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Volusia Online Learning Community Brief

Monday, April 14, 2025

Dear VOL Community Member,

We are finally entering the home stretch of the 2024-2025 school year! The 4th marking period is upon us, temperatures are starting to rise, and nearly all of us have our thoughts set on Summer Break, which is a mere 6 weeks away. For sure, this is a wonderful time of the year. But it can also be a perilous time of year in the world of virtual education. Unlike a traditional school setting where student attendance dictates whether or not a class is “finished”, virtual students must complete the content of their courses in order to earn credit. With that said, I want to encourage you to help your student resist the pull of summer for just a few more weeks and finish the year strong. Seniors have a target completion date of May 2nd. Students in grades K-11 have a target completion date of May 16th. This allows all students to complete their coursework and DBAs prior to graduation and the last day of school on Wednesday, May 28th. Teachers will be reaching out to you this week if your child is behind pace and/or failing to see how we can best support your child as they work to finish their courses on time. Mrs. Shaw has some great information about our WIN Lab in the VOL Updates section below that may be a good opportunity to get some extra help with our teachers.

In addition to working hard to finish courses, all students should be focusing on end-of-year state testing. Dr. Markell has been in communication with all of our VOL families about testing options, schedules, locations, etc. Please pay close attention to any emails you get from her and be sure to scroll down to read the testing updates section below.

While I certainly want everyone to keep their proverbial eyes on the prize and finish this year before looking ahead to next year, I would be remiss to not inform you that the VOL application is now open for the 2025-2026 school year. Our process has changed as compared to years past, and step 1 is to attend one of our Virtual Information Sessions, which are held twice a month. If you know someone who is interested in joining our VOL family, please help spread the word and direct them to volusiaonlinelearning.com where they can register for an information session and begin their application process. As a reminder, current students are expected to participate in state testing requirements and successfully complete their coursework this school year to be eligible for virtual coursework next school year. Families do not need to reapply unless they were advised to do so.  

That is all I have for this week. Please scroll down for important information and updates about our amazing school!

Thank you for reading!

Dr. Serianni

April 15th – Lego & Robotics Club

April 16th – WIN Labs

April 16th – NHS/NJHS Meeting 

April 17th – Battle of the Books competition

April 29th – Lego & Robotics Club

May 1st – FAST Testing begins

May 5th-9th – Teacher Appreciation Week

May 8th – Senior Cap and Gown distribution

On Wednesday, April 16th, Volusia County Schools will deploy a new content filtering application. This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing online safety and providing a secure learning environment for our students.

Please take note of the following important details:



• The first-time students’ login using Google Chrome, they will be required to log in with their VCS account to utilize the Chrome browser. Further logins to the browser will not be required. 

• Note: Students who are dual enrolled may encounter an issue in Chrome if they are logged in with non-VCS credentials. In this scenario, students should perform the following steps, when using a Chrome browser and presented with a "Need admin approval" prompt.

1. Students should choose “Have an admin account? Sign in with that account.”
2. On the next screen, select “Use another account” and log into Chrome with their VCS network credentials.
3. Students will see a message stating they are authenticated. Then, they select “Continue Browsing.”

Students can also switch to using the Edge browser which should work fine.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Volusia County Schools’ Technology Help Desk at 386.734.7190, ext. 25000.

VOL Online Store:

Clothes Bin:

Spring State Testing: 

The spring state testing season is here. The state requires spring state tests to be taken in-person for students in grades 3-12. Full-time VOL families were given a choice to test either at our VOL headquarters, or at their zoned school. Personalized testing emails were sent to families on March 11th and March 28th with student-specific testing information. These important emails were sent to students’ VCS Outlook email as well as the primary and secondary contact on file. We will continue to send testing communication via email.  

Please contact VOL testing coordinator, Dr. Markell, if you cannot locate your personalized testing email, or if you have any questions or concerns about state testing. As a reminder, participation in state testing is a mandatory condition of full-time enrollment at VOL. Dr. Markell can be reached by emailing bgmarkel@volusia.k12.fl.us or by calling (386) 734-7190 ext. 72701. 

Here are the VOL headquarters general spring test dates:  

• April 3: BEST Writing- Grades 4-6, and Grade 10  
• April 4: BEST Writing- Grades 7 and 9  
• April 8: BEST Writing- Grade 8  
• May 1: FAST ELA Grades- 3-5, and Algebra 1 EOC Grade 12  
• May 2: FAST ELA Retake- Grades 11 and 12  
• May 6: FAST ELA- Grades 6 and 9, and Statewide Science- Grade 5  
• May 7: FAST ELA- Grade 7  
• May 8: FAST ELA- Grades 8 and 10  
• May 9: FAST Math- Grades 3-5  
• May 13: FAST Math- Grade 7, Statewide Science Grade 8, and Biology EOC  
• May 14: FAST Math- Grade 6, Civics EOC, and US History EOC  
• May 15: FAST Math- Grade 8, Algebra 1 EOC, and Geometry EOC 

Students testing at VOL HQ who have 504/IEP accommodations will be tested on the following dates:  

• April 3: BEST Writing- Grades 4 & 5  
• April 4: BEST Writing- Grades 6-10  
• May 1: FAST ELA- Grade 3  
• May 2: FAST ELA- Grades 4 & 5  
• May 6: Statewide Science= Grade 5  
• May 8: FAST ELA- Grades 6-10  
• May 9: FAST Math- Grade 3  
• May 13: FAST Math- Grades 4 & 5, Statewide Science- Grade 8, and Biology EOC  
• May 14: Civics EOC and US History EOC  
• May 15: FAST Math- Grades 6-8, Algebra 1 EOC, and Geometry EOC  

VCS Zoned School Test Dates:  

• April 3: BEST Writing- Grades 4-10  
• April 21-25: Florida Civic Literacy Exam (High School)  
• May 1: FAST ELA- Grades 3-5 and Algebra 1- Grade 12  
• May 2: FAST ELA Retake- Grades 11 and 12  
• May 6: FAST ELA- Grade 9 and Science- Grade 5  
• May 8: FAST ELA- Grades 6-8 and Grade 10  
• May 13: FAST Math- Grades 3-5, Statewide Science- Grade 8, Biology EOC, Civics EOC  
• May 14: US History EOC  
• May 15: FAST Math- Grades 6-8, Algebra 1 EOC, Geometry EOC  

May 20: Algebra 1 Retakes- Grades 9-11  

* These are the zoned school general test dates. Some schools may test students with 504/IEP accommodations on different dates than listed above.  

** A few schools’ test dates may differ from those listed above in some cases.  

Please refer to your student-specific personalized testing emails that give student-specific dates based on your specific testing location. 

Battle of the Books Teams

Next Friday, Volusia Online Learning students in elementary and middle school will participate in the district’s Battle of the Books Competition at Stetson University. These teams will compete in a quiz bowl format, answering questions about the books they have read. This program aims to promote reading comprehension, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Our elementary team is sponsored by Mrs. Cange and our middle school team is sponsored by Mrs. Wilson. We are confident that our students will represent our school well. Good luck to Benjamin Berglund, Soniya Saleh, Zevah Barnett, Paiden Armstrong, Claire Persaud, Gabriel Soto, Lily Luers, MacKenzie Dann, Isabella Spencer, Juliana Furbert, and Kael Pearson.

WIN Lab

Is your student stuck on an assignment or in need of in-person support? Secondary full-time students can join us for our next WIN/SOS Lab. Teachers will be available to provide in-person assistance at our Volusia Online Learning Headquarters on April 16th from 12:30-3:30 PM. This is a perfect time for your student to get back on track or brush up on skills they are struggling with. Sign up here. Students should bring their charged laptop with power cord. Students may want to bring a chilled water bottle or a personal snack.

VOL Testing Requirements

Please keep in mind that students in grades 3-12 are required to report for in person testing in May for state assessments. If you have specific questions regarding your child’s testing schedule, please contact our Testing Coordinator, Dr. Bonnie Markell sooner rather than later.

Seniors

Attention senior parents, please mark your calendars for these upcoming dates:

• Graduation tickets and parking passes will go on sale in Parent Portal on May 1st. Friends and family may pre-purchase tickets and passes until 12:00 PM on Friday, May 23rd. Purchased tickets and parking passes will be distributed at Senior Awards. 
• Cap and Gown Distribution at Volusia Online Learning in Deltona on Thursday, May 8th from 3:30 – 5:30 PM.
• Senior Awards at the Athens Theatre in Deland on Tuesday, May 27th at 7:00 PM.
• Graduation Rehearsal at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach on Thursday, May 29th at 12:00 PM.
• Graduation at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach on Friday, May 30th at 12:30 PM.

Senior Spotlight!

Graduation Ceremony Slideshow

Each senior will have a dedicated slide in our slideshow for senior awards and graduation. Please help us fill your senior’s slide with pictures by completing this form - https://forms.gle/38e4GEdkv8X6SHSd9

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VOL Graduation Calendar: 

• VOL Senior Awards Ceremony – Tuesday, May 27th @ 7:00 PM

• VOL Graduation Rehearsal – Thursday, May 29th @ 12:30 PM

• VOL Graduation Ceremony – Friday, May 30th @12:30 PM

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Senior Portraits - DSP-PHOTO.COM

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For the month of April, we would like to recognize three of our awesome VOL students!

Elementary:  

Our elementary Student of the Month is Blaze Harmon. He was nominated by Ms. Spencer and is in the 5th grade. For the nomination, Ms. Spencer wrote, “Blaze is such a polite, sweet, kind young man. Seeing his big smile while in our Zoom live classes makes my day.  He gives it his all in our Nearpod lessons, demonstrating his knowledge of the benchmarks we are currently working on. Even if he doesn’t 100% know the answer, he still tries, which makes my heart leap with joy. I have had the pleasure of being his teacher both last year and this year. So, I can honestly say I am so proud of how far he has come!"  

Congratulations, Blaze, we are proud of you!

Middle School:

Our middle school Student of the Month is Kaylee Williamson. She was nominated by Mr. Dunaway. She is a student in the 6th grade and is in Mr. Dunaway’s US History Honors class. For her nomination, Mr. Dunaway wrote, “I have Kaylee in my 6th US History Honors class. Kaylee does an excellent job on her assignments. The quality of her work stands out. She is consistently on or ahead of pace.” 

What a wonderful nomination! Congratulations, Kaylee!

High School:

Our high school Student of the Month is Gage Pappas. Gage is in the 9th grade and was nominated by Mrs. Sara Koteff. For his nomination, Mrs. Koteff wrote, “Gage is an exceptional and enthusiastic learner who actively participates in lessons. He is also a remarkable peer, always helpful and collaborative. His hard work and positive attitude make him a valuable and inspiring presence in the classroom.”  

What a great nomination for Gage (who is displaying his own artwork in the photograph)! Congratulations to Gage!

Ms. Sexton has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Flagler College. She currently teaches ESE Math Support with VOL. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, going to the beach, and serving at church.

Fun Fact: Ms. Sexton has been teaching for 29 years.

Inspirational Quote: Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. 

Have a wonderful week!

Dr. Serianni, Principal

Volusia Online Learning

Sunday, April 13, 2025