OCS

The safety and security of our students is always our utmost priority. The COVID-19 situation is fluid and changing rapidly; school leadership is actively engaged to receive up-to-date information and make adjustments accordingly. We are working in concert with federal, state, and local entities to inform our decisions and processes. This page will be updated regularly to provide current information and resources to our community.

Fill in this form to set up an appointment to speak with a counselor.

Suggested apps for social-emotional learning
SuperBetter
Middle School Confidential
The Social Express
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Action for Happiness

Lower School Resources
School Counselor explains the Coronavirus
Read aloud about social distancing

Intermediate School Resources
CDC recommendations and information

Middle School Resources
About Coronavirus

High School Resources
5 ways to help your teen manage anxiety about the Coronavirus

Second Step – our social emotional learning curriculum resources for families

Delaware Department of Education website

Suggestions for talking with your children CDC.gov | NASPonline.org

Suggestions for talking with your teens

Suggestions for talking with your children broken down by developmental age group

Help with stress

Taking care of your mental health ASFP.org | CDC.gov

Taking Care of your Teens Mental Health

Coping with Financial Concerns

Suggestions for how to keep your children on a schedule and why it’s important

Free educational subscriptions for learning

Harmful effects of too much screen time

We are pleased to announce Odyssey’s participation in Ellinomatheia (exams for Greek Language Proficiency Certification).  

The exams will take place at Odyssey Charter School, on May 20, 21, and 22, 2025. Ellinomatheia is a worldwide test developed by the Center for the Greek Language. OCS staff will proctor the examinations. We are very proud that Odyssey has been selected as one of the few schools in the US qualified and designated to administer this test. Candidates who successfully pass the exam will receive an official Certificate of Attainment in the Greek Language, which is recognized worldwide.  

The Test Levels that lead to certification are:
1. A1: for candidates 8-12 years old
2. A1 (for adolescents and adults): for candidates 12 years old and above
3. A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2: for candidates 8 years old and above
Please note: Only candidates who will be at least 8 years old on 31st May 2025 are eligible to participate in the exams. Candidates who will be over the age of 12 on 31st May 2025 are not eligible to participate in the exam for Level A1 for children 8-12 years old (they can participate in the exam for Level A1 for adolescents/adults instead). Our exams have no other age limits. However, candidates under the age of 16 are advised not to participate in the exams for Levels B2, C1 and C2 because answering the exam questions in the papers may require prior knowledge and experiences that young candidates do not have.  

Registration for the Ellinomatheia Exams must be submitted to the OCS Testing Center between February 1, 2025, and March 20, 2025.  

Online applications can be completed at:  

http://www.greek-language.gr/certification/application/index.html 

Information you will need to fill out the application form include:  

• Examination Center: Odyssey Charter School  

• Examination Center Code: 10021  

• Proof of Identity: passport or school ID will suffice.  

• Level:  

• Code No: The code of the applicant will be supplied by the examination center after the process is completed.  

• Registration fee: The fee for the A1, A2 & B1 exams is 90 Euros. The fee for B2, C1 & C2 exams is 100 Euros. Please consult with your bank or a currency conversion website such as the two listed below before making your payment, to insure you are paying the correct amount at the time of your payment. CurrencyConverterrate.com or XE.com  

• Payment methods: Fees may be paid by check (attached to your application) or by cash. If you are writing a check to pay for the registration fee, please make it out to Odyssey Charter School.  

Please note: OCS cannot accommodate payments by credit card.  

Please read the application instructions carefully, answer all questions on the form, and if you agree with the terms, sign the form before submitting it to the school. The registration fee must accompany your application. No application will be processed by the Greek Ministry of Education if it is not completed in its entirety, or if it is not accompanied by the required fee.  

Whether you are mailing in or dropping off the packet at OCS, please address it to:  

Attention: Kyriakoula Micha
Odyssey Charter School
High School Campus-Building # 23 

4319 Lancaster Pike  

Wilmington DE 19805  

If you should require further information, please contact Kyriakoula Micha  

Sincerely,  

Kyriakoula Micha, MSEd. 

Supervisor of the Ellinomatheia Exams  

Ellinomatheia Exams 2025  

The Ellinomatheia Examination center of the OCS (10021) would like to inform all interested participants on behalf of the Division for the Support and Promotion of the Greek Language of the Centre for the Greek Language, the final 2025 dates for the conduct of the examinations for the attainment in Greek.  

Levels.                                                                                   Dates
A1 (for children 8-12)                                                Tuesday 20th May (morning) 

A1 (for adolescents and adults).                           Tuesday 20th May (morning)
A2                                                                                           Tuesday 20th May (afternoon)
B1                                                                                            Thursday 22nd (morning)
B2                                                                                           Wednesday 21st May (morning)
C1                                                                                           Wednesday 21st May (afternoon)
C2                                                                                           Thursday 22nd May (afternoon) 

Registration: From February 1, 2025, to March 20, 2025 

Please Note: You will need to bring a copy of the applicant’s passport or a photo ID. The oral examination will follow the written exam.  

2025 Ellinomatheia Application
2025 Ellinomatheia Exam Dates & Fees
2025 Ellinomatheia Questionnaire
2025 Ellinomatheia Questionnaire for A1 Level only

For more information, please contact Ms. Kyriakoula Micha at: Kyriakoula.micha@odyssey.k12.de.us  

Assignments, assessments, and grades provide valuable feedback about what a student is learning and how they are progressing. With this information, teachers and administrators can monitor teaching and learning and make changes, if necessary, to ensure that students are provided with foundational skills and knowledge that help prepare them for success in school and beyond.Odyssey Charter School uses the following tests to evaluate student and teacher performance.

Smarter Balanced (SB): SB is the primary assessment given to students across the state to assess student learning in English language arts and mathematics. Smarter Balanced assessments are delivered online and are designed to give parents and educators in-depth information about student progress. SB employs national benchmarks (Common Core State Standards) that will allow educators to compare student achievement between schools, districts, and participating states to ensure that students are making adequate progress. This assessment is administered in the spring of each year in grades 3-8, High School Biology, and 11th grade Social Studies.

Delaware System of Student Assessments (DeSSA): DeSSA Social Studies through-year testing is administered in 4th-8th grade. Grades 5 and 7 are administered in the Fall and Spring; Grades 4,6, and 8 are administered in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. DeSSA Science is administered in grades 5 and 8 in the Spring.

i-Ready: The i-Ready program is an adaptive online learning platform that provides personalized instruction and assessments in reading and math to help students build essential skills at their own pace.

Advanced Placement (AP): High School students who have taken college-level AP courses are encouraged to take the course’s AP test. Scores on these tests help university advisors decide whether a student may be exempt from taking that course in college. The College Board establishes the dates for AP exams. These typically are scheduled for the first two weeks in May.

SAT/PSAT: The SAT is paper/pencil assessment that is used measure a high school student’s readiness for college and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants. Odyssey Charter School administers the PSAT/SAT to all high school students in grades 9-11 to measure student learning. The PSAT is given to 9th and 10th grade and the SAT is given to 11th grade students. The PSAT is typically administered in the fall and the SAT is given to all 11th graders in the state in the spring.

NAEP – National Assessment of Educational Progress Select students in 4th and 8th grade will be participating in NAEP during the 2025-2026 academic school year. Please use the links below to learn more about this assessment and to view our parent letters.

• • Parent’s Page on Nation’s Report Card Website
  • What Every Parent Should Know About NAEP: PDF Version
  • What Every Parent Should Know About NAEP: Video Version
  • Sample Question Booklets
  • OCS Grade 4 Parent Letter: PDF Version
  • OCS Grade 8 Parent Letter: PDF Version

Ellinomatheia Exams: Ellinomatheia Exams are exams for Greek Language Proficiency Certification. Ellinomatheia is a worldwide test developed by the Center for Greek Language. Click here for more information.

If you have any questions regarding assessments, please reach out to Juliana Sheehan.

Door Security & Announcing Yourself

• During the school day entry to the Odyssey buildings can only be attained by ringing the doorbell. You will be asked to announce your reason for requesting entry.
• All Parents/Visitors MUST report to the office to receive a visitor’s identification badge.
• All Parents/Visitors will be required to submit a Photo ID or license prior to receiving a badge, and must sign in and out. ID will be returned when leaving.
• Parents/Visitors will not be allowed to go to their child’s classroom while school is in session without an arranged meeting with the teacher.
• In rare circumstances, for the safety of our students it may be necessary to temporarily deny entry.

We are pleased to announce that the “Boundless Journey Gala” held on February 2nd successfully raised over $110,000 to further the mission and vision of the school. The administration and the Board of Directors extend their thanks and appreciation to the Order of AHEPA, as well as the Gala committee, and all of the generous donors that made the night a success. Details of the Gala can be found in the local AHEPA Wilmington Chapter #95 press release, which is included below, along with a link to a video on a school visit and the evening event.

We are most grateful to AHEPA Past Supreme President Carl Hollister, Supreme President George Loucas, and Supreme Treasurer George Horiates for making the Gala a reality, and for their commitment to Odyssey as a national AHEPA project. Odyssey has greatly benefitted from their support and generosity. Σας ευχαριστούμε πολύ!

Denise Parks, Head of School
Riccardo Stoeckicht, Campus Operations Officer
Josiah Wolcott, Board President

Press Release

Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) Program
FLES is an acronym that stands for Foreign Language in the Elementary School. It is an approach to language learning that allows students to develop basic communication skills in a foreign language while reinforcing and enriching content being learned in other disciplines, such as math, science, and social studies.
Odyssey Charter School’s FLES program consists of two classes per day, Greek Language and Math in Greek, taught to all students from grades K through 4, totaling approximately 90 minutes of exposure to Greek per student per day. This model supports the five goal areas of the national standards for world languages (communication, culture, connections, comparisons, and communities) and is aligned with the Delaware World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (2016).
The FLES program develops students’ proficiency in the Greek language through task- and project-based learning either of the Greek language specifically or of mathematics content. The goal of FLES at OCS is to develop students’ language proficiency and 21st century skills.

Why start a foreign language at the elementary level?
The FLES program at OCS provides all elementary students with language learning opportunities. Research indicates that the early study of a second language results in cognitive benefits, gains in academic achievement, and increases in self-esteem, creativity, and positive attitudes toward diversity.

Program Goals
The goals of the FLES program at OCS are:

• To teach a foreign language at a critical age for language acquisition
• To develop increased functional proficiency in all aspects of the Greek language with each year of study
• To develop students’ skills in the three modes of communication: Interpretive, Presentational and Interpretive
• To promote academic excellence by teaching students to communicate effectively in at least two languages
• To cultivate a lifelong love for language learning
• To help students make connections between languages
• To build an understanding and appreciation for other cultures by developing multicultural awareness and a more global perspective
• To prepare students to compete in the global economy
• To give students 21st Century Skills
• To develop increased cognitive skills

FLES Proficiency Targets
After completing the K-5 sequence, students are expected to perform at a proficiency level within the Novice-Mid to Novice-high standard of proficiency, as established by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) K-12 Proficiency Guidelines. Students at this level:

• Engage in simple conversations, relying on memorized speech patterns
• Talk about familiar subjects; describe surroundings and people, give time, date and weather information
• Give opinions on things (like/don’t like)
• Ask simple questions
• Respond to language that they read and hear

The FLES model at OCS
At OCS we take foreign language instruction very seriously: Our Greek language/subject faculty are highly qualified teachers – with credentials from Greece and the U.S. – and the school provides them with ongoing professional development.
Our curriculum is based on (a) the Common Core State Standards in ELA and mathematics, (b) the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (ACTFL), (c) the ACTFL can-do benchmarks which state the performance indicators for foreign language learners, and (d) the certification of attainment in Greek (Center for the Greek Language)

In Middle School, the Greek Language program at OCS builds on the FLES program. In particular, in grade 6 the school offers 5 hours of Greek language instruction per week and a class on Greek visual arts. This course enriches the cultural aspect of the Greek language program by involving students in creative projects, which are related to Greek history, culture and arts.

In grades 7 and 8, the Greek program focuses on developing students’ academic language and on their ability to communicate in speaking and writing, both fluently and accurately. In these grades, the language program is further reinforced with a Greek Exploratory class. This is a course on Greek Mythology, which combines English Language Arts, through the reading of stories, with the visual arts. The aim of the course is to enrich students’ knowledge of Greek Mythology and discuss the influence of those myths on contemporary society.
By the end of grade 8, students are expected to reach a level of intermediate mid to intermediate high, as established by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) K-12 Proficiency Guidelines. Students at this level:

• spontaneously access vocabulary to speak about familiar and occasionally unfamiliar subjects
• speak confidently about present time actions and other time frames
• describe, explain and compare
• ask pointed, relevant questions
• confidently apply circumlocution strategies

In Middle School, students may also elect to participate in the Ellinomatheia exams, the official Greek proficiency exam used by the Greek Ministry of Education and recognized throughout Europe, in order to attain certification for their level of Greek. The school is a center for the Ellinomatheia exams and provides further support to those students by organizing extra language classes at no cost to families.

The Greek Language Program
In the High School, the Greek Language program at OCS is fully aligned with the standards and curricular approach recommended by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Greek language curriculum is in place for both newly enrolled and continuing OCS students. In accordance with the ACTFL standards, our goal is for all 12th grade continuing OCS students to attain the Intermediate-High level to Advance-Mid of Greek language proficiency. These proficiency levels are equivalent to the B1 and B2 levels of certification, which can be earned by passing the Ellinomatheia exams. The certificates can later be applied towards college credits. Additionally, students who have attained either of these certificates in Greek language will be eligible to apply for a State of Delaware Certificate of Multiliteracy.
9th grade continuing OCS students who have earned a passing score on the Greek Language proficiency exam will enroll in Greek Studies coursework, and will also have the option of enrolling in Accelerated Greek language courses (there are four levels), The Dual Language course (Greek and English) or another foreign language through electives. 12th grade students at an advanced level of Greek and with an interest in researching a specific subject matter will also have the opportunity to undertake an Independent Study course with a member of the Greek Faculty.
Odyssey Charter School requires successful completion of three credits of Greek Language/Greek Studies for graduation. For students first entering OCS at the school level, at least two of those credits must be earned in Greek Language courses. Greek Language acquisition is an integral part of Odyssey Charter School’s mission. All students attending OCS High School must comply with these language requirements. Please note that Greek Language and Greek Studies coursework is academically rigorous and demanding. It is vital that incoming students understand and readily accept these conditions and requirements. Commitment by student and family is critical to successful completion of Greek Language and Greek Studies courses and credits.
While Greek language acquisition is the paramount objective of the Greek Language courses, students will also gain insight into Greek culture, Greek history, and the foundations of Hellenism. These courses embody one of the primary missions of Odyssey Charter High School: the employment of foreign language attainment as the vehicle for engagement in classical education.

Greek Studies: Connecting the dots between Ancient Greece and modern culture
The three levels of Greek Studies courses (each with their own area of focus) are designed to weave together the strands of Greek history, literature, culture and other areas of the humanities, as well as exploring Greece’s contributions to world civilization in various spheres, such as mathematics, science, philosophy and politics which have been touched upon thematically in grades K-8.
With their participation in these courses, students will have the opportunity to learn about Greek culture and identity from the ancient period to the present day. This knowledge is presented in a living, breathing context, the better to gain insight not only into Greece and the Greeks, but also into our shared and unique cultural identities.

The Greek Program Beyond the School Setting

NEW OCS Parents – Transportation

Preparing for the 2025-2026 School Year

Bus Routes 2025-2026:

K-5 – OCS Routes
6-12 – OCS Routes

K-5 – Half Day OCS Routes
6-12 – Half Day OCS Routes

Activity Run

Transportation Changes

Please do not change/modify your child(ren)’s transportation method or bus route without contacting the OCS Transportation Department in advance. All transportation requests must be made 72 hours before a change is made so the Transportation department can ensure the safety and well-being of all students and can locate them at all times.

If you have transportation questions, please email transportation@odyssey.k12.de.us, or call (302) 516-8000 options 5, 9.