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Our Foxes visiting the Ever After Farms U-Pick Blueberry Farm (VOL success story in this issue.)

Volusia Online Learning Community Brief

Monday, April 28, 2025

April 29th – Lego & Robotics Club 

April 30th – SAC Meeting

May 1st – FAST Testing begins 

May 2nd – Target End Date for Seniors

May 5th-9th – Teacher Appreciation Week 

May 8th – Senior Cap and Gown distribution 

May 13th – K-2 Field Trip to Texas Roadhouse – Orange City

May 21st – Target End Date for K-11

May 27th – Senior Awards Ceremony

May 28th – Last Day of School 

May 29th – VOL Graduation Rehearsal

May 30th – VOL Graduation Ceremony

Field Trips

Spring is an exciting time of year, and we have a lot going on. Our third-grade students visited Lyonia Preserve to extend their learning under the direction of Mrs. Cange. Students enjoyed hiking Florida's scrub habitat, exploring native marine invertebrates and reptiles, and dissecting the contents of owl pellets, a true hands-on learning experience.

Additionally, our kindergarten, first, and second grade classes visited the Ever After Farms U-Pick Blueberry Farm to learn about growing and harvesting food. After picking blueberries, students were able to sample their harvest. 

Battle of the Books

Last week, Volusia Online Learning students in elementary and middle school participated in the district’s Battle of the Books Competition held at Stetson University. Our teams worked well together to ensure all voices were heard as they answered challenging questions about this year’s Sunshine State Readers. Both teams had a respectable showing and our Middle School Team even participated in the finals earning a 3rd place finish! Thank you to their wonderful families for coming out to show support and cheer on our Battle of the Books teams.  

Superintendent’s Spring Reading Challenge

VOL had many students participate in the Superintendent’s Spring Reading Challenge. Congratulations to Akosha Cherry for reading 400+ minutes and earning a $20 Fun Card to Daytona Lagoon. Congratulations are also in order for Sebastian Wilson, Jacob Wilson, Mason Wilson, Vincent Rivera, Haddasah Pearson, Aeva Pearson, Kael Pearson, Rebecca Duff, and Benjamin Berglund for reading 600+ minutes and earning water park passes for Daytona Lagoon. Keep on reading!

State Testing

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.

Senior News

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 DeBary 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 12:30 PM.

• Graduation at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach on Friday, May 30th at 12:30 PM.

Target Completion Dates

We are in the home stretch of the 2024-2025 school year and the fourth nine weeks is upon us. Please plan to finish the year strong. Seniors, students in grade 12, 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.  

2025-2026 School Year

Our VOL application is open for the 2025-2026 school year. 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. If you know someone who is interested in joining our VOL family, please have them attend one of our Virtual Information Sessions by registering here.

Laptop Returns

With the school year ending, students who borrowed technology devices are expected to return their loaner device. This allows district staff to install updates and upgrade devices for the next school year. Families may return their devices with chargers on the following dates/times

Tomorrow's Leaders and Lola Mancuso

Lola Mancuso with Dr. Serianni, VOL Principal

On Monday, April 14th, VOL’s outstanding student Lola Mancuso was recognized by the Future’s Foundation as a graduate of the Tomorrow’s Leaders program. This six-month program begins in October with an orientation session for students and parents. Each month thereafter, students attend a seminar or workshop focusing on a specific topic, such as Criminal Justice, Social Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing, the Arts, Government, and Education. During each seminar, students interact with community leaders who share insights on goal setting, effective communication, time management, motivation, human behavior and other aspects of effective leadership.

Throughout the Tomorrow's Leaders program, students are challenged in their understanding and awareness of the complexities of relationships, teamwork and problem solving. Skills, perspectives, and relationships gained during the program will help students set and achieve personal and professional goals, and better prepare them to assume leadership positions.

Students from all ten public high schools are selected to participate in the FUTURES Foundation leadership training programs. Through the seminars, participants are challenged to expand their awareness of the interrelationships and complexities of our community.

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Superintendent's Student Advisory Leadership Team Members: Alison Colindress-Solis, Lola Mancuso, Jazzmyn Yslava

On Tuesday, April 22, VOL students Alison Colindress-Solis, Lola Mancuso, and Jazzmyn Yslava were recognized as members of the Superintendent's Student Advisory Leadership Team for Volusia County Schools, or SALT for short. SALT is led by our superintendent, Dr. Carmen J. Balgobin, and consists of students representing all eleven VCS high schools. SALT is designed to develop our student leaders and give students a voice in VCS decision-making. We are so proud of Alison, Lola, and Jazzmyn for taking part in this incredible opportunity and for being such outstanding ambassadors for VOL!

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, March 28th, and April 22nd 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.

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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I attended Enterprise Elementary, Deltona Junior High, and graduated from Deland HS. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Health Education from the University of South Florida. My master's degree in Counseling and Psychology was earned through Troy University. I have spent my entire educational career in Volusia County. I am in year 37 and this is my 12th year with VOL. I am a school counselor serving all VOL students enrolled in grades 9-12.

I enjoy being outside and love going to the beach. I also like to cook and bake. Of course, visiting my daughter and grandson in NY is something I also enjoy.

Fun Fact: As a young child, I was almost cast to appear on Flipper (only those as old as me know that show).

Have a wonderful week!

Dr. Serianni, Principal

Volusia Online Learning

Monday, April 28, 2025