Homeschool Edition
FLVS Career and Technical Education Course Tour
By Guest Blogger on December 10th, 2015
Computer Science Education Week is a great time to think about getting certified with FLVS!
But what exactly does getting a technical certification mean?
With more than 20 Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses to choose from at FLVS, you can earn certifications from companies like Microsoft, Adobe, and Cisco. A certification shows employers that you have the most current skills and that you meet performance standards within the tech industry—an industry that continues to grow every year.
Interested in Computer Programming, Networking, or Digital Media and Design? With CTE courses at FLVS, you may be able to get a jump start on college credit and earn a weighted credit to boost your GPA. Continue reading
Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle While Traveling
By Guest Blogger on December 9th, 2015
This is the eighth post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
Whether you are planning a “stay-cation” or a global yearlong adventure around the world similar to ours, staying healthy, happy, and fit while traveling can present a few obstacles.
Maintaining healthy eating habits at home can be difficult and doing the same on the road requires even more due-diligence. Preplanning is the key, and can mean the difference between completely abandoning your healthy lifestyle or keeping you on track.
Incorporate some or all the following tips we’ve used to ensure you have a healthy, happy trip.
Continue reading
Books, Books, Books!
By Guest Blogger on December 4th, 2015
“Divergent,” “War and Peace,” “Twilight,” “The Madman’s Daughter” . . .
Whether or not you love the written word, or you just like a good adventure, we all have books we just adore. What better way to explore the awesomely crazy realm of the written word than with a book club! It doesn’t matter if you love romance, sci-fi, fantasy, or indie books. The FLVS Book Club provides students with entertainment and knowledge about these wonderful genres.
In the FLVS Book Club, our sponsors and student leaders make sure that your reading experience is an awesome one by offering fantastic, and sometimes hilarious, summaries of the events that transpire in books. We also play sweet games based (at least loosely) on the books we’re currently reading. Continue reading
Student Gives at Animal Shelter and Gains Much More
By Guest Blogger on November 24th, 2015
This month, we asked students to share ways they give back in their communities using #flvsgiving on social media. This post was written by one of our students who volunteers at her local animal shelter.
Hi, I’m Alexis Lamphere.
I’m a senior at FLVS and I currently volunteer with the Osceola County Animals Services in Saint Cloud.
In addition to volunteering my time, I foster kittens that are underweight or too young to be adopted and don’t have a mother cat to take care of them.
Working at the shelter is honestly a life-changing experience. I’m given the chance to help improve and change many lives every day. It teaches you to be selfless and you start to have an endless love for each animal. You start to care about the animal’s happiness more than your own and he/she becomes more than “just some dog” or “just some cat.” The animal becomes a loved one, a friend, and part of your heart. Continue reading
Join an Hour of Code!
By Guest Blogger on November 23rd, 2015
Computers are everywhere, but fewer schools teach computer science than 10 years ago.
The good news is, we’re on our way to change this. If you’ve heard about the Hour of Code before, you might know it made history. More than 100 million students have tried an Hour of Code with fun online games and tutorials featuring Star Wars, Minecraft, and Frozen.
This year, students of the FLVS STEM Club will give presentations about creating websites and more. Last year, every Apple Store in the world hosted an Hour of Code and even President Obama wrote his first line of code as part of the campaign.
Over 100 partners have joined together to support this movement. Continue reading
National Novel Writing Month
By Guest Blogger on November 21st, 2015
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as I’ve matured, it’s that everyone has a story to tell.
And, that our stories matter. Whether you’re a student, parent, grandparent, teacher, homemaker, hairstylist, or CEO, your story is important and only you can tell it. Did you know that it’s been estimated that 81 percent of Americans say they dream of being an author? That’s roughly 200 million people! I admit I am one of the 200 million, and it’s been a long road, but I will be publishing my book this year.
Have you ever thought of writing a book but didn’t know how to start? Continue reading
Military Family Appreciation
By Guest Blogger on November 19th, 2015
November is Military Family Appreciation Month.
While we should make sure to thank our military families each and every day, setting aside some time to truly reflect on their service and to honor them for their sacrifice is also super important.
My family, and especially my dad, has always made it a point to thank our men and women in service who give so much to protect our freedom. Before enjoying our meals, each and every night before bed, and every holiday as we gathered as a family, we would thank the military.
Thank them for giving us the gift of togetherness and safety. Thank them for standing guard in a million different ways to ensure we get to live the greatest life imaginable. Continue reading
Travel is the Ultimate Education
By Guest Blogger on November 16th, 2015
This is the seventh post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
Recently, friends of ours withdrew their nine-year old daughter from school to take her with them to Washington, D.C. and Iceland.
They planned to tour the nation’s capital before leaving for Iceland for the family’s first trip abroad. To do so, Jennifer (not her real name), would miss approximately a week of school. Jennifer’s mom contacted the school well in advance and completed the necessary paperwork to request an excused absence. She outlined in detail all that Jennifer would experience and see during the trip.
However, the school principal did not respond and after repeated calls asking for an update, it was time to leave. Continue reading
The Power of Picture Books
By Guest Blogger on November 13th, 2015
On my day off this week, I find myself eagerly drafting my first blog post for FLVS because (as all writers understand) I not only enjoy writing, I need to write.
So given my literacy background and current position as a first grade teacher at FLVS, I think I’ve chosen the right topic for me and you, my readers. Author Randy Pausch eloquently says, “Your passion must come from the things that fuel you from the inside.”
My own children were quite young when I started my career in early childhood education, but it was clear to me then (and even clearer now) that I am passionate about beautiful picture books and quality children’s literature. Continue reading
November is National Scholarship Month
By Amy LaGrasta on November 12th, 2015
It’s never too early to start thinking about how to pay for college.
Paying for college is a costly endeavor. Figuring out how to pay for college can be confusing and difficult. While student loans must be paid back, scholarship money can pay for tuition and fees directly and does not have to be paid back. A scholarship reduces the amount of loans and out-of-pocket expenses you must pay. Therefore, scholarships are the best answer for many students.
The good news is that scholarships are easier than ever to find and apply for thanks to online tools that can connect students to billions of dollars’ worth of funds. There are scholarships out there for everyone! You can find scholarships for being left handed, good at soccer, art, or just for being tall! Continue reading