Growing up as a child in Maryland, there were always four distinct seasons, and Fall was unequivocally 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. 

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:

Although the official last day of the semester is December 15th, the target end date for the first segment of all courses is December 8th. 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!

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 8th. 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. 

Teachers post a pacing expectation on their announcement page so you can easily tell if your child is behind in their classes. As a parent of a teenager, I understand how difficult it might be to get a student to do school work over a break. However, the expectation for full-time VOL students is that they complete the first segment of all classes before Winter Break, and lots of full-time students are behind in their courses. Ensuring that your child completes their courses according to the school calendar is a basic requirement of full-time enrollment in VOL. Students who are unable to meet basic enrollment requirements may have their variance revoked. We want to all of 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

Orders can be placed on our website at, www.herfforlando.com or you may order in person at our Winter Park office. No appointment is necessary. All items ordered EXCEPT the cap and gown will be shipped home. Caps and gowns will be distributed at school during the second semester. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at the number below.

https://bit.ly/407hpua - CAP & GOWN PRICING & PACKAGES

https://bit.ly/48SfoWX - GRADUATION CATALOG

https://bit.ly/47PKYnO - CLASS RING CATALOG

Thank you to those who purchased popcorn for our fundraiser! We made our goal and will receive 50% off all purchases.

The winter testing window for secondary EOCs, ELA Retakes, and the Florida Civic Literacy Exam (FCLE) will be November 27th- December 15th. Specific secondary students who have been identified for these tests during this testing window will receive emails with the registration information and dates and times to report to their zoned schools for these tests. When reporting to zoned schools, please remember that if students experience any issues while checking in for testing, students and parents can always call our VOL Testing Coordinator, Dr. Markell, for assistance.

Looking ahead, the Winter Progress Monitoring testing window for FAST PM2 will begin in January for Grades K-10. Students and parents will receive emails with more information about these test sessions as it gets closer. The Winter FAST PM2 tests will be taken remotely, just as they were in September. VOL students are required to participate in state testing as a condition of enrollment. Students and parents can reach out to Dr. Markell with questions or concerns by emailing bgmarkel@volusia.k12.fl.us or by calling (386) 734-7190 extension 72701.

Gabriel Soto is a Volusia Online Learning 3rd grade student. His nominating teacher, Mrs. Cange, says “Gabriel is a SPECTACULAR 3RD GRADER! Gabriel submits high quality, sophisticated explanations on all of his ELA and Science assignments. He goes above and beyond and has already completed 16 i-Ready Reading and 20 i-Ready Math lessons for additional 3rd grade benchmark practice. Additionally, he completes Reflex Math green lights weekly, which is helping him to develop strong fact multiplication and division fact fluency. Not only is he an amazing student, he is incredibly creative. He designs creative illustrations and character descriptions! Keep up the PHENOMENAL thinking, Gabriel!”

Noah Lofaso is a Volusia Online Learning 7th grade student. He was nominated by Ms. Girard, she stated “Noah is an excellent science student who demonstrates the ability to think and speak like a scientist! He follows directions well and completes his assignments conscientiously, consistently, and successfully! He participates regularly in live lessons and adds valuable input to our group discussions. It is a pleasure sharing DBAs with him as he is able to freely share what he has learned in his lessons. He is very respectful and helpful in his interactions. He is a role model for other students in my 7th grade science course.” 

First Year Teacher of the Year at Palm Terrace in 2004

Teacher of the Year for Palm Terrace in 2012

Teacher of the Quarter for VOL in 2023

Coach Burnam-Hoyt holds a degree in Physical Education from the illustrious Bethune Cookman University. Coach Burnam started working for Volusia County Schools in 2003 and Volusia Online Learning in 2020.

As an Online Educator, Coach Burnam enjoys the ability to connect to students and families on a more personalized level. Among the many benefits include convenience, flexibility, increased engagement, and personalized instruction. Throughout the workday, she can be more productive and address individual student needs.

A fun fact about Coach Burnam is that she is learning to play the drums (not everyone at home is happy) and the guitar is something she would like to get back to playing.

Coach Burnam is currently promoting VOL Unplugged Events through her courses to provide more opportunities for teachers, families, and students to collaborate and participate in fun and physical activities outside of school.

Regular communication between a student’s parent/guardian and their teacher is important for student success. Being involved and aware of how students are progressing and performing in their courses.

Also, be sure you remember to check your email daily, as teachers send important progress updates, course announcements, and student work feedback to the parent/guardian email address listed on the student’s FLVS account profile.

This edition’s topic is “Communicating with Teachers in Edgenuity.”

The platform will save all received and sent messages and students and/or teachers can view their messages at any time. All messages are archived so they are available for future reference.

Students can only email educators with the same school access as them. They cannot email other students or attachments.

When a student receives an email in Edgenuity they will be notified with a number displayed on the envelope in the top right corner of their homepage in the program. The number of emails that a student has received (not read) will display in red. The student can click on the number to view the message(s).

The emails will display in a preview mode. Click on the email to be read from the list and the message will display from the educator.

Students can choose to reply or forward back to the educator or another VOL teacher in Edgenuity. They can also send a NEW MESSAGE by clicking on that icon above the current message.

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. All work must be completed and submitted no later than December 15th at 3:00 PM 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). FLVS will not allow our teachers 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 the FLVS platform. Please take note: when reviewing your child’s course progress in FLVS, students need to complete 100% of Semester 1 course work by December 15th. 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.

Did you know Volusia Online Learning students participate in district initiatives? This week our Wendy Scorpio, fifth grade teacher, and Brenda Mabry, eighth grade teacher, will take their students to the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach for a field trip sponsored by a generous grant from the Lohman family. Classes will take a bus to the museum for a planetarium show, science stage show, and tour other museum exhibits. The field study is aligned with state standards, reinforcing important concepts that will be assessed later this year on Florida Statewide Assessments. 

Elementary students and families, please mark your calendars now for our Annual Winter Wonderland event on Friday, December 8^th from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, sponsored by Jennifer Edwards. Students will have the opportunity to create 4 winter crafts, visit with Santa (if they choose), and learn more about our Lego Robotics Club. 

Attention senior parents, Volusia Online Learning has partnered with Herff Jones, our official graduation supplier.  Cap and gown orders can be placed online at www.herfforlando.com. Please be sure to place your order no later than March 4th to avoid paying a late fee.  All items ordered EXCEPT the cap and gown will be shipped home. Caps and gowns will be distributed through Volusia Online Learning in late April.

Thank you to Polly Wilson and Terry Cruz for spearheading our donations for Volusia County’s Basket Brigade. 

All Volusia County Schools are closed to the public for Thanksgiving Break Monday, November 20th through Friday, November 24th. Although students will continue to have access to their courses, teachers will not be available until Monday, November 27th.

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! 

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