Homeschool Edition
My Holiday Wish
By Guest Blogger on December 12th, 2014
My holiday wish this year is for all of you to be healthy, safe, and most of all, happy. Recently, I posted the following status on my Facebook page as a call to action for my network:
“Private message me if you or someone you know needs something this holiday season… someone to talk to, gifts for children, hope, holiday decorations, pies for the office Christmas party, money for the electric bill, career advice, whatever. Instead of contributing to a charity in our typical fashion, this year my husband and I have decided that we would like to contribute to you.” Continue reading
Meet FLVS Student Samantha Morris
By Guest Blogger on December 5th, 2014
FLVS students are quite amazing, as we all know, but some of them absolutely excel in multiple areas. Samantha Morris, FLVS veteran, is a superstar journalist, scientist, researcher, and leader.
Looking at Samantha’s impressive resume will easily exhaust anyone. She has achieved awards for her academic talents, writing, and interest in science. Samantha was recently named an AP Scholar with Distinction by the College Board and was named a National Gold Key Winner by the Quill and Scroll International Journalism Honor Society for her opinion writing.
At FLVS, she was named “2013 Student of the Year” and “2014 Shining Star.” Continue reading
“Clash Man” Becomes a Leader
By Guest Blogger on December 2nd, 2014
I sometimes wonder if my three years in middle school were harder than my three years in a refugee camp.
On the fashion front, I wore the same shirt to school three times a week and earned the name “Clash Man.” In 8th grade, I got kicked off my basketball team and my family was forced to move into low-income housing. At my new school, I got my first D in math, and Cs in some of my other classes.
If you would have asked me if I was a leader, I would have laughed. I was trying to survive each day of school and hoping that life would get better.
Life did get better, but not because I got better housing or a new wardrobe. Continue reading
Increase your Student’s Success in School
By Guest Blogger on November 28th, 2014
Take a free course designed to help your student!
Just in time for Florida Parental Involvement in Education Month, Florida Virtual School is proud to announce a free course created just for parents! Secrets to Student Success Revealed is free on Udemy.com.
We have taken research proven strategies from experienced educators and crafted a free course for parents and educators to learn these strategies in a quick and easy format. If you’d love to know how to motivate your child, talk to your child, advocate for your child, and even learn how your child’s brain works as well as steps you can take to improve his/her sleep, nutrition, and exercise, then Secrets to Student Success Revealed is for you. Continue reading
Give Thanks for Teachers
By Guest Blogger on November 25th, 2014
School is out this week in celebration of Thanksgiving, which seems appropriate, because this year I am most thankful for teachers. If there is a teacher at your pilgrim celebration, please let them have the biggest drumstick, the last piece of pumpkin pie, or the preferred napping spot in front of the football game. This year, more than ever, they have earned it.
Education is in a cycle of dramatic change (thankfully) but in lieu of a better system, traditional schools are placing more burdens on classroom teachers. Administrators add accountability metrics, but take away autonomy. Districts add high stakes testing, but take away class time for teaching. States add new standards, demand new teaching methods, and require new paperwork, while reducing budgets, salaries, and benefits. Not exactly what most teachers signed up for. Continue reading
What Went Wrong?
By Guest Blogger on November 14th, 2014
Katie had never imagined she’d be living month to month, in constant fear that she wouldn’t have enough to pay her rent. After all, Katie had a college degree and a job.
When I met Katie, she was 23 years old and working her dream job at a non-profit. She didn’t have any credit card debt. What had gone wrong?
Katie had massive student loans from college, totaling more than $128,000. Katie’s salary was $32,000 and more than $12,000 of that went to pay the debt and interest. Continue reading
Meet FLVS Student Aubrey Quintanilla
By Guest Blogger on October 20th, 2014
FLVS student Aubrey Quintanilla is more than just your regular student – she’s also a springboard diver and all-star volunteer!
Aubrey started swimming when she was 10 years old after her sister received a flyer about classes. She was already involved in gymnastics when she saw the opportunity to mix the two together – it seemed nothing short of thrilling! At age 11, she started in regionals…and the rest is history!
Aubrey has been involved in a competition just about every two weeks of the year since then. Her practice schedule is just as intense – training five days a week for two hours a day (or four hours a day when she’s not in school).
Cave Bro is on the Loose!
By Guest Blogger on October 10th, 2014
If you’ve ever wanted to see what happens when you feed a caveman nothing but cupcakes, now’s your chance.
Florida Virtual School recently released Cave Bro in both the Google Play and iTunes stores. This free game teaches students how to make good nutritional choices in a fun and fast-paced style. Students can also experience Cave Bro in upcoming releases of the FLVS Health and PE courses.
Cave Bro has been frozen for more than 30,000 years, so needless to say he’s hungry and will eat anything. It’s up to players to decide what he eats, how much, and how often. Good choices win. Bad choices create one really cranky caveman.
Back-to-School Basics for Parents and Students
By Guest Blogger on August 12th, 2014
Every student and parent (well most of them anyway) gets excited for the start of a new school year. Students are ready to meet their new teachers, new classmates, show off their new clothes, and start the year off on the right foot.
Parents are excited too, but for different reasons. Usually they are just thrilled to get the kids out of the house, as the summer months can seem way too long for some parents.
The following is a list of tips to help students have a successful year – and that might even remind parents of some important strategies they should be utilizing. Continue reading
What’s New in Career & Technical Education at FLVS?
By Guest Blogger on August 7th, 2014
It would likely be easier to list what ISN’T new with FLVS Get Certified: Career and Technical Education Courses! Since you learned about the many benefits of industry certification in my previous posts, our teams have been quite busy increasing the options and opportunities for students to prepare for and earn those certifications.
In July 2014, we added 12 new certification preparation courses – with another eight to follow this fall! That’s a total of 22 new opportunities for students to show colleges and employers that they have the skills needed for success! Continue reading