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Volusia Online Learning Community Brief
Monday, November 18, 2024
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Dear Mark,
Growing up in Maryland, there were always four distinct seasons, and Fall was undoubtedly my favorite. In addition to football season, sweater weather, and my birthday, I always loved the dramatic color change that Fall provided. On top of that, Fall also brought along my absolute favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. As a kid, I loved Thanksgiving because my dad loved Thanksgiving. That was the holiday when his family would come and visit from Michigan, and we would spend our day stuffing ourselves with turkey and watching our beloved Detroit Lions in what was likely their only nationally televised game each year (how times have changed!).
As an adult I still enjoy the Fall, even though Florida does not provide quite the same seasonal perks as Maryland, and Thanksgiving is still my favorite holiday. However, as an adult and a parent, I have found the overall concept of thanksgiving to be more than just a Thursday in November when the Lions are on TV. Thanksgiving helps us put our lives in proper perspective, which I find particularly important as we, both as individuals and as a society, face the kinds of challenges we’ve all encountered over the past few years. With our day of Thanksgiving coming up next week, I would encourage you to take some time personally and with your family to reflect on the positives in your life and how blessed you are, no matter your current situation.
Waiting for us on the other side of Thanksgiving break is a three-week sprint to the end of the first semester. Here’s a few reminders and suggestions that will help you and your child finish the semester strong:
· Early is on time, on time is late!
Although the official last day of the semester is December 20th, the target end date for the first segment of all courses is December 13th. This will allow students time to resubmit assignments or retake segment exams if needed. Remember, all full-time students are expected to complete all first semester work before Winter Break!
· Don’t let DBAs hold you back!
All courses have discussion-based assessment (DBA) requirements. Most core courses require two DBAs per semester, while electives typically require one DBAs per semester. Regardless, be sure to check with your child’s teacher to make sure that all DBA requirements have been satisfied before December 13th. Teacher availability will be limited the last week of the semester, so it’s important not to wait until the last week to take DBAs.
· Check your child’s progress in their courses and use the extra time over Thanksgiving to get caught up if needed.
As a parent of a teenager, I understand how difficult it might be to get a student to do schoolwork over a break. As previously stated, the expectation for full-time VOL students is that they complete the first segment of all classes before Winter Break. However, there are some full-time students who are behind in their courses, particularly since we lost a week due to the hurricane. Teachers post a pacing expectation on their announcement pages so you can easily tell if your child is behind in their classes. We want all our VOL students to be successful as online learners, but we need your help! Check your child’s progress today and help us get them caught up!
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving break, and I look forward to working with you to finish out the semester strong! Thank you for reading.
Dr. Serianni
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November 20th – WIN labs
November 20th – SAC Meeting
November 20th – STEAM Event K-12
November 21st – Volusia County FACT Fair @ Cambell Middle School 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
November 25th to the 29th – Thanksgiving Break (No School)
December 5th – Lego Club (Elementary Only)
December 10th – Lego & Robotics Club K-12
December 11th – NHS/NJHS Meeting
December 12th – Volusia County High School Showcase @ Volusia County Fairgrounds
Friday, December 13th – Winter Wonderland
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Special Events and Reminders | |
STEAM Event (Wednesday, Nov. 20): | |
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VOL Principal for the Day!
A big thank-you to Italianos NY Pizza in Deltona for being an amazing Business Partner over the last year! Recently, Mr. Matthew Gray from Italianos joined Dr. Serianni as the VOL Principal for the Day at the annual Futures Foundation event.
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S.A.C. Meeting this Wednesday, November 20 | |
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Did you know that Volusia Online Learning teachers and counselors are available to students via call, text, email, and video conference via Zoom or Teams? You and your child are not alone. Our faculty and staff are available to assist you and your child so that they successfully complete their courses.
All full-time students should continue to work in their courses on a regular basis. This means that students should be reviewing course content and submitting assignments regularly. Our target date for all work to be completed and submitted is December 13th to be reflected on your child’s Quarter 2 report card. Report card grades will be issued based on student’s progress or lack thereof for each course listed on their schedule (this includes special area and elective courses). Our teachers are unable to issue a grade if a student has not completed their required DBAs and/or assessments. Please have your child schedule their required DBAs early to ensure they are complete.
Parents can access their child’s performance and progress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in our learning platforms.
• Edmentum Sensei is available for families to monitor student progress in Edmentum courses. If you have not received an invitation to register for Edmentum Sensei, please contact Rachael McQueen at the VOL office so that she can ensure your correct contact information is in the system to send you a new invitation.
• The FLVS platform offers parents and guardians the ability to create their own account to monitor student progress. For more information about creating a parent/guardian account in FLVS, please contact Christina Avram at the VOL office.
Please take note: when reviewing your child’s course progress, students need to complete 100% of Semester 1 course work by December 13th. If your child has only completed 50% of their course and have a B, the grade significantly drops at the end of a quarter/semester when zeroes are entered for missing work. Please continue to communicate with your child about their plan to finish the semester strong. Students who are organized and create a daily/weekly schedule tend to perform better in their online courses.
Is your child stuck on an assignment or in need of in-person support? Secondary students can sign up for our next WIN Lab. Teachers will be available to provide in-person assistance at our Volusia Online Learning Headquarters located at 336 East Highbanks Road, DeBary, FL 32713 on November 20th from 12:30-3:30 PM. This is a perfect time for you to get back on track or brush up on skills that your child is struggling with. Sign up here.
Elementary students and families, please mark your calendars now for our Annual Winter Wonderland event on Friday, December 13th from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, sponsored by Jennifer Edwards. Students will have the opportunity to create winter crafts, visit with Santa (if they choose), and learn more about our Lego Robotics Club.
Thank you to Vicki Hamlin, Rozz Little, and Polly Wilson for spearheading our donations for Volusia County’s Basket Brigade.
All Volusia County Schools are closed to the public for Thanksgiving Break Monday, November 25th through Friday, November 29th. Although students will continue to have access to their courses, teachers will not be available until Monday, December 2nd.
In this time of gratitude, we give thanks to you! We value you and appreciate your confidence in us to teach your child. On behalf of Volusia Online Learning, we wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!
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Senior Spotlight: Samantha Rosa | |
Senior Brochure - Click Here (Cover page shown below): | |
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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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Upcoming Testing Windows:
- Winter EOCs/ELA Retakes: December 2-20
- Florida Civic Literacy Exam: December 2-20
- Remote PM2 FAST Test Window: January 9-24
Winter EOCs, ELA Reading Retakes, and Florida Civic Literacy Exam (FCLE):
Personalized testing emails were sent last week to specific secondary students with EOCs, ELA Retakes, and FCLE tests scheduled during the winter testing window. These tests will take place from December 2nd-20th at zoned schools. The testing emails from Dr. Markell contained site-specific dates and times for these tests, which vary by school.
PM2 Remote FAST Testing:
The second FAST Progress Monitoring assessments (PM2) will take place in January. These tests are taken remotely using the Florida Secure Browser with remote proctoring for full-time VOL students in grades 3-10. The links to the secure browser download instructions and the remote proctoring consent form are listed below for any new VOL students who still need to complete these tasks prior to PM2 testing. Students in grades K-2 take PM2 tests using the web-based Renaissance program on Vportal, which does not require a download or remote consent.
Remote Testing Action Items Grades 3-10:
Looking ahead to Spring:
For the Spring state testing window in April and May, all state tests must be taken in-person for grades 3-12. We are offering our full-time VOL families a choice to test with VOL teachers at our VOL building in Debary, or at their zoned school. We are collecting test location preferences to guide test planning and registration. Parents and guardians should complete the short survey below for each full-time VOL student in grades 3-12 to indicate whether they will be testing at VOL or their zoned school this spring.
Spring 2025 State Test Location Survey Link: https://forms.office.com/r/38WdApPvsX
As a reminder, participation in state testing is a mandatory condition of full-time enrollment at VOL. Please reach out to Dr. Markell by emailing bgmarkel@volusia.k12.fl.us or by calling (386) 734-7190 ext. 72701 if you have any questions about state testing.
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For the month of November, we want to recognize three wonderful students at Volusia Online!
Elementary School:
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Claire Persaud was nominated by Mrs. Cange for Student of the Month. She said of Claire, “Claire is one of my stellar 3rd graders. She actively participates in live lessons, and is a terrific, respectful friend and leader to her peers in breakout rooms. In addition to turning in high-quality FLVS work, she goes above and beyond and completes multiple i-ready Reading and Math and Flight Fluency sessions weekly. Additionally, she is a contributing member of the Battle of the Books trivia team and active participant of Lego club and her taekwondo gym.”
What a wonderful nomination! Congratulations, Claire!
Middle School:
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Kira Walton was nominated by Ms. Girard. She is Ms. Girard’s M/J Comprehensive Science 2 class. Her nomination for Kira said, “This is the second year that I have been honored to have Kira in my class. Kira is a superstar science student and an all-star participant in our live lessons. She has an A average in the course and keeps herself up to or ahead of pace. She actively participates in our live lessons and often has engaging and unusual information to add to our discussions. She models excellent online behavior for other students by actively participating throughout our live lessons, answering questions thoughtfully and contributing new and interesting ideas and information. She is also a naturally wonderful teaching assistant, offering suggestions and when technology goes awry, possible solutions.”
Congratulations, Kira!
High School:
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Benjamin Graham is our high school Student of the Month. He was nominated by Mrs. Pearson and is a student in her Honors Biology course. Her nomination for Benjamin said, “Benjamin is a stellar student in my biology course. He has attained an A average throughout the course and has A’s in his other courses as well. He is one of the most polite and respectful students I have had and is always prepared for his DBA’s in our class. He works to stay ahead of pace and stays in contact about his course. I truly enjoy having him in class this year.”
Congratulations, Benjamin!
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Mrs. Wood received her Bachelors of Arts from Rollins College and Master of Education in Educational Leadership. She currently teachers Multi & Modified High School Access Program at VOL. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and walking on the beach.
Fun Fact: Ms. Wood has an obsession with cats.
Favorite Quote: "It's about progress, not perfection." -Melissa Cote
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Volusia Online Learning Leadership Team | |
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Dr. Anthony Serianni, Special School Principal - aaserian@volusia.k12.fl.us
Ms. Amy Ervin, Online Learning Specialist - aservin@volusia.k12.fl.us
Ms. Melissa Shaw, Special School Assistant Principal - msshaw@volusia.k12.fl.us
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This communication may contain information that is legally privileged, confidential or exempt from disclosure, and intended only for the use of the addressee(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Anyone who receives this message in error should notify the sender immediately by telephone or by return e-mail, and delete the message from their computer and any printout thereof. Please note that Volusia County Schools utilizes spam and junk e-mail filtration applications in its e-mail systems. That filtering process may prevent or delay delivery of certain e-mail communications. If you do not receive a timely response to an e-mail communication, please contact the intended recipient by phone. | |
Copyright Notice
Reproduction of this material, either written or electronically, including the general layout, graphics, analyses, and content topics without the express approval of Target Performance Systems, Inc., a Florida corporation, and Volusia Online Learning is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Volusia County Schools and especially Volusia Online Learning. Please contact Dr. Serianni at aaserian@volusia.k12.fl.us with any questions related to the program.
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Volusia Online Learning | Dr. Serianni, Principal | 386.506.0014 | VOL Website
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