Parent Edition
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
Happy Veteran’s Day From a Teacher to our Soldiers
By Guest Blogger on November 7th, 2014
With Veteran’s Day around the corner, I’m ashamed to admit that my thoughts rarely venture far from my desk and home and towards the men and women who at this moment are fighting for our freedom. We have the privilege of living in this great nation and we often take this for granted. As I sit down to write my blog this month, I realized that as a teacher, I not only have the honor of living in our country, but I’m entrusted with passing on the history of our proud nation and preparing the next generation to prosper.
I strongly feel that education is the key to lasting freedom. It is the reason why Malala Yousafzai risked her life to advocate for the rights of education for women. It is even the reason why more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped in northern Nigeria by Boko Haram. These acts demonstrate the true power that education holds.
So, this Veteran’s Day and next Memorial Day and all the days in between, take a few extra moments to honor our soldiers. Ensure that their service and sacrifice are not in vain. Uphold the importance of education in your family and community.
Post by Andrea Bracco, 8th Grade Language Arts Instructor
Election Day: Go Vote!
By Guest Blogger on November 4th, 2014
Today marks the end of the numerous political ads, signs, and chatter between colleagues about political candidates (until the next election, anyway). November 4, Election Day… let me tell you a little bit about what this day feels like to us in the policy world.
Today is a day where everyone involved waits. For candidates, there are no more efforts to be made – no more campaign stops or debates. For us policy devotees, there are no more “what if” scenarios running through our heads. It’s finally time to get an answer. It’s time to find out who our elected officials will be. But believe me, the wait feels like forever! Continue reading
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.
Communication – The Disappearing Art Form
By Guest Blogger on September 2nd, 2014
Text, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat…these are but a few of the new and most common ways for today’s generation to communicate. Gone are the days of face-to-face time. Gone are the days of just sitting on the porch and shooting the breeze for hours. Gone are the days of chatting on the phone until late at night and mom coming in and saying “Hey, it’s time to hang up and go to bed.”
Today’s teens spend their hours not speaking with each other, but texting, posting videos, and of course, taking selfies. In May 2014, the term “selfie” joined the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (“Selfie: An image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks.”) It is now a permanent part of the American vocabulary. Today, kids don’t see the need for words, when a selfie can express what life is all about. Continue reading
Reading Aloud to Cats
By Dr. Jeanne Giardino on August 27th, 2014
Did you ever read to your stuffed animals as a child? Perhaps your family pet enjoyed having you share a colorful picture book as he lay by your side with the bed lamp illuminating the pages. Reading aloud to pets allows children to practice their reading skills to a non-judgmental audience.
In my house you can hear, “Here kitty, kitty! I want to read a storybook to you!” all day long. You see, my family cares for homeless kittens and cats for an organization in Central Florida called Candy’s Cats. It gives our family, especially our young daughters, the opportunity to volunteer and learn how to give of themselves. My daughters are responsible for the socialization of the felines we care for. The kitties come to us scared and hissing, but the girls know that reading storybooks to them will help the unsure kittens learn to trust them. It works; and other programs around the country have embraced reading to cats reaping benefits for both the reader and the listener. Continue reading
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