Odyssey Academy Opening New Campus in Webster (English/Español)

The educational landscape around Webster, TX is about to witness a remarkable transformation with the establishment of the newest Odyssey Academy campus. For the 2024-2025 school year, Odyssey Academy (OA) will be moving their El Lago campus to its new facility at the former Edgar A. Smith Family YMCA located at 14650 Old Galveston Road.  Construction will begin soon in order to prepare the facility to begin educating students in August of 2024. The Webster campus will educate prekindergarten through 8th grade students.

“We are excited to officially announce that we are on the move with the arrival of our new campus in Webster. It is our goal to provide high-quality learning and work environments for our students and staff in locations that are in the communities where they live. This new location achieves these goals, and we will be excited to continue offering our current El Lago students, as well as new students from the Webster and Pasadena areas, a stellar education with us in Webster,” said Dr. Jennifer Goodman, Superintendent of OA.

Odyssey Academy prides itself on offering innovative curriculum and programs for its students. The Webster campus will offer a full day prekindergarten program for qualifying students. It will also focus on leadership skills through using FranklinCovey’s Leader in Me and 7 Habits programs. These programs teach 21st century leadership and life skills to students and help to create a culture of student empowerment based on the idea that every child has genius and can be a leader. Odyssey Academy will also offer a curriculum focused on S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math). OA’s curriculum focuses on these subjects to help students develop the critical thinking and problem solving skills needed to be successful in the 21st century.

Additionally, in 2023, OA began offering a unique, flexible-week calendar with the goals of increasing student growth and attendance, deepening student learning with additional small group instructional times, and increasing teacher instructional planning time in order to increase student learning and recruit and retain the best teachers.

OA is a free, public charter school district with over 1,500 students at three locations across the greater Galveston County area. Our caring and qualified teachers and staff have worked diligently to help each one of our OA students find their passion and path to success for 25 years! We look forward to continuing to partner with families in the growth of their students into well-rounded young adults who are ready to be productive members of society.

Odyssey Academy is always enrolling, check with the school closest to you (El Lago, Galveston, or Texas City) to see if they have openings now! To enroll, visit our website at www.odyssey-academy.com/enroll. RSVP now to let us know you are interested in a seat at our new Webster location. Open enrollment officially begins February 5, 2024.

Dr. Jennifer Goodman
Superintendent

If you would like to work at Odyssey Academy, please apply at www.odyssey-academy.com/careers.

Odyssey Academy abre un nuevo campus en Webster

El panorama educativo alrededor de Webster, TX, está a punto de ser testigo de una transformación notable con el establecimiento del campus más nuevo de Odyssey Academy. Para el año escolar 2024-2025, Odyssey Academy (OA) trasladará su campus de El Lago a sus nuevas instalaciones en el antiguo Edgar A. Smith Family YMCA ubicado en 14650 Old Galveston Road. La construcción comenzará pronto para preparar las instalaciones para comenzar a educar a los estudiantes en agosto de 2024. El campus de Webster educará a estudiantes desde preescolar hasta octavo grado.

“Estamos emocionados de anunciar oficialmente que estamos en movimiento con la llegada de nuestro nuevo campus en Webster. Nuestro objetivo es proporcionar entornos de aprendizaje y trabajo de alta calidad para nuestros estudiantes y personal en ubicaciones que se encuentran en las comunidades donde viven. Esta nueva ubicación logra estos objetivos y estaremos entusiasmados de continuar ofreciendo a nuestros estudiantes actuales de El Lago, así como a los nuevos estudiantes de las áreas de Webster y Pasadena, una educación estelar con nosotros en Webster”, dijo la Dra. Jennifer Goodman, Superintendente de OA.

Odyssey Academy se enorgullece de ofrecer planes de estudios y programas innovadores para sus estudiantes. El campus de Webster ofrecerá un programa de prekínder de día completo para estudiantes que califiquen. También se centrará en las habilidades de liderazgo mediante el uso de los programas Leader in Me y 7 Habits de FranklinCovey. Estos programas enseñan a los estudiantes liderazgo y habilidades para la vida del siglo XXI y ayudan a crear una cultura de empoderamiento estudiantil basada en la idea de que cada niño tiene genio y puede ser un líder. Odyssey Academy también ofrecerá un plan de estudios centrado en S.T.E.A.M. (ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería, artes y matemáticas). El plan de estudios de OA se centra en estas materias para ayudar a los estudiantes a desarrollar el pensamiento crítico y las habilidades de resolución de problemas necesarias para tener éxito en el siglo XXI.

Además, en 2023, OA comenzó a ofrecer un calendario semanal único y flexible con los objetivos de aumentar el crecimiento y la asistencia de los estudiantes, profundizar el aprendizaje de los estudiantes con tiempos de instrucción adicionales en grupos pequeños y aumentar el tiempo de planificación de la instrucción de los maestros para aumentar el aprendizaje de los estudiantes y reclutar y retener a los mejores profesores.

OA es un distrito escolar autónomo público y gratuito con más de 1,500 estudiantes en tres ubicaciones en el área metropolitana del condado de Galveston. ¡Nuestros maestros y personal atentos y calificados han trabajado diligentemente para ayudar a cada uno de nuestros estudiantes de OA a encontrar su pasión y su camino hacia el éxito durante 25 años! Esperamos continuar asociándonos con las familias en el crecimiento de sus estudiantes hasta convertirlos en adultos jóvenes integrales que estén listos para ser miembros productivos de la sociedad.

Odyssey Academy siempre está inscribiendo, consulte con la escuela más cercana a usted (El Lago, Galveston o Texas City) para ver si tienen vacantes ahora. Para inscribirse, visite nuestro sitio web en www.odyssey-academy.com/enroll. Confirme su asistencia ahora para informarnos que está interesado en un asiento en nuestra nueva ubicación en Webster. La inscripción abierta comienza oficialmente el 5 de febrero de 2024.

Dra. Jennifer Goodman
Superintendente

Si desea trabajar en Odyssey Academy, presente su solicitud en www.odyssey-academy.com/careers.

Look Who Qualified for Nationals!

This past weekend OA sent 5 of its students to Austin to compete in Texas History Day. They all did outstanding and represented Odyssey Academy well!

In alphabetical order: Melaney Anthony, Sunny Boogaard, Carson Cook, Hope Crookshank, and Kevin Majka

Some BIG news coming out of that event is that two of our students, Carson Cook and Kevin Majka, both placed 2nd and have qualified to compete in the NATIONAL History Fair at the University of Maryland in June!

Carson Cook

Kevin Majka

Way to go to all of our OA students!!

Odyssey Academy Transitions Back to Application Requirement for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals 

For Immediate Release:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress authorized spending that allowed schools to serve free meals for all students. Those funds are not authorized to continue for the 2022-2023 school year. As a result, Odyssey Academy must return to charging for school meals and offering free and reduced-price meals based on student eligibility. Starting on July 25, 2022, will begin distributing letters and applications to the households of the children in the district about eligibility benefits. Families are encouraged to complete the Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals, also available at www.myschoolapps.com and return the completed form online or to any school office.  

The application will determine a child’s eligibility for free and reduced-price meals and may assist in the determination of eligibility for other state or federal benefits. Only one application needs to be completed per household. Schools will notify the household of the child’s eligibility. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) administers school nutrition programs in Texas and offers an eligibility calculator at www.SquareMeals.org/ProgramEligibility.

Decisions regarding payment for school meals are made at the national-government level, not by the school nutrition team or TDA. The dedicated staff at Odyssey Academy is looking forward to serving healthy, balanced meals to students in the new school year. These meals, whether paid, free, or reduced-price, offer a good source of nutrition for children. 

Criteria for Free and Reduced-Price Meal Benefits
The following criteria will be used to determine a child’s eligibility for free or reduced-price meal benefits:

Income Eligibility

  1. Household income that is at or below the income eligibility levels

Categorical or Automatic Eligibility

  1. Household receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

Program Participant Eligibility

  1. Child’s status as a foster child, homeless, runaway, migrant, or displaced by a declared disaster

  2. Child’s enrollment in Head Start or Even Start

Income Eligibility
For those households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on income, an adult in the household must fill out free and reduced-price meal application and return it to Delfina Scott, Child Nutrition Coordinator, dscott@odyacad.com or turned in at front office of any campus.

Those individuals filling out the application will need to provide the following information:

  1. Names of all household members

  2. Amount, frequency, and source of current income for each household member

  3. Last 4 digits of the Social Security number of the adult household member who signs the application or, if the adult does not have a social security number, check the box for

“No Social Security number”

  1. Signature of an adult household member attesting that the information provided is correct

Categorical or Program Participant Eligibility
Odyssey Academy is working with local agencies to identify all children who are categorically and program eligible. Odyssey Academy will notify the households of these children that they do not need to complete an application. Any household that does not receive a letter and feels it should, can contact Delfina Scott, Child Nutrition Coordinator, dscott@odyacad.com.

Any household that wishes to decline benefits should contact Delfina Scott, Child Nutrition Coordinator, dscott@odyacad.com.

Applications may be submitted anytime during the school year. The information households provide on the application will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility. Applications may also be verified by the school officials at any time during the school year.

Determining Eligibility
Under the provisions of the free and reduced-price meal policy, Child Nutrition Coordinator, Delfina Scott will review applications and determine eligibility. Households or guardians dissatisfied with the Reviewing Official’s eligibility determination may wish to discuss the decision with the Reviewing Official on an informal basis. Households wishing to make a formal appeal for a hearing on the decision may make a request either orally or in writing to Matthew Sherman, Business and Operations Officer, msherman@odyacad.com.

Unexpected Circumstances
If a household member becomes unemployed or if the household size increases, the household should contact the school. Such changes may make the children of the household eligible for benefits if the household’s income falls at or below the attached current income eligibility guidelines

In the operation of child feeding programs, no child will be discriminated against because of race, sex, color, national origin, age, or disability. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.