With Hurricane Ian dominating the headlines at the end of September and beginning of October, November seems to have crept up on us. Suddenly, we are nearing the end of Daylight Saving Time (change those clocks this weekend!) and only two weeks from Thanksgiving break. If you look a little bit further in the calendar, you’ll notice that we are a mere 5 school weeks from the end of the first semester.

The aforementioned hurricane set us all back at least a week in terms of instructional time, while others lost even more access to their online classes during the recovery process. To help ease anxiety through all of this, VOL decided to exempt up to a week’s worth of work while also lessening the student’s expected progress by the end of the first marking period. However, it is important to note that the district has worked out a way to make up the lost instructional time through the elimination of several early release days during the year. This is great news for those who do not want to lose any of the previously planned holiday breaks, but for the virtual student, it means that no actual additional time has been allocated to make up for the lost week. It is therefore critically important that students and parents map out the next several weeks very carefully to ensure that students complete their current course segment by the end of the first semester. If you are concerned about this possibility, please make sure to communicate with your student’s teacher to come up with a game plan.

Along these same lines, parents of seniors should be paying very close attention to their child’s progress and graduation status. All seniors should have a credit review meeting with their counselor this fall. The counselors have been emailing, texting, and calling seniors to set up appointments and while many have responded, many have not. 

VOL School Counselors will also be meeting with all seniors on November 15 at 10:00 a.m. on zoom using this link: https://flvs.zoom.us/my/mrs.beasley . Students should log in using their FLVS provided zoom credentials.

If your senior has yet to have their senior meeting with their counselor, this needs to be scheduled immediately. We have links on our website to do so, but you can also use the links here:

This will be our first graduating class and we want to make sure everyone is going to walk across that stage, so sign up today!

As this is the November edition of the Foxhole Flyer, and I would be remiss to not say a word about Thanksgiving. While the concept of thanksgiving is always important to help place our lives in proper perspective, the challenges that we have faced over the last month (or really the last few years) make the act of thanksgiving particularly significant. Traditionally as a country, we reserve the fourth Thursday of November as our national day of Thanksgiving. Seeing as how that is approaching quickly, 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. As James Faust once said, “The thankful heart opens our eyes to a multitude of blessings that continually surround us.”

For me, I always start by giving thanks for my family, our health, and my friends and coworkers. This year, I want to give special thanks to the amazing group of teachers and staff members at Volusia Online Learning. I have worked at my share of schools and led a number of faculties and staff, and this group of professionals is extraordinary. They have welcomed me into their family with open arms and trusted me to lead them, and I am incredibly grateful for all of them. In particular, I would like to express my gratitude to my administrative team at VOL. Melissa Shaw, Christa Chapple, and Krissy Mollo have been so incredibly vital to my acclimation to the world of online learning and to Volusia County Schools and I cannot thank them enough!

You may have heard that Ms. Mollo has left VOL to be the Coordinator of Teaching and Learning Applications in Volusia County, which is an amazing opportunity for her, but sad for us. However, I am happy to welcome Mrs. Jacquelyn Bynum to the VOL family! Mrs. Bynum comes to us with strong and diverse educational experience and has already shown herself to be up to the task. If you get a chance, please take some time to welcome Mrs. Bynum; we are excited and thankful to have her!

Thank you for reading and an early Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Dr. Serianni

Nov. 15: VOL School Counselors will be meeting with all seniors, 10:00am via zoom

Nov. 18-Dec. 16: TESTING - Please see segment below for details

Dec. 3: VOL Holiday Fun Run at Andy Romano Park, 8:30-11:30am (Santa will be there with a professional photographer)

Dec. 5: Full-time 8th grade student field trip to the Museum of Arts and Sciences

Dec. 8: VCS High School Showcase, 5:30-7:30pm (excellent opportunity for both 7th & 8th graders with their parents)

Dec. 16: Deadline for students to submit any second quarter course work

Feb. 7-11: VOL Washington D.C. trip

Nov. 7: 5th grade Science Expo Informational Night, 6:00pm

Dec. 3: Vol Holiday Fun Run at Romano Park, 9:00am (Santa will be there with a professional photographer)

Dec. 9: Winter Wonderland Craft Event (students can make holiday themed crafts and visit with Santa at the Herbert Street VOL facility)

Dec. 16: Deadline for students to submit their work for the second quarter, 3:00pm

Congratulations to our VOL Foxes of the Month for October! Our staff was asked to nominate one of their students who stands out.

In high school, senior, Dominick Adrias was nominated by Mrs. Barnard. She says, “With hard work and determination, Dominick has become a superstar at DBAs in Math! Dominick is engaging to talk with, shows empathy toward others and keeps up with his schoolwork while participating in activities outside of school. Dominick loves playing basketball with his friends and reports having had an amazing summer!”

Mrs. Jenkins nominated sophomore Carmen Celestine. She says, “Carmen is an excellent student who not only strives to stay ahead of pace but to understand the material as well. She maintains an A in the course and reaches out whenever she needs help.”

In middle school, Mrs. Olsen nominated Lucas Borden, a 7th grader. She says, “Lucas is a dedicated student that works hard and asks questions. He attends Live Lessons and always participates and motivates others to do their best. Lucas seeks to understand his math and will book tutoring lessons in order to clarify and solidify his knowledge. He is a joy to teach.” 

Dr. Allanson nominated 6th grader Willow Nilson. She says, “Willow is an exceptional student who goes above and beyond in her studies and in helping other students. She is always ready to participate in Live Lessons, very articulate in explaining how to solve problems, and willing to assist others in understanding the concepts. Willow has volunteered to create a coded game show for a DBA for her peers, plus she is teaching her teacher how to code too! When Willow is not doing her schoolwork, she is part of a bowling league.” 

In Elementary school, Mrs. Edwards nominated Haddie Pearson, a 2nd grader. She says, “Haddie is a charismatic student who is always ready to learn. She is often a leader during live lesson discussions. She recently created a beautiful sculpture using organic and geometric shapes and made a beautiful presentation describing her art process. Haddie likes to apply her art learning wherever she goes and texts pictures to her art teacher when she finds relevant art in the real world! Haddie is a kind, artsy, and studious student.” 

Mrs. Mott nominated 2nd grader, Karsten Smith. She says that “Karsten has an excellent attitude towards learning. He is curious and eager. Karsten demonstrates excellent self-control during live participation discussions and enjoys listening to the thoughts and ideas of his classmates. He reflects on his thoughts and continues to build his understanding of concepts during our lessons. Karsten puts time & effort into his work and always does his personal best. We are all fortunate to have Karsten in class with us this year. He is a true pleasure.”

VOL students in grades 2-5 have access to Reflex Math, a supplemental resource, to practice their basic math facts. As students work in the program, they earn a Green Light once they answer a certain number of facts correctly on a given day. This marks the completion of a good day’s math fact fluency practice. Students who use Reflex Math three to five days a week and earn their Green Light will become fluent more quickly than those who have long infrequent sessions or get off before the Green Light comes on. If you would like additional information about Reflex Math or your child’s progress, please reach out to your child’s teacher.

Does your child like writing? November is National Novel Writing Month. Students can participate in the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program Challenge – draft an entire novel in just one month! Students can let their imagination take over and write wild and exciting stories. For more information, please click on the following link: https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/pages/for-writers

Our 5th grade families should plan to attend the Science Expo Informational Night on Monday, November 7th at 6:00 PM. Please check your emails and course homepages for the link to this virtual meeting.

Speaking of our 5th grade scientists, they will be visiting the Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences for a field trip on Monday, December 5th. Please complete and return your permission slip to your teacher at least one week prior to the field trip. Students are required to pack and bring their own lunch. Chaperones are still needed.

On Saturday, December 3rd at 9:00 AM we will host our Holiday Fun Run at Andy Romano Park. Santa is planning to stop by for a visit. Please check your course homepages for more information as we get closer to the event.

Also coming up in December, Mrs. Edwards, our Elementary Art teacher, will be hosting a Winter Wonderland Craft Event on Friday, December 9th. Students will be invited to visit Herbert Street to make holiday themed crafts and visit with Santa. You will not want to miss the fun. More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

We are excited to announce that the Volusia Online Learning Spelling Bee will take place in mid-January 2023! All full-time 4th through 8th grade VOL students are invited to participate in our school’s Spelling Bee! Students must study their word lists over Thanksgiving and Winter Break to prepare for the Spelling Bee in January. An informational email with details and word lists will be sent directly to all 4th through 8th grade full-time students. More information to come! If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Kavanagh at [email protected] or Mrs. Sierra at [email protected]. We are BUZZING with excitement for you!

As we approach the holidays, we are also approaching the end of the first semester. Students should continue to work daily in all their courses. This includes their special area courses (Art, Computer Science, PE, and Spanish). Students will receive grades at the end of the nine weeks for all courses on their FLVS student dashboard. The deadline for students to work on their courses for the second quarter is 3:00 PM on Friday, December 16th. Please plan accordingly.

Thank you for trusting Volusia Online Learning with your child’s education and supporting them at home to ensure they are academically successful.

VOL’s Washington DC trip was approved by the Volusia County School Board for full-time 8th and 9th graders and will take place February 7-11, 2023. Full payment must be received by December 15, 2022. Please see Mr. Tweedy for more information: [email protected] or text/call 386-339-3271.

Our full-time 8th graders can visit the Museum of Arts and Sciences as part of a grade level field trip on December 5, 2022. Look for more information from Mrs. Bogdanoff, coming soon.

VCS High School Showcase will take place this year at the Volusia County Fairgrounds on December 8th from 5:30-7:30. The High School Showcase is an excellent opportunity for 7th and 8th grade students and their parents to learn about the outstanding programs available to high school students in Volusia County Schools. The High School Showcase highlights the many educational choices and programs that are tailored to help students graduate both college and career ready. Parents are encouraged to explore the offerings available at each high school and become actively involved in selecting the programs that match the interests, needs and abilities of their students.

VOL Fun Run will be held on December 3rd at Andy Romano Park in Ormond Beach from 8:30-11:00. Come meet VOL teachers and students for a walk on the beach. This event is open to all grade levels. Santa will be there with a professional photographer.

It’s National Novel Writer’s Month. Visit https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ for activities for students in grades K-12.

Mrs. Wilson’s American Sign Language students had the opportunity to visit the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind this month and attend a show in their auditorium put on by the Out of Sight Band & the Dance Troupe. They had time afterward for a general culture question and answer, then they also had the opportunity to get to meet the performers/students and communicate in ASL.

We are excited to announce that the Volusia Online Learning Spelling Bee will take place in mid-January 2023! All full-time 4th through 8th grade VOL students are invited to participate in our school’s Spelling Bee! Students must study their word lists over Thanksgiving and Winter Break to prepare for the Spelling Bee in January. An informational email with details and word lists will be sent directly to all 4th through 8th grade full-time students. More information to come! If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Kavanagh at [email protected] or Mrs. Sierra at [email protected]. We are BUZZING with excitement for you!

 National Scholarship searches- Fast Web and Scholarships.com

Sarah is a member of Volusia United Educators and a member of the International Literacy Association. She has been teaching for 33 years, she started with VCS in 1990 and started with VOL in 2020. Prior to teaching she was a banker and says teaching is much more fun! Sarah has received a wide variety of awards. They range from Teacher of the Year to Scholar-in-Residence at George Washington's Mount Vernon. This includes multiple Fellowships that took place outside of the United States, study trips to places like Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, and Russia. Sarah has been spotlighted in the Orlando Sentinel and received the Deland Chamber of Commerce Crystal Apple Award. Her favorite part of work is talking with her students. Her goal is to get them to love history as much as she does. When not working Sarah travels, she has been to over 60 countries and loves learning about other cultures. This past summer she traveled to Uganda and climbed to observe the mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Sarah’s best moments are when she can help a struggling student turn things around.

Sarah would rather be able to teleport over reading minds. So, she can go to all the countries she hasn’t been to. She’d love to push a button and instantly be in Casablanca! She can play a little piano and a little ukulele. She would love to be better at both. Sarah is interested in researching about content area reading. She feels that the ability to decode text unlocks so many doors for students. In her government class she is working on getting guest speakers. Sarah has appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy and Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Sarah has lived and taught in Australia, Hawaii, and Namibia, which she loved doing. The best advice she has received is “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by those you did do. So don't hesitate - dream, explore, discover!”

Yvett is the Lead steward at VOL for Volusia United Educators and a member of AFL-CIO/NEA/FEA. She has been working as a teacher for 31 years, started with VCS in 2006, and has been with VOL since 2015. She finds building relationships with students most rewarding. Yvette loves to see the excitement when a student realizes that they said something correctly in Spanish and they said it well! When away from her computer, Yvett likes to spend time with her husband taking walks with their most recent 4-legged addition to the family, Buddy. She enjoys going Zumba 2-5 times a week. She enjoys cooking as well as trying out new, different restaurants. And she enjoys speaking to her granddaughter daily and playing "Las Torticas" with her while they 'talk' on FaceTime.

The three people Yvette would invite to dinner are Princess Diana, my abuela (grandmother) Elisa and Jesus. Princess Diana gave so much of herself when she was alive and seems as if she would be a wonderfully knowledgeable person to have a conversation with. Yvette’s abuela because she helped raise her. Jesus because she would want to thank him for his mercy and grace in her life as well as ask him questions about SO many things!! Pretty Woman is a move that Yvette thinks is funny, romantic and just fun! Her favorite part is when Vivian returns to the sales lady to point out that she should not have judged her initially. Yvette would rather visit outer space over staying in her bedroom. Christa Mcauliffe's death during her high school years weighed heavy on her. Yvette would rather read minds over teleporting. She does not like the ideas of her body being split up in a billion little pieces and then put back together. She does not play any musical instruments but would love to learn how to play the piano.

Yvette is a married mom of 5 (3 are hers and 2 are her husband's). She is a mimi to 1 granddaughter. She helps lead worship at her church in Daytona Beach. The best advice she has ever received is “Love God and love others the way that you want to be loved.”

With the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, the month of November is a perfect time to pause and consider the impact of gratitude in our lives. Research (and common sense) suggests that one aspect of the Thanksgiving season can actually lift the spirits, and it's built right into the holiday — being grateful.

The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). In some ways, gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible.

Why is gratitude so powerful? Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

1. Each day, think of three things you’re thankful for. Make it a daily habit to visualize what’s good in your life. This can directly impact your mood throughout the day, as well as your sleep quality. In fact, therapists often suggest this as one of the first exercises when initiating a treatment against depression.

2. Start a gratitude journal. When you write, you use different parts of your brain and access memories and emotions from a new perspective. Reading your own words of gratefulness can help you feel better when struggling to be positive.

3. Express your gratitude to others. Treating others in your life with kindness is an easy way to express how thankful you are for them. Plus, your act of gratitude can do wonders for that person. An act of kindness can mean the difference between a horrible day and the best day ever!

Volusia County Schools is offering the B.E.S.T EOCs (Algebra and Geometry), NGSSS EOCs (Biology and US History) & the Civics Literacy Exam. Tests are for students that completed one or more of these course(s), and either did not take the test, did not sit through all parts of the test, or did not pass the test.

Please be advised that EOCs are 30% of the student’s final course grade and a REQUIERMENT FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, this has not changed for the school year 22-23. The Civics Literacy Exam is a requirement of the US Government course.

The assessment(s) will take place at your zoned school during the testing window of November 28-December 16, 2022. VOL students are required to register for the test(s). REGISTRATION CLOSES Monday, November 14th at 11:59 pm.

Monica and Phil (mom/main learning coach and dad), along with Grandma’s support (assistant learning coach), initially enrolled at VOL 3 years ago, during the peak of the pandemic, due to the boys having severe asthma.

Alexa (7th grade), Blake (5th grade), Caden (3rd grade), and Delia (Kindergarten), are supported and encouraged at home by two learning coaches, both Mom and Grandma.

As a learning coach, each day, Monica, AKA “Mom”, makes sure the kids get online in the morning with their teachers at 9am. Then when they get off their live lessons, she has all their papers for the week set aside so they can do them each day. She also helps them scan in their assignments and upload them if they need help. Monica is also there if they have any questions about their lessons. She even asks them questions about what they’re reading to make sure they understand what they read.

For these students, they start every day off with a morning breakfast, then do their Reflex Math and Epic Reading. Next, they get online with their teachers for live lessons followed by a mid-morning break. After their break, they work to complete any assignments or tests scheduled for the day. Once they finish their work, they have lunch, and then head to the farms for the afternoon.

When asked what makes their family so successful in adapting to and excelling in virtual schooling with VOL, Monica said, “I think it’s determination and dedication to being committed to excelling in anything and everything we do!"

This month, our Community and Business Partner Spotlight is shining on Giuseppe’s Steel City Pizza, located in Port Orange, at Herbert St. and Nova Rd., family-owned and operated since 1982.

As a local, family-owned restaurant, Giuseppe’s is committed to helping the community. They are always happy to support local sports teams, youth groups, church groups and schools.

Giuseppe’s recently supported our VOL Faculty and Staff as we celebrated our 2021-2022 School Grade of a “B” in an after-school gathering there. The owners and staff were so kind and accommodating. They prepared and served up a delicious salad, garlic knots, and pizza buffet for over 70 people. The service they provided was superior and everyone who attended had a terrific time!

Now, once a month, late on a Friday afternoon, the VOL faculty and staff visits Giuseppe’s where we are welcomed with open arms! Perfect seating accommodations (great for team building activities 😊), a fun environment, fantastic food, and super service are guaranteed.

Giuseppe’s is truly a wonderful business partner for VOL. We value the relationship with them and look forward to many more DELICIOUS celebrations together! If you haven’t been to Giuseppe’s, we highly recommend you visit them soon.

A big thank you to Jen Parnell of JPJ Creations for spending the day with Dr. Serianni as a “Principal for a Day!" JPJ has been a loyal partner to VOL for several years and we wholeheartedly endorse them for all of your specialized shirts and accessories!

A group of middle school students from Volusia County, Florida were visiting the Washington Monument on an extended field trip to Washington D.C. As the students arrived with their teachers and parents, they heard a guide announce, "Ladies and gentlemen, there is currently a two-hour wait to ride the elevator to the top of the monument." The guide then paused a moment, smiled, and added, "However, there is no wait should you desire to take the stairs."

This story reveals something about success. In truth, there are no elevators to the top. If you want to make it there, you've got to take a long series of steps. How many steps you're willing to take — and how long you're willing to keep climbing — determines how how high you will go.

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 Public Schools and especially Volusia Online Learning. Please contact Dr. Serianni at [email protected] with any questions related to the program.

Volusia Online Learning | Dr. Serianni, Principal | 386.506.0014 | VOL Website