FLVS Students and Staff Give Back
By Guest Blogger on February 17th, 2017
Random acts of kindness are enough to make anyone’s day.
Whether it is holding a door open, paying it forward in line at Starbucks, or helping someone carry in groceries, we all have the capacity to be kind on a daily basis. This year, in order to celebrate National Random Acts of Kindness Day (February 17), we spoke with some awesome FLVS students that really know what it means to be caring and kind.
The Creative Writing club is participating in an ongoing service project that started in February and runs through March. There are many ways that students of the club can help out. They can donate books, read to someone, help out at the library, or even volunteer as a reading, writing, or English tutor. So far, the Creating Writing Club members have donated 25 books.
The STEM/Science Club at FLVS recently participated in a clothing drive. Sometimes it can be easy to take something as simple as the clothes on our back for granted. Continue reading
Visiting the Orlando Science Center
By Guest Blogger on February 16th, 2017
This post was originally published on the blog of an FLVS Flex Elementary parent.
Rea is homeschooled and a part-time elementary student at Florida Virtual School. I supplement the rest of her life with educational goodness…at least I try.
Rea’s school recently planned a state-wide field trip. These field trips took place in six different cities across the state. We opted for the Orlando one, since Rea’s teacher would be there. So, the kids and I got up early on Friday morning and drove to the Orlando Science Center.
If you have never been, and happen to be in the area, GO! It’s so cool! This place is four floors of interactive science exhibits. I’ll be honest, my son was NOT happy that I dragged him along with his sister. He told me many times he wished he was at his school.
He looked at the map with me, and he decided seeing dinosaurs wouldn’t be too bad. His grumpy attitude disappeared when we made it up to the fourth floor. The dinos did not disappoint. Continue reading
Meet FLVS Student Olivia McComb
By Guest Blogger on February 9th, 2017
This article was originally written and published in the FLVS student newspaper, News in a Click.
For FLVS student Olivia McComb, music is her life.
As a classic rock musician based in Sarasota, Florida, the 15-year-old has been singing “ever since she could talk.” Olivia has performed live at multiple venues singing both classic rock and 90’s music.
She says, “I entertained the idea of being a singer for many years, but when I was 11, I started taking the idea seriously and at 13 I started training my voice to sing professionally.”
A teen of many talents, Olivia primarily plays seven instruments: guitar, piano, drums and cajon, bass, ukulele and tambourine.
In addition, she enjoys writing her own songs and lyrics. “Playing around with progressions on guitar and piano is extremely fun.” Continue reading
Love and Respect Yourself and Those You Love
By Guest Blogger on February 6th, 2017
This is the eighth post in a series by former FLVS student Makaila, a model, author, and student advocate.
When I think of February, the first thing that pops into my mind is Valentine’s Day.
Go figure…
Valentine’s Day seems to be the only thing that people think about when February rolls around. Love is in the air (and sometimes the leap year is too), but more importantly, Valentine’s Day approaches and poses a dramatic urgency with questions like “Will I be single?” or “Do they like me?”
All questions that, at the time, seem to be the main focus.
I remember when I was in school, every Valentine’s Day my peers would anxiously await the teddy bears and notes that the SGA (Student Government) delivered to certain kids. The concept was something like a candy gram, but instead, you could be given a teddy bear and note. The whole thing was either anonymous or your crush would tell you over the note. Continue reading
The Impact of Professional Development in CTE
By Guest Blogger on February 3rd, 2017
I recently attended the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) conference, and I can tell you that it did not disappoint!
Having only been to the FLVS In-Service Training Days, I was not entirely sure what to expect. After sitting through the first general session, I knew what I was going to get: several days of highly-informative exhibits and sessions presented by enthusiastic Career and Technical Education (CTE) instructors.
The conference had plenty of specialized vendor exhibits and interesting conference speakers. And the sessions – there were so many from which to choose!
I had my pick of a number of high-interest topics dealing with general CTE classroom strategies, resources that were specific to computer and tech courses, and sessions on policies affecting the future of CTE education. It was quite overwhelming – it took me a while to sort through all the options to find the perfect ones to attend. Continue reading
Smell the Roses
By Guest Blogger on February 1st, 2017
This post was written by Cheyenne, a student in the FLVS Creative Writing Club, for her peers with a passion for writing.
I can say, more often than not, that I prefer to schedule as much of my day as I possibly can.
There have been instances when I throw organization to the wind and let the day lead me as it pleases, without so much as a pause to think about how little I completed during my waking hours.
Eventually, it began to wear on me how much time I seem to waste, but how little time I have to be productive. I have become accustomed to writing down my itinerary – scheduling my day minute by minute – simply because I can no longer stand the thought of letting a minute go by, unnamed and unused, in my day without purpose.
I discovered quickly, though, how easy it is to make a schedule but fall out of pace with it. I cannot give inspiration a time slot; like the butterflies in spring or the cool breath of winter, inspiration will come and go as it pleases. It may not visit me at all on some days, and therefore, the time I reserved for writing goes unused. Continue reading
Choose Your Education
By Guest Blogger on January 25th, 2017
Having choices is a beautiful thing.
And it is especially powerful to have a choice when it comes to education. For an entire week (Jan. 22-28), we celebrate National School Choice Week to help bring awareness to all of the different ways students can be educated.
Whether being taught at home, at a brick-and-mortar school, a private school, a magnet school, or even virtually, you or your children are learning, and that’s what really matters.
Here are some excerpts from our Florida Virtual School teachers describing how attending school virtually seems to be the best fit for these students: Continue reading
A Writer’s Resolutions
By Guest Blogger on January 17th, 2017
This post was written by Olivia, a student in the FLVS Creative Writing Club.
I don’t usually make resolutions. I find that they often get forgotten amongst other priorities and the typical hustle and bustle of everyday life. But this year, I have made a few resolutions that I hope to keep – all involving writing and its influence on my life.
Amidst the typical busy schedule of academics, extracurricular activities, clubs, school events and preparing for college, it can be extremely difficult to dedicate time to creativity. I have found that it often gets left on the back burner: an afterthought among more pressing obligations.
As an involved student, this issue affected my writing process for far too long. I often found myself staying up scribbling ideas in a notebook or waking up early to try to fit writing into my schedule in 2016. In light of the New Year, I am excited to dedicate more time to my creative process as I move into the final stages of editing my novel. Continue reading
12 Months of Life Skills for Student Success
By Guest Blogger on January 13th, 2017
As we start a new year, educators and parents all have a common goal for 2017 – to ensure that our children have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful for college and a future career.
What if we each set a goal to teach our students one skill a month?
If all of our students put this plan into action today, can you imagine the impact we could make on our future generation?
Today’s workplace values creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication skills. Managing time, setting goals, handling stress, and a variety of other skills can help students succeed in all of these areas.
Ready to get started? Check out the guide below and set reminders on your phone or calendar to help you stay on track. Continue reading
Thank you to Florida’s First Responders
By Guest Blogger on January 11th, 2017
When my son was just three years old, he came very close to being swept away at sea. I wish this was an understatement.
My family and I were visiting our aunt and uncle who lived on Hutchinson Island during the winter. It was a comfortable December day and we strolled out to the beach to walk along the shoreline and see the ocean. There was no intent to go swimming. Maybe I didn’t make that clear enough to my toddler; he didn’t listen to mommy about not going into the water.
Taking off our shoes and putting our feet in was fine, but he quickly darted farther out—the receding tide was deceptive. I literally lunged toward him just in time to grab his tiny arm as a massive wave toppled over us both. I was knocked off my feet and completely submerged, doing my best to hoist him upward to where I believed the sky was.
Ah, I still get a shiver at the thought of what would’ve happened if I hadn’t been able to secure him in time. Continue reading