Viking Weekly News
January 13, 2023
Dear Voyager Community,
It’s been a great start to the new year! Report cards have been sent out and we will be sharing the 2nd quarter recognition in a separate email. Congratulations to all of our students for their academic, athletic, leadership, and character recognitions. We are so proud of our Vikings!
The Voyager Board of Directors oversees the strategic direction of Voyager and supports the school in achieving our mission and vision. We are looking for candidates that might be interested in serving on our board in the future. The Board of Directors will be hosting an information session for people interested in applying for a position on the Voyager Board of Directors. The zoom session will be held on January 24, 2023 at 6 pm. Details about the application process are linked here for those interested in serving on the board.
2023 -2024 Application Process is Open
The 2023-2024 application process is now open. Please remember to submit an application by the February 28, 2023 deadline for any siblings that you would like to enroll for the 2023-2024 school year. Students that are already enrolled at Voyager do not need to reapply. 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 1, 2023 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 be recruiting at area preschools and community centers. Voyager also partners with the Head Start program and has already shared our school brochures and participates in their open house events.
Voyager Wins Wells Fargo Conference Cup
Voyager Academy Athletics has been recognized by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) as the 2021-2022 Wells Fargo Conference Cup winner in the Triangle North Athletic Conference (TNAC). The Vikings beat out Vance Charter School by 5 points to take home their first Wells Fargo Conference Cup. Congratulations to our coaches and athletes for all of their dedication and hard work!
Please remember that Monday is a federal holiday to honor Martin Luther King and school will be closed. 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. Check out the upcoming events and all the updates below from our School Nurse, Student Support Team, Operations Manager, and Athletic Director below. Have a great long weekend!
All the best,
Upcoming Dates:
01/11 - Report Cards Issued
1/16/23 – MLK Holiday – No School
1/16/23 - Voyage into Service (NC Diaper Bank), 9-10:30a (time change)
1/24/23 – Voyager Board of Directors Information Session – 6pm
1/26/22 - Board Meeting
1/26 - MOY mClass Assessments End
2/1/23 – Prospective Family Information Session
Come out and support the Viking Family on January 25th while enjoying delicious food!
STEM Night Grades 7th & 8th!
New Omicron XBB Variant
A new version of the COVID-19 Omicron variant has taken hold in the United States, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The subvariant Omicron, named XBB.1.5, has raised concerns about another potential wave of COVID-19 cases following the busy holiday travel season. Durham, as well as many of the surrounding counties, have been upgraded to the CDC’s High Community Risk category as of last week.
Masking, especially when indoors, still remains an effective strategy for reducing one’s risk of getting sick. Voyager Academy is a mask friendly environment and individuals may choose to mask at any time for any reason. Disposable adult and kids-size masks are available for students, teachers, and visitors at the front office of each building.
Symptoms of COVID-19 may look like symptoms of other common illnesses such as the common cold. The only way to know if someone has COVID-19 is to test. Individuals with symptoms of illness are encouraged to wear a mask and test for COVID-19 using an at-home rapid test, pharmacy/lab testing location, or through their health care provider. If using an at-home rapid test, remember you may need to test every day for a few days after your symptoms begin.
Get FREE at-home test kits through Project ACT!
Did you know that North Carolinians in eligible zip codes can receive up to five at-home COVID-19 tests each month free of charge and shipped directly to their door? Find out if you are eligible and order the free tests by searching your zip code on the Project ACT website.
Public health authorities are encouraging individuals to stock up on tests now so that they have them when they need them. Project ACT includes zip codes in more than 80 North Carolina counties and will be available through June 2023 or while supplies last.
Below are links for additional locations that offer free at-home rapid tests as well as rapid antigen and PCR testing locations in our community should you wish to utilize these free services.
Free At-home Test Pick-Up Locations: https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/PickUpTests
Free On-Site Testing Locations: https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/about-covid-19/testing/find-my-testing-place/no-cost-community-testing-events
Retail COVID-19 Testing Locations: https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/testing-treatment/find-covid-19-tests/find-covid-19-testing-site
Our CDC COVID-19 Community Level is: HIGH
**Masks are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED indoors, even if you are vaccinated**
If you have symptoms of illness, COVID-19 testing is highly recommended
People with a positive test for COVID-19 MUST complete a 5 day isolation period and wear a mask for 10 days.
People with symptoms or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.
School Attendance Matters: We love having your children at school all school year; unfortunately, winter weather can take a toll on school attendance. Snow and rain can make it hard to get your children to school, as can illnesses such as colds, flu, fevers, earaches and Covid-19. These absences, even if they are excused, break the routine of daily attendance that contributes to students feeling connected and engaged in learning. Please consider these steps to keep your children healthy and in school this winter: Promoting Good Attendance all Winter Long. If you need any support around attendance and/or want to brainstorm additional ways to ensure that your children are present and on-time each day, please feel free to reach out to your building Administrator or any member of the Student Support Services Team:
Dr. Monique Link, School Social Worker: K-12, 919-433-3301 X 146
Mrs. Chelsea Skoff, School Nurse: K-12, 919-433-3301 X 247
Mrs. Melissa Meckes, School Counselor: Elementary, 919-433-3301 X 188
Mrs. Tonya Farrish, School Counselor: Middle, 919-433-3301 X 206
Ms. Savannah Purdy, School Counselor: Middle and High, 919-433-3301 X 144
Ms. Jill O’Kane, School Counselor: High, 919-433-3301 X 326
National Human Trafficking Awareness Month: January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. The U.S. Department of State defines human trafficking as a crime in which traffickers exploit and profit at the expense of adults or children by compelling them to perform labor or engage in commercial sex acts. NC ranks 9th in the nation with 260 human trafficking cases in 2020. Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in the US and a serious issue impacting NC.
Don’t Forget: The 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is up and running. 9-8-8 offers 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help anyone experiencing mental health-related distress. That could include:
Thoughts of suicide,
Mental health and/or substance use crises, or
Any kind of emotional distress.
Individuals can call or text 9-8-8 or chat https://988lifeline.org/ for themselves or if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. 9-8-8 serves as a universal entry point so that no matter where a person lives in the United States, a trained crisis counselor can help in the right location. Please see the English and Spanish PDFs for more information about the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Parents please remember to choose a milk flavor when you order a hot lunch for your student(s). Milk is included and you do not have to order milk a la carte unless you are ordering a vegetable plate. Vegetable plates do not come with milk.
Negative Balance Letters will go out on Fridays. Please make sure your child has a sufficient balance on Titan so that they are able to receive lunch.
Middle School Athletics
The boys basketball team (7-2, 2-0) continued their win streak by beating Henderson Collegiate on the road, 44-25 last Friday. 8th graders Everett Galik (12 points) and McKinley Hemsley (8 points) led the way for the Vikings. The January 13th game scheduled at Vance Charter has been rescheduled to Wednesday, January 25th. Game times will remain at 4:30pm for the girls & 6:00pm for the boys.
The girls basketball team (1-5, 0-2) fell to Henderson Collegiate in a close game on the road, 21-22 this past Friday. Arley Perryman and Skyler Parker both had great steals to help stop the Lady Pride offensively. Phoebe Best, Namilia Michel-Blanks and Soleil Farr contributed with their unstoppable defense skills. Calise Crawford crashed the boards and led the team in rebounding. Overall the girls are playing extremely well and are looking forward to the next game against Oxford Prep. They all have been working hard on and off the court! The January 13th game scheduled at Vance Charter has been rescheduled to Wednesday, January 25th. Game times will remain at 4:30pm for the girls & 6:00pm for the boys.
Middle School Notes:
• Our Athletic Boosters Club needs parent volunteers to help work our athletic events. Funds raised through Athletic Boosters go towards awards, banners, athletic banquets, and other important items needed by our middle and high school athletic departments. For more information please email athleticboosters@voyageracademy.net. Next Athletic Boosters Club meeting will be Wednesday, February 8th at 6:00pm in the high school conference room
• If you would like to help sell concessions during middle school basketball games please sigh up below.
VAMS Basketball Concession Sign Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4CA9AE2CA7F58-vams
• The middle school fall & winter athletic awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, February 22 at the middle school gym from 6:00 – 7:30pm. More details to come when we get closer.
• Spring tryouts for middle school baseball, softball, girls soccer, and boys tennis will be starting at the end of February/beginning of March. Details will be released as we get closer to tryouts. In the meantime, please make sure your child is registered and has a valid physical at the following link: https://voyageracademy-ar.rschooltoday.com/
High School Athletics
The JV men’s basketball team (12-0, 2-0) isn’t slowing down anytime soon as they went 2-0 in their games this past week. Last Friday the Vikings hosted conference opponent Henderson Collegiate and won big, 90-49. Nasir Westbrook (’25) and Noah Bennett (’25) led the Vikings with 15 and 12 points apiece while Chase Walker (’24) contributed with 11 points. This past Tuesday the team hosted The Carolina Friends School in a non-conference match and beat the Quakers, 71-13. Westbrook scored a game high 21 points in the win.
The men’s varsity basketball team (6-5, 1-0) snapped their five-game losing streak in a big way by beating rival Henderson Collegiate at home, 56-52 last Friday. The win was the first for the Vikings against the Pride. Senior Brayden Ivey came up huge late in the game to seal the win and led all scorers with 18 points. This past Tuesday the Vikings hosted The Carolina Friends School in another tight contest, coming away with a 56-52 win. Freshman Jonathan Scott and Senior Brayden Ivey led the Vikings with 15 points each.
The women’s basketball team (6-3, 1-0) went 2-0 this past week despite only playing one game. Last Friday the Henderson Collegiate women’s basketball team forfeited their game against the Vikings due to illness. On Tuesday, the team hosted non-conference opponent The Carolina Friends School, and won big 78-6. Junior Jaden McCullough went off, scoring 17 of her game high 23 points in the first half of the game!
Our men’s and women’s swimming team hosted their second conference meet this past Monday, with many swimmers improving on their times from their first meet! The women’s team finished in first place while the men’s team finished in 5th. Freshman Robbie Serrano got the lone men’s event win by taking first place in the 100 Breaststroke and finished 2nd in the 100 Freestyle. The women’s team won events in the 200 Freestyle Relay, 100 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle, 200 IM, and the 50 Freestyle. Congratulations to our swimmers!
Speaking of congratulations, a huge shout out to our wrestling team (aka: Senior Logan McElroy), as he went 4-1 this past weekend while competing in the Buccaneer Cup, finishing as runner-up in the 138 pound weight class.
High School Athletic Department Wins Wells Fargo Conference Cup
In exciting news, Voyager Academy Athletics has been recognized by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) as the 2021-2022 Wells Fargo Conference Cup winner in the Triangle North Athletic Conference (TNAC). It is the first conference cup that Viking Athletics has won and we hope to win many more! Congratulations to our coaches and athletes for all of their dedication and hard work!
Important Notes:
• Our Athletic Boosters Club needs parent volunteers to help work our athletic events. Funds raised through Athletic Boosters go towards awards, banners, athletic banquets, and other important items needed by our middle and high school athletic departments. For more information please email athleticboosters@voyageracademy.net. Next Athletic Boosters Club meeting will be Wednesday, February 8th at 6:00pm in the high school conference room
• If you would like to help sell concessions during high school basketball games please sigh up below.
VAHS Basketball Concession Sign Up
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4CA9AE2CA7F58-vahs
• Spring tryouts will begin February 13th. Please make sure you are registered and have an updated physical. You can register for a spring sport at the following link:
https://voyageracademy-ar.rschooltoday.com/
• Interested in playing golf this spring? Please email Coach Scearce: cole.scearce@gmail.com
• The high school fall & winter athletic awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 2nd at the high school gym. More details to come when we get closer.
Go Vikings, Go!
Jordan Gatcomb, Athletic Director
jgatcomb@voyageracademy.net
