About Us

|Address | Admissions | Attendance | Dress Code | Home Learning | Map to School | Phone/Fax Number | School Hours  |

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About Us:

Biscayne Elementary Community School (BECS) was established in 1941 and is part of the Miami Beach Senior High School Feeder
Pattern. Biscayne Elementary School students attend Nautilus Middle School and Miami Beach Senior High School. Over the years, it
has evolved into a nurturing and dynamic educational environment that services the needs of the entire community. Our community is
caring and concerned, as can be evidenced by the many school community partners that we currently have such as: Health Connect,
UM Pediatric, The Miami Beach Benevolent Association, City of Miami Beach Truancy Prevention Program, Informed Families, Boy
Scouts of America, Costco, Publix and Walgreens. The student body is comprised of 905 students from Pre-K through sixth grade of
which 84 percent are Hispanic, six percent are White, eight percent are Black and two percent are other. 91 percent of families qualify
for free or reduced lunch which makes BECS a Title I school. Additonally, 26 percent of the students are English Language Learners
(ELL), 11 percent are Gifted, and seven percent are students with disabilities (SWD). Based on the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
statistics, 17 percent of students in grades 3 through 6 scored a level 1 and 17 percent scored a level 2 on the 2007 FCAT Reading
Assessment. 14 percent scored of the students in grades 3 through 6 scored a level 1 and 21 percent scored a level 2 on the 2007
FCAT Mathematics Assessment.

Several factors influence the dynamics of Biscayne Elementary Community School. Average class size at Biscayne Elementary
Community School is 17.23 for the primary and 18.38 for the intermediate classes. The mobility rate is 32 percent. The retention rate is 7.2 percent with 21 students retained in grade 3. Staff atendance is 94.2 percent and student attendance is 95.2 percent.

Biscayne Elementary Community School offers various programs including the Extended Foreign Language Program (EFL), Gifted
Program for students in first through sixth grade, Chorus, and a Strings Program. Through the community school, we offer a variety of
enrichment classes for students including ballet, computer training and self-defense classes as well as educational courses for adults.

Biscayne Elementary Community School has 76 teachers employed at the school. Of these teachers, 13 percent are African-American, 32 percent are White, and 55 percent are Hispanic. Further analysis also shows that 37 percent of our teachers have a Masters Degree, 12 percent have a Specialists Degree, four percent have a Doctoral Degree, and eight percent have achieved National Board Certification.

The School Improvement Plan (SIP) for our school aims at improving student achievement and the overall well being of our students in
various areas including reading, writing, mathematics, science, technology, parental involvement, discipline and safety, health and
physical fitness, extracurricular activities and our use of funds to maximize returns. Our School Improvement Plan through the
objectives listed below, reflects our efforts to fulfill our school’s mission of “achieving academic excellence in a safe and healthy
environment”.

 

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Admissions

Pre-kindergarten students must be four years of age on or before September 1st of the school year in which they are enrolling. They must also meet specific economic criteria for pre-k, which is now federally funded by Title I. New kindergarten students must be five years old and new first graders must be six years old on or before September 1st. A student entering in school for the first time must have a current physical examination and immunization records must be complete. Age must be verified by a birth certificate.

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School Hours
8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Prekindergarten through First Grade
8:30a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Second through Sixth Grades

All grades are dismissed at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

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Attendance
Regular attendance is essential for academic achievement; therefore the School Board of Miami-Dade County has adopted a policy which allows for no more than 10 days of unexcused absences during the year. It defines excused absences as:
  •  Student illness
  • Medical appointment
  • Death in immediate family
  • Observance of a religious holiday
  • School-sponsored event or activity previously approved

All other absences are unexcused with the exception of Outdoor Suspensions. A failing grade will be issued for any work missed on the day(s) in question, if the student does not complete the work immediately after returning to school.

Every absence must be followed-up with a note from a parent/guardian indicating the nature of the absence. If a student is going to be absent for two or more days, please notify the office and your child's teacher at (305) 868-7727.

Note: Students with ten unexcused absences are enrolled in the Truancy Intervention Program (TIP). This program is operated by the State Attorney's Office, in conjunction with M-DCPS and holds parents responsible for their child's school attendance.

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Dress Code
We are a mandatory uniform school!
This means that all students are required to dress in uniform each day. Students are also encouraged to take pride in their appearance. They are expected to come to school well groomed and neatly dressed in clothes suitable for school activities. The school's uniform consists of selected styles in dark blue pants, shorts or skirts, white polo, yellow polo, white button down shirt or blouse and blue plaid skirts, shorts or jumper.

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Home Learning
Reading is recognized as an integral part of each home learning assignment. Students are required to read nightly for at least 30 minutes. Additionally, students are to read at least five books each grading period and to maintain a reading log. Younger students or those not able to read on their own may fulfill this requirement by having someone read to them. Home learning assignments are given daily and should follow these guidelines:

 

Grade Level
Frequency of Assignnments
Time
K-1
Daily (5 days a week)
30 minutes
2-3
Daily (5 days a week)
30 minutes
4-5
Daily (5 days a week)
30 minutes
 

Note: Teachers are responsible for assigning home learning and having it checked. Students are responsible for knowing what the assignment is, completing it, and returning it on time. Parents should encourage the timely completion of home learning and provide an appropriate study area.

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Phone Number is (305) 868-7727                Fax Number is (305) 864-5543

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Address:

800 77 street Miami Beach, FL 33141

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Map to School
 
Great Schools web site - FCAT data for last 3 years, student population, teacher data, map