It is hard to believe that we are already one quarter of the way through the school year! As we move into the 2nd Marking Period, I want 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. A more accurate gauge of whether your child is on pace is the on-pace assignment number provided on each teacher’s landing 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 you are 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 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. We recently completed the first round of progress monitoring for this year’s FAST and we were able to test an impressive 98% 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 for 100% of our students to test in the winter 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 and hope to see you at the Trunk-or-Treat this Friday!

Thank you for reading!

Dr. Serianni

Attention Seniors!

You may now schedule your sitting for Senior Portraits with Dean Stewart Photography in Daytona Beach. Use the link below.

Picture Day for students is scheduled for November 13, 2023, from 8:00am to 4:00pm.

East side students may go to the Dean Stewart Photography Studio located at

955 Foster Way Suite 322 in South Daytona any time between the hours listed above.

Students on the west side may come to the VOL office located at Deltona Middle School 250 Enterprise Rd, Deltona Fl. Bldg. 3- during the same times listed above.

Please keep in mind about the parent pick up and drop of traffic when planning your visit.

This event is for our Volusia Online Learning Families!

It is that time of year when we collect non-perishable items for families that need help during the Thanksgiving Holiday. We will have a designated drop off area at our Trunk or Treat event for donations. Please see our list and we thank you in advance for your generosity.

From October 30th to November 3rd VOL will have a fundraiser selling delicious Double Good Popcorn. This is a 100% virtual fundraiser and VOL will receive 50% of all orders. What makes it virtual? A link will be provided to purchase delicious popcorn and whatever is ordered will ship directly to you! This makes this fundraiser convenient to share links with family and friends. Whatever they order ships directly to them! This is only a four-day event. Stay tuned for the flyer with link to store on Oct 30Th  on the start date with the link to place your orders. Your items will ship directly to you. Stay Tuned!

Our School Advisory Council (S.A.C.), which meets monthly, assists in making recommendations on how our school operates. S.A.C. membership is comprised of elected parents, staff, and business community officials.

• Are you interested in what goes on at school?

• Are you one of our many working parents who cannot be at school during the day to help or volunteer?

• Are you willing to commit to attending eight face-to-face meetings during the school year for approximately 1 hour. Elected members serve for 2 years.

Contact Ms. Horne for more information at slhorn@volusia.k12.fl.us

See preview of upcoming meeting dates:

This past week, October 9th-12th, students who registered to take the Post Secondary Readiness Test (PERT) reported to zoned schools for that test. The PERT test is for students who plan to take dual enrollment courses. Schools will also administer PERT in February and April. Additionally, the PERT test can also be taken throughout the year at Daytona State College.

This week, October 17th-19th, students who registered to take the ACT-NCR test will report to zoned schools. This is a non-college reporting version of the ACT, which means the results can only be used for concordant scores to meet graduation testing requirements and cannot be used for college applications or scholarship purposes. Also, on October 26th, students who registered to take the PSAT and SAT SD tests will report to their zoned schools for these tests.

Zoned school-specific dates and start times for tests are communicated via email to students registered to test. If you have any questions about testing, please reach out to Dr. Markell either by emailing bgmarkel@volusia.k12.fl.us or by calling 386-734-7190 extension 72701.

Finley Coburn is a Volusia Online Learning 2nd grade student. Her nominating teacher, Mrs. Kim Welser, says “Finley is new to VOL this year and she is thriving in the online learning environment. She is eager to learn new things. She doesn’t give up when tasks are challenging. She just works a little harder. Finley puts in the effort to complete work neatly and consistently submits assignments that she can be proud of. She cares about her classmates and always listens to them when they are sharing. Finley is a sweet and compassionate 2nd grader with a bright future ahead of her.”

Congratulations, Finley!

Theodore (TJ) Greene is a Volusia Online Learning 7th grade student. He was nominated by Mrs. Woodward and Mrs. Furse, they stated “Theodore shows exemplary academics in every area of the English language. He not only is a magnificent writer, but he has a superior knowledge of grammar and spelling. His recent submission of his essay about his life using figurative language to express his thoughts is just one example of the extraordinary submissions. He also is showing leadership and a strong work ethic in reading, completing his assignments when they are due and achieving scores that show his very best work. He encourages other kids while in live lessons and brings a sense of community with his participation. He is a pleasure to have in class!”

Congratulations, TJ!

Our school would like to say a HUGE thank you to Happy Howie’s Homemade Ice Cream for their Business Partnership with Volusia Online Learning. Their shop is located at 1666 Providence Blvd. in Deltona. They also have an ice cream truck. For route and flavors of the day give them a call at 1-631-235-4392.

Their truck will be at our Trunk or Treat Event on 10/20/23 and donating 20% of total purchases back to VOL (Volusia Online Learning)!

Degree: Bachelors of Science in Psychology- Flagler College

Certifications: Elementary K-5; ESE 6-12; Math 5-9

Memberships: VTO, Sunshine Club

Awards: ESE Teacher of the Year; Math Teacher of the Year

Ms. Sexton started her teaching career with Volusia County Schools in 1996. Prior to that, she was a Behavioral Counselor for the House Next Door in Deland and Department of Juvenile Justice in Daytona Beach. She started with Volusia Online Learning in 2021. The thing she enjoys most about being at VOL is building relationships with students and families and spending quality instructional time with students individually. When not working, she spends time with her family and dogs, doing outdoor chores around the house, baking, going to the beach and attending church.

Starting off Covid year with 10,000 students.

My parents are both former teachers, so that had an influence on my career choice.

Teachers will be entering Quarter 1 grades on October 16. Look at your teachers’ Announcement Page to see the last day to get assignments in so that they will be included in that grade.

If you are on or ahead of pace, you will earn the grade that’s in your gradebook. If you are behind pace, your grade will be calculated with zeros in for missing work. You will be able to complete the work you’re missing so that it will be included in your semester grade.

Have your student log in to their Edgenuity account through the VCS vPortal. Once logged in ask the student to click on one of their course icons to show you the Course Report. This report is located on the right-hand side of the course map page (see screenshot below). The report is used to set goals for a student to complete a course by the targeted date.

• Student Progress: The completed percentage by time. Shows how far along in the course the student has progressed.

• Target Progress: The percentage a student should have completed by the current date. This date determines if a student is ahead or behind pacing.

• Activity: Assignment list within the course for each activity.

• Due: The date when each assignment should be completed in the course.

• First Attempt: The date the student first began the activity.

• Submitted: The date the activity was submitted to the teacher.

• Attempts: The number of times a student completed the activity.

• Est Time: The approximate time it would take a student to complete the activity.

• Total Time: The total comprehensive time it took the student to complete the activity. Will include multiple attempts.

• Category: The weighted category to which the activity is associated.

• Score: The counted score the student earned on the activity.

Monday, October 16th 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 Friday, October 20^th. To setup your Parent Portal account, please follow the initial setup instructions found here.

Join us for VOL’s Drive Thru Trunk or Treat event on Friday, October 20th from 5:30-6:30 PM at Deltona Middle School. Our staff can’t wait to see you! Happy Howie’s Ice Cream Truck will also be onsite for purchases.  

Attention parents of Seniors, planning has begun for the Class of 2024. Don’t forget to book your senior conference with Mrs. Hamlin. 

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.

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