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Volusia Online Learning Community Brief

Monday, October 7, 2024

Dear Mark,

It is hard to believe that we are already one quarter of the way through the school year! The 1st Marking Period officially comes to a close this Friday. As we move into the 2nd Marking Period, and since we have several families that are brand new to VOL, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone of a few expectations that we have full-time VOL students. First, we expect our full-time students to “travel” through the curriculum with their teacher at the expected pace. That means keeping up with the pacing guide posted on each teacher’s landing page, being proactive about scheduling DBAs, and being responsive to their teacher when contacted. Be sure to check on your child’s progress in all of their classes. In general, they should be about 50% done with their class, although percent complete does not tell whole story. We have been monitoring pacing concerns very closely this year and are still ironing out some kinks in the new system. As a parent, the quickest, most accurate gauge of whether your child is on pace is the on-pace assignment number provided on each teacher’s announcement page. If your student is on or beyond this assignment, they’re on pace; if not, please contact their teacher to develop a plan to catch up. 

Of course, it is a lot easier to keep track of pacing expectations and stay in touch with teachers if your child is attending live lessons, which is another expectation of full-time students. Overall, nearly all of our elementary students attend their live lessons with fidelity, while historically, only about half of our secondary students attend regularly. Our teachers work incredibly hard to ensure that live lessons are meaningful, productive, and worthwhile for their students, and we expect all full-time students to attend. If your child is unable to attend a live lesson, please make sure that they contact their teacher to see if there is an alternative to the live lesson (i.e.: recording, Nearpod, etc.). 

The final expectation I want to remind everyone of is that all full-time students are obliged to participate in all state testing, which I touched on in this space in the last issue of the Foxhole Flyer. We recently completed the first round of progress monitoring for this year’s FAST and we were able to test an impressive 99% of our students in reading and math. This is an incredible number and a testament to both our testing team, led by Dr. Markell, and our families for taking this expectation to heart. Our goal is to test 100% of our students during the winter FAST window, so stay on the lookout for testing emails as we approach Winter Break. In addition to the FAST, we have a number of juniors and seniors who still need to satisfy testing requirements in order to earn their diploma. If this describes your student, please be sure to pay attention to any emails about retakes for the FSA and EOC assessments. Students who originally took the FSA reading and Algebra 1 EOC can also satisfy their graduation requirements through a myriad of concordant scores. Be sure to contact Ms. Hamlin for additional information about which tests satisfy which requirements.

Overall, we have had a tremendously successful beginning to the school year. Thank you all for being engaged and supportive of our teachers and your children. I look forward to continuing this success during the second quarter!

Thank you for reading.

Dr. Serianni

Friday, October 11th – Last day of the First Quarter 

Monday, October 14th – Student Holiday/Teacher Duty Day  

Tuesday, October 15th – All Middle School students will need to change their password for school devices and network. 

Friday, October 25th - Trunk or Treat @ VOL Headquarters  

Wednesday, November 6th – Picture Retakes @ VOL Headquarters 8:30am to 5pm and @ Dean Stewart 9am to 5pm

Monday, November 11th – Veteran’s Day (No School)

November 25th to the 29th – Thanksgiving Break (No School)

Trunk or Treat:

VOL Online Store:

Required Password Change:

VOL Clothes Bin:

Did you know? Virtual students perform better in their classes when parents, teachers, counselors, and administration work together to ensure student success. We encourage students and families to ask questions about assignments, pacing, and goals. Volusia Online Learning staff can be reached via email, phone, or text.  

This month, Volusia Online Learning is focusing on being truthful, sincere, and fair. Honesty includes several traits such as good judgment, responsibility, loyalty, and courage. It also includes admitting mistakes and working to keep the trust and respect of others. Students should take responsibility for their actions and feelings and admit to their mistakes.  

Honesty Resources for Parents:

Grades K-2

Grades 3-5

Grades 6-8

Grades 9-12

Monday, October 14th is a student holiday; however, teachers will be entering the first nine-week grades. Report card grades are issued based on a student’s progress or lack thereof for each course listed on their schedule (this includes special area and elective courses). Although our virtual families have access to student progress and performance at any time, Volusia County Schools’ report cards will be posted in Parent Portal by the end of the day on Wednesday, October 16th. To setup your Parent Portal account, please follow the initial setup instructions found here.

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 October 16th from 12:30-3:30 PM. Please note, based on student feedback from our September session, we are trying a later start time. 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. Hear what other students had to say about our WIN Lab sessions:

Join us for VOL’s Trunk or Treat event on Friday, October 25th from 5:30-6:30 PM at Volusia Online Learning Headquarters located at 336 East Highbanks Road, DeBary, FL 32713. Our staff can’t wait to see you! Pizza and ice cream will also be available onsite for purchases.  

Coach Burnam-Hoyt is excited to host social events/activities for VOL students. These activities are designed to provide VOL students, families and staff with the opportunity to gather and participate in a variety of events. These events are designed to promote physical and fun activities for all ages. The benefits of being physically active improve brain health, encourage positive social interactions, enhance your mood, boost confidence, generate more physical energy, and improve overall ability to participate in everyday activities. Please complete the brief survey to help us guide our upcoming VOL Unplugged events and activities to be more convenient, inclusive, and accessible. Get Unplugged! Stay Active! Stay Healthy!  

Senior Spotlight: Franciso David Ramos

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

Senior Information:

https://www.volusiaonlinelearning.com/student-life/senior-class-2025

Help with college applications:

Testing Communication: It is important that full-time VOL students and parents check their email accounts regularly for important information regarding state testing, which occurs at various times throughout the school year. State testing information is communicated through each student’s VCS Outlook email address and the primary contact email address that we have on file. Participation in state testing is a condition of enrollment at VOL.  

Photo IDs for Testing: When students need to take a test at their zoned school, they will be required to bring a photo ID to be allowed on campus. This is for safety and security reasons. Students who need school IDs can arrange a time to have one made with Nicole Porcella by calling 386-506-0014 Ext 44717 or emailing nmporcel@volusia.k12.fl.us. Most schools often accept students’ driving permits or passports for identification for students who do not have a school ID. 

PM1 Remote FAST Testing and Fall EOC Make-up Sessions: Due to Hurricane Helene, the state has extended the makeup window for PM1 FAST testing through October 4th. Additionally, the makeup window for Fall EOCs and Retakes (taken in-person) has been extended through October 11th. 

Additional Upcoming Testing: 

• PERT: October 7-11 
• SAT SD and PSAT NMQT: October 24 

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.  

Mrs. Lee Pearson

Mrs. Pearson has a Bachelor's degree in Science Education (B.S. Ed.) from Concord University and a Master's degree (M.S.) in Biology from Marshall University. She has taught science for over four decades, and this is my fifth year with VOL. She currently teaches Biology, Anatomy & Physiology and Environmental Science.

Mrs. Pearson loves to travel and to sample the foods of different countries when she is there. She recently traveled to Brazil and had native foods from the rainforest, which was very interesting, and to Switzerland where she had lots of different cheeses. She loves anything nature related and has raised over 180 monarch butterflies in the last year. She also loves learning and thinks it is the best thing you could possibly do with your time.

Fun Fact: I was an English tutor to children in Saudi Arabia, had a pet monkey and two pet caymans when I was young.

Inspirational Quote: "All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today." - Chinese Proverb

www.rotondoconstructionfl.com