Student Achievement
What Travel Has Meant to My Career
By Guest Blogger on October 12th, 2015
This is the sixth post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
Traveling has been such an amazing opportunity for me in so many ways.
It’s taught me more than I ever could have learned from solely reading books. It’s showed me how to relate with people and find ways to communicate with others, even if we don’t speak the same language. You begin to realize deep down we’re not all that different.
Traveling has been an extremely liberating experience, though it wasn’t always easy. It pushes you and constantly forces you out of your comfort zone. Early on I had to find a way to be able to continue school while traveling. FLVS was such a great way to be able to do that. There were times when I was in the middle of the jungle in Central America, monkeys were swinging above my head and I was still able to take a test online. Continue reading
Congrats to our 2015 Photo Contest Winners
By Florida Virtual School on September 26th, 2015
This year, we saw all kinds of inspiring and amazing student stories in our fall photo contest.
Over the last two months, students have been sharing images on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook showing how they have succeeded with the help of Florida Virtual School. In the photo caption, students were asked to explain how FLVS has allowed them to do great things using the hashtag #SuccessAtFLVS.
Three winners were chosen – one at random, one by popular vote, and one selected by FLVS judges. We received images from hospitalized and homebound students, students entering the ROTC, community service volunteers, musicians, artists, athletes, and aspiring entrepreneurs – all of which made us wish we could have chosen more of you!
Continue reading
Never Stop Exploring
By Guest Blogger on September 4th, 2015
This is the fifth post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
In Margret Mitchell’s novel, “Gone with the Wind,” Gerald O’Hara states that, “Land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it’s the only thing that lasts.” While I agree that the preservation of natural places is one of the most important goals, Mitchell’s character is only partly right, in that there are other things in life worth the effort as well. There are non-material events and knowledge, which are incommensurable. Continue reading
5 Ways to Stay Safe While Traveling the World
By Guest Blogger on August 5th, 2015
This is the fourth post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
Travel Safety Awareness Month is the perfect time to address one of the questions we were often asked before leaving on an around-the-world trek.
“Aren’t you afraid to travel to other countries with your family?”
As we all know, there is risk in nearly everything we do. Whether taking a shower, driving to work, walking across the street, shopping at the grocery store, going to the movie theater, or skydiving, there is inherent risk in everything we do. If you don’t think so, just count the number of attorney ads on TV, radio, and social media. Even after our trek, the question of safety continues to be asked when I give talks about our adventure.
Making the Journey the Destination
By Guest Blogger on July 14th, 2015
This is the third post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
“There once was a man who became unstuck in the world. He realized that he was not his car, he realized that he was not his job, he was not his phone, his desk or his shoes. Like a boat cut from its anchor, he’d begin to drift. He took the wind for a map, he took the sky for a clock, and he set off with no destination. He was never lost.” – Castles in the Sky
Seeing the world will change your life.
There is simply no way around it. Once you take the first step in your journey to understand a new culture, learn a different language, climb a higher mountain, or sail across a deeper sea, you will never be the same. Continue reading
Preparing for College: Start Early, Be Consistent, Finish Strong
By Amy LaGrasta on July 3rd, 2015
Many students fall into the trap of thinking college is something they need to start considering their senior year.
Students who wait until then, however, will be much more than a day late and a dollar short (more like four years too late and thousands of dollars short).
The fact is the time to start thinking about college is when you are selecting your freshman courses. It can be argued that it begins much earlier than this even – through the development of soft skills like time management, study habits, and a growth mindset for example, but that is a different post. Continue reading
Florida Virtual School Full Time Hosts Third Graduation
By Guest Blogger on June 22nd, 2015
Over 200 Florida Virtual School Full Time students walked across the stage of the CFE Arena at the University of Central Florida on June 4, 2015 to receive their high school diplomas.
About 1,500 family members of the graduates filled the stands of the arena, along with staff members from the school including board members, guidance counselors and instructors.
Also in attendance was Ronald Blocker, the school’s newest president and chief executive officer who replaced founder Julie Young after her retirement in 2014, and chief operating officer, William Gordon. Continue reading
Traveling the World with Family: A Mom’s Perspective
By Guest Blogger on June 5th, 2015
This is the second post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
When Mike and I decided to take off for a year to travel the world with our three teenage sons, the decision was the easy part.
Walking away from the life we currently knew was the difficult part. After we made the decision in 2005, we went into planning mode. We all had our respective roles.
In between running an online business, homeschooling our three sons through Florida Virtual School, and carting them to various activities, I spent copious hours researching travel websites and books, creating a budget, and finding places where we could immerse ourselves in the culture. What we all discovered is that planning is definitely necessary, however, it is also equally important to have a plan B, C, or D. An even better option is to learn to go with the flow! Continue reading
Don’t Procrastinate, Motivate!
By Amy LaGrasta on May 26th, 2015
Motivation is literally a desire to do things.
It is crucial to attaining goals.
Motivation is the difference between getting up and doing something or being a couch potato all day.
Whether you want to motivate yourself, colleagues, classmates, or children…here are some proven methods to improve your motivation and to motivate those around you. From setting goals to persevering through difficult challenges, these tips will help you accomplish all kinds of great things!
Blended School Receives Teens for Jeans Grant
By Guest Blogger on May 6th, 2015
Western Eagle Bilingual School is a private blended school in Mayagüez, PR that has been using FlexPoint Education Cloud curriculum since 2010. They recently participated in a national campaign to collect jeans for homeless teenagers sponsored by Aeropostale and DoSomething.org called Teens for Jeans. Read their story here:
As I was reading “Leadership for Students,” published by the National Association of Secondary School Principals for NJHS and NHS Members, I came across a short article about a school in the United States that participated in DoSomething.org’s Teen for Jeans campaign by donating 500 jeans. I thought to myself, we can collect even more than that at our school!
The challenge was on. Continue reading