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Red Ribbon Week 2015

By Amy LaGrasta on October 26th, 2015

Don’t Wait to Talk to Your Child About Drugs!

While it may seem difficult or feel awkward, it is important that parents have these conversations and keep the lines of communication open. Research shows that talking to your child early and often is key.

According to the National Family Partnership, children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42 percent less likely to use drugs than those who don’t, yet only a quarter of teens report having these conversations.

Almost 90 percent of youth reported that their parents would strongly disapprove of their trying marijuana once or twice. Among these youths, only 5.1 percent had used marijuana in the past month. However, Continue reading

Writing: A Family Affair

By Florida Virtual School on October 20th, 2015

This is one of several posts celebrating Connected Educator Month during the month of October. October 20th is National Day on Writing and we are joining The National Council of Teachers of English to celebrate how writing helps us connect. Join the #WhyIWrite and #CE15 discussions on Twitter to share your thoughts!

As we celebrate the National Day on Writing today, what better way to encourage our younger writers than by getting them involved in daily family routines that involve writing!

When my daughter was younger, she helped me write our grocery list every week. She loved using the “special” checklist notepaper I kept on the fridge and writing the words she already knew (milk, juice, apples, cereal). For new words, I encouraged her to “sound it out” and write it the way she heard it.

Now that she’s older, we take it a step further and have her be in charge of the list – checking off each item as we pick them from the shelves at the store. Continue reading

#WhyIWrite – National Day on Writing

By Guest Blogger on October 17th, 2015

I taught Language Arts and English for many years.

As far back as I can remember, I have loved the English language. Having the opportunity to teach my passion was truly such a gift. Part of teaching English was teaching writing. And that by far was one of my greatest joys. Passing on a passion for writing to my students has always been an important goal for me. So dedicating an entire day to the celebration that is writing, well, that’s pretty special to me. This year we will celebrate “National Day on Writing,” on October 20th. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Why I Write.”

I write for so many reasons. I write to tether intangible emotions to something as concrete as words. I write to inspire, to grow, to change. I believe that language is a powerful tool and shaping it into phrases to share my story makes a difference. Continue reading

What Successful People Know

By Guest Blogger on September 28th, 2015

No one likes to fail.

No one likes the feeling of failure, that lead rock deep inside your gut weighing you down. And for a long time, I was afraid of failure. This was because I didn’t understand what successful people know.

What successful people know is that failure doesn’t have to be the worst thing. It doesn’t have to ruin us or break us. In fact, the incredibly beautiful fact about failure is that it is as much a part of success as hard work, as talent, as passion, and drive. Failure is actually a huge piece of the success puzzle. It’s just that most people never recognize it. The sooner we realize that failure is just one part of the road to success, the sooner we can learn from our failures, get back on track, and grow. This is what it means to have a Growth Mindset. Continue reading

Congrats to our 2015 Photo Contest Winners

By Florida Virtual School on September 26th, 2015

This year, we saw all kinds of inspiring and amazing student stories in our fall photo contest.

Over the last two months, students have been sharing images on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook showing how they have succeeded with the help of Florida Virtual School. In the photo caption, students were asked to explain how FLVS has allowed them to do great things using the hashtag #SuccessAtFLVS.

Three winners were chosen – one at random, one by popular vote, and one selected by FLVS judges. We received images from hospitalized and homebound students, students entering the ROTC, community service volunteers, musicians, artists, athletes, and aspiring entrepreneurs – all of which made us wish we could have chosen more of you!
Continue reading

FLVS Annual Virtual Science Fair Now Open

By Guest Blogger on September 24th, 2015

Are you a Florida Virtual School student with a knack for science?

Then you should consider entering the 10th Annual Virtual Science Fair (VSF) at Florida Virtual School! The Virtual Science Fair offers students a chance to participate in student-led experiments. Top placing students will advance to the Dr. Nelson Ying Orange County Science Exposition, along with the potential to earn various awards, prizes, and scholarships.

Last year, FLVS student Jillian Hanley advanced to the State Science & Engineering Fair of Florida, earning an $84,000 scholarship along with a number of other cash awards!

Official entry forms are due by October 12, 2015. Continue reading

Student Articles from News in a Click

By Guest Blogger on September 23rd, 2015

Have you visited the new and improved website for the Florida Virtual School student newspaper, News in a Click, lately?

If not, you’re missing out! News In A Click (NIAC) is an award-winning online student newspaper, created and published completely online by FLVS students. By collaborating weekly in Blackboard, the club’s virtual newsroom, the News in a Click staff is able to brainstorm article ideas, write, edit, and create content.

NIAC and its staff members have won several state and national awards from the Florida Scholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll for writing, photography, and design. Check out a few recent articles from the paper below! Continue reading

Got Notes?

By Florida Virtual School on September 17th, 2015

Picture this:

You are in front of your screen, you have logged into your live lesson, and your instructor is about to start.

He or she reminds you to “take notes!” You find yourself unprepared, so you either open a Word document (which by the end of the lesson remains basically blank) or you hastily gather a pen and a paper napkin left in your room from last night’s pizza. At the end of the lesson, you barely have a few notes and the main idea of today’s lesson eludes you like the ghost of Christmas past…

Sigh…sound familiar? Continue reading

Never Stop Exploring

By Guest Blogger on September 4th, 2015

This is the fifth post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

In Margret Mitchell’s novel, “Gone with the Wind,” Gerald O’Hara states that, “Land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it’s the only thing that lasts.” While I agree that the preservation of natural places is one of the most important goals, Mitchell’s character is only partly right, in that there are other things in life worth the effort as well. There are non-material events and knowledge, which are incommensurable. Continue reading

Students Need Champions

By Guest Blogger on August 26th, 2015

August 26th is “Women’s Equality Day,” so what better time than today to reflect back on the women who have made a difference in this world.

For me, a very special woman comes to mind. She was a teacher from Texas who changed so many lives and affected so many other teachers and students. Her name was Rita Pierson. And though I never met her, listening to her talk about teaching and learning provided me with the foundation I try to base my work on every day.

Mrs. Pierson gave a Ted Talk back in May 2013 that now has almost 5 million views. In her talk she shared some of the best advice I’ve ever heard about teaching. Here are just some of the beautiful words Rita shared with us and just a few reasons why she is a woman I admire greatly.