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,
Thank you to all who supported our school in so many ways this week. Thanks for participating in the short survey we sent out to get your input regarding our values and how we can continue to improve our school. Thank you for those who coordinated and volunteered during the Boosterthon fun run yesterday and for cheering on all our students. Thank you for those who help in our classrooms and our athletics and arts. We couldn’t do it all without you. Many of you will be on campus today in parent conferences with your teachers, so I thank those teachers as well for all their hard work and in partnering with you to help our students achieve their potential. Please note that we have a formally approved calendar for next school year which is attached to this newsletter. Although we often approve 2 years in a row, we have only presented the calendar for 2017-2018 as we continue to work on our professional development plans and align our instructional calendars. Please make sure to read the news sections under each building as they have included important dates and parent information. We hope you enjoy this long weekend and have a very safe and fun Halloween on Monday.
I want to personally thank Wesley Sharpe for sharing his Eagle Scout project with our high school. I saw it last night and it is lovely! VAHS student Wesley Sharpe built and donated a beautiful bench to Voyager High School. This beautiful bench, located at the main entrance, Wesley’s Eagle Scout project.
Academics Update:
Increasing Student Engagement with Reading in the Home and at School Learn how to empower families to effectively improve their children's literacy skills with fun, research- supported, and easy-to-use activities. The activities can be used by teachers, as well as by parents in the home. They are designed for children from birth to 6th grade, to support the development of strong reading skills. Registration will open 1-2 months prior to the workshop date; please click the date below to register. November 5, 2016 - Voyager Academy, Durham County
High School Student Scholarship Opportunity: The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, has a new student leadership and college scholarship program for Triangle area North Carolina high school students called Students of The Year. Students of The Year is a wonderful opportunity for Triangle area high school students who are enthusiastic about volunteerism, philanthropy, community outreach, and developing leadership skills to participate in the fight against blood cancers. This exciting program provides a select group of students from around the Triangle with the opportunity to demonstrate ownership of a community initiative by creating a strategy, building and motivating a team of their peers, and executing their plans. By partnering with our experienced staff, these students will have the opportunity to make a tremendous, measurable impact in their local community and in the fight against cancer. Selected candidates have the opportunity to earn college scholarships, as well as personalized letters of recommendation for college from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Interested students can contact Caroline Funkhouser at [email protected] for more information. The application deadline is October 28th. Please apply online atwww.studentseries.org/soy
CARE Program Update: Care Program Update
Payment reminder: This is a friendly reminder that before/after care payments for the month of November are due October 31, 2016. Please submit payment ASAP. Payments not made by November 5 will be subject to late fees. If payment is not made by November 6, then your student will not be permitted to attend the program until payment has been made. Fees do not apply to VA staff. Instructions for making payments are attached. Please email Latia Boney with any questions!
PTO Update:
Pledging is STILL open for the next week so keep the pledges coming. We are so close to making our goal and need everyone's help. The Fun Run was so much fun for all those that participated. The Color Run was amazing and colorful! It was great to see classmates cheering classmates on. You can see the videos and pictures on the Voyager Academy PTO Facebook page!
We will begin counting collected money for the Fun Run on November 3. If you would like to volunteer, let us know. It will begin at 10 am and likely last a couple of hours.
Scholastic Book Fair begins at the end of November. We are excited to share the details on family night as we get closer. If you want to volunteer for a shift, let us know! We have a lot of different shifts available.
Thank you for all of your support! And as always, Go Vikings Go!
Athletics Update:
FANCLOTH If you see flyers/catalog for orders for Voyager Athletic Apparel through Fancloth, the checks can be made payable to Fancloth Corporate. This is a great way to show your support for our Voyager student- athletes while helping us raise funds. Please turn in all order to Deuce Harris directly. Thank you for your support. The order will be placed Monday at 5pm. Should you be interested in the flyer and have not received one please email me at [email protected]
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. Through the month of the November, 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.
HS Wrestling Any athlete that hopes to be a part of the wrestling team this year who is not currently playing a fall sport will need to report to Coach Halls Room B133 Monday after school, practice will follow. Monday Oct. 31st - 6:30pm: Mandatory Coach, Student-athlete, Athletic Director and Parent Meeting in HS Multipurpose room.
HS BASKETBALL 6:15 Tuesday Nov. 1st: Mandatory Coach, Student-athlete, Athletic Director and Parent Meeting in HS Multipurpose room
HS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Monday – 6:30pm Mandatory Coach, Student-athlete, Athletic Director and Parent Meeting in HS Multipurpose room.
HS Cheer 6:15 Tuesday Nov. 1st: Mandatory Coach, Student-athlete, Athletic Director and Parent Meeting in HS Multipurpose room
MS Boys Basketball Tryouts/Practice Dates Below: October 31, 2pm Nov 1, 6pm Nov 2, Mandatory Parent, Student-Athlete, Coach and Athletic Director Meeting at 5:30pm followed by practice at 6pm Nov 3, 6pm Nov 4-5, TBD
MS Girls Basketball Nov. 1st – Tryouts 4pm – 6pm Nov. 2nd – 4-5:30pm Practice Mandatory Parent, Coach, Athletic Director and Student-Athlete Meeting at 5:30pm
MS Wrestling There will be a parent, student-athlete interest and compliance meeting on Wednesday November 2nd at 5:30pm at the Middle School Gym. Following Compliance meeting parents and student-athletes interested will meet to discuss structure and plans for season.
MS Cheer Mandatory Student-Athlete, Parent, Coach and Athletic Director 5:30 Nov. 2nd at Middle School Gym
High School
Weekly Schedule
Cross Country 11-5: State Championships at Kernersville.
Soccer Nov. 5th - First Round of State Playoff TBA
Swimming Monday October 31 from 7:00pm - 8:15 pm at Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion.
Official practice will start Tuesday November 1 from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm.
For questions please contact: Stanley Bass- [email protected]
Wrestling Practice begins Monday Oct. 31st
Basketball/Cheer Thursday Nov. 4th at DSA JV – 4:30pm Women – 5:30pm Varsity – 7pm
All Schedules, venues, directions and release times for contest are available on the athletic website. Please see website for this information
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 Triangle Orthopaedics- 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
Arts Update: VA Visual, Culinary, and Performing Arts Update VAFOA, Voyager Academy Friends of the Arts
Voyager Fall High School Chorus Concert Mark your calendars!! The Voyager Fall Chorus Concert is Thursday, November 17th @ 7:00pm at the North Carolina School of Science & Math's John Friedrick Educational Technology Complex! The concert features the HS Choirs: Bull City Lights & Here Comes Treble, the MS Chorus as well as the HS & MS Instrumental Ensembles. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students & FREE for children 10 & under & Voyager Faculty/Staff (present Voyager ID). Tickets can be purchased online through the VAFOA website (info coming soon....stay tuned!) We are so excited to be performing in the theater at NCSSM this year! The auditorium is inside the Eilber Technology Center located at the corners of Club Blvd. and Maryland Avenue on the NCSSM campus. Come & show your support for the Voyager Music Program!
2 Plays for the Price of One! High School and Middle School Fall Play Productions Fall play night is a collaborative event between the HS and MS where 2 plays are performed, back to back, over 2 days.
When: December 6th & 7th Where: Durham Arts Council Time: 7:00pm Cost: $6.00 (pre-sale online) $8.00 (at the door) Children under 3 are free!
Middle School Production, Law & Order: C-rhyme and Pun-ishment In the nursery rhyme justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups — the detectives, who investigate the crime, and the magistrates, who prosecute the defenders. These are their rhymes. The Inspector and the Punnish Sir (Yes, she’s always scrambling for egg puns!) have been called in to investigate a crime scene where a Mister Humpty Dumpty has been found shattered and fowl play is suspected. Can they solve the c- rhyme? With hilarious musical numbers like “Eggicide” and “What the HONK Is Going On?,” the yolk’s on you if you miss this egg-cellent production!
High School Fall Play, "And Then There Was One", by Michael Druce This take-off of Agatha Christie's famous stage mystery is all comedy, filled with hilarious sight gags and dialogue. Ten people are brought together by mysterious invitation to the Reef Mansion on a tiny, isolated island. Not one of them knows the host, who is nowhere to be found. Still, he has left an ominous recording that bodes evil for the guests. Like the chocolate soldiers that inexplicably disappear from the mantel one by one, the guests begin to die one by one. Luckily, Inspector Miles is among the guests, but even he is stymied as to who the murderer could be. As the guests begin to reappear in the final scene, we discover the farcical twist!
Middle School Spring Musical: The Little Mermaid, Jr. Auditions for The Little Mermaid, Jr. will be in November and will be open for 5th -8th graders.
2nd – 4th graders will have the opportunity to participate in this year’s spring musical through the theatre club: Viking Troupers. Students do not have to audition for Viking Troupers but will have to be registered by a parent to participate.
More details on specific information for auditions and for Viking Troupers will be available soon!
Elementary Update:
Dear VAES Families, We have had a busy and fun week at VAES! On Tuesday, we had our HS Music BBQ fundraiser and we celebrated all of the hard work that our Kindergarten and Third graders completed this 1st Trimester in Project Work. The third graders learned all about plants and soil and created their very own plants. You would be amazed by some of their engineering and creativity!! Last night, they planted family flowers in front of the Hock House that we will all be able to enjoy for years to come! The Kindergarteners learned all about community helpers and they learned all about themselves (one of their favorite topics). Come and see their beautiful self-portraits and family trees hanging in the K hallway! Also, our Lego/Engineering teacher, Pam Wright, supported both of these projects by having students in the third grade create lego flowers and students in Kindergarten create small lego communities.
On Thursday, we concluded our Boosterthon Fundraiser with the Fun Run on the field behind the middle school. Staff and students had a terrific time running, dancing, and cheering on their classmates and friends!! We are excited to add new playground equipment for our Kindergarten – Eighth Graders. I hope you enjoy the pictures from the Kindergarten & Third Grade Project Celebrations and the Boosterthon Fun Run!!
I hope everyone has a great weekend. Best, Leslie VAES Principal
Kindergarten Project Celebration:
Third Grade Project Celebration:
Boosterthon:
K -3 Empathy Projects and Apparel: To fund our special empathy projects, the staff and students decided to design and sell a special empathy t-shirt/apparel. Students and staff voted on the design and the quote that they liked the best. Attached you will see the logo and design and the order form to order your very special 2016 – 2017 VAES Empathy Apparel! All of the profits will be used to fund additional grade level projects. For example, the third graders would like to design and paint a Peace Path on the sidewalk in front of the Hock House to help with disagreements and conflicts at recess (and throughout the school day). We hope that you will like our empathy apparel and will support future K – 3 empathy projects. (see attached order form) Thank you, VAES Staff and Students
VAES Yearbook Ordering Information: 2016-17 Elementary School Yearbooks are now on sale and can only be ordered online this year. You can order your copy online at www.strawbridge.net. Yearbooks are $22.00 each and must be ordered by January 31, 2017. After this date, there will be a price increase for additional book orders. Visit www.strawbridge.net, click on Pay or Order Online, enter our school code 110322 for Voyager Elementary, then click View Gallery. Choose Yearbook to proceed to your order. Please contact Leslie Jewell ([email protected]) if you have any questions. Order today!!
IMPORTANT FALL DATES:
Tuesday, November 1: Strawbridge Make-up Yearbook Pictures
Thursday, November 3 @ 1:00 PM: First Grade Project Celebration – The Business of Books
Friday, November 4 @ 1:00 PM: Second Grade Project Celebration – Sound & Culture & Empathy Project
Friday, November 4: 1st Trimester Ends
Wednesday, November 9: First Grade NC Museum of Natural Sciences Field Trip (more info. to come from 1st Grade)
Friday, November 11: Veteran’s Day Holiday: NO SCHOOL for students and staff
Monday, November 14: 1st Trimester Report Card goes home to parents & EC Progress Notes
Thursday, November 17: Hospitality Luncheon
Friday, November 18: 2nd Grade Field Trip to Marbles Museum in Raleigh Wednesday, November 23- Friday, November 25: Thanksgiving Break/NO School for Staff and Students
Monday, November 28 – Friday, December 2: Scholastic Book Fair at Voyager Academy in the Hock House (more info. to come)
Middle School Update:
Dear VAMS Families, The week began with our 7th graders enjoying a science program sponsored by Duke Energy. The show provided the students with a variety of areas in which we can all be conservative as well as different strategies to go along with the conservation. On Thursday, our 7th graders shared their Climate Change Power point Presentations. What an exceptional job by each group! Our students were extremely knowledgeable and articulate!
NEWSFLASH 1!!! We’ve also completed our first round of benchmarks. You should have received information regarding the benchmark scores with your child’s report card that went home last Friday. The math and Language Arts teachers and I met to discuss the progress of each student as well as areas that need some additional focus. We also discussed the importance of using the same vocabulary that’s used on the EOG tests.
NEWSFLASH 2!!! LET'S FILL A U-HAUL - If you haven’t donated you still have time!!!!! The National Junior Honor Society would like to support those in the Lumberton/Pembroke area that continue to suffer from the devastating effects of Hurricane Matthew. We are collecting items Monday, Oct. 31 – Friday, Nov. 4. Below are the items we would like each grade to help support: 4th Grade - Baby Diapers and Wipes 5th Grade - Toothbrushes and Toothpaste 6th Grade - Non-Perishable Foods - can goods, boxed items, snacks, etc. 7th Grade - Dog and Cat Food 8th Grade - Bottled Water.
If you wish to give a monetary donation instead of purchasing items, there will be National Junior Honor Society Members in car lines to collect your donations. If you have questions, please contact Melodie Green ([email protected]) or Gwen Johnson [email protected]
NEWSFLASH 3!!! Student Council Election Monday, Oct. 31 What a terrific group of students we have running for a Student Council Office. I can hardly wait to work with the Student Council. Our candidates are: President: Jackson Lee and Lani Miller Vice-President: Adam Fawcett, Andrew Holland, Jordan King, Hazel Muchenje, and Katie Owusu. Treasurer: Kate Flintom and Evan Nickerson Secretary: Katie McGhinnis and MK Ware Press and Public Relations: Cara Freiburger and Jacob O’Keefe Technology: Elena Gregory and Kyla Schnee
In addition to our officers, we will have one student per homeroom that will attend the meetings as they will be the General Assembly. They will be elected in homerooms.
NEWSFLASH 4!!! Make-up pictures will be Tuesday, Nov. 1 in the middle school gym.
NEWSFLASH 5!!! Tournament Champs Congratulations to our soccer team as they were undefeated and won the conference tournament. If you were not at the tournament you missed an exciting game as our team won, 2-1. Wow!
Upcoming Events: Oct. 30 Science Olympiad Practice Division B Team (grades 6-8), MS, 1:00-4:00 Oct. 31 Basketball tryouts for boys, 2:00-4:00 Nov. 1 Make-up Pictures Nov. 1 Girls’ Basketball, 4:00-6:00 Nov. 1 Boys’ Basketball, 6:00-8:00 Nov. 2 Girls’ Basketball, 4:00-6:00 Nov. 2 Boys’ Basketball, 6:00-8:00 Nov. 3 Girls’ Basketball, 4:00-6:00 Nov. 3 Boys’ Basketball, 6:00-8:00 Nov. 4 Girls’ Basketball, 4:00-6:00 Nov. 4 Boys’ Basketball, 6:00-8:00 determine whether or no you want a conference. Teachers may also ask you to attend a conference based on student grades.
Have a great weekend, Gwen Gwen Johnson [email protected] Voyager Middle School Principal
High School Update:
November 9 is Senior Parent Night Wednesday November 9, from 6-8pm will be Senior Parent night. Parents/guardians and Seniors are invited to come to VAHS that evening to receive some very helpful information regarding graduation requirements, the college application process and how to pay for college. We look forward to seeing you at VAHS Senior Parent night.
Drivers Education Driver's Ed sign ups in the VAHS office on October 31 and November 1 from 8:00-8:30am. Students can sign themselves up, there is no need for parents to come in and sign their child up. Information is below. The class will meet at the following times (Students must be 14.5 yrs. old to take the class.): -November 14-18, 21-22, 28-30 and December 2, 5-8 -Monday Classes will be from 2:00-4:00 -Tuesday-Friday Classes will be from 4:00-6:00
After November 1, the Driver's Ed instructor will hold a lottery to fill the class. The 26 students selected from the lottery will be contacted from the instructor and are expected to bring $45 cash or money order on the first day of class.
Questions? Please contact David Roberson 919-560-3702
Subscribe to Receive Text Messages From School As you know, school-family communication is very important. Please be on the lookout for an email message inviting you to subscribe to receive text messages from VAHS. This service will only be used for emergency and/or “flash” communications, which are very time sensitive.
Lockdown Drill On Thursday, October 20th a “hard lockdown” drill was done. While it was evaluated for areas of improvement, it was an overall successful drill.
ACT Question of the Day High school is piloting an “ACT Question of the Day” warm up for all 11th graders in strategically selected classes. Data from the results of the September CCRA (Career and College Readiness Assessment) are being used to inform what areas/questions to focus on.
Project SERVE Project SERVE (formerly “Immersion”) rosters were finalized last week and are available to students. Most received their first or second choice. We have some exciting mini-courses this year!
Important upcoming dates
Date Event
Dec. 1, Thursday Exhibition Night (time to be announced soon)
Nov. 9, Wed Senior Parent Night
Nov. 28 – Dec. 2 High School EOC TE21 Benchmarks
December 12-16 High School Final Exams/EOC/NCFE/CTE
FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) Meets every Friday, after school, from3:50-4:50 pm in Room D124. No need to be a Christian, nor an Athlete :) All are welcome!