Health
Start Fresh with Health & Wellness Courses or Clubs
By Florida Virtual School on January 3rd, 2022
New Year’s resolutions can be easy to make and even easier to break, but having goals for the new year—especially health and wellness ones—can help you start fresh. Florida Virtual School (FLVS) has courses and clubs to help you connect with friends, learn new strategies for taking care of your mind and body, and achieve success in 2022!
Continue readingWays for Online Elementary Students to Stay Active
By Guest Blogger on September 22nd, 2020
As children are being educated at home, there are many changes in their daily routines – and ours, as parents. We find ourselves being the professionals and spending a lot of time supporting our children with academics and keeping them active, busy, and happy. This is quite a bit to juggle and it can be hard to keep all those balls in the air!
One thing that our children may be missing out on while learning at home is regular physical activity and possibly a formal physical education curriculum. This need not be the case with FLVS!
Continue readingStudent Focus: Health & Homebound Edition
By Florida Virtual School on February 21st, 2020
All of our Florida Virtual School students are each amazing and have unique stories to tell. We’ve showcased athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs—but FLVS offers flexible schedules and personalization to others as well, including those who may not be able to attend a physical school due to health complications.
In our latest edition of our Student Focus blog series, we are honored to feature students who are enrolled with FLVS because they have special healthcare needs.
Continue readingCultivating Critical Thinkers
By Guest Blogger on January 23rd, 2018
French philosopher Descartes may have been on to something when he said, “I think therefore I am.”
At FLVS, we want students to not only think, but think critically. Critical thinkers have the ability to improve their thinking through systematic self-assessment and reflection. Continue reading
Donuts, Desserts, and Dieting
By Guest Blogger on March 17th, 2017
This is the ninth post in a series by former FLVS student Makaila, a model, author, and student advocate.
Fun fact:
You just so happen to only have one body and the way you treat it will follow you for the rest of your life.
As kids, I know we like to sit down on the couch and pop open a bottle of Coke and binge on potato chips, but let me tell you: those days are dwindling. And by dwindling, I don’t mean that you couldn’t eat this way as an adult, because the truth is, you can. But your metabolism won’t be as great as it used to be.
Growing up in the entertainment industry, and especially as a model, I always had to watch what I ate. I never had a stage where I was so privileged enough to eat McDonalds or swing by Cold Stone every day. I was the kid who packed celery and rolled meats. Gross, I know.
I guess I never really knew anything different. While my friends went out to eat junk food, I sat at the same table and watched. So my perspective is a little different when it comes to what you eat. There were times I was jealous. I wanted to eat junk food like the rest of my friends and be a normal teen. Continue reading
6 Ways to Handle School-Related Stress
By Guest Blogger on February 22nd, 2017
Stressed out about upcoming exams? Thinking ahead to AP or EOC (End-of-Course) exams? Graduating this year and still finishing scholarship essays or college applications?
Don’t stress! These tips from two 11th grade students at FLVS can help. Here’s what Tamar and Jade have to say to help you stay on track:
As students adjust to spring school schedules, the second semester often brings a higher level of stress. It can be very difficult to get used to having new subjects, new teachers, and going back to a structured routine.
Unfortunately, many students buckle under the pressure. If you are one of those students, don’t let stress become overwhelming!
Here are six quick ways to handle school-related stress. Continue reading
How Career & Technical Education Changed My Life
By Guest Blogger on February 21st, 2017
In honor of Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, I would like to reflect on the influence CTE has had on my life – even though I didn’t realize it until a decade later.
As a teenager, I wasn’t a big fan of school. Classes, homework, and way too much science! I couldn’t stand it.
However, every time I left my rural campus to assist nurses at the local hospital, I felt the thrill of escape and the fun of doing something new. So, for all the wrong reasons, I enrolled in my high school’s nursing program and was quickly on my way to plenty of time not in school. The perfect plan!
It didn’t take long for me to learn my first CTE lesson: there is much more to a nursing program than wearing scrubs and getting out of class. I’d signed up for a daily, three-hour block of anatomy and physiology, as well as an introduction to nursing skills. Yep, my brilliant plan to escape school somehow locked me into three hours of science a day. 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
Redefining the Three Rs
By Guest Blogger on June 17th, 2016
Relax, Refocus, and Recharge
Not long ago, I came across an online article 16 Signs You’re a Little (or a lot) Type A. The title is a bit of a contradiction because you are really not “Type A” but, as the article points out, you might be in that “spectrum of behaviors or traits.”
Now, before we go any further, I encourage you to read the article to find out if you are a little, or a lot, Type A. (In full disclosure, I LIVE 13 out of the 16 signs!)
The good news is that being “this way” can help you stay on task or give you job security, since it’s believed many employers are looking for us! The bad news is that this term was coined by a doctor who studied a connection between a certain type (A) person and heart problems. Yikes! Continue reading
Suicide Prevention Week
By Guest Blogger on September 8th, 2015
The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) estimates that there are about 800,000 suicides worldwide each year.
That number is probably higher considering that shame and harsh judgment can often accompany news of a suicide, making it easier for family and loved ones to shroud a suicide in other ways. This devastating statistic makes one thing very clear – we need to start talking about it in order to stop it.
September 7-13 marks National Suicide Prevention Week and it is the week surrounding World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10. You may be wondering what you can do. Continue reading