Week of the Young Child
By Guest Blogger on April 26th, 2017
This week, the National Association for the Education of Young Children is recognizing young learners by celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, and their families.
I can think of no better time to observe the importance of educating young students.
As the FLVS Full Time school leader for Kindergarten – 5th grade at our statewide tuition-free public school, I see the hard work and tireless efforts our teachers, families, and staff make to encourage and celebrate our young learners every day.
Online schools like FLVS Full Time bring high-quality education to some of the state’s littlest learners, providing a standards-aligned curriculum, structure, and support to families who seek increased flexibility, a safe learning environment, or more involvement in their student’s education.
For young students at FLVS Full Time, a parent or trusted adult plays a key role as a Learning Coach, working closely with the teacher to create a supportive learning environment in the home. While teachers are responsible for the instruction of students—providing lessons, working through the curriculum, and grading assignments—the Learning Coach helps oversee the academics at home. Continue reading
Ready…Set…Test!
By Guest Blogger on April 24th, 2017
We all deal with the grueling task of being tested, whether we are in grade school, in college, on the job site – or dealing with everyday situations (parenting, teaching, etc.).
It seems we face some sort of test in our life every day, whether a paper/pencil exam or making the right moral choices. As a school counselor, I am tasked with assisting students and parents with making the right choices to successfully work their way through school – academically, socially, and emotionally.
Today I want to focus on the academic realm and the tests and exams that all students must go through. I’ll share tools to help them be successful when faced with these assessments.
Some of the points I will share can cross into other facets of tests that we all go through in our personal and professional lives as well.
Be sure to save this handy acrostic blog post full of tips for your next big exam!
R.E.A.D.Y. … S.E.T. … T.E.S.T. Continue reading
When Will I Ever Use Math?
By Guest Blogger on April 21st, 2017
No matter what subject we face, the FLVS Curriculum Development team strives to connect complex concepts with everyday examples to motivate student learning.
This commitment to real-world connections is particularly helpful for anyone who has ever struggled with math.
What may have felt like a boring lesson in the past is now power-packed with exciting FLVS approaches to mathematical concepts!
Every click in an FLVS mathematics course answers the question, “When am I ever gonna use this?” Continue reading
Pinwheels for Prevention
By Guest Blogger on April 18th, 2017
This post was written in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
My first realization that not all parents behave as loving parents was in the third grade with news that Penny’s mom had hit her over the head with a trophy. It was shocking, as child abuse was not a topic you typically heard of in the 70s, but conversations soon sprouted throughout our small suburban school and community.
Fast forward to today, and news of children being neglected and abused is far too prevalent.
Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and loving environment and it is our duty as parents, educators—as humans—to look after them.
Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed pinwheels have popped up in your community and throughout Florida. A ceremony was held in Tallahassee earlier this month on the lawn of the Turlington Building, which serves as the home of the Florida Department of Education. These pinwheels represent Pinwheels for Prevention, a national campaign that engages communities in a coordinated effort to prevent child abuse. Continue reading
Elementary Students Attend FLVS Day at the Capitol
By Guest Blogger on April 17th, 2017
Pictured from left to right: Adriana, Andrew, and Branden with FLVS Communications Specialists Diana Furey & Suzan Kurdak
If you ask me, there is nothing like the rush of sharing with our state legislators the unique ways FLVS serves Florida students, and it’s even better when students themselves get to share their stories.
On April 5, 2017, that’s exactly what happened in Tallahassee.
Florida Virtual School executives, board members, staff, parents, and students walked into the state Capitol with a mission.
It was FLVS Day at the Capitol and we wanted our state Senators and Representatives to know how important access to virtual education is for students of all ages. Right now, students in grades 2-5 wishing to take FLVS courses on a part-time basis have to meet a list of eligibility requirements, with the most problematic being that they must have been enrolled in a Florida public school the entire year prior.
House Bill 833 and Senate Bills 868 and 692 remove those eligibility requirements.
Passing these bills means FLVS Flex Elementary students can continue their education with FLVS, allowing them to learn from the hospital, abroad, and from home without restriction. Continue reading
Make, Bake, Partake – Volunteering at School
By Guest Blogger on April 17th, 2017
My mom was blessed with the baking and hospitality gene. As far back as I can recall, she loved to play hostess—still does, and when people come over, she has a quiet way of honoring them and making them feel special. It shows in the details, from a sparkling clean house to using the good dishes and serving delectable treats.
I remember my mom volunteered to be the class mom for Mrs. Kast’s second grade class in New York. I glowed whenever she’d come into my classroom to drop off some cut outs for a project we were working on, or when she’d bring in homemade cupcakes for a class party. And while I just thought I had the coolest mom in the world, she had sneakily found a way to stay connected to me during the school day.
April is Florida School Volunteer Appreciation Month and today marks the first day of Public School Volunteer Week. Continue reading
Be the “Good” Kid
By Guest Blogger on April 6th, 2017
This is the tenth post in a series by former FLVS student Makaila, a model, author, and student advocate.
High school welcomes territories that were once uncharted.
What’s crazy about the media today is that they push the likeness of drugs and drinking on shows geared for young kids, like us. It can be difficult to see things on television or on your favorite show and not wonder what they are. And if we’re going to be honest, sometimes it affects us.
We see some of our favorite celebrities drinking at a party or smoking something they shouldn’t, and we start to think it’s normal…that it is normal to drink and party the way the television portrays people of our age doing.
The line becomes blurred and people start to do things they normally wouldn’t, all because they want to fit in and be “cool.” It’s an interesting way to think about it.
The people you surround yourself with are sure to affect you in one aspect or another and only build upon these existing ideas. Peer pressure surely influences this beast. Continue reading
How FLVS Has Impacted My Daughters
By Guest Blogger on April 3rd, 2017
My family and I are so thankful for FLVS that words can’t express enough how we feel. You see, I went to college to be a teacher assistant and I used to teach Pre-K, so I firmly believe in education through the public school system. Our plan for our first daughter, Riley Marie, was public school, just like all her other friends and family. But in 2015, our whole world changed.
My second daughter, Holly Berlin, was born in January 2015 with a life-threatening genetic disease called Cystic Fibrosis. This disease changed the way we lived, traveled, ate, and even socialized. This disease can progress tremendously overnight with just one simple sickness such as the common cold.
What do most elementary kids have to battle their first year in school? That’s right: colds, viruses, and more.
Even though it was our newborn who was affected with this disease, we had to make the decision to protect her from any of these viruses entering our home, which is why we decided to homeschool our older child to prevent her from spreading these viruses. Continue reading
FLVS Discussion-Based Assessments (DBAs): Options and Alternatives
By Guest Blogger on March 31st, 2017
If you missed our quick-start video about discussion-based assessments (DBAs), don’t worry! In this post, we’re sharing a great recap that covers everything you need to know.
At FLVS, we want students to be successful and completely comfortable when learning online. This includes discussion-based assessments. Even though some students may get nervous or anxious, just remember that DBAs are simply a verbal conversation between you and your teacher.
DBAs are one of the ways we ensure academic integrity (and make sure that it’s actually you doing the work). This is why teachers need to hear directly from you! They will be referencing the work you have done and speaking to students and parents multiple times throughout the course, so there is a common thread of communication that helps teachers connect a face (or voice) to the same student they see in live lessons and through submitted work. DBAs are also there for teachers to help you! Continue reading
Aliens and Explosions
By Guest Blogger on March 30th, 2017
This post was written by FLVS student Sarah Weyand about her award-winning research in astrophysics.
My science fair journey began about a year ago.
I was approached by a Harvard graduate who wanted to mentor a high school senior in an astrophysics and computer science research project.
I knew nothing about astronomy and I didn’t know a single programming language, but I love space and I plan to major in computer science in college. Naturally, I said yes. This project has taken me to the Science Talent Search, the Indian River Regional Science and Engineering Fair, and, now, the State Science Fair.
My project is titled Aliens and Explosions: How Supernovae Affect the Habitable Zones of Exoplanets.
The purpose of the project is to calculate the percentage of exoplanets, a planet that does not orbit our Sun, that would no longer be in the habitable zone of their host star due to a supernova, the explosive death of a massive star. Continue reading