Join the FLVS Summer Brain Challenge!
By Guest Blogger on June 12th, 2015
Did you know your brain is constantly forming new neural connections?
Scientists have made amazing discoveries about the way our brain cells grow and form new circuits – even into adulthood. The trick to that growth is keeping them engaged by exploring new challenges and concepts.
This summer, we are challenging all of our students and their family and friends to show us what new connections your brain can make!
We’re hosting a video contest on social media asking you to show us your skills. All you have to do is share a short video of you learning something crazy and cool like this. Continue reading
Vote for Your Favorite FLVS Lip Sync Video!
By Guest Blogger on June 10th, 2015
It’s time to vote for your favorite Spanish Lip Sync video!
Over the last several weeks, our Spanish students and Spanish Nuts at Play (SNAP) Club members have shared some amazing videos for Señora Miller’s Lip Sync Challenge.
All of our participants were asked to post a lip sync video of a Spanish song on social media – and now we need your help choosing the best submissions!
We’ve narrowed it down to our top 10, but YOU get to choose our final winner!
Simply click “like” below your favorite video below to vote.
Traveling the World with Family: A Mom’s Perspective
By Guest Blogger on June 5th, 2015
This is the second post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
When Mike and I decided to take off for a year to travel the world with our three teenage sons, the decision was the easy part.
Walking away from the life we currently knew was the difficult part. After we made the decision in 2005, we went into planning mode. We all had our respective roles.
In between running an online business, homeschooling our three sons through Florida Virtual School, and carting them to various activities, I spent copious hours researching travel websites and books, creating a budget, and finding places where we could immerse ourselves in the culture. What we all discovered is that planning is definitely necessary, however, it is also equally important to have a plan B, C, or D. An even better option is to learn to go with the flow! Continue reading
Strengths and Weaknesses of Online Learning
By Guest Blogger on June 3rd, 2015
I recently read an article entitled “Strengths & Weaknesses of Online Learning.” The article mentioned the following advantages to online learning:
Flexibility in time and place…Synergy…Student Centered…Access to Resources…High Quality Dialogue…Level Playing Field…Creative Teaching…
I found this interesting, but the weaknesses really caught my attention. Continue reading
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
By Guest Blogger on May 20th, 2015
FLVS Physical Education students may be who you think will be playing hard this month, but this is a call to action for all students, friends, and families.
As you’ll quickly see, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month is not just for PE students, it’s for everyone!
Read on…
But don’t expect to be here too long because soon it will be time to get going and leave your screen behind. Continue reading
A Simple Way to Become a Better Teacher
By Guest Blogger on May 18th, 2015
Some years ago, as a middle school teacher, I attended a national conference where I heard Jane Goodall speak chimpanzee. I returned to my classroom and enthusiastically shared this memorable experience with my students. They were fascinated that a woman could speak like a chimp, and I was able to model for my students the joys of being a life-long learner.
Effective teachers are learners. And one of the best ways for teachers to learn is through attending conferences focused on their content area.
A group of FLVS staff and teachers recently attended the National Council for History Education (NCHE) annual conference in St. Augustine, Florida. The NCHE conference included prominent keynote speakers, historical excursions, and sessions presented by history educators from around the country. Continue reading
Networking 3: Infrastructure
By Guest Blogger on May 12th, 2015
Certification Preparation for uCertify
Ever wanted to know what those Networking courses are all about? Prior to enrollment in our Networking 3, Infrastructure certification test prep course, students should display proficient knowledge about installing, configuring, operating, and troubleshooting medium-sized routed and switched networks. Students must also have successfully completed the Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician certification, available through our Networking 2, Infrastructure course.
The purpose of this course is to prepare students for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) industry certification exam. Students demonstrating successful mastery of the coursework will be provided voucher codes to take the industry certification exam. Continue reading
Innovative Math Instruction
By Guest Blogger on May 8th, 2015
More than ever before, middle school math students are being asked to perform at a higher rate in class and on assessments.
Students are learning higher-level standards and being evaluated in new ways with computer-based testing and interactive tools.
New standards expect students to be able to: make sense of problems and persevere in solving them, reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, model with mathematics, use appropriate tools strategically, look for and make use of structure, and look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. Continue reading
Blended School Receives Teens for Jeans Grant
By Guest Blogger on May 6th, 2015
Western Eagle Bilingual School is a private blended school in Mayagüez, PR that has been using FlexPoint Education Cloud curriculum since 2010. They recently participated in a national campaign to collect jeans for homeless teenagers sponsored by Aeropostale and DoSomething.org called Teens for Jeans. Read their story here:
As I was reading “Leadership for Students,” published by the National Association of Secondary School Principals for NJHS and NHS Members, I came across a short article about a school in the United States that participated in DoSomething.org’s Teen for Jeans campaign by donating 500 jeans. I thought to myself, we can collect even more than that at our school!
The challenge was on. Continue reading
Creating Global Citizens One Country at a Time
By Guest Blogger on May 4th, 2015
This is the first post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
Do you ever dream of traveling the world with your family?
Have you wondered what it would be like to sell or donate all your stuff to become 21st century nomads?
Have you ever considered the benefits of giving students a hands-on, immersive education to complement and enhance a traditional classroom experience?
A series of stories over the next several months by members of the Cooney family (including three FLVS alumni) will answer these and many other questions about what it’s like to travel the world as a family. Continue reading