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.

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Celebrating OA Students and Teachers in the Top 50!

The Galveston Academic Excellence Booster Club has announced its Top 50 Students and Top 50 Teachers of 2022, and Odyssey Academy has 5 students and 5 teachers on the list! Congratulations to OA students:

• Amilia Aplentzou

• David Carillo

• Daniel Aguilar Clark

• Elijah Jones

• Emma Richard

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Congratulations to OA teachers:

• Kella Dohring

• Allison Kennedy

• Aymette Medina

• Alicia Perez

• Dena Walker

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Way to go! We are so proud of all of our Odyssey Academy students and teachers!

Dr. Jennifer Goodman
Superintendent

Elissa's Story

“Throughout the years, Odyssey has played a very important role in my education. From a young age, teachers and staff have always encouraged me to keep learning and ask questions about everything. Teachers at Odyssey encourage students to not only follow their interests but to branch out and discover new things. They have always prioritized education and the students by ensuring everyone is learning and helping us get ahead in our education through programs like Collegiate High School and dual credit classes. I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity of doing the Collegiate High School program because Odyssey believed I could. Through this program, I have been able to get ahead in my education by taking classes at College of the Mainland and discover different career paths.

Odyssey Academy has not only impacted my education but my personal life as well. I have attended this school since Pre-K and in that time, I have developed into a determined, independent person, and Odyssey has played a crucial role in that. Teachers and staff have always encouraged me to be unique and work towards my goals, even if others believed I would not succeed. When people doubted me, it did not discourage me from going after my goals, in fact, it had the opposite effect, and I became even more motivated. Setting goals is an important thing that Odyssey teaches because it gives students a direction in life and something to work towards. In the beginning of the year, students make goals they want to achieve, both personal and educational, and you make a plan and timeline of how to achieve it. Making goals and planning out how to achieve them helped me a lot as a student, especially in high school. In the beginning of each semester, I write down my goals for my classes and write down the steps of how to achieve them. Being able to look at the future helps motivate me to keep working hard so I can get there. Lastly, the values of this school are something that I have been taught since I was young and have now integrated into my own life. The four values are respect, responsibility, integrity, and leadership. Not only do we talk about these values in class, but teachers and staff lead by example by exhibiting them and teaching students how they can practice them in their own lives. These are important values to have and attending a school where they live by them has helped shaped me into the conscientious person I am today.

These past few years, I have been thinking a lot about my plans for the future because it is time to start working towards them. After I graduate from high school, I plan to continue my education by attending Stephen F Austin State University, where I will be studying biology. During this time, I will be on a pre-med track to prepare for my future career. With the credits I have gotten at College of the Mainland through Odyssey, I will be able to graduate early and get a head start on my career. After graduating with my bachelors, I plan to attend medical school to work towards becoming a surgeon. Attending medical school has been a goal of mine for a long time because of my grandfather. He was a doctor, and I always wanted to help people like he did. Before he died, he would always tell me how proud he was that I wanted to become a doctor and help others. He wanted to watch me get into medical school, and although he did not get to see that, I want to do it in his honor. After I graduate from medical school, I will take the final steps in becoming a surgeon which include my internship, fellowship, and residency where I will learn more about my specialty, trauma surgery. I chose this specialty because I wanted a career that I would not only enjoy but make a positive impact on someone’s life. Trauma surgery has always interested me because of the fast paced, stressful environment and the uniqueness of each patient.

My plan for my personal life is to dedicate time to helping others in my community. Odyssey has taught me the importance of community service and volunteering, and I want to continue this when I get older. I want to continue being active in volunteering and raising awareness on different issues throughout my community. Something I want to advocate for is equality, especially in healthcare. Many people are not fortunate enough to have access to good healthcare because of the area they live in or their financial status. I want to raise awareness on the discrimination in healthcare based on gender, race, and class. Lastly, I want to make an impact outside of my community as well and hopefully volunteer in different countries through Doctors Without Borders. There are many countries that do not have access to the type of healthcare that is available in the United States, and their citizens are suffering because of it. I want to help in any way I can whether it is donating medical equipment, administering different vaccines, or even just helping educate others.

Thanks to Odyssey and the core values that they teach us, I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about becoming a leader in my community. Responsibility, respect, integrity, encouragement, and safety are qualities of a good leader. These are all values that are practiced at Odyssey and because of this, I practice them in my personal life. Another leadership quality that I learned at this school is selfless service. In middle school, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity of joining the National Junior Honor Society at Odyssey and help my community. Through this organization, I volunteered at many events and got to meet leaders in our community that inspired me to help others. Thanks to this encouragement of service, I have continued to be active in my community in high school by joining the National Honor Society and the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at College of the Mainland. Through Phi Theta Kappa, I continued to volunteer and took on more a leadership role by being the Vice President of Fellowship of our chapter. In this position, I have grown a lot as a leader by improving my project planning and management skills. During my tenure, I organized our chapter’s College Project, which is a project that would benefit our campus and bring the students and staff together. To complete this project, I have had to collaborate with staff and students at College of the Mainland to not only find a problem on campus, but to figure the best way to resolve it. Being in this position has helped me become better at organization, working with others, and overcoming challenges. Odyssey has given me many opportunities to learn and grow as a leader and encouraged me to help others with the skills I have. These qualities will help me succeed later in life by being a leader in my career field and community. This school has helped shaped me in many ways, and without it, I would not be the person I am today.”

- Elissa Rivas, 2022 OAG Senior