Voyager News
May 2024
Principal's Message
As the school year draws to a close, all of us look forward to what summer has to offer: a slower pace, fun in the sun, and perhaps a family getaway.
One downside of having a summer break is that students can experience academic regression: a “backsliding” of skills resulting from extended time off from school. Our district’s mission is to “achieve educational excellence and inspire a life-long passion for learning.” With the humble goal of inspiring a “year-round” passion for learning, I offer the following summer activities to keep your child’s academic skills sharp:
Visit the public library on a regular basis.
Set aside daily time for your child to read. This can include fiction, non-fiction, or “lighter fare,” such as sports pages, comic books, or magazines.
Create on-line math site “favorites” so your child can practice math facts.
Encourage your child to write letters to relatives.
Encourage journaling: vacation places, activities, movie reviews, etc.
Play card or counting games.
Casually weaving activities such as these into the summer fun can help ensure readiness for school next fall.
It has been a great year! Have a safe and relaxing summer!
Dana
Mark Your Calendar
4th Gr Groundwater Festival, 8:30 AM-1:30 PM................................5/1
5th Gr Safety Day, 8:50 AM-1:50 PM..................................................5/2
Shining Stars to Zorbaz, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM...................................5/3
Kindergarten Town Tour Field Trip, 8:15-11:30 AM..........................5/7
Kindergarten Sneak-a-Peek, 4:00 or 5:30 PM...................................5/7
5th Gr to Biz Town, 6:30 AM-4:30 PM.................................................5/8
1st Gr to DC Library & Brophy Park, 9:30 AM-12:45 PM...................5/9
3rd Gr Family Folk Dance Night in Gym, 6:00 PM..............................5/9
5th Gr DMS Tours, 8:30-10:00 AM.......................................................5/10
Shining Stars to DC Library, 12:15-1:30 PM........................................5/10
District Color Run..................................................................................canceled
5th Gr Track & Field @ AAHS, 8:35 AM-2:05 PM...............................5/15
4th Gr Track & Field @ AAHS, 8:35 AM-2:05 PM................................5/16
All Books Due Back to Media Center....................................................5/17
Shining Stars to Brophy Park, 8:45-11:00 AM.....................................5/17
3rd Gr Field Day @ City Park, 9:15-10:45 AM......................................5/17
2nd Gr Field Day @ City Park, 11:00 AM-12:30 PM............................5/17
1st Gr Family Picnic @ VES, 11:30-11:55 AM.....................................5/17
3rd Gr to Luther Crest, 8:00 AM-1:45 PM............................................5/20
2nd Gr to Hemker Zoo, 9 AM-2 PM......................................................5/23
Kindergarten to DC Library, 12:30-2:00 PM........................................5/23
All-School Picnic...................................................................................5/24
Kindergarten End-of-Year Celebration................................................5/24
...Huffington, 11:15 AM-12 PM; Olson, 12:40-1:20 PM; Sidd, 1-1:45 PM
1st Gr to Lk Carlos State Park, 8:30 AM-1:45 PM..............................5/24
Shining Stars to DC Library, 12:15-1:30 PM........................................5/24
1st Gr to Casey's Amusement Park.....................................................5/30
...Jerome, 8:15-9:45 AM; Boike, 9:15-10:45 AM; Branson, 12:00-1:30 PM
5th Gr to City Park, 9:00 AM-12:30 PM................................................5/30
Last Day of School.................................................................................5/31
Shining Stars to Brophy Park, 8:45-11:00 AM.....................................5/31
VES Exemplary Students Earn Code Kid Recognition
Let’s celebrate these Voyager students who have earned April Code of Conduct Awards! They were seen demonstrating our Code of Conduct traits of responsibility, honesty, respect, fairness, and kindness. Thank you, students!
Code Kids
Lizbeth Gomez-Garcia & Layni Randt. Not pictured: Rhyan Clark
Code Kids
Olivia Aman & Charley Reiner
Code Kids
Allen Gomez-Garcia & Ava Gripne
Code Kids
Katie Kappmeyer & Taylor Samuelson
Code Cash Winners
Lillian Wiita, Merida Weber, Kellen Ost, Brynn Lorentz, Maria Cordes & Xavier Johnson. Not pictured: Izzie Thomas & Nael Ortiz
All-School Picnic Set for Friday, May 24
Mark your calendars for the Voyager All-School Picnic, which will be held on Friday, May 24. (Due to a field trip that day, the first grade picnic will be held on Friday, May 17). Voyager kitchen staff prepares a picnic-style lunch that parents and students can enjoy together on the lawn in the front of the building, weather permitting. This is a fun way for all of us to close the year; please join us if your schedule permits. More information will follow.
Math Masters Results
Eight Alexandria Public Schools Math Masters teams competed in the regional competition on Friday, April 19th at Woodland Elementary School.
In the Fact Drill competition, Ruby Fischer placed in the top 20, taking 2nd place.
The Voyager Team consisted of Sydney Mitteness, Luke Fischer, Weston Denne, Ruby Fischer, and Isaiah Rye.
Congratulations to all of our Math Masters competitors, and a special thanks goes out to 3M and Thrivent Financial for financially supporting the Math Masters Program.
Spring Fling a Night of Fun
I would like to thank everyone who helped make the 2024 Spring Fling a huge success. The event was well-attended and well-organized, and everyone had great fun. Our Parent Advisory Committee worked incredibly hard for weeks to make this a top-notch activity. I am proud to say that our team raised almost $11,000. That is truly an impressive team effort!
Organizing the Festival is truly a team effort; students, teachers, and parents all do their part to make this a fun family event. Other nods of appreciation go to:
VES custodians for their assistance on top of a busy workday.
Food and Nutrition Services: Janeen Peterson, Shannon Parent, and Rhonda Johnshoy.
Several local businesses for their generous donations.
PAC for continuing to work on behalf of students.
Class List 2024-25 Information
As the end of the year fast approaches, our staff will work hard on an important end-of-year task: preparing class lists for next year. A tremendous amount of thought and energy goes into this process. Classroom teachers meet several times amongst themselves, with specialists, special education teachers, the social worker, and the principal to discuss the appropriate placement of students. Their goal is to develop classes that will grow into positive learning environments for all students. Things that are crucial to consider as we build those class lists include, but are not limited to:
A balance of boys and girls;
A blend of abilities;
Careful consideration of student personalities and behaviors;
A mixture of students from classrooms; and
Placing students who work well together as learners, which does not necessarily mean they are friends.
Voyager will continue its past practice of NOT allowing parents to request teachers; however, if parents have a concern about placing a student in a particular classroom, please stop in the office to complete a Request For Special Consideration Form and turn it in ASAP, as we are currently working on class lists. We have exceptional teachers at Voyager, however, it is understandable that a concern may arise or that special circumstances may prompt such a request. We do want parents and students to feel comfortable going into the new school year, and feel this may help.
Yearbooks Coming Soon!
Thank you to our yearbook parent volunteer coordinator Molly Eken for assembling yet another high-quality yearbook. This huge undertaking is appreciated by parents, staff, and students! Yearbooks will be delivered to students in late May.
Voyager Elementary School
Email: mronning@alexschools.org
Website: www.alexschools.org
Location: 203 Voyager Drive, Alexandria, MN, USA
Phone: 320-762-3325
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexmnschools/
Voyager Elementary does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, or disability.