Our top priorities are our scholar's safety, and the ability to have a distraction-free learning environment. To that end, we have a phone policy to help support us in achieving those aims. 

As a reminder, 

• All scholars are expected to hand in their phones each morning. Phones are placed in a personal (labeled) zip lock bag and stored in a secure lockbox. 

• Lockboxes will remain locked and placed in a room throughout the school day.

• Scholar phones will be returned before dismissal* 

*Scholars who have off-campus lunch will have phones returned for the duration of lunch. 

Please note: If a scholar has their phone with them at any time during the school day, the phone will be confiscated, the scholar will be placed in reflection and an adult will be required to collect their phone. 

If you need to communicate with your scholar, or if your scholar needs to communicate with you the main office should be the first port of call. 

We appreciate your support in keeping our scholars safe, and distraction-free during the school day!

Dear Aviator Families,

Get ready for an exciting day of fun, fitness, and school spirit! Join us for our Annual Field Day, where you and your scholar can team up for a variety of sport and recreational activities, and take part in school-wide games and friendly challenges.

• Date: Friday, June 13th (9:30am- 12:15pm) 

• Location: Parade Grounds- Prospect Park (Parade pl. and Parkside Ave)

• Dresscode: House Shirt & Athletic Wear (no ripped jeans, no short/ skirts/ dresses shorter than 1 inch above knee, no cropped shirts or sweaters, no ski masks, no ugg slippers, no slides/ slippers, no vulgar images or inappropriate language)

• Scholars will arrive to school at regular arrival time 7:35am and we will walk to Parade Grounds Field 2.

This is a wonderful opportunity to make memories, cheer each other on, and celebrate our Aviator community!

🎒 Reminders for the Day:

• Bring a water bottle to stay hydrated

• Pack a lunch

• If needed, don’t forget asthma pumps or other personal items

📋 Eligibility Criteria

To ensure a positive and safe experience for all, scholars must meet the following criteria to participate in the trips:

• Behavior Standards: 

  1. No suspensions during the month of May & June

  2. No more than 2 reflections starting 6/2- 6/10

• Conduct Expectations: No incidents of fighting, play fighting, cursing at peers or teachers, throwing objects, vandalism, or destruction of school property.

Scholars who do not meet these criteria are still expected to attend school for alternative instruction during regular school hours (7:35am- 12:50pm). 

We can't wait to see you there—let’s soar together!

Senior Dues

Senior Dues enhance our scholar's 8th grade experience. This year our Senior Dues total is $150 per scholar. We will be doing 2 payment rounds of $75 for our payment plan OR you can pay in full. 

Cash payments all preferred, but please reach out to our Main Office for alternatives. You will receive a receipt (sent home with your scholar) for all payments made!

• First Payment - Monday, March 31st

• Final Payment - Thursday, May 1st

If you would like to pay in full, please provide that payment by Monday March 31st. Any outstanding payments run the risk of your scholar NOT receiving items such as Graduation Cap and Gowns on time! Please reach out to our Voyager Main Office to finalize your payments ASAP!

Your Senior Dues cover:

• Yearbook

• Graduation Cap & Gown

• Taking Professional Senior Portraits (March 31st) [Does not include purchasing packages]

• Senior Trip (Virginia 5/21-5/23)

• Senior Fridays & Senior Week - A set of activities that are designed to build community and capture the final moments of your scholars 8th grade experience

  1. • • Friday 6/6 - Senior Brunch, Grad Cap/Ticket Dispersal, & Graduation Rehearsal

       • Friday 6/13 - Yearbook Dispersal & Signing Day

• Monday 6/16 - Prom

• Tuesday 6/17 - Graduation **Graduates arrive early for rehearsal**

• Wednesday 6/18 - Algebra Regents & Last Day of School **Graduates must be present to receive Diploma**

• Thursday 6/19 - No School in Celebration of Juneteenth

Yearbook

This year we'd like to invite families to contribute to our Class of 2025 Yearbook. We are asking that families submit:

• A Baby Photo of your scholar (include Scholar's name in the image title) [Add Baby Photos to Voyager Family Drive]

• A Quote or Well Wishes for your scholar [Add Quote/Well Wishes to Google Survey]

The deadline to provide these items is Thursday, May 1st!

Off-Campus Lunch is an earned privilege granted only to 8th grade scholars on any given week that they achieve “Captain” status. Captains are scholars who have earned 130+ miles for going above and beyond at Voyager, both in and outside of their classrooms.

Captains are announced each Friday. The following Tuesday and Thursday, eligible Captains are given permission to leave campus during recess (approximately 25 mins) to buy food and re-join their grade during recess to eat.

This year, we are excited to introduce the Striving for Excellence Off-Campus Lunch Award. Each month your scholar can earn a free lunch prize. The criteria for earning this prize is:

• On-time daily

• No tardies daily

• No reflection daily

• Full Uniform daily

• Captain status weekly

To earn this award, scholars must meet all of the criteria listed above from Tuesday, Nov. 12th through Wednesday Nov. 27th

Off-Campus Lunch privilege will begin in 3 phases. Scholars who meet all baseline eligibility requirements by:

• Friday November 15th will be eligible for Off-Campus Lunch starting the week of November 18th! 

• Friday November 22nd will be eligible for Off-Campus Lunch starting the week of November 25th!

• FINAL- Wednesday November 27th will be eligible for Off-Campus Lunch starting the week of December 7th!

Scholars Day-of Eligibility Requirements

On any day scholars are eligible to go for Off-Campus Lunch, they must be:

• Captain status for that week (wearing Captain pin)

• On-time (for the school day, and checking-in and -out for Off-Campus Lunch)

• In full uniform (any scholars redeeming a Dress-down that day will be ineligible)

Parent/Guardian Baseline Eligibility Requirements

• Parent/guardian consent (given via ParentSquare form) due Wednesday November 27th, 2024

• Up-to-date Physical examination forms on file (dated July 1st, 2024 or later) due Wednesday November 27th, 2024

• Up-to-date Immunization records on file due Wednesday November 27th, 2024

Once this deadline has passed, scholars will no longer be eligible to participate

Scholars must have ALL forms submitted immediately to ensure they are eligible on any week they are a Captain.

At In-Person Report Card Night (this Thursday November 14th), all families will receive a letter stating what forms they are missing.

If you are unsure whether your scholar has all forms submitted, are confused on what forms are required, or have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me in the Main Office for any questions or concerns you may have.

Thank you!

Ms. Francis

Student Services Manager-Culture (SSM-C)

Phone: (347) 471-2640

Email: cassandrafrancis@achievementfirst.org

Main Office Email: voyagermainoffice@gmail.com

Given recent immigration policy shifts, we want to ensure all Achievement First families are equipped with information on their rights.

Additionally, paper copies are available in the Voyager Main Office and in the Social Worker's office.

• Know Your Rights (‘red’) cards in English

• Know Your Rights (‘red’) cards in Spanish

• Know Your Rights (‘red’) cards in other languages

• Know Your Rights ICE Response one-pager in English

• Know Your Rights ICE Response one-pager in Spanish

• Know Your Rights Family Preparedness Plan one-pager in English

• Know Your Rights Family Preparedness Plan one-pager in Spanish

Everything we do at Achievement First is focused on ensuring all of our scholars are safe, are loved, and are learning. Because of our utmost commitment to a safe learning environment, we continue to prioritize our students’ health and safety against the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses. 

In order to best protect our students and staff, we tailor our response and approach to COVID-19 with guidance from the CDC, the local health department, and our host district to determine appropriate safety and mitigation strategies. Achievement First utilizes a multilayered mitigation approach that includes improved ventilation, over-the-counter Rapid COVID Test Kits, and provides recommendations when there are elevated Community Levels of COVID-19 in our communities.

Given the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, we want to provide you with reminders of how we can best prevent the spread of COVID-19.

• Isolate: If your student has a confirmed case of COVID-19, they must stay home and isolate for 5 days. Day 1 is the day AFTER symptoms begin.  

• Sick = Stay home: If your student has symptoms of COVID-19, they should stay home and get tested. Students may return to school as long as they test negative and symptoms improve. Students need to be fever-free without the use of medication for 24 hours before returning to school. 

• Masks: All students are invited to wear masks at school. We highly recommend students who were exposed to COVID-19 but tested negative wear a mask for 10 days following their exposure.  Students with a confirmed case of COVID-19 must wear a high-filtration mask (e.g. KN95) for days 6-10 (isolate at home for days 1-5) after returning to school. Wearing a mask will ensure we don’t spread the virus to others while at school. With two sequential negative tests 48 hours apart, students may remove their masks sooner than day 10.

• Test at the onset of symptoms: Testing remains the key mitigation strategy to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Students who develop symptoms at school will receive two Rapid OTC COVID-19 Tests to test at home. 

If you have any questions about what additional mitigation measures are currently in place to limit the spread of COVID-19, please reach out to Ms. Renaud.

The DOE is committed to the health and well-being of every child, and continues to provide free, nutritious meals to all students every day.

Please check out the Menus page for our Spring School Menus—menus are updated at the beginning of each month to showcase new dining options.

Additionally, if you would like to provide feedback on menu options, make suggestions for additions to the menu, and/or share your dining experience in school cafeterias please feel free to fill out the spring survey link for students and parents.

For questions, contact OFNS@schools.nyc.gov.

Dear Parents, 

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes gastroenteritis (Noroviruses - NYC Health). The most common symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea. 

There has been an increase in gastrointestinal illness (such as vomiting, diarrhea and other stomach-related illness) nationwide and locally. Fortunately, we have not observed an increase amongst among our students. We would like to share information about norovirus for your awareness. 

Some germs, like norovirus, can spread very fast in schools. Norovirus is a stomach virus that can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Most people get better in one to two days.

People can become sick with norovirus if they:

• Have close contact with someone who has norovirus. Contact can include changing diapers and sharing food, forks, knives, spoons or chopsticks.

• Touch surfaces that have norovirus, then touch their mouths

• Eat food or drink liquids that have norovirus

How to stop the spread of norovirus:

• Wash your hands often with warm water and soap. This is especially important after using the bathroom, after changing diapers, and before touching or eating food.

• Remind children to wash their hands after using the bathroom and before eating. Watch younger children to be sure they use soap and water and dry their hands well.

• Immediately clean surfaces that become dirty from vomit or stool. Use a germ-killing cleaner, such as bleach, for the best results. Be sure to follow the package instructions when using a germ-killing cleaner.

• Keep children home if they are sick. Children who are vomiting or having diarrhea should stay home until they are well. Remind children to wash their hands thoroughly, especially during and after their illness.

Visit nyc.gov/health and search for norovirus for more information.

If you are concerned about your child’s illness, call your health care provider or school nurse.

Translated family letters are available via the following links: Arabic; Bengali; Chinese; French; Haitian Creole; Korean; Russian; Spanish; Urdu.

For additional information, refer to the Staying Healthy page.

Sincerely,   

Cheryl Lawrence, MD FAAP

Medical Director

Office of School Health 

Aviator Families!

The following resources are available to help families and scholars: 

• Know Your Period: The NYC Student Guide provides students with valuable information on menstruation and reminds them that free products are available in designated restrooms at schools.

• To support families in communication with their scholars, Parents and Puberty: Helping Families Communicate about Developmental Milestones.