The Virtual Voice

Tips for Students

Start Your Middle School Experience Off Right

By on August 28th, 2018

For students in middle school who have never taken an online course before, understanding expectations and how to navigate new material and assignments can take some time. Whether your child is taking their first course or their fifth, here are a few tips to help him or her succeed at FLVS.   Continue reading

Class of 2018 Senior Survival Guide

By on May 24th, 2018

Earlier this year, our FLVS Full Time Senior Class officers presented a “Senior Survival Guide” to the current juniors. Their presentation was fantastic and full of great tips from the viewpoint of a student. Whether you’re looking ahead to senior year or graduation is a few years down the road, several of these tips for FLVS students apply to any grade level.

Now without further ado, here are the top 10 tips for surviving senior year at FLVS from our Class of 2018.    

Continue reading

Questions to Ask Before Starting a Team Project

By on May 18th, 2018

My daughter is in high school, and every time her class has a group project, I am sure to hear about it. Why? Because sometimes her archrival happens to be in her group, and other times her best friend is (happy days ahead). No matter what, I’ll hear about the group slacker, and definitely about that controlling person ordering everyone around.

Do these roles sound familiar to you? Many of us can relate, which is unfortunate because teamwork is such an essential soft skill. Some jobs require more teamwork than others, but there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself as part of a team at some point during your life. Continue reading

6 Things to Think About When Starting High School

By on March 15th, 2018

One of the most important times of a student’s life is the transition from middle school to high school. Students often ponder important questions about high school, such as:

What should I wear the first day? How can I get into PE with my best friend? How am I supposed to get from one side of the campus to the other in two minutes?

While these questions might be on the forefront of an 8th grader’s mind, there are other important questions that they want to be thinking of before heading to high school. Continue reading

5 Ways Your FLVS School Counselor Can Help You!

By on September 22nd, 2017

FLVS Flex School Counselors are the direct line to our homeschool families in regards to academic advising, college and career planning, SAT/ACT information, scholarships, and more!

Have you reached out to your FLVS School Counselor lately? If not, now is the time!

Here are five ways your FLVS School Counselor can help you! Continue reading

Ready…Set…Test!

By on April 24th, 2017

Testing TipsWe all deal with the grueling task of being tested, whether we are in grade school, in college, on the job site – or dealing with everyday situations (parenting, teaching, etc.).

It seems we face some sort of test in our life every day, whether a paper/pencil exam or making the right moral choices. As a school counselor, I am tasked with assisting students and parents with making the right choices to successfully work their way through school – academically, socially, and emotionally.

Today I want to focus on the academic realm and the tests and exams that all students must go through. I’ll share tools to help them be successful when faced with these assessments.

Some of the points I will share can cross into other facets of tests that we all go through in our personal and professional lives as well.

Be sure to save this handy acrostic blog post full of tips for your next big exam!

R.E.A.D.Y. … S.E.T. … T.E.S.T. Continue reading

10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

By on April 22nd, 2017

Blog_Earth_Day_2017Earth Day is full of reminders to take time to protect our planet.

Across the state of Florida, local events are planned to pick up trash on the beach, recognize local farmers, and celebrate science and its contributions to ensuring everyone has access to clean water, soil, and air.

Search local events on Facebook to find fairs, speakers, art vendors, and other resources that promote an awareness of sustainable life choices.

Are you volunteering anywhere for Earth Day? Tell us where in the comments below!

Whether you’re heading out for the day or plan to stay at home, these tips can help you make a difference on Earth Day – and every other day too! Continue reading

Why Libraries Still Matter

By on April 11th, 2017

Blog_LibrariesAs a young girl, I always enjoyed visiting my local library.

My librarian, Mrs. Ferris, knew me by name and greeted me with a loving smile. She always had recommendations for great books, from beautiful Caldecott Medal picture books to the latest Newberry Award winners. She knew just the right stories that would captivate me for hours, keeping me up well past my bedtime as I read by the light of a flashlight under my covers.

In the days before the internet became a household staple, the library was my go-to source for answers about life’s most pressing questions. Even with nothing but that clunky card catalog of old, Mrs. Ferris could find resources to answer my many questions within minutes of me asking them. I wanted to know everything there was to know about kangaroos? Got it. Pompeii? Easy. The Holocaust? Let’s try reading Number the Stars and go from there. Continue reading

FLVS DBAs: Options and Alternatives

By on March 31st, 2017

Blog_DBA_FollowupIf you missed our Facebook Live Q&A about discussion-based assessments, don’t worry! In this post, we’re sharing a great video recap that covers everything you need to know.

At FLVS, we want students to be successful and completely comfortable when learning online. This includes discussion-based assessments (DBAs).  Even though some students may get nervous or anxious, just remember that DBAs are simply a verbal conversation between you and your teacher.

DBAs are one of the ways we ensure academic integrity (and make sure that it’s actually you doing the work). This is why teachers need to hear directly from you! They will be referencing the work you have done and speaking to students and parents multiple times throughout the course, so there is a common thread of communication that helps teachers connect a face (or voice) to the same student they see in live lessons and through submitted work. DBAs are also there for teachers to help you! Continue reading