FLVS Flex Elementary
Elementary Students Attend FLVS Day at the Capitol
By Guest Blogger on April 17th, 2017
Pictured from left to right: Adriana, Andrew, and Branden with FLVS Communications Specialists Diana Furey & Suzan Kurdak
If you ask me, there is nothing like the rush of sharing with our state legislators the unique ways FLVS serves Florida students, and it’s even better when students themselves get to share their stories.
On April 5, 2017, that’s exactly what happened in Tallahassee.
Florida Virtual School executives, board members, staff, parents, and students walked into the state Capitol with a mission.
It was FLVS Day at the Capitol and we wanted our state Senators and Representatives to know how important access to virtual education is for students of all ages. Right now, students in grades 2-5 wishing to take FLVS courses on a part-time basis have to meet a list of eligibility requirements, with the most problematic being that they must have been enrolled in a Florida public school the entire year prior.
House Bill 833 and Senate Bills 868 and 692 remove those eligibility requirements.
Passing these bills means FLVS Flex Elementary students can continue their education with FLVS, allowing them to learn from the hospital, abroad, and from home without restriction. Continue reading
How FLVS Has Impacted My Daughters
By Guest Blogger on April 3rd, 2017
My family and I are so thankful for FLVS that words can’t express enough how we feel. You see, I went to college to be a teacher assistant and I used to teach Pre-K, so I firmly believe in education through the public school system. Our plan for our first daughter, Riley Marie, was public school, just like all her other friends and family. But in 2015, our whole world changed.
My second daughter, Holly Berlin, was born in January 2015 with a life-threatening genetic disease called Cystic Fibrosis. This disease changed the way we lived, traveled, ate, and even socialized. This disease can progress tremendously overnight with just one simple sickness such as the common cold.
What do most elementary kids have to battle their first year in school? That’s right: colds, viruses, and more.
Even though it was our newborn who was affected with this disease, we had to make the decision to protect her from any of these viruses entering our home, which is why we decided to homeschool our older child to prevent her from spreading these viruses. Continue reading
Springing Forward with FLVS Flex Elementary
By Guest Blogger on March 27th, 2017
Spring has sprung!
For those of us in Florida, this can mean so many different things, from getting back on the allergy meds, to getting the hard yard work done before our incredibly long “heat wave” starts. And you got it – I’m talking about the looooooooooooong stretch that starts very soon and often ends in late fall!
But in addition to all the personal connections to this season, spring becomes a reason for teachers to reflect on where we are with our students and our teaching this time of year.
So, let’s start with time. Right about now, you either have adjusted, or are seriously wondering when you finally will adjust, to daylight savings time. Most of us experience that “falling back” in fall is a lot less disruptive than “springing forward” in spring.
It provides a good analogy, because as teachers, flexibility and positively powering through are a part of being on the FLVS Flex Elementary team.
The inevitable changes that come with remarkable growth in an innovative new program are part of our everyday lives and continue to keep our work fresh, exciting, and energizing. Continue reading
FLVS Corkboard: March Highlights
By Florida Virtual School on March 20th, 2017
It’s March, and minus the cold snap madness, spring has sprung—and FLVS continues to sow seeds of learning!
While you may be rooted in the “here and now” of schoolwork and tasks to accomplish this semester, we understand that some of you may already be thinking of life after high school. For many, that may mean college. Or, maybe you think you’d like to go to college but aren’t sure if you “have what it takes” or if you can afford it.
Great news! If you are a student in Florida, you can learn how to prepare for college without leaving your home. (But we do recognize that leaving the home is ultimately the goal of every child—and their parents.)
Virtual College Week
You can explore the notion of college all from your living room if you make plans now to participate in Virtual College Week, April 4-6. Presented by FloridaShines, students and parents can get free expert advice on all things college-related, including the admissions process and financial aid. Gather important information, ask questions, hear from others—demystify college at no cost. Continue reading
When Virtual Class Time is Innovative, Student Engagement Soars
By Guest Blogger on March 10th, 2017
This article was first published by eSchool News and features FLVS Flex Elementary, eSchool Media and Xirrus Innovate to Educate Community Award Winner.
Innovation doesn’t simply involve throwing technology into a classroom. It requires unconventional ideas, foresight, thoughtfulness, and dedication to student learning. And as the world becomes more connected, schools are making every attempt to help students develop the skills they’ll need to be a part of that interconnected world.
In the Florida Virtual School (FLVS), students are learning in unique ways while developing these much-needed skills through individualized and personalized learning methods, said Sarah Sprinkel, FLVS elementary principal.
FLVS is one of two Community Winners in the eSchool Media and Xirrus Innovate to Educate awards program, which recognizes the unique ways schools and districts are leveraging technology to improve student learning.
Continue reading on eSchoolNews →
Supporting Access to Online Education for All
By Guest Blogger on February 23rd, 2017
Today is Digital Learning Day!
It’s a day when the whole nation celebrates all the wonderful benefits of online learning and digital literacy.
You know, everything from the cool and advanced technology of courses and anytime learning, to the digital literacy skills that online learning provides to strengthen a student’s learning experience.
This not only includes finding and learning from digital content, but also creating authentic digital content, and communicating or sharing it in multiple formats.
It also includes valuable soft-skills that today’s employers are asking for – like time management and being efficient in using online resources.
While we are thrilled to be celebrating today with other online learning providers, families, and students, we at FLVS have to admit that we celebrate this stuff everyday!
We can’t help it – our passion for online education comes from our awesome students and families who we serve. It doesn’t take long to see the difference we make in students’ lives, and get excited about what we can do next in order to keep our students thriving. Continue reading
Visiting the Orlando Science Center
By Guest Blogger on February 16th, 2017
This post was originally published on the blog of an FLVS Flex Elementary parent.
Rea is homeschooled and a part-time elementary student at Florida Virtual School. I supplement the rest of her life with educational goodness…at least I try.
Rea’s school recently planned a state-wide field trip. These field trips took place in six different cities across the state. We opted for the Orlando one, since Rea’s teacher would be there. So, the kids and I got up early on Friday morning and drove to the Orlando Science Center.
If you have never been, and happen to be in the area, GO! It’s so cool! This place is four floors of interactive science exhibits. I’ll be honest, my son was NOT happy that I dragged him along with his sister. He told me many times he wished he was at his school.
He looked at the map with me, and he decided seeing dinosaurs wouldn’t be too bad. His grumpy attitude disappeared when we made it up to the fourth floor. The dinos did not disappoint. Continue reading
FLVS Corkboard: February Highlights
By Florida Virtual School on February 15th, 2017
It’s February and we think you’re simply going to LOVE all that FLVS has to offer!
First, we want to remind you that Presidents’ Day is just around the corner. Please note that Monday, Feb. 20 and is a designated holiday break for all FLVS instructors and support staff.
After the long weekend, there are all kinds of opportunities that extend beyond the classroom or courses you select. Here are a few that FLVS is proud to sponsor:
Digital Learning Day
Celebrate Digital Learning Day (DLD) with FLVS next Thursday, Feb. 23. Digital learning can involve any instructional practice that uses technology to strengthen a student’s learning experience. With digital advances ranging from educational apps to new online courses and programs, DLD is a day to keep up with the latest in online education. Be sure to check out our social media pages on this special day next week as we feature a DLD Elementary Takeover on the FLVS Instagram page. Viewers will be able to see “a day in the life” of our very own FLVS elementary students. Connect with us @floridavirtualschool to make sure you don’t miss it!
Choose Your Education
By Guest Blogger on January 25th, 2017
Having choices is a beautiful thing.
And it is especially powerful to have a choice when it comes to education. For an entire week (Jan. 22-28), we celebrate National School Choice Week to help bring awareness to all of the different ways students can be educated.
Whether being taught at home, at a brick-and-mortar school, a private school, a magnet school, or even virtually, you or your children are learning, and that’s what really matters.
Here are some excerpts from our Florida Virtual School teachers describing how attending school virtually seems to be the best fit for these students: Continue reading
Homeschooling: The Big Question
By Guest Blogger on December 26th, 2016
Choosing to homeschool was not something I initially chose.
Sometimes, I think it chose me. At the age of 2, my son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Although the illness is very serious, I truly thought that schooling at the local public school near our home was going to be just fine. After all, I successfully attended public school growing up, so I really didn’t think it would be that different.
Sadly, I was shocked to discover just how much things had changed since I was a child. Within the first two weeks of Kindergarten starting at the local brick-and-mortar school, I found myself having to withdraw my child from public school and enroll him into Florida Virtual School. The bottom line was that the brick-and-mortar school could not truly handle my son’s diabetes, and homeschooling appeared to be the solution.
The idea of homeschooling my son seemed to be rather intimidating, scary, and far-fetched. Continue reading