Voyager MS Parent Bulletin
November 5, 2021 Weekly News
Home of the Wolverines
Our mission is to prepare our youth today for tomorrow’s opportunities.
Land Acknowledgement
The Mukilteo School District acknowledges that we gather on the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have lived in the Salish Sea basin since time immemorial. We respect this place and honor the sacred spiritual connection to the land, water, and its people, past, present, and future. The district serves a diverse population of about 15,000 students who live near the Puget Sound about 15 miles north of Seattle. Dedicated staff help prepare our community's children to be successful, contributing members of the community. Our students learn in an environment that is positive, caring, and focused on their highest academic potential.
The Voyager MS Parent Bulletin is available in multiple languages
Thought of the Week
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the
highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
~ John F. Kennedy
Health and Safety Information for In-Person Learning
The in-person learning family guide has been posted on the Return to School website. As with last spring, school staff will follow the health and safety guidelines provided by the Washington State Department of Health. You’ll also find information about cleaning, transportation, physical distancing, masks and other in-person learning protocols.
Attendance Reminders to All Families
We want to remind students and families about the importance of daily attendance. In order for students to do their best learning in school, students need to be present at school, on time, as many days as possible. Additionally, please be mindful about scheduling appointments outside of the school day whenever possible, or to bring students back to campus so that they miss as little school as possible.
Sick or Unable to Attend
Health and Safety Reminders
As we approach cold and flu season, it is important to remind all our Voyager families that students should be symptom-free to come to school and before/after school activities.
Stay Home if You’re Sick – Helpful Information: A COVID -19 Toolkit https://www.snohd.org/DocumentCenter/View/8109/COVID-Toolkit-FINAL
While we recognize that many conditions can cause these symptoms, such as the “common cold” or allergies, the best way to rule out COVID is to be tested.
If your student has tested negative or is fully vaccinated for COVID, they should STILL stay home until their symptoms have improved to avoid bringing other viruses or contagious conditions to school, or coughing, wiping, or blowing their nose in the classroom, for example.
Please review the COVID-19 DAILY HEALTH SCREENING AND RESOURCE FORM. If your student has ANY of the outlined symptoms, they should stay home, (even if you believe it’s not COVID!)
Thank you for your help in keeping Voyager Middle School as safe as possible.
Week at a Glance
NO SCHOOL Thursday, November 11 - Veteran's Day
Daylight Saving Time - Fall Back 1 Hour
November 8 - November 12
Activity Bus Leaves Promptly at 4:05pm
11/8 - Monday - A Day:
Before School
7th Grade Girls Volleyball Try-Outs - 6:15 - 7:45am - VO Gym
Library Open 7:40 - 8:00am
During School
Literacy Center 8:10 - 9:30am
After School
VO Homework Room - 2:50 - 4:00pm - VO Library
ELL Club 2:55 - 4:00pm - Room# B151
Journaling Club - 2:55 - 4:00pm - Room#B141
8th Grade Girls Volleyball Try-Outs - 3:00 - 5:00pm - VO Gym
7th/8th Grade Boys & Girls Soccer Practice - 3:00 - 5:00pm - VO Field
7th/8th Grade Boys Basketball Try-Outs - 3:00 - 5:30pm - Mariner HS
11/9 - Tuesday - B Day:
Before School
7th Grade Girls Volleyball Try-Outs - 6:15 - 7:45am - VO Gym
Library Open 7:40 - 8:00am
During School
Literacy Center 8:10 - 9:30am
After School
VO Homework Room - 2:50 - 4:00pm - VO Library
Cribbage Club - 2:55 - 4:00pm - Room# Library
Craft Club - 2:55 - 4:00pm - Room# B153
8th Grade Girls Volleyball Try-Outs - 3:00 - 5:00pm - VO Gym
7th/8th Grade Boys & Girls Soccer Practice - 3:00 - 5:00pm - VO Field
7th/8th Grade Boys Basketball Try-Outs - 3:00 - 5:30pm - Mariner HS
11/10 - Wednesday - A Day:
Before School
7th Grade Girls Volleyball Try-Outs - 6:15 - 7:45am - VO Gym
Library Open 7:40 - 8:00am
During School
Literacy Center 8:10 - 9:30am
After School
VO Homework Room - 2:50 - 4:00pm - VO Library
STEAM Club - 2:55 - 4:00pm - Room#C140
8th Grade Girls Volleyball Try-Outs - 3:00 - 5:00pm - VO Gym
7th/8th Grade Boys & Girls Soccer Practice - 3:00 - 5:00pm - VO Field
7th/8th Grade Boys Basketball Try-Outs - 3:00 - 5:30pm - Mariner HS
11/11 - Thursday
Veteran's Day - NO SCHOOL
11/12 - Friday - B Day:
Before School
7th Grade Girls Volleyball Practice - 6:15 - 7:45am - VO Gym
Library Open 7:40 - 8:00am
During School
Literacy Center 8:10 - 9:10am
After School
8th Grade Girls Volleyball Practice - 3:00 - 5:00pm - VO Gym
7th/8th Grade Boys Soccer Practice - 1:30 - 2:30pm - VO Field
7th/8th Grade Girls Soccer Practice - 1:30 - 3:00pm - VO Field
7th/8th Grade Boys Basketball Practice - 1:30 - 3:00pm - VO Gym
Learning Improvement Time (LIT) Dismissal, Fridays
On Fridays Voyager students are usually released from school at 1:30pm due to Learning Improvement Time (LIT) time for staff. There are no after school activity buses on early dismissal Fridays.
School News
Veteran’s Day Assembly Webinar - November 10
Veterans Day is a United States federal holiday that honors all military veterans who have served in the U.S. military and is observed annually on November 11. The Day coincides with Remembrance Day and Armistice Day which marks the anniversary of the end of World War I (ended November 11th)
We will be holding a Veteran’s Day Assembly Webinar on Wednesday, November 10 from 8:15am - 8:45am. A link to join the webinar will be posted the evening prior to November 10 on Schoology, Voyager's website and Instagram.
We hope you can join us for this important and special assembly.
Learn more about the history of Veterans Day.
The Voyager Homework Room is NOW OPEN!
We are proud to offer the Voyager Homework Room as an afterschool academic resource to our students. Attendance is not mandatory but we do encourage students to attend on a drop in basis if they could use a place to get caught up on homework, get help if needed or a quiet place to work on assignments or to read.
Our homework room will be staffed by two of our amazing paraeducators.
When & Where: Monday thru Thursday from 2:50pm – 4:00pm in the Voyager Library
(Activity Bus leaves promptly at 4:05pm)
Expectations:
- All school rules apply
- Students must bring all materials with them such as binders, planners, assignments, textbooks, independent reading books.
- Get everything you need from your locker before you come, as well use the restroom.
- Sign in and sign out. Get a Homework Room stamp in your planner
- If you take the activity bus, you need to stay the entire time even if your assignment is finished. Make sure you have your independent reading book.
- If you are a walker, you may leave when your assignment is finished. When you leave, you must leave campus.
Free Family Thanksgiving Dinner with All the Trimmings - Thursday, November 25
- Children’s crafts & gifts
- Family Photos
- Deaf Interpretation (3:30pm only)
- Food & Clothing Bank
- Chance to win an apple iPad (8th generation) at the 11am seating.
Drawings for $75 AMC Theater tickets, men’s & women’s smart watches and other great prizes at all three seatings.
Three Seatings: 11:00am, 1:30pm & 3:30pm
Westgate Chapel
22901 Edmonds Way
Edmonds, WA 98020
(425)775-2776
For additional information please visit Westgate Thanksgiving - Westgate Chapel
Admission is FREE. Door open at 9:45am. No Reservations Needed
Food Assistance
If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, please visit: Food Bank | VOAWW
Volunteers of America – Western WA - Everett Food Bank
Casino Road Food Pantries – Holiday Food Distribution
Distribution of holiday meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas will also be available.
There are currently no eligibility or documentation requirements to receive food.
Reminder: Cell Phones/Electronic Devices at School
Because we value a focused learning environment here at Voyager
Middle School, all cell phone and personal electronic device usage
within the classroom learning environment, is prohibited. As a reminder,
cell phones, headphones, earbuds, AirPods, Bluetooth speakers, and
gaming devices are to be turned off, put away and kept away during the
school day. Such devices are disruptive to the learning environment and
often targeted for theft.
Students are advised to leave these devices at home, however, they are allowed on campus as long as they do not interfere with student learning. If a student’s cell phone is out, rings, or is used for text messaging, it will be confiscated by the teacher and turned into the office. Confiscated items will not be returned until picked up by a parent/guardian. Should a student need to contact a parent they may do so from the front office or classroom with teacher permission.
Please note that Voyager Middle School is not liable for any electronic device brought to school.
November is Native American Heritage Month
November is National Native American Heritage Month. We celebrate and honor the remarkable Native Americans who have contributed tremendously to the history and character of our nation. Read more.
Helpful Resources
Links
Mukilteo School District Web Site
Voyager Middle School Web Site
https://www.flashalert.net/login/
Mukilteo School District 2021-22 School Calendar
Voyager Clubs for the 2021/2022 School Year: Voyager Clubs (mukilteoschools.org)
FAMILY ACCESS: link
FlashAlert Newswire and Messenger
Covid Data Dashboard Return to School / COVID cases dashboard (mukilteoschools.org)
Free Student Meals for the 21-22 School Year! Complete the application
Transportation Department (425)366-1306 or visit Find Your School Bus Route.
VO Facebook @voyagermiddleschool
VO Instagram @voyagerwolverines
Voyager School Counselors
Brenna Reid, 6th Grade Counselor ReidBC@mukilteo.wednet.edu, 425-366-5334
Vincenza Moody, 7th Grade Counselor MoodyVC@mukilteo.wednet.edu, 425-366-5333
Margaret Peterson, 8th Grade Counselor PetersonMJ@mukilteo.wednet.edu, 425-366-5332
Season Two Sports
For Season 2 Sports Schedules, please visit: Fall Athletics Schedule
Mukilteo School District is Hiring!
New State Mask Mandate
COVID-19 Testing Locations
Visit the Washington State Department of Health’s Testing for COVID-19 page for the latest updates, information about who should be tested, what you should do after you’re tested, vaccine information, testing locations and data dashboard.
Back to School Resources
If your child has a need for school supplies, food, clothing or community resources, please contact Kristen Anderson, Lead Student Support Advocate at AndersonKM@mukilteo.wednet.edu or Olga Mantilla, Family Engagement Liaison at Mantillaoy@mukilteo.wednet.edu
Stay Connected!
We send a schoolwide weekly newsletter and other regular communications out via Blackboard, our district wide communication system. By enrolling your child in our school, you are automatically set up to receive Blackboard messages from us. If you have updates to e-mail or phone numbers that you would like to make related to these communications, please call the main office at 425-366-5300.
Upcoming Events
11/24: Early Dismissal - 12:00pm
11/25: Thanksgiving Day – No School
11/26: Native American Heritage Day – No School
12/20 - 12/31: Winter Break – No School
1/17/22: Martin Luther King Jr. Day – No School
2/21/22: President's Day – No School
2/22/22 - 2/25/22: Mid Winter Break – No School
4/11/22 - 4/15/22: Spring Break – No School
Friday - Learning Improvement Time (LIT) – EARLY DISMISSAL SCHEDULE
8:05 - 9:30am - Core
9:35 - 10:50am - Elective
11:25 - 11:55am - Intervention
12:00 - 1:30pm - Core
7th Grade
8:05 - 8:35am - Intervention
8:40 - 11:40am Core
11:40 - 12:10 - Lunch
12:15 - 1:30pm - Elective
8th Grade
8:05 - 9:15am - Elective
9:20 - 12:15pm - Core
12:15 - 12:45pm - Lunch
12:50 - 1:30pm - Intervention
Three strategies help your child become a better writer
Not every student is a born writer. But students who write well tend to do better in school than students who don’t. To help your child improve her writing, have her:
Read it aloud. After she completes a writing assignment for class,
ask your child to read it to you. She can also read it to herself. Suggest she mark anything that sounds repetitive, clunky or ungrammatical as she reads.
Revise it. Even a great first draft can almost always be improved with careful editing. So have your child go back through her work to see where it can be tightened up, expanded or clarified.
Ask for help. If her piece of writing still seems a little flat or weak, suggest that your child ask her teacher to recommend a reputable writing website. Together, explore its ideas for strengthening writing.
Beyond that, remind your child that one of the best ways to become a stronger writer is simply to read. The more she surrounds herself with words, the more examples she’ll see
of solid writing. And that familiarity will help when it’s time for her to put her thoughts into words.
~ The Parent Institute
Are you setting your child up for future success?
The choices your child makes in middle school can influence her success in high school and beyond. Are you doing all you can to set your child up for success? Answer yes or no to the
questions below to find out:
- Do you encourage your middle schooler to take the most rigorous classes she can successfully handle each year?
- Do you share with your child the importance of reading and urge her to read often?
- Do you watch the news with your child and encourage her to learn about current affairs to boost her awareness of civics and history?
- Do you encourage your child to take a foreign language? Starting in middle school can give your child a foundation for high school.
- Have you talked with your child about her interests and ways they might translate to a career?
How well are you doing?
Mostly yes answers mean you are helping your child focus on the future. For no answers, try those ideas.
~ The Parent Institute
Contact Voyager
Email: Voyager@mukilteo.wednet.edu
Website: https://mukilteoschooldistrict.sharepoint.com/sites/msd_vo
Location: 11711 4th Ave W, Everett, WA, USA
Phone: 425-366-5300
Facebook: facebook.com/@voyagermiddleschool
Family Engagement Liaison
Email: mantillaoy@mukilteo.wednet.edu
Location: 11711 4th Avenue West, Everett, WA, USA
Phone: (425)366-5300