Go Vikings Go!
Important News.
2010-11 Teacher of the Year
We are pleased to announce that Amy Daw has been named as Voyager Academy's 2010-11 Teacher of the Year. Ms. Daw has taught music for the past two years at Voyager Academy. Through Ms. Daw's enthusiastic and inspired leadership, our music program has grown and blossomed into one of the top programs in the area. Our children have benefited so much by having Ms. Daw as their music teacher. Ms. Daw will represent Voyager Academy in the state wide Region 9/Charter School Teacher of the Year competition in the fall of 2010.
2010-11 Young Educator of the Year
We are pleased to announce that Clay Wooldridge has been named as Voyager Academy's 2010-11 Younger Educator of the Year. Mr. Wooldridge is a first year teacher and teaches the eighth grade Core Connections class. Through his enthusiasm for the subject matter and strong work the Core Connections class has been a tremendous success. The students in his class are challenged daily to think creatively, critically and globally. Mr. Wooldridge will represent Voyager Academy in the Durham Jaycee Young Educator of the Year competition to be held this spring.
County-Wide Scribbs Spelling Bee Finalist
Congratulations to 8th grader Lauren Thomas who tied for third place in the county wide spelling bee held Saturday at Duke University. Lauren made it through 15 rounds of competition until she was tripped up by the word "mirthful". However, during the competition, Lauren correctly spelled some difficult words such as, "echt", "angstrom" and "antipasto". Fifty three students from Durham County participated in the spelling bee. Great job Lauren! We are all very proud of you!
Geography Bee
Eighth grader, Bill Vogel has qualified to represent Voyager Academy at the state level of the National Geographic Bee on Friday, April 9, 2010 in Lenoir, N.C. This is the second year in a row that a student from Voyager Academy has qualified at the state level of the National Geography Bee. In addition to winning our school competition, Bill was the only student at Voyager to get every question right on the qualifying test that was given to all Voyager students this past fall. Congratulations, Bill!
Student Created Videos
Check out the student produced Voyager Academy Student Orientation Film. Videos by 8th grade students about Voyager High School coming soon.
Voyager Academy Teacher Job Fair
Voyager Academy will be holding a Teacher Job Fair on Saturday, March 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon in the school gym. Applications will be accepted from motivated and creative teachers in all subect areas, Grades 4 - 9. Please select here for the complete announcement.
Teaching Positions Available
Please see the staff page for a list of current openings.
Snow Makeup Days
Voyager Academy will hold class on March 19th and June 11th as a snow make up days. School hours these days will be from 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
This will result in the last day of school being Friday, June 11th.
Wizard of Oz
"Follow of Yellow Brick Road" to the Voyager Academy production of the Wizard of OZ. Shows are Thursday, March 18 and Friday March 19 7:00 PM at the Voyager Gym.
Order your tickets soon because these shows will sell out. Tickets will probably not be available at the door. Press here for an order form.
Voyager Academy Admissions for 2010-2011 School Year
The lottery for the 2010-2011 school year will be held March 6, 2010 at 12:00PM.
Due to the large number of applications Voyager has received this year our Board of Directors has decided to use a computer program to randomly assign a number to each applicant at the lottery on March 6, 2010 12 noon. The number assigned by the program will determine your acceptance or waitlist position.
Monday Enrichment
Registration is now open for the 4th Qtr of Monday Enrichment, which runs from March 29th thru May 24th. The catalog, enrollment form, and instructions can be found online at the Voyager website under the Enrichment tab.
Voyager Family Night
Please Join us at Elmo’s Diner on March 2, 2010 for Voyager Family Night. 10% of their sales from this day go to our school to help with all the “extras” we enjoy here at Voyager.
Elmo’s is open from 6:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Located at: 776 Ninth Street
Phone #: 416-3823
To-Go sales count too! www.elmosdiner.com
Vikings Cut Down the Nets
Congratulations to the Voyager Academy boys and girls basketball teams for winning their championship game in the Central Carolina MS Tournament.
EnviroVikings
7th grader Jared Kolls, a member of Voyager's Envirothon team, competed this week in a public speaking contest sponsored by the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District. This year's competition was centered around the theme of "The Living Soil". Jared's speech earned him a tie for 2nd place as well as a monetary prize. Congratulations to Jared!!
The EnviroVikings will also be competing in the Envirothon team competition in March. A big thank you to Beth Thomasson, the volunteer leader, and Anna Jones, the parent liaison, for working with these students the entire school year. Best wishes to the entire Envirothon team as they represent Voyager Academy in this exciting challenge!
VOYAGER ACADEMY
3rd Annual Golf Tournament
Saturday May 8, 2010
Registration: $50 per golfer
click here for more information
Spring Sports Update
Voyager Academy will be offering the following sports during the Spring 2010: Baseball, Softball, Boys Tennis, Girls Soccer, and Golf (Co-Ed).
Athletic Physicals will be offered to all 7th and 8th grade Voyager Academy students that are interested in playing Spring sports. We will be having physicals on Monday February 22nd here at the school from 5:30pm - 7:30pm. The cost will be $25. Please bring a check or cash to pay for your physical. Remember, you must have a completed and updated athletic physical before trying out for any Voyager Athletic teams.SPRING SPORTS TRY-OUTS will be held on Monday March 1st - Wednesday March 3rd. Try-out locations will be as follows:
Baseball - North Durham Little League
Softball - Catsburg Field ( off of Old Oxford Hwy.)
Boys Tennis - Treyburn CC
Girls Soccer - Voyager Campus
Golf - Treyburn CC
There will be a MANDATORY GOLF INTEREST MEETING held at Voyager on Tuesday, Feb. 16th beginning @ 3:30. This meeting is for all 7th or 8th graders interested in playing Golf on the Voyager Academy team this Spring. Coach Russ Barringer is looking forward to having a very good year and wants all kids interested in playing golf to please attend this meeting.
Voyager Academy High School Program Approved
We are very pleased to announce that on Thursday, January 7, 2010, we received approval from the State Board of Education to add a high school program to Voyager Academy. Our plans are to add a 9th grade next year and one grade each year until we reach 12th grade in 2013-14.
We have scheduled an information meeting for Voyager parents on Thursday, January 21 from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm in the school gym, and a meeting for new families interested in the 9th grade at Voyager for January 25 and 28 from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm in the school gym. At that meeting you will be given an overview of the high school's academic focus, curriculum, location, calendar, operating hours and other important general information. Letters of intent and student applications for rising 9th graders will be available at that meeting.
Please click here for additional High School information.
Bee Winners
Voyager Academy had 2 amazing competitions this week with over 50 students competing in the tournaments.
Congratulations to ALL participants. You all did a great job.
In the end, we could only name 3 winners in each of the Geography Bee and Spelling Bee. The top 3 honors go to:
| Geography Bee: | Spelling Bee: |
| 1st place: Bill Vogel | 1st place: Lauren Thomas |
| 2nd place: Will Hibbard | 2nd place: Anthony Council |
| 3rd place: Tyler Whisnant | 3rd place: Brock Monks |
Teacher Positions for the 2010-2011 School Year 9th Grade
Teaching positions for the 2010-2011 academic year are available. Please click here for additional information.
Recognizing Teacher Excellence
Ms. Katherine Midkiff, 8th grade science teacher, has been selected as a 2009-10 Classroom Technology Grant award recipient. Her proposed project "Incubators" earned a grant of $600.00 through the Wake Electric grant program. This program strives to enhance innovative classroom projects that would not be otherwise funded.
Ms. Midkiff will purchase an incubator that will allow her students to explore microbiology and culture bacteria. The students will be investigating and determining where the most germs live on our campus.
Congratulations, Katherine.
Recognizing Teacher Excellence
Voyager Academy is very pleased to announce that on November 2, 2009, at the 59th Conference on Exceptional Children, Ms. Leslie Fagert was recognized by the State of North Carolina, State Board of Education, and the Department of Public Instruction for her dedicated service and outstanding contributions to the education of exceptional children in North Carolina. The Exceptional Children's Division of DPI annually honors teachers who have made distinguished contributions to the education of exceptional children with disabilities. Ms. Fagert was specifically recognized because of her innovative instructional techniques and her commitment to meeting the needs of all children. Ms. Fagert is a fourth grade exceptional children's teacher.
This is a tremendous honor for Leslie and our school. Congratulations, Leslie!
2010-11 Student Enrollment Information
Voyager Academy is a public, tuition free charter school serving students in grades 4-8. Voyager Academy admits students of all races, nationalities, creeds, and socioeconomic backgrounds who are domiciled in North Carolina at the time an enrollment application is submitted.
For further information please see the Enrollment Information page for more details.
Below are some important admission dates:
January 1, 2010: Application period begins. Student enrollment applications are available on line.
January 23, 2010: Open House, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
February 13, 2010: Open House, 10:00a.m. - 12:00 noon
February 28, 2010: Student enrollment application period ends.
March 6, 2010: Student Enrollment Lottery.
March 19, 2010: Student Enrollment Confirmation deadline.
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Viking Respect Sportsmanship Initiative
In anticipation of another exciting basketball season please remember our “Viking Respect” sportsmanship initiative.
“Viking Respect” is all about preserving the enjoyment of our athletic events for everyone. All of us, students, parents, staff and fans have the responsibility to make sure that everyone in attendance has a great time before, during and after the game.
Here are a few tips to make sure everyone at our athletic events has a good time.
1. Before, during and after the game, win or lose, be classy! Help visiting athletes, coaches and fans enjoy their visit to Voyager Academy and take home a positive impression of our school.
2. Remember that you’re representing the entire Voyager Viking community.
3. Cheer loudly, but always be respectful and aware of the fans around you.
“Viking Respect” is what makes game day at Voyager Academy so special!
Go Vikings Go!!
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2009 North Carolina School Report Cards Now Online
The data has been compiled, the grades are in and the 2009 North Carolina School Report Cards are now online at www.ncreportcards.org. This Web site features the state's largest collection of information about student performance and attendance, class size, school safety, teacher quality and classroom technology at the state, district and school levels. For more information, please visit the NCDPI Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org and click on the appropriate link under "News."
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NC State Fair Contest Winners
Mr. Rieman is pleased to announce Voyager Academy's entries into the NC State Fair Art Contest. Hailey Coates, Mackenzie Allison, Zoe Caves, Josh DeHaven, Jenna Leonard, and Ben Evans will represent Voyager in the Visual Arts Category.
Ms. Shellady is pleased to announce that two Voyager Academy students placed 2nd and 3rd this year in the Web Design contest at the NC State Fair. Seth Close won 2nd place and Lawton Kariher and Barrett Schneider won 3rd place. Click here to view their web design entries.
Congratulations to all of these talented students! Go Vikings Go!
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North Carolina Charter School Teacher of the Year Finalist
Michelle Luckadoo, 8th grade social studies teacher has been named one of two finalist for NC Charter School Teacher of the Year award. This award is given each year to an outstanding teacher from one of the 100 charter schools in the State of North Carolina.
Ms. Luckadoo is one of eighteen finalist for the statewide Teacher of the Year award. This is the second straight year that a Voyager teacher has been named a finalist for Charter School Teacher of the Year award and also been one of the eighteen finalist for the state wide award. Last years nominee was 7th grade math teacher, Bob Lindquist.
This is an outstanding honor for Michelle and is a wonderful reflection of our staff as a whole. The selection committee will visit Voyager on Nov. 5. They will spent the day observing Michelle and talking to students, parents, and staff.
Again, congratulations Michelle! This is a great honor!
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2008-09 ABC Testing Results Released
The North Carolina State Board of Education has released the official ABC testing results for the 2008-09 school year. A summary of the ABC results for Voyager Academy is below:
- Voyager Academy has been named a N.C. School of Distinction for the 08-09 school year.
- Voyager Academy made Expected Growth for the 08-09 school year.
- Voyager Academy met 17 of 17 target goals and made AYP for the 08-09 school year.
- Voyager Academy had a total performance composite of 84.93% for the 08-09 school year.
Congratulations to our staff and students for a job well done!
The complete report along with previous reports can be found on the Documents page.
Dress Code
A new dress code for the 2009-2010 academic year has been published and can be viewed here.
Shirt samples are on display in the Voyager Academy office lobby.
Order forms for the required polos are also now available.
Voyager Academy School Apparel
Voyager Academy school apparel makes great presents for students and family. Proceeds from each item purchased goes directly to Voyager Academy. Ordering is easy by clicking store in the menu column. The Voyager Vikings Booster Club also has spirit wear available. Please click here for more information.
PTA Fundraisers
Please remember to collect and send in Box Tops for Education and Cambell's Soup labels. Click here for a list of current Voyager Academy PTA fundraising opportunities
