificate.
Monthly Athletic Award: Voyager PE teachers will nominate 2 students per month who have shown great skill and/or sportsmanship. They will be honored with a printed certificate.
Monthly Visual Arts and Performing Arts: Each month the art and music teacher will select one student who has shown growth and or determination within the visual arts and performing arts class. They will be honored with a printed certificate.
VOYAGER BLOOD DRIVE: Voyager is hosting a blood drive this semester on November 11th, from 9 am to 2 pm. This will take place at Voyager High School.
LIVE PLAY FOR K-3: Students in grades K-3 will learn about the importance of recycling and conservation during a LIVE performance from the National Theater for Young Children.
FIELD EXPERIENCES: Our kindergarten students were able to take learning on the road as they visited Holder Hill Farms this past week.
OUR BODIES ARE AMAZING: The first grade students of Voyager, hosted a HEALTH FAIR for all of our kindergarten students. The first graders were able to share about the various body systems and how we keep our bodies in tip top shape.
PTSO UPDATES: Our PTSO is very busy. Listed below are a few upcoming events:
Bleu Olive Spirit Dinner 11/01 -Voyager Family Run Business
Freddy’s Spirit Dinner 12/07
Family Game Night Nov. 4 in elementary school gym
Diaper Bank Family Service Event Nov. 5
Nov 15 will be the next PTSO meeting
FAMILY COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT: The Student Support Services Team is pleased to announce our inaugural K-12 Community Service experience for the 2022-23 school year: “Voyage into Service.” This is a school-wide volunteer opportunity that is available to all students, parents, and staff throughout K-12! The Vision of Voyage into Service is “Building the capacity for positive regard and respect for self, others, and the world around us.” The Mission is to “Provide confident, empathic, curious, and reflective service to and throughout the community, with integrity.” We invite and encourage all of those who are interested in serving to join us Saturday, November 5th from 9:30-11:30a for our first Community Service Event: The Diaper Bank of NC (1311 E. Club Blvd, Durham, 27704 - inside the green fence at the corner of Kiss Dr. and E. Club Blvd.). The Diaper Bank of NC requires the following:
Sign up link: https://x.gldn.io/e/hfSgEoGhXrb (Each participant must fill this out parents, children, and staff).
*Volunteer guarantees that they are not feeling ill before their shift.
Masks are optional for all staff and volunteers. Those who wish to continue wearing masks are encouraged to; however, anyone who is not vaccinated, please wear a mask at all times.
Volunteers will work inside a ventilated warehouse. Please note that this area is in a warehouse that is not climate-controlled. The loading dock doors open will be open and large fans will be going, but it does get warm!
Bring a cool drink!
Close-toed shoes are required.
If anyone is interested in attending but needs transportation to/from the event, please contact Dr. Monique Link, School Social Worker at 919-433-3301 X 146 / mlink@voyageracademy.net
Also, if anyone will be attending who is under the age of 18, please contact Dr. Link, as this needs to be noted for the Diaper Bank on the Group Waiver form by Dr. Link. Certificates of Participation will be awarded to everyone in attendance AND there will be a raffle for a few sweet give-aways!
CHICK-FIL-A READING CHALLENGE: We are so honored to partner with Chick-Fil-A on Roxboro St. They will be giving a FREE gift card to students every month who read 15 books. The October challenge begins Oct. 1. We are almost reading to begin our October Reading Challenge! As your child reads or you read to your child, please record the books on the reading log and return it to your child’s teacher once you have 15 books listed. Your child can earn one free gift card per month.
COVID UPDATE FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE: The health and safety of our students, teachers, staff, and volunteers are our top priorities. Voyager Academy is following the CDC COVID-19 Community Level guidance. We sincerely appreciate your consideration.
Our CDC COVID-19 Community Level is: LOW
People may choose to wear a mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE: Each and every Monday, Voyager will dismiss students at 12:45 pm. Since our staff attend meetings every Monday, it is imperative that students are picked up on time.
BIRTHDAY ROCK: The Voyager Birthday Rock is such a popular thing! We hope you and the students enjoy seeing the various birthday designs. The Birthday Rock is available on a sign up basis. The sign up was sent out late summer. If you would like to see if there is any availability left, please click on the link below.
LUNCH UPDATE: Voyager Academy will offer a hot lunch meal option from K & W Cafeteria! Hot meals will be delivered daily to each school prior to meal time. The meals are made fresh offsite at K&W’s kitchen. They are delivered in individual hermetically sealed meal plates kept warm in commercial grade insulated food delivery bags. These meal containers closely resemble microwave meal trays. We assure you that the meals are made fresh daily following the USDA National School Lunch Program (NSLP) meal requirements.
Lunch orders are placed on the LINQ Online Ordering system (https://family.onlineordering.linq.com/) The cost for lunch is $4.50 per student per meal for all students not participating in the Free and Reduced lunch meal program. There is a Vegetable Plate option listed under A la Carte items. It generally has the vegetables of the day and a starch item. The cost is $4.50 for a vegetable plate entrée. It does not qualify for the NSLP pricing & program.
All meal purchases are prepaid. You will add money to your student’s account via the Titan Payment portal (https://family.titank12.com/). It is recommended that families set up reoccurring payments by week or month. This ensures you have enough funds on account when preordering. You can also make one time payments/deposits. You can order meals by the week or month. We recommend purchasing by the month to ensure your family doesn’t miss the ordering (7 days in advance) deadlines. A week’s worth of lunch is $4.50 (price per meal) x 5 days (school week) = $22.50+ processing fees* a week or $90 + processing fees* per month (4 weeks). The processing fee for lunch is $2.60 per deposit.
We will only serve meals to students who have pre-ordered and paid for lunch. All families participating in the school’s lunch program regardless of their status (Free, Reduced or Paid) have to use this system to pre-order the meals. All meal orders must be in by 11 pm. There is a 7 day advance order cutoff policy to allow the vendor time for meal planning and preparation.
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 https://Family.TitanK12.com
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.
The online payments are a simple, safe and a secure way to make payments to your students account 24 hours a day at your convenience.
Online at https://family.titank12.com There is a $2.60 flat fee charged by the bank per deposit online. (Example: $100 deposit + $2.60 fee = $102.60)
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.
Send/mail Check or money order 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.
Download and Print Out a pre-formatted #10 Envelope for making Deposits
Ordering Rules
You can pre-order meals for the week or the full month.
There is a week advance Order Cutoff date. All orders must be made the Monday of the week before.
We can not accept same day orders. Changes/cancellations can be made up to 2 days before the meal date.
All orders must be pre-ordered and pre-payment made to the Family Portal account on Titan or sent to school.
Lunch Menus are available on the School Nutrition website
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 will be requested. You will be required to submit supporting documentation during the verification process.
View the USDA Child Nutrition Programs Income Eligibility Guidelines (2021-2022)