Educator Edition
Meet an FLVS Curriculum Specialist
By Dr. Jeanne Giardino on November 7th, 2016
We are celebrating the 2016-17 school year with a blog series featuring FLVS faculty and staff. Meet the creative and dedicated individuals who make every day a great day at FLVS!
Did you know that FLVS develops our own curriculum for courses?
The Curriculum Innovation Department works from concept to course delivery to provide an exemplary academic experience. The role of a curriculum specialist is to collaborate with his/her project team to create course content that aligns with the state standards and also engages the learner.
Christina Steele has been with FLVS for eight years and has had the opportunity to work in a variety of roles. Coming on board as an Earth Space Science instructor, she eventually took this expertise and became a literacy coach for several years. Therefore, moving to the Curriculum Department was a seamless move, as she uses her expansive literacy and science knowledge to support rigorous content for a variety of FLVS courses.
It is my honor to introduce you to Christina Steele. Continue reading
A Message to FLVS Teachers from Students
By Florida Virtual School on October 31st, 2016
FLVS teachers and staff members recently returned from our annual In-Service Training.
This yearly event is a great time to meet with colleagues face to face, sharpen our skills, and put a few new tricks in our hats.
I was pleasantly surprised to walk into a session in which some of our students were part of a panel telling us what a day in their life is like. They spoke candidly and honestly and some of what they said needs to be in the FLVS Teaching Handbook!
Here are some of those pearls of wisdom, straight from the source. Continue reading
Vote for FLVS Elementary!
By Guest Blogger on October 28th, 2016
The first day I took my son to Kindergarten, there were some chairs stacked outside his classroom in the hallway and I actually thought about climbing up the chairs to “peek in” and see how he was doing.
I wanted to know what he looked like in class, how he did with the other kids, and how the teacher treated him.
At FLVS Elementary, our parents tell us they have learned so much about teaching by watching our first-rate teachers.
Our Elementary program is currently up for an Innovate to Educate award for our “Innovative Class Time for Virtual School Students” and you can help!
Vote for us to win every day on Facebook through October 31, 2016. Continue reading
Meet the FLVS Full Time Director of Instruction
By Dr. Jeanne Giardino on October 27th, 2016
We are celebrating the 2016-17 school year with a blog series featuring FLVS faculty and staff. Meet the creative and dedicated individuals who make every day a great day at FLVS!
Did a parent or teacher ever share with you the old saying “hard work pays off?” Well, it does. Just ask FLVS Full Time Director of Instruction, Katie Santana.
Katie has more than 10 years of experience in the field of education. She joined FLVS as a high school instructor and she has always been committed to ensuring the success of all students. As an Assistant Principal with FLVS Full Time, she strengthened her leadership skills and supported instructors with excellence.
Noticed for her progressive leadership style and friendly nature (she has the best laugh!), Katie was promoted to Principal of FLVS Full Time where she led the school to success earning high scores in state evaluations. Her hard work and strong desire to see all students learn culminated in January 2016 when she was promoted to FLVS Full Time Director of Instruction. Continue reading
Meet the FLVS Flex Elementary Principal
By Dr. Jeanne Giardino on October 21st, 2016
We are celebrating the 2016-17 school year with a blog series featuring FLVS faculty and staff. Meet the creative and dedicated individuals who make every day a great day at FLVS!
Did you know that FLVS has a new FLVS Flex elementary program for grades Kindergarten – Grade 5?
It’s true! The program is even up for an award for its innovative online “Class Time.” (Vote for us on Facebook here through Oct. 31!)
Leading this innovative program is Sarah Sprinkel who serves as its principal and biggest cheerleader. She was one of the program developers working with a team of FLVS administrators, curriculum specialists, school counselors, and teachers to create a virtual education experience that personalizes online elementary curriculum for each and every student enrolled.
Sarah brings her years of experience inspiring elementary school students as a classroom teacher as well as working with school districts on their policies and government relations to enhance early childhood education. As FLVS Elementary program principal, she uses her diverse leadership experiences to ensure the school is exceeding the expectations for the students. Sarah works closely with her dedicated staff of instructors, support staff, and advisors looking forward to expanding the virtual program.
I am honored to share with you my interview with Sarah Sprinkel. Continue reading
Meet an FLVS Instructional Leader
By Dr. Jeanne Giardino on October 19th, 2016
We are celebrating the 2016-17 school year with a blog series featuring FLVS faculty and staff. Meet the creative and dedicated individuals who make every day a great day at FLVS!
When you think of a school principal, you might imagine a friendly administrator grasping a walkie-talkie in one hand and fist bumping the students with the other – a warm and friendly figure guiding the school to success each and every day.
At FLVS, the role of the school principal or “Instructional Leader” is just a little different, but still with the goal of success in mind. In my 10 years of working with FLVS and the Instructional Leaders (ILs), the role of the schoolhouse administrators has changed and evolved into a powerhouse of leadership – ensuring success for both the instructors and students.
FLVS employs more than 1,000 instructors, both full-time and part-time. The sheer number of educators in our organization requires more than just one school principal. FLVS has more than 50 Instructional Leaders supporting instruction and student achievement. They are responsible for supervising, evaluating, and communicating with a large team of instructors, ensuring excellent student/parent customer service, promoting best practices in instruction, analyzing data, and so much more!
And, NO, these administrators do not wear superhero capes. Continue reading
Meet our 2016 Photo Contest Winners
By Florida Virtual School on October 10th, 2016
Over the last several weeks, FLVS students have been sharing what makes them unique in our fall photo contest on social media.
Using Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, participants were asked to submit a photo showing what makes them one-of-a-kind using #IAMFLVS.
It was truly inspiring to see so many entries (including many of our new elementary students!) and hear all of your stories. We also enjoyed following the journey of several students who participated in our contest in years past!
We loved hearing how the flexibility of FLVS allows you to be yourself and follow your dreams.
As we have in previous contests, three winners were selected…one at random, one by our judges, and one by popular vote.
And now, we’re excited to present them to you!
Meet an FLVS School Counselor
By Dr. Jeanne Giardino on September 30th, 2016
We are celebrating the 2016-17 school year with a blog series featuring FLVS faculty and staff. Meet the creative and dedicated individuals who make every day a great day at FLVS!
“What courses do I need to meet the state graduation requirement for online learning?”
“I want to earn a technical certificate in computer programming, so what courses should I take?”
“How do I enroll in a course with prerequisites?”
Ever had a school-related question that you couldn’t quite find the answer to? Who should you reach out to ask all these questions?
The FLVS School Counseling team – that’s who!
Kristie Knight has more than 10 years of school counseling experience that serves her well in the fast-paced environment at FLVS. Her phone never stops ringing – which is a good thing! Continue reading
To Bennu and Back!
By Florida Virtual School on September 29th, 2016
Hello FLVS peeps!
I had the distinct honor of representing FLVS at the OSIRIS REx rocket launch a few weeks ago.
Now if you’re wondering what exactly that means, OSIRIS REx stands for NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer. That’s a mouthful, right?
In a nutshell, NASA is sending a spacecraft to an asteroid named Bennu. Once it reaches Bennu (after a trip lasting two years), the spacecraft will orbit the asteroid for about a year, find the perfect place to collect about 80 grams of the rock, and head back home, arriving back to Earth in 2023.
It won’t actually land on the asteroid, but instead hover over it – and with the help of Canada and their amazing knowledge of spacecraft arms – will grab a small sample. (To put this in perspective, 80 grams is about the equivalent of 80 Skittle candies.)
So why are we going to Bennu? Continue reading
Using Hamilton the Musical in the Classroom
By Guest Blogger on September 28th, 2016
The winner of the 2016 Tony for Best Musical was “Hamilton,” an untraditional, hip-hop musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda about the life of Alexander Hamilton.
The popularity of this musical is impossible to deny – and the most amazing thing is that this hip-hop soundtrack to a founding father’s life has captivated teenagers in a way perhaps no other musical ever has before.
There is no denying this musical crosses age and cultural gaps and has brought a new love for musical theater that is refreshing and powerful. Many teachers are using this incredible soundtrack to start discussions about our history and to reinvent how students study such an important time period.
It is possible teachers of any content could use Hamilton’s addictive appeal to energize their classrooms, but I will share some ideas specifically for English and History teachers. Continue reading