Vision: "Inspiring life-long learning in every Viking."

Mission: "The mission of Voyager Academy is to provide students in kindergarten through grade twelve an academically challenging and supportive learning environment. Staff utilizes experiential and traditional learning strategies so that students become responsible, engaged, and innovative members of society."

Values: Confidence: Trusting in your own ability and being willing to take academic risks. Curiosity: Eager to investigate and learn about the world around us. Empathy: Being aware of and respecting another person’s feelings, experiences, and differences. Reflection: Using past experiences to guide future learning and decision making. Integrity: Doing the right thing and standing strong in what you believe

Dear Parents:

I have to start this newsletter with a big shout-out to our Voyager Viking players and Coach Shankle. The Voyager Baseball Team won its 7th straight Conference Championship by going undefeated in the conference again!

Our inaugural LAX team has also made it to the Playoffs which are tonight, in Carborro. Please come out and cheer on our team!

In other very exciting news: Our production of "Cinderella" has been nominated for several awards for this year's Triangle Rising Stars. Also....out of 33 high schools & 110 students participating....our very own Lexia Langley AND Jules Woodward were finalists this year for their roles in our production....Jules made it to the top 24!

The Live Showcase & Awards show will be held at the DPAC on Tuesday, May 16th @ 7:00pm. Tickets are typically $10, however...we have been given 25 comp tickets & would love for as many of you as possible to join us that evening!!!

Make sure you stay or come back later on for our annual Spring Fling and spend some with your Voyager family.

All this comes on the heels of the amazing performances of our Science Olympiad teams in the past 2 weeks. We have a lot to be so proud of this year in our academics, athletics and arts. I am, as always, proud to be a part of a wonderful community of staff, parents and students who make Voyager Academy such a great place to be. Thanks for all your support this year and stick with it as we make our way through the next few weeks of testing…..We are almost at the finish line!

Regards,

Jennifer Lucas, M.Ed Managing Director “integrity is the consistency between what we say and what we do”

PTO Update:

Come see us at SPRING FLING!

Care Program Update:

This message serves as a friendly reminder that May payments for the care program are due Sunday, April 30, 2017. Payments not submitted by May 5, 2017 may be subject to late fees. Additionally, students who do not submit payment by May 5, are not permitted to return to the care program on May 8, 2017 until payment has been submitted, or an arrangement has been made with the program Director, Latia Boney. Parents will be notified of their delinquent payment status. Instructions for making payment are attached to this message.

Program fees do not apply to Voyager staff. If you have already submitted payment for the month of May, please disregard this message.

Note: The full tuition amount is due regardless of the number of days the student attends each month. Tuition rates are not prorated for any reason.

**Please note, that there will be no after school care on Friday, May 26, 2017, the last day of school!

Spring Break Camp 2017! The students had GREAT time at spring break camp last week! Many of them were asking if we could have spring break camp every week (LOL). The students enjoyed activities such as baking, science experiments, painting, arts & crafts, video games, and math relay races! If your student attended spring break camp this week, consider this a preview of what is to come during summer camp! Here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure!

SUMMER CAMP! SUMMER CAMP! SUMMER CAMP!

Are you still trying to figure out what your children are going to do this summer? Look no further! We are offering a variety of camps right here at Voyager Academy! Click the link below to browse our summer camp webpage. It's not too late to sign up!

**Please keep in mind that all of our summer camps are open to the public, except for the Kindergarten Camp, and the 1st/2nd grade prep camp. If you know of non-Voyager families that want to attend, please direct them to me and I will help get them registered!

Regards,

Latia Boney [email protected]

Summer Camps link www.voyageracademy.net/summercamps

Summer Camp promo Video https://youtu.be/tf9AHLOb8sw

Athletics Update:

Important Announcements

EMERGO ORTHO SPORTS PHYSICAL Triangle Orthopedics is offering sports physicals for just $10 on Wednesday, May 17

from 6:00-8:00 PM.

High School Playoffs HS Baseball, and Soccer playoff berths, brackets and times will be released this weekend.

MS Results and Conference Championships MS Soccer – Advanced to the Semifinal of the CCMS where they lost a tough game to RCS.

MS baseball – Will play in the CCMS semifinal on Tuesday May 9th against RCS.

MS Softball – Yesterday Advanced to the finals defeating the number 2 seed Vance Charter. The finals will be played at The Diamonds Butner Athletic Park on Wednesday May 10th at 5pm.

MS Golf – Completed their season at the CCMS golf tournament on Tuesday. The team had a strong finish.

MIDDLE SCHOOL SPRING SPORTS CELEBRATION – May 24th at 6pm in the MS Gym

VARSITY LACROSSE The Varsity Lacrosse team made the State Playoffs. They will be playing Carrboro High School at 7pm.

VARSITY GOLF Monday, 5/1/17, Voyager Academy High School Boys Golf Team competed in the 1A Mideast Regional at Goldsboro Municipal Golf Course in Goldsboro, NC. As a team, we had a final score of 371. We barely missed out on going to the 1A Boys High School Golf State Championship as a team by just 8 strokes. The Team competed hard and left it all out on the golf course. We had one player who played extremely well and was Co-Medalist at the Regional, Cole Scearce. Cole shot 74 and this was in some pretty windy conditions. That day the wind was gusting upwards of 30 MPH with sustained winds of 20MPH. Cole played the front 9 in 5 over par 41. On the back 9 Cole shot a 3 under 33 with 3 Birdies. Cole will now go on and compete for the 1A Boys High School Golf State Championship as a individual representing Voyager Academy at the Country Club of Whispering Pines in Whispering Pines, NC on Monday and Tuesday, 5/8-5/9/17.

Please take the time to congratulate all of the players for a job well done this season. (Jacob Bobbitt, Blake Buchanan, Tyler McLamb, John Paynter & Cole Scearce)

MS CAMP The MS basketball camp for rising 5th-9th graders will be July 24-28 from 530-830pm. Registration is now open at the summer camps section of the Voyager Academy website. Participation will be limited to the first 40 registered.

WEST AND WOODALL The athletic department would like to thank realtors, Kirk West and Burt Woodall and the agents in their office, for supporting our student athletes as a level one sponsor. We ask that you support those that support our student-athletes.

STATE FARM The athletic department would like to thank Andy Jones and State Farm for supporting our student athletes at Voyager Academy as a level one sponsor. Please support those that sponsor our athletic program.

VIC CARD Voyager Academy Athletics now has a new way to raise money. With the Harris teeter VIC Card, type in the account number 3284 and the Voyager Academy Athletic program will receive a percentage of the purchases.

LAW OFFICE OF SHELLEY CAMPEN BROWN The Law Office of Shelley Campen Brown is now offering Voyager students and staff a discount on traffic tickets. From now until the end of the year, attorney fees are $100.00 from an original $200.00. In addition, Voyager families and staff will receive a discount if they do a Will and General Power of Attorney for only $175.00.

High School Baseball Wednesday 5-10-17 OPEN DATE (Round 1 of State Playoffs) at Voyager Academy TBA Golf State Championships Monday May 8th

Women's Soccer Playoffs TBA

Softball Playoffs TBA

Tennis Tuesday 5-9-17 Voyager Academy at Rosewood High School (Round 2 of State Playoffs) 4:00pm

Track Friday 5-13-17 (1-A State Regional Meet) at Trask High School 9:00am

Supporters

Voyager Families we ask that you continue to support those that support our athletic programs. The companies below have made huge contributions to allow our student-athletes the opportunity to participate in educational driven athletics:

North Durham Orthodontics- Who reminds us that a smile is always in style Emerge- who work hard to keep our athletes on the court and fields The Law Offices of Shelley Campen Brown - there to assist you with any of your legal needs and offering specials to Voyager Families Roxboro Road Chick-Fil-A who helps us feed the fire and can provide catering for any of your gatherings Upchurch Drugs and Gift Shoppe – there to help with all your medication, or optical needs while providing a place to find a perfect gift to just show someone you care. Rasberry Maintenance – Providing quality service for of your commercial or residential cleaning and landscaping needs West and Woodall- Providing for your real estate needs from Hyco and Mayo Lakes to Raleigh, Durham. Please contact them at (919)382-2000 Andy Jones State Farm- Providing solutions to all of your insurance needs

Elementary Update:

Dear VAES Families,

We’ve had a great week and next week will quite busy at VAES! On Thursday, May 11 and Friday, May 12, our third graders will take the End of Grade Reading and Math tests. If you have a third grade student, please be sure that they get a good night’s sleep, eat a good breakfast, and arrive to school on time. The testing will begin first thing in the morning.

Yesterday, two of our very lovely Girl Scouts, Natalia Lemen and Bianca Lemen, were invited to attend Operation Cookie Drop at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, NC. This was quite an honor, because only a few Girl Scouts are invited each year to be a part of the delivery of the thousands of Girl Scout cookies to the air force base. This year, 22,400 boxes of cookies were delivered. Natalia and Bianca were able to speak with a pilot and a boom operator and learn how they refuel airplanes in the air! We are very proud of Natalia and Bianca. I know that the military personnel at Seymour Johnson AFB loved their visit and the cookies!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Best, Leslie IMPORTANT DATES: Thursday, May 10 and Friday, May 11: Third Grade EOG’s Tuesday, May 23 @ 11:00 AM: Kindergarten Seeds Project Celebration Thursday, May 25 & Friday, May 26: Rising Kindergarten Assessments

Middle School Update:

Hello Voyager Middle School Families, It’s been a busy week at the middle school! Several team are preparing for upcoming project celebrations. The NJHS will have it’s induction ceremony on Monday. Our softball team is playing in the championship game. Our baseball team is playing in the semi-finals. In addition, our teachers are still teaching!

EOGs begin Thursday (4th-7th grade reading). We need students to be on time each day of testing. If they arrive after 8:25, it’s likely they will have to sit in the lobby and wait until the EOG is over which could be as late as 12:30. Students may not enter the testing session once testing has begun. Our goal is to have NO absences which means NO make-ups. Please help us have no tardies and no absences. This will help EOG testing go much smoother!

Congratulations to Xuanlan, Savannah, and Mary Grace for cooridinating a Save the Siberian Tiger drive. These 5th graders wanted to support the siberian tigers so they collected donations during Monday carline. The Voyager community supported t donated $266.00. The girls were thrilled to donate the money to help save the tigers. We are very proud of these students are they talked to administration, wrote announcements and made the morning announcements, encouraged all of us to support them during morning carline, and kept track of the amount of donations. Yay, girls!!!

NEWSLASH 1!!! The 8th Grade Semi-Formal was lots of fun! The students had a great time. If they were not socializing, they were dancing or they were eating. The students were well-behaved, polite, and full of laughter!

NEWSFLASH 2!!! Thanks so much to all of you who volunteered to serve as proctors during EOG testing. We are still in need of help. If you are available to proctor, please send me an email and we will sign you up!

NEWSFLASH 3!!! Our National Junior Honor Society Induction for rising 8th graders is Monday, May 8 at 6:30. The induction will be in the middle school gym. If your child is being inducted, you should have received a letter from me.

NEWSFLASH 4!!! Congratulations to three outstanding 8th graders! These students were recognized at the Durham City Council meeting for winning the Water Conservation poster contest. This year’s theme was “Finding Water.” Abby Cunningham – 1st place, Ethan Hubrich – 2nd place, and Jackson Lee – 3rd place. These students also won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place at the state level for this competition.

NEWSFLASH 5!!! Voyager Middle School is proud to have an art exhibition at the State Employee’s Credit Union on Guess Road. The student artwork will be on display throughout the summer. Congratulations to Tatyana, Nasir, Sydney, Mina, Diego, Ethan, Nate, Gage, Eloise, Daniel, Maddie, Reece, Natalie, Anna, Luke, Noah, Taylor, and Malone. Please take time to visit the Credit Union to see the fabulous art work.

Upcoming Dates: May 5 Spring Fling, 5:00-8:00 May 5 8th Grade Presentation of Learning, 12:30-1:30 May 8 NJHS Induction for rising 8th graders, 6:30 May 9/10 Spanish Final Exam May 11 READING EOGs for 4th – 7th grades May 14 Happy Mother’s Day May 16 Math EOGS for 4th – 7th, Reading EOG for 8th May 17 Science EOG for 8th grade May 18 Science EOG for 5th grade, 8th grade math EOG for all 8th graders May 18 Awards Celebration, 7:00 May 19 4th Grade Project Celebration, 1:30 May 19 6th Grade Social Studies Project May 22 5th Grade Project Celebration, 10:00 May 23 5th grade Social Studies Final Exam, 6th and 7th grade Science Final Exam, Math 1 Exam for 8th graders taking Math 1 May 24 Social Studies Final Exam for 6th – 8th grade May 24 6th grade Earthquake Project, 1:30 May 24 Spring Sports’ Celebration, 6:00 May 25 6th Grade to Carolina Theater May 25 End of Year Celebration for 5th grade May 26 Last Day of School May 26 8th Grade Celebration Time TBD May 26 Early Release, 11:45

As you see, we will be extremely busy the last weeks of school. I ask that you remind your child (children) that it’s important for them to continue to put forth their best effort, stay focused, complete their required assignments, and be kind to others.

Thanks for all you do to support your child! We appreciate each of you! Gwen Johnson [email protected] Principal Voyager Middle School

High School Update:

Sports and Culture Class Visits Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise On Wednesday students in Coach Huff's Sports & Culture class visited Center for Sport Business at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise on the campus of UNC. The Kenan Institute is part of the Kenan- Flagler School of Business.

The students met with Dr. Deborah Stroman, Director of the Center for Sport Business. Following Dr. Stroman' informative presentation on the impact of sports at a local, national, and international levels, the students were able to engage her in a question and answer session regarding important issues in sport.

After the discussion Dr. Stroman led the class on a tour of the Kenan Institute and the business school. The field trip was a memorable highlight of the semester.

A Few Supplies Needed at the High School The high school front office and classrooms are in need of Kleenex and Clorox wipes. Our supply is currently depleted and we will need to supply all classrooms with Kleenex for final exams and EOC's. Any donation is appreciated!

Proctors/Volunteers Needed!!! Voyager Academy will be administering EOGs, EOCs and NCFEs to all students in grades 3-12 on May 11- 24. If you are available to Proctor/Volunteer any of these days please email K-12 Test Coordinator, Laura Howell at [email protected] with the dates that you are available.

The VAHS Prom The VAHS prom is almost upon us! Here are the details When: Saturday, May 20th 8 pm-12 am Where: Umstead Pines at Willowhaven Theme: Starry Night Tickets: After 4/30 -- $60-Single, $100-Couple Parents who wish to help out, please contact Yen Nguyen ([email protected]) or Amanda Shaw ([email protected]) Thank you!!

FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) Meets every Friday, after school, from 3:50-4:50 pm in Room D124. No need to be a Christian, nor an Athlete :) All are welcome!

Coach Huff's Viking Hoop Camp Viking Hoop Camp will be taking place June 12-15 and June 19-22 under the direction of Voyager Head Coach Mike Huff. This is the fifth consecutive summer for this camp where boys and girls in grade 3-8 learn basketball skills and play games in a positive, fun environment. There are morning and afternoon sessions, with a discount for those who sign up for both. Varsity basketball players serve as the camp counselors. Viking Hoop Camp is open to both Voyager and non-Voyager students. See our brochure at http://voyageracademy.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/basketball-Camp-brochure-2017.pdf. Register online today!

SENIORS WANTED!! It's time for some fun SENIORS to paint the 2017 Rock that greets everyone coming into our school. We will provide the paint, the brushes and the ROCK, you bring the fun attitude. PLEASE contact [email protected] if you would like to participate and we will set up a time that is convenient to those interested. Create another fun memory before these next 4 weeks fly by!!

Happy DNA Day!! This week, the Earth and Environmental Science classes celebrated DNA Day. Dr. Tanya Zand shared her expertise and experiences as a researcher in pharmacogenomics. Dr. Zand's research in pediatric pancreatic cancer has resulted in a new treatment that is awaiting final approval by the FDA. Specifically, Dr. Zand discussed how cell receptors work and how genetic mutation affects medicine efficacy. Students tested themselves to see whether they had the receptor to taste PTC, a bitter but harmless substance, and learned how genetic traits can be passed through generations. As we wrap up our semester with a unit on biodiversity, students will be able to apply what they've learned from Dr. Zand to ecology, adaptation, and natural selection.

English II Refugee Fundraiser The 10th grade English II classes have created verse novels about fictional refugee crises from around the world. We have compiled our novels into a book called Searching For Home which encompasses many refugee crises such as the Holocaust, the Colombian Refugee Crisis, the Rwandan Genocide, and more. After the completion of this project, we plan to work with a refugee support organization and volunteer our time towards helping families resettle in the Durham area. This is where you come in! You can help us in our efforts by giving a donation through our Go Fund Me page linkedhere. Donations of $10 or more will receive a copy of our class bookSearching For Home. All donations will go toward our local refugee partner organization.

Thank You, The English II Classes

A Different Kind of Gap Year Brock Christensen has accepted the call to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints. He said, "I chose to go on a mission because my church has been a grounding source of peace and happiness in my life; I feel a sincere sense of duty to share that message with people who would also benefit from it." He has been assigned to labor in the Chile Antofagasta Mission for two years, where he will be speaking Spanish and sharing his faith. Upon his return, he will continue his education at Brigham Young University.

VAHS AP Exam Schedule Spring 2017 -Location: Gym -Ending times are approximate -Students must arrive 30 minutes early

Monday 5/8/17

8:00 - 11:00 AP Biology

Tuesday 5/9/17

8:00 - 11:30 AP Calculus

Wednesday 5/10/17

8:00 - 11:30 AP English Language

Thursday 5/11/17

12:00 - 3:00 AP Statistics

Friday 5/12/17

8:00 - 10:30 AP Human Geography