May is always a fun time of year. The weather heats up, the beaches fill up, the fish start running, and all of us, not just the students, start dreaming of summer fun. Traditionally, this creates an interesting juxtaposition for educators. We definitely want to help our students celebrate the end of another arduous school year, especially our seniors and other milestone students who are moving on to another chapter in their academic careers. That said, we are also keenly aware that May is full of important deadlines, critical student testing, and the overall finality of the end of the school year. Balancing the desire to celebrate and have fun with the urgency to finish the academic year strong is always difficult. In the world of virtual education, I would imagine that the struggle is that much more acute given the inherent lack of structure offered by online learning. After all, is there really a true end of the school year in a virtual class? Can’t a student just work at their own pace and get it done whenever they want? 

While I present these as rhetorical questions, the answers exist, particularly for our full-time students. Full-time VOL students are subject to the same school year as their brick-and-mortar peers. Although we had some flexibility at the end of the first semester (particularly this year, given the hurricanes), we have been communicating throughout the spring that all full-time classes would be completed with a grade by June 2^nd. We actually suggest that all content and DBAs be completed prior to Memorial Day; seniors should be finished even earlier, by May 10^th. Please keep that in mind as you support your student throughout the next few weeks. Students that are behind in their courses are being contacted weekly by administrators and teachers in an effort to keep them on track and in many cases, accelerate their progress. Parents can also track student progress using their FLVS parent account or by communicating directly with their student’s teachers. 

Also imperative this month is student testing. We had a change in personnel recently and Dr. Markell will be the VOL testing coordinator from here on out. Please make sure that you are checking your email for messages from her regarding your child’s testing dates and locations. Only those who have testing will receive these emails, so if you’re getting them, your student still needs to test in some way. Remember that all testing takes place at your zoned school and according to a specific schedule (there are no walk-in testing appointments). All of your child’s testing information will be in Dr. Markell’s emails (just it was in Ms. Sierra’s emails previously). 

Speaking of celebrating at the end of the year, I would be remiss to not mention our fabulous Senior Awards before I finish this message. We hosted our seniors, their families, and numerous special guests from the Volusia County School Board at Atlantic High School last Thursday for our first annual VOL Senior Awards Night. Thanks to some outstanding planning by our very own Amy Ervin and the official VOL party-planners, the Burnam-Hoyts, hours of behind-the-scenes legwork by our high school counselors, Ms. Hamlin and Ms. Allen-Wiese, and 97 phenomenal seniors, the evening was a rousing success. I could not be more proud of our seniors and our school for putting together such a wonderful event. Thank you to all who came out to join us and I hope to see all of our seniors and their families at graduation on June 1^st at the Ocean Center.

That’s all I have for this week. Please be sure to help your student finish the year strong—have fun when you can but finish those classes! Scroll down below for more important information and highlights about our amazing students and staff.

Thank you for reading!

Dr. Serianni

♦ May 11th, 5:30-7pm: VCS Parent University, Elementary School parents, hosted on Teams

♦ May 18th, 5:30-7pm: VCS Parent University, Middle & High School parents, hosted on Teams

♦ May 29th: Memorial Day, no school

♦ June 1st: VOL Graduation, 4-6pm, Ocean Center

♦ June 1st until 11am: Laptop return opportunity at Deltona High auditorium lobby

♦ June 2nd: Last day of school for students

♦ June 2nd: 8th Grade Celebration East Side, Herbert Street Center

♦ June 7th – June 29th, 2pm to 4pm: Laptop return opportunity at Herbert Street Center

Did you check out a Volusia County School laptop or hotspot for your child this school year? If so, you are responsible for returning it at the end of the school year. Families attending our Kindergarten, Fifth, or Eighth Grade End of Year Drive-Through Celebration at Deltona High School can park their car and return their device at Deltona High School after the Drive Through Celebration in the auditorium lobby until 11:00 a.m. on June 1st. Additionally, families may return their devices and chargers daily Monday through Thursday during the month of June beginning on June 7th at our Herbert Street location between the hours of 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

In middle school, Mr. Dunaway nominated Tevin Miller, a 6th grader. He says, “Tevin does an awesome job in US History. He is an A student. He attends Live Lessons all the time. He has a great sense of humor. Tevin enjoys basketball and is the world’s biggest LeBron James fan!”

In elementary school, Mr. Tindal nominated Soniya (Sonni) Saleh, a 3rd grader. He says, “Sonni is a reliable student who completes her assignments in a timely manner and always attends live lessons for Intro to Computer Science. During live lessons, she participates regularly, by volunteering to read aloud and by contributing to our discussions. Her comments are consistently insightful and supportive. Sonni’s positivity and cheerfulness are appreciated by her classmates and her teachers.”

Also in Elementary school, 3rd grader, Zoey Pandy, was nominated by Mrs. Cange. She says, “Zoey Pandy is a FABULOUS student and friend! She works diligently every day to not only complete FLVS required work but enrichment activities (i-Ready, Reflex, FRAX) as well! She attends and actively participates in optional math lessons by verbally explaining or displaying her dry-erase board thinking to her friends. She consistently blows me away by her hard work, whether that's fluently multiplying or dividing or supporting answers via textual evidence. Additionally, she is always kind and compassionate during breakout room sessions, always encouraging or including her peers in small group discussions or problem-solving scenarios. In sum, Zoey is an ALL-STAR VOL STUDENT!!!”

Spring Testing season is upon us. This week, students will begin their state assessments. Although students in grades K-2, will participate in their Progress Monitoring Assessments remotely, students in grades 3-5 are required by state legislation to report to their zoned school for testing. Students in grades K-2 will receive guidance from their classroom teacher regarding dates and times for testing. For students in grades 3-5, you should have already received an individual testing schedule with specific dates, times, and reporting information. Families, please plan ahead for state testing and make the necessary transportation arrangements to ensure your child attends all required testing sessions.

Here are some tips to help your student be prepared for testing days:

We know our VOL students have been working hard and preparing for these tests all year long. Now, it is time for them to show what they know.

Can you believe we only have four weeks left in the 2022-2023 school year? Where did the time go? To ensure your child finishes the year successfully, please plan ahead now and schedule your final DBAs. All student work must be submitted no later than 3:00 PM on June 2nd, the last day of school.

Please plan on joining us for our Kindergarten and Fifth Grade End of Year Drive-Through Celebrations. Our west side celebration will take place at Deltona High School on June 1st at 9:30 a.m. Our east side celebration will take place at our physical location, 1290 Herbert Street Center in Port Orange, FL 32129 on June 2nd at 10:00 a.m. Families are encouraged to decorate their vehicles to celebrate their students.

Did you checkout a Volusia County School laptop or hotspot for your child this school year? If so, you are responsible for returning it at the end of the school year. Families attending our Kindergarten and Fifth Grade End of Year Drive-Through Celebration at Deltona High School can park their car and return their device at Deltona High School after the Drive Through Celebration in the auditorium lobby until 11:00 a.m. on June 1st. Additionally, families may return their devices and chargers daily Monday through Thursday during the month of June beginning on June 7th at our Herbert Street location between the hours of 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Current VOL elementary full-time students do not need to reapply for next school year; however, you do need to complete the course request that was emailed to you. You must submit your course selections to indicate your intention of returning to VOL. If you are unable to locate that email, reach out to Mrs. Kauffman at kakauffm@volusia.k12.fl.us.

If you have a future kindergartener, a family member, or a neighbor interested in online instruction for the 2023-2024 school year, please share our application with them, https://www.volusiaonlinelearning.com/onboarding/2023-2024-vol-application

Thank you for your continued support of your student(s) and our program.

SENIORS: Go here for all things Graduation https://www.volusiaonlinelearning.com/student-life/senior-class-2023

8^th Grade Students: We will be having drive through celebrations for our 8^th grade students to send them off to high school.

ALL Students: Please see our website for important MANDATORY Spring testing information. https://www.volusiaonlinelearning.com/parents-students/testing-information

Returning Full Time Students: You should have received an email from Mrs. McQueen with a link to select your courses. You must submit your course selections to indicate your intention of returning to VOL. If you are unable to locate that email, reach out to Mrs. Kauffman at kakauffm@volusia.k12.fl.us.

High School Dual Enrollment: Registration for Fall courses at DSC closes on May 26. Submit your dual enrollment form to your VOL counselor ASAP to ensure you get the course you want.

o  Vicki Hamlin (Last Names A-K) vhamlin@volusia.k12.fl.us

o  Stacie Allen-Wiese (Last Names L-Z) saallenw@volusia.k12.fl.us

When it comes to test taking, the quote above (originally credited to Alexander Graham Bell), contains words to live by. As students prepare to take their in-person exams this month, the VOL counseling team wishes all students the best and offers the following TEST-TAKING TIPS AND STRATEGIES from the Harvard division of continuing education:

Cultivate Good Study Habits. Understanding and remembering information for a test takes time, so developing good study habits long before test day is really important! Do your homework assignments carefully and keep pace in your classes. These simple steps, when done habitually, will help ensure that you really know your stuff come test day.

Gather your materials for the test. Be sure your laptop has the secure browser downloaded and is fully charged. Consider taking a jacket or sweater to ensure your comfort while taking the test. Know what time you will need to leave the house in order to arrive at your zoned school with plenty of time to check-in and report to your assigned testing location. Having everything ready the night before will help you feel more confident and will minimize stress on the morning of the test.

Go to bed early. A good night’s sleep will help you think more clearly during the test and will make it easier to cope with test-taking stress and anxiety. Showing up to your test well-rested is one of the best things you can do to succeed on test day.

Eat a healthy breakfast. Depending on your personal dietary needs and preferences, a mix of complex carbohydrates and healthy protein (such as whole wheat cereal, eggs, oatmeal, berries and nuts) may be great choices. Remember to drink plenty of water!

Leave your house earlier than necessary. Arriving early at your zoned school will allow time for parking, check-in, a last-minute restroom break, and getting to your testing room. By arriving early, you allow yourself time to organize your materials, get comfortable, and mentally prepare before the test begins.

Associate of Arts from DBCC

Bachelors of Science – UCF

Certified in Elementary Education, ESOL, Reading Endorsement, and Physical Education.

Best Advice: As long as you strive to be 1% better today than you were yesterday, you will succeed. 

Jennifer started with Volusia County Schools in 2000 and she has been teaching for 22 years. She started with Volusia Online Learning in 2020. Jennifer enjoys making a difference for her students. When Jennifer is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family. She has 2 teenage daughters who keep her very busy.

Jennifer knew she wanted to be a teacher when she was in third grade. Her teacher, Mrs. Carlton, made a huge impact on her that year, and she knew teaching would be her career path. In high school, she worked with the Wee Hawks at Spruce Creek High School and then she really knew teaching was the career for her.

Jennifer’s students just finished up their Science Projects for 5th grade. Two Students were selected to represent VOL at the County Science Expo that is coming up at the end of March. Her class just finished reading the book Restart. She read aloud to the students for the first 15 minutes of class, and her class just could not get enough. Her class would beg to hear "one more chapter." It was so much fun! Her students also just recently participated in the February Reflex Math Challenge. Her students were challenged to earn 12 greenlights in the month of February. Ten of her 5th graders successfully earned 12 or more greenlights!

BA in Psychology from Florida Atlantic University

MS in School Counseling from Nova Southeastern University

Certified School Counselor PK-12

Best Advice: Don't shrink yourself for someone else's comfort. Do not become small for people who refuse to grow.

Stacie started with Volusia County Schools in 2015 and she has been teaching for 7 years. She started with Volusia Online Learning in 2020. Prior to being a school counselor, Stacie worked in child abuse investigations as well as child abuse prevention. She was also a stay-at-home mom to her three kiddos for several years.

Stacie loves being the voice for students that might not have one. She advocates for her students fiercely and takes joy in knowing she makes an impact either academically or emotionally/socially - even if she can't see it. It also gives her great pleasure to help students to be the best version of themselves and to provide them the support they need to be successful. Watching them grow can be very powerful!

Stacie is a mom to three amazing kids that keep her pretty active. Her and her husband love traveling with their children and finding new places to hike and explore. Stacie is a beach girl at heart, so she spends a lot of time soaking in the salt water and sun. Hawaii is her favorite place; she loves Polynesian culture and history.

Stacie’s high school "guidance counselor" told her that she was not a candidate for college because she was "too social". Stacie was a varsity cheerleader, and her guidance counselor had a stereotypical perception of who she was. Stacie only met with him twice in four years. He told Stacie she should look into "other things". Stacie was an average student with average test scores, but he broke her heart that day. Stacie took that ammunition and earned her master's degree in School Counseling. Thanks, Mr. Heffernan!

For the Pearson family, Richard (dad), Sarah (mom), Kael (6th grade), Haddie (3rd grade), Aeya (Kindergarten), and Tevin (toddler), both freedom and flexibility are very important to them, which is why they chose to enroll at Volusia Online Learning.

We recently sat down with the Pearson family to learn more about them, what they love about VOL, how the family has adapted so well to virtual schooling, and what tips they would share with other families to help make virtual schooling work for them.

A: We lived in Denver, CO before moving to FL three years ago. We liked going to Disney a lot our first couple years in FL. We love being so close to the beach and have gotten good at boogie boarding. Mantanzas is one of our favorite beaches to explore. We miss the snow. We really love holidays and like doing lots of fun activities for each one. We like biking, running, and swimming. We are so excited some of our cousins moved near us this summer.

A: The kids really didn’t want to wear face masks to school. Then we quickly realized it was a great fit for our family.

A: This is our third year with VOL.

A: Mom pretty much full-time, Dad part-time when he can. Our first year Grandma in WA state would help over FaceTime sometimes.

A: Learning Coach - Our kids wake up on their own body rhythm. Once they are all awake, we do a bike ride (or they play in the yard) and breakfast. The older two are pretty independent at this point so I focus on school with Aeva and Teyvin. I stop to help Haddie occasionally. Kael just needs the occasional check-in. Our first year I was right by Haddie’s side for most of her school day — usually at least four to five hours. But as she has gotten to know the system, she’s been proud to do more and more independently. We make sure to get them their own planner at the beginning of the year and have helped them learn how to write down and check off their expected tasks for the day. Even with the kids working so hard to be independent, some days it can definitely feel like I’m being pulled 12 different directions and my anxiety will spike a bit, but then there are the days we get to take off mid-afternoon as a family to go on some adventure and that makes it worth it.

Students - Around noon each day we take a lunch break. Sometimes we do a “learning lunch” where one of the kids shares a topic they are excited about in school or we look up something we are curious about. After lunch we do 10-30min of “resetting” the house (tidying toys, laundry, dishes, etc.). Then each kid gets to pick a book that I read aloud to them. After that the older kids go back to school while the younger one’s rest. In the late afternoon everyone does “jobs” —chores I pay them to do and piano. If they’ve done all their responsibilities well, they get an hour of electronics. Then we send them outside to play or they run around the house crazy till dinner, baths, and bed.

A: I think the flexibility helps make it a successful program. I was lucky from the beginning as a learning coach that Kael wanted to be completely independent and is pretty technologically savvy. He learned how to scan his assignments in on the printer because I always took too long to do it and would get him “behind pace”. I would check in with him and he’d say, “I was confused about this, so I emailed my teacher, and they should get back to me soon.” That meant basically my full attention could be on Haddie. I think this is a good format for kids who are self-starters like that. But it’s also been great for Haddie even though she started a lot younger. At first, she would want a lot of breaks and we’d be “still” working on school clear till bedtime or over weekends, but it was because she had the luxury to step away often and get outside or play a bit then come back and re-focus. As she’s gotten older, she’s worked hard to develop the skill of focusing for longer periods and now her school days are shorter. But she got to grow into it slowly. It wasn’t all easy along the way, but Kael’s first teacher emphasized giving ourselves patience and grace as we jumped into something new — that idea has helped a lot. It’s ok to try different strategies. It’s ok to ask for help.

I spend a lot of my time as a learning coach learning about “growth mindset” and reminding them of those strategies. It’s not just about a low grade on an assignment — it’s about learning to not be too hard on yourself when those frustrations come. Learning that we learn best from mistakes, and we can always try again. Giving them the confidence and resiliency strategies, I hope helps them be more successful.

A: We just ask them each year what they want for the next year. We tried a lot of different schooling options before VOL, and this is what they’ve wanted to stick with the longest. I think it will continue to be hard to beat. They don’t have to wake up to alarms, we all get to share in each other’s learning journeys. We “sneak” (push to work ahead) in extra breaks and family time — it’s not all easy, but it’s a good deal.

A: One thing I love is being involved in my kids learning. When the kiddos were in brick and mortar, I’d ask what they did that day and they’d say, “nothing much”. Now I’m there with them as they learn, or they find me to tell me something their excited they just learned. I love that a lot.

A: Each kid is so different I don’t feel like I could necessarily give tips. But I echo what I said about all of us giving ourselves patience and grace. It did feel hard for a while till we found our groove. It’s OK if you’re still finding yours.

Politis & Matovina, P.A. is a local Daytona Beach personal injury law firm. All the attorneys at the firm grew up in Florida and are natives to the area, living and raising their families here. The firm is very active in the local community, and they regularly partner with various organizations and events to help better our community and our State. Politis & Matovina, P.A., believe in the importance of educating our future generations, and are committed to giving back to our community.

As a VOL business partner, they have donated funds to help VOL provide food, drinks, and student prizes for our VOL Family Fun Runs. Recently, Politis & Matovina, P.A., sponsored our VOL “B” School Grade Celebration at Giuseppe’s Pizza for all VOL faculty and staff, by providing funds for the food and drinks for all VOL employees. VOL truly values all that Politis & Matovina, P.A., has done for our school, and we look forward to our continued relationship with them.

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 aaserian@volusia.k12.fl.us with any questions related to the program.

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