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The Fair will open its doors on March 13th this year to showcase students’ talents and provide families with 18 days of fun! The Fair also provides students with a $2,000 non-renewable scholarship to attend an accredited college, university or certified trade school program. High school seniors or Adult/Vocational students must apply at their school sites. All recipients will be honored at a dinner ceremony at The Fair.
The Walter B. Arnold Youth Hall of Fame award offered by the Fair was created to recognize students in grades 6-12 to reward their outstanding service to their school and/or community. All finalists are honored at a dinner ceremony at The Fair and receive a $100 and a plaque. Inductees to The Youth Hall of Fame receive $1,000 each and their portrait will hang in their honor on the Youth Wall of Fame at The Fair. Students must apply at their schools.
For more information on these and other Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition projects, exhibits and opportunities please log onto The Fair website at www.fairexpo.com, or contact Diana Venturini, Director, at the Office of Community Services at Miami-Dade County Public Schools at 305-995-1367.
Miami-Dade County’s public schools will open their doors Monday, August 20 to start the 2007-2008 school year. The 39 schools in the School Improvement Zone also will start the school year on August 20.
Pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first-grade students will attend school from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Second-through sixth-graders will attend school from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. K-8 Centers will operate 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Wednesdays, all elementary school students will be dismissed at 2 p.m. Please inquire with your child’s school to confirm opening and dismissal times, since various schools have different bell schedules.
Hours at middle schools will be 9 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. Senior high school hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Some elementary, middle and senior high schools as well as some special K-8 and alternative-education centers will operate on individual schedules. Parents should telephone their children's schools for those hours. Various middle schools operate on Senior High school times. Please inquire with your child’s school to confirm begin/dismissal time.
Schools in the Improvement Zone operate on another schedule. Pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first-grade students will attend from 8:20 a.m. to 3 p.m. Second- through sixth-graders will attend school from 8:20 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Wednesdays, all elementary school students will be dismissed at 3 p.m. Hours for senior high schools, grades nine through 12, will be 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. On Wednesdays, all senior high school students will be dismissed at 2:30 p.m. Zone middle schools and some Zone high schools operate on individual schedules. Parents should telephone their children’s schools for those hours.
Parents, who don’t know which school their child will attend, should phone Attendance Services, Maps and Boundaries department at 305-883-5651.
Although there is no cut-off date for registering, students are urged to register early to avoid processing delays and to ensure they can attend school on opening day.
Students entering most of the pre-kindergarten programs must be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2007.
Students entering kindergarten must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2007.
To enter first grade, students must be 6 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2007 and should have successfully completed kindergarten.
Students entering Miami-Dade County’s public schools for the first time must present the following documents:
Two proofs of current address are required in the form of a broker’s or attorney’s statement of parents’ purchase of residence, a properly executed lease agreement, the electric deposit payment receipt or electric bill, and/or a current Homestead Exemption card. Also required is completion of a “Disclosure at Time of Registration” form, which can be obtained from Attendance Services.
Students transferring from other school districts should provide their most recent report card or other records from the last school they attended.
Foreign-born students will follow the same procedures indicated for the native born. First time students, both foreign-born and transfers from other states, may register at their schools. For clarification regarding foreign-born student issues, parents should contact Attendance Services, Foreign Records/Student Visa Department, at 305-884-2044 for the K-12 program, or 305-883-1445 for the adult program.
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Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) serves nutritious meals every day. Students may pre-pay for lunch on-line at www.PayPams.com, or in the school cafeteria with a check or cash. Breakfast is served to students in all Miami-Dade County Public Schools at no charge.
Children from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible for either free or reduced-price lunch. All meals must meet criteria established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Reduced-price lunch costs 40 cents a day.
Each school and the school system’s Department of Food and Nutrition have copies of the policies that are available to the public. M-DCPS follows the federal government’s policy of allowing students to be approved by direct certification. This provision states that students from households that receive Food Stamps or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families are eligible for direct certification. This provision states that students from households that receive Food Stamps or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families are eligible for direct certification. Students approved by direct certification are not required to have an application on file in order to receive lunch at no charge.
Application forms are sent to all homes with a letter to parents or guardians at the beginning of each school year. To apply for free or reduced-price meals, parents and/or guardians of students not approved by direct certification should fill out one application per family, even if children attend different District schools, and return the application to one of the schools involved. Additional copies are available in the principal’s office at each school.
Further information may be obtained from the school system’s Department of Food and Nutrition at 786-275-0400.
NON-DISCRIMINATION: In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20250-9410, or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal-opportunity provider and employer.
Nineteen Miami-Dade public schools are designated as Full Service Schools. They integrate education, medical, and/or social and human services on school grounds to meet the many needs of children and their families.
The Full Service Schools initiative focuses on providing incentives to schools, school districts, and state and local public and private health and human service agencies to develop collaborative relationships that improve access to services for children and their families. Also, the initiative aims to coordinate the provision of services, eliminate unnecessary duplication of services across agencies, and support children’s performance in school.
HEALTH CONNECT IN OUR SCHOOLS (HCiOS)
The Children’s Trust, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Miami-Dade County Health Department along with community partners developed “Health Connect in Our Schools” (HCiOS) during the 2005-2006 school year to address student health and mental health issues in an equitable fashion in all Miami-Dade County schools. Teams of professionals and paraprofessionals (health and mental health providers) will be stationed at over 100 schools during school year 2007-2008. Each successive school year thereafter, an increasing number of schools will receive a health/mental health team.
The goal is to have 100 percent of schools covered by a health/mental health team by 2011. The aim of HCiOS is to connect students to a permanent medical/mental health home outside of the school setting where prevention and promotion of healthy practices lead students and their families to healthier lives as well as improved student achievement.
For more information, contact Ms. Deborah Montilla, Administrative Director, Division of Student Services, Comprehensive Health Program, Full Service Schools and Health Connect in Our Schools 305 995-7324.
Students looking to graduate from a Miami-Dade public high school have three options: the standard four-year, 24-credit program; or two optional accelerated graduation programs, which require students to complete 18 credits within three years. Students and their parents are to select one of the accelerated graduation options no later than the end of ninth grade. If no selection is made, the student will be considered to have selected the four-year, 24-credit standard program.
All three options require students to earn a passing grade on the Grade 10 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and to successfully complete the required coursework. The two accelerated graduation options are the College Preparatory Track and the Career Preparatory Track. A grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale is a graduation requirement for the standard program, while a grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale is required for the college preparatory track and a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is required for the career preparatory track.
For students entering 9th grade in 2007-2008, the graduation requirements have changed. Students will be required to complete the following in order to graduate: four credits in language arts with a major concentration in composition and literature; four credits in mathematics, including Algebra I and Geometry; three credits in science; and three credits in social science; one credit in fine arts; and one credit in physical education with an integration of health. Additionally, students will have to complete four courses in an approved major area of interest; and four credits in electives.
For students who entered 9th grade in 2006-2007 or before, the courses required to graduate include: four credits in language arts with major concentration in composition and literature; three credits in mathematics, including Algebra I and Geometry; three credits in science; and three credits in social science. The standard program requires additional courses, which include one semester each of Life Management Skills, Physical Education, Performing Fine Arts, and Practical Arts, and 8.5 general elective credits. A community service project is also required for students in the standard four-year, 24-credit program.
In addition to the 13 credits listed above that all students must successfully complete, those students who select the College Preparatory Track are required to successfully complete two credits in the same foreign language, three elective credits; and of the 18 required credits, six must be in advanced academic courses, i.e., honors or AP. Students who select the Career Preparatory Track will have to successfully complete from three to five credits are earned in a vocational/career/education program and two elective credits, unless five credits in a vocational/career/education program.
Students and their parents may obtain more information about these graduation options by contacting the middle or senior high school in which the students are enrolled.
Children scheduled to enter pre-kindergarten through 12th grade for the 2007-2008 school year need to be properly immunized or they will not be allowed to enter school.
The state’s school immunization program requires all students attending kindergarten through 12th grade to receive a second dose of measles vaccine.
All children entering Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade must complete a hepatitis B vaccine series in addition to already required immunizations for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps and rubella.
All children entering, attending or transferring into Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, grades 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th in Florida are required to have the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine, or a history, documented on DH Form 680, of varicella disease. This requirement also applies to students retained in grades pre-kindergarten through 6th.
Children may attend school if they are in the process of completing their immunization series and have a valid temporary medical exemption form on file at the school. Only the Florida Department of Health Certificate of Immunization, DH Form 680, can be accepted as verification for immunization compliance.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to contact their health care provider to schedule an appointment for children affected by the school immunization requirement. Required immunizations are covered under most health insurance policies.
Children whose parents cannot afford to pay for vaccines may receive immunizations under the Vaccines For Children program, which provides vaccines free of charge at all county health department centers.
For more information, contact the Special Immunization Program Office of the Miami-Dade County Department of Health at 786-845-0550.
Miami-Dade County's public schools provide various health screenings under the supervision of school or health-care personnel.
Vision screenings will be conducted annually for students in grades Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 6th, 10th, and new students to Florida in 2nd, 4th and 5th grade.
Hearing screenings will be conducted annually for students in grades Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 10th and new students to Florida in the 4th and 5th grades.
Parents of students who fail any of the screenings or appear to have a vision or hearing problem will be advised to seek care from their health care provider.
Each year students in the 6th grade are screened for scoliosis. Students in 10th grade are screened for hypertension.
Behavioral health screenings are a requirement of the district’s Safe Schools/Healthy Students program. All sixth graders in the district will receive a behavioral health screening to address barriers to academic achievement and social/personal adjustment. School and community services will be available to assist identified students.
When students have long-term or chronic illnesses or disabilities that require maintenance type medication, school personnel may assist students in the administration or dispensing of the medication when the medication schedule cannot be adjusted to provide for administration at home.
A parent or guardian must sign a consent form, and a licensed health care provider must sign a written treatment plan that explains the necessity for the medication. These authorization forms need to be filed only once during the school year. When a change in medication is required, the parent or guardian and the physician must submit new authorization forms.
The principal will lock up the medication in a designated area.
For more information, contact Wilma Steiner, R.N., the school system's supervisor of comprehensive health services, at 305-995-1235.
Florida KidCare is the state’s children’s health insurance program for uninsured children from ages 0 to 18. It is made up of four parts: MediKids, Healthy Kids, the Children’s Medical Services Network for children with special health care needs and Medicaid for children. At the time of application, Florida KidCare will check which program the child may be eligible for based on age and family income.
Some Florida KidCare programs may have limited space, and applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. When MediKids, Healthy Kids and the Children’s Medical Services Network are full, enrollment for these programs will close. Medicaid is always open for children who qualify.
To qualify, a child must meet income eligibility requirements and be under age 19, uninsured, a U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen, not be the dependent of a state employee eligible for health insurance, and not be in a public institution.
While there is no charge for Medicaid for children, other programs incur monthly premiums, depending on household size and income. Most families pay $15 or $20 per month. If the cost is more, Florida KidCare will inform the parent(s). There may also be small charges or co-payments for some services. A child who is a member of a federally recognized American Indian or Alaska Native tribe may qualify for no-cost Florida KidCare coverage.
For an application or additional information, call KidCare at 1-888-540-5437, or visit www.floridakidcare.org.
HOLIDAYS
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TEACHER PLANNING DAYS
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RECESS DAYS
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THE K – 12 MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM
The K- 12 Mathematics Curriculum is designed to drive classroom instruction that will help students to understand and use mathematics to reason, communicate, and solve problems in a technological world.
The curriculum’s goals and requirements include the following components:
Teachers will be engaged in continuous professional development that includes the latest brain research, so that they can actively engage their students in making sense of the mathematical concepts they are learning.
The math plan provides a structured approach that improves the capacity of teachers to teach mathematics and to transform teaching practices that focus on the meaning of mathematics and problem solving.
M-DCPS is in partnership with local universities and informal mathematics institutions to provide programs that enhance professional development for teachers and design competitions and outreach programs, as well as internship and mathematics experiences.
For more information, contact Melanie Megias, Administrative Director, Curriculum and Instruction (Mathematics) at 305-995-7079.
MENTORING PROGRAMS
Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) houses numerous mentoring programs, several of which are managed at the District through the Office of Community Services. Mentoring is defined as an alliance of two people that creates a space for dialogue, which results in reflection, action and learning for both.
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS (BBBS): The oldest and largest, not for profit, youth mentoring organization in the United States. The program was started in Miami-Dade County in 1958, serving more than 6,000 Miami-Dade County Public Schools students since its inception. Presently, 38 Miami-Dade public schools participate in the BBBS mentoring program, providing mentoring one-on-one to 404 students.
Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation Scholarship Program (CICF): The program has been involved with Miami-Dade County Public Schools since 2002. CICF provided $100,000, to the original program, which was matched by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation for Citrus Grove Middle and Brownsville Middle Schools. The two schools were chosen by the foundation. The summer of 2006, the foundation awarded an additional $50,000, in scholarships to 10 M-DCPS students. The CICF scholarship funds are now managed by the Take Stock in Children staff at Miami Dade College.
eMentoring Dade County Bar Young Lawyers (DCBA): Approximately 30 young attorneys, who are members of the Florida Bar Association, are mentoring Miami Carol City Senior High and Miami Senior High school students one-on-one attending . The students participating in the DCBA mentoring program are students from the Law Magnet Center for Legal and Public Affairs. Attorneys participating in the program periodically make presentations in the two schools. Also, during the school year the attorneys sponsor field trips to various law firms, allowing the students to be apart of the day-to-day activities in a law firm.
Mentor Leader Program: Implemented in December 2006, the focus is to recruit and train Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ administrators to be matched with a student in one of the three Corrective Action Schools: Miami Central, Miami Edison and Miami Jackson senior high schools.
Listeners School Volunteer Program: The program offers a student the opportunity to interact with an adult who is not in a position of authority. Lacking this authority, the Listener is not expected to try to solve the problems the students might reveal, but to be a facilitator in their own resolution. Currently, there are 114 Listeners involved in the program.
Take Stock in Children Mentoring Scholarship Program (TSIC): A not-for-profit organization serving at-risk youths from low-income families with scholarships, mentors, and hope since 1995. Currently, the Miami-Dade program is serving nearly 400 students. More than 1,000 students have been served since the program’s inception, of which, over 520 have successfully graduated from high school and 468 graduated from college. To date, scholarships totaling $4.6 million have been spent on M-DCPS students. The TSIC Mentoring Scholarship Program is presently operating in 60 Miami-Dade County middle and senior high schools.
WOMEN OF TOMORROW (WOT): The Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program (WOT) is designed to inspire, motivate and empower at-risk young women to live up to their full potential through mentoring by highly accomplished professional women, and the additional incentive of scholarship opportunities. The program is presently housed in 48 Miami-Dade public schools and serves 1,100 students. To date, the WOT mentoring scholarship Program has provided scholarships totaling $1,103,395, since 2000.
5000 Role Models of Excellence: The 5000 Role Models of Excellence program targets at-risk elementary and middle school boys, who are being reared without the benefit of a father or a positive male role model. The program tracks these students through senior high school until graduation and utilizes male role models as resources to empower, promote positive self-esteem and aid in decision making skills. The program operates in 23 elementary, 33 middle and 33 senior high schools. The program currently has 1261 active mentors.
For further information on the mentoring programs managed at the District through the Office of Community Services please contact Patricia Lee, Staff Specialist at 305-995-7317 or email her at plee1@dadeschools.net.
K-12 SCIENCE PLAN
Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ K-12 Science Plan helps students achieve the science literacy necessary for success in post-secondary education and in the workplace.
The plan’s goals and requirements include the following components:
The plan provides a structured approach to improve the capacity of teachers to teach science and to transform teaching practices, which focuses on concept formation and problem solving.
M-DCPS Curriculum and Instruction (science) is in partnership with local universities and informal science institutions to bring programs that enhance professional development for teachers, design competitions, outreach programs, internship experiences and science experiences in general.
For more information, please contact Dr. Cyd Heyliger-Browne, Administrative Director, Office of Curriculum and Instruction (Science), 305-995-1905.
The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida exercises legislative authority over the school system and determines policy in accordance with Florida laws. Each elected official of the nine-member board represents a specific district within the county.
The School Board generally meets once each month on a Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the first-floor auditorium of the School Board Administration Building (SBAB), 1450 N.E. Second Ave. Approved dates are posted in the Citizen Information Center, SBAB Room 158, and on Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ website: www2.dadeschools.net/schoolboard/meetings/schedule_2007.asp. Meetings are open to the public and are broadcast live on WLRN-TV Channel 17 and on WLRN-FM 91.3 as well as webcast on www.wlrn.org.
Interested citizens may address the board on matters listed on the agenda or topics not listed on the agenda by filing a written request with the Citizen Information Center by 4:30 p.m. on the Monday before the meeting. Matters not listed on the agenda are addressed only during public hearings, which are held at approximately 6:30 p.m. Deadlines and procedures, which differ when the Monday deadline is not met, can be obtained by contacting the Citizen Information Center at 305-995-1128. Anyone wishing the service of either a Spanish or Haitian-Creole interpreter when speaking before the Board must request that service in their written request to speak.
Request for appearance before the School Board forms are available online at cic.dadeschools.net at all Regional Centers and at the Citizen Information Center, SBAB Room 158. The fax number is 305-995-1151.
School Board members’ offices are located at the School Board Administration Building. Board members may be contacted at 305-995-1334.
Members of The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida:
• Chair Agustin J. Barrera (District 6)
• Vice Chair Martin Karp (District 3)
• Renier Diaz de la Portilla (District 5)
• Evelyn Langlieb Greer (District 9)
• Perla Tabares Hantman (District 4)
• Robert B. Ingram (District 1)
• Ana Rivas Logan (District 7)
• Marta Pérez (District 8)
• Solomon C. Stinson (District 2)
Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Citizen Information Center is the place to go for answers to general questions about the school system.
Located in Room 158 of the School Board Administration Building, 1450 N. E. Second Ave., the center also provides the public with documents, general information and agendas for the School Board meetings.
Citizens can contact the center at 305-995-1128 or visit Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ website, www.dadeschools.net, also offers a variety of information about the school system.
Parents can now sign their children up for free tutoring! As a result of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), children can receive extra help in the areas of math, reading, and language arts. This free tutoring is available if a child’s school has been identified as “in need of improvement” because it has not made adequate yearly progress (AYP) as defined by NCLB. Early in the fall, M-DCPS will be holding an enrollment period for 2007-2008 State-Approved Supplemental Educational Services (SES). In addition, other enrollment periods will be held throughout the school year. Dates for the enrollment periods will be sent home with students who attend eligible schools.
Students attending Title I schools that have not made AYP for three consecutive years and who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunch may also be eligible to participate in the SES Tutorial Program. SES is a tutorial program offered by private providers, approved by the State of Florida, at no cost to the parent. Services must be consistent with instructional programs of the District and aligned with the State’s academic content standards. Supplemental Educational Services must be provided outside of the regular school day (before or after school, on weekends, during intersession (Winter/Spring Breaks) or in the summer). Parents interested in enrolling their children in SES must fill out an enrollment form available at their child’s school, online at http://nclbchoice.net, or at one of the SES Information Fairs.
An updated list of the 2007-2008 Title I schools eligible to participate in SES can be found at http://nclbchoice.net. For additional information, please contact 305-995-FIND (3463), Title I Administration at 305-995-4549, or ask your child’s school.
*Parental Choice Information Fairs for SES
Fall Enrollment
2007-2008 School Year
Location |
Date/Time |
Lake Stevens Middle |
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 |
Campbell Drive Middle |
Wednesday, August 22, 2007 |
Joseph Caleb Community Center |
Thursday, August 23, 2007 |
North Miami Middle |
Saturday, August 25, 2007 |
Palm Springs Middle |
Wednesday, September 5, 2007 |
Mays Middle |
Thursday, September 6, 2007 |
Citrus Grove Middle |
Saturday, September 8, 2007 |
*Please note that these dates are subject to change so be sure to reference the latest and more accurate Parent Information Fairs schedule, available at http://nclbchoice.net.
The job of parenting isn’t easy. It doesn’t come with a handbook of answers. That’s why Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) created The Parent Academy – a source to help answer parents’ questions on topics that impact children’s lives, including helping children learn, parenting skills, financial management, and health and wellness.
The Parent Academy offers free classes and workshops at more than 200 sites throughout the County at public schools, libraries, parks, colleges, private businesses and neighborhood centers. A schedule of courses with English, Spanish and Creole offerings is available at www.theparentacademy.net. Join more than 74,000 parents who have already completed a Parent Academy class!
The Parent Academy offers classes through nine subject strands, including:
The Parent Academy provides scholarships for parents enrolled in the GED program to take the exam on the first try for free.
Watch for The Parent Academy’s exciting family learning events that encourage the entire family to learn together. The themed events are held monthly at fun, educational and culturally enriching museums and local attractions, and combine academics, exploration and discovery while promoting positive parent-child interactions.
For additional information, please call The Parent Academy at 305-995-2680 or visit our web site at www.theparentacademy.net
As students head back to class, parents are full of hope for their children’s success. The most important thing parents can do is to become involved in their student’s education.
Parents are encouraged to attend school activities and meetings, especially the annual Open House House and Parent-Teacher Conferences. Joining the schools’ PTA or PTSA and participating in the Educational Excellence School Advisory Council (EESAC) are other excellent ways to be involved. This participation is important at every level of your child’s education, especially in the critical adolescent years. Parents need to maintain open and honest communication and to work together with the teachers to assist students in making academic decisions and planning for the future.
Parents will find a parent resource center in every school, where they can obtain information about educational and parenting issues and learn about meetings and workshops. Many reports are provided throughout the year to assist parents in monitoring their student’s success, as well as the overall performance of the school. The School Board policy on parental involvement (6Gx13-1B-1.012, Parental Involvement – A Home- School District Partnership) delineates the rights and responsibilities of parents as they work with the school to ensure student success.
Some other important steps that every parent should take include:
For further information, parents should contact the school administration, or contact the Office of Parental Involvement at 305-995-1233.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools is subdivided into six Regional Centers. Each center consists of a regional superintendent and staff responsible for providing support and assistance to parents and students.
Parents' questions or issues regarding their child's school that are not resolved at the school level may be addressed to a Regional Center director. If the parents are not satisfied with the outcome, they may appeal the decision to the Regional Center assistant superintendent.
Questions relating to boundaries, attendance and transfer policies can be answered at the Regional Center. Addresses and telephone numbers of these offices are:
Regional Center 1 |
Regional Center 2 |
Regional Center 3 |
Regional Center 4 |
Regional Center 5 |
Regional Center 6 |
Each Region Center oversees senior high schools and their respective feeder-pattern schools. The senior high schools within each Region Center are listed below:
American Senior High Barbara Goleman Senior High Hialeah Senior High Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High Miami Carol City Senior High |
Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High Miami Beach Senior High Miami Norland Senior High North Miami Senior High North Miami Beach Senior High |
Region Center 3 |
Coral Gables Senior High Miami Edison Senior High Miami Jackson Senior High Miami Senior High Booker T. Washington Senior High |
Region Center 5 |
Homestead Senior High Miami Southridge Sr. High Miami Sunset Senior High South Dade Senior High Felix Varela Senior High |
Safety and security is of paramount importance to Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Below is information on how to report crimes that occur on school sites and additional information on the truancy program. Both programs are designed to keep children safe in school grounds.
To help students and staff feel more at ease in reporting school crime, they are encouraged to call 1-877-7BE-BRAVE, a 24-hour hotline allowing anonymous reporting of actual or anticipated school crime. The toll-free hotline is answered by trained personnel who record the reported information and ensure a prompt response by the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department or other appropriate law enforcement agency. Similarly, the District’s Crime Stoppers Programs allows the public to dial 305-471-TIPS to disclose information while remaining anonymous. Tipsters may be eligible for cash rewards.
In an effort to streamline the critical incident notification process, Miami-Dade County Public Schools established a hotline for principals during the 2007-2008 school year, so they can immediately notify the District about any critical incident. Once the call is received, an electronic notification is sent out to District and Regional Center personnel. This notification process has reduced the amount of calls that a principal was required to make and has allowed school level personnel to focus on the incident at hand.
M-DCPS has a comprehensive Critical Incident Response Plan (CIRP) that provides school-level personnel with guidelines and procedures to address a variety of critical incidents that may occur in schools. In addition to CIRP, the school system has ad District Critical Incident Response Team (DCIRT) that is available to assist schools with any critical incident. The DCIRT meets the standards of the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
For more information, call the Department of Special Programs’ Truancy Intervention Program Hotline at 305-995-2755.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools will transport more than 62,000 students a day this school year, using a fleet of 1,500 buses on an estimated 1,350 school-bus routes. The service is for students who live more than two miles from their assigned schools, and for exceptional-education students.
Before school begins, parents of all students eligible for bus transportation will receive a card from the school system's computer center identifying the student's bus stop and times of pickup and delivery.
Parents interested in determining their child's transportation eligibility should contact their child's school for information.
Students and parents with questions about school bus transportation also may call the school system’s transportation hotline at 305-995-7555, August 13 through September 7, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The School Volunteer Program currently has over 130,000 registered volunteers. School volunteers offer their services in many areas, including mentoring, tutoring, classroom assistants, field trip chaperones and much more. Volunteers have offered more than nine million hours of service, which translates to an estimated value of more than $1.7 billion.
The School Volunteer Program on-line registration system offers schools a quicker way to register new volunteer applicants and monitor their clearances after the background check is completed. It offers great communication between the schools and the District’s School Volunteer Office.
The background check that a volunteer receives is contingent upon the role of that volunteer. If a volunteer has chosen one of the following roles, they must get the fingerprint background check:
All other volunteer roles require the lower-level background check, which consists of an electronic database search.
The School Volunteer Program is growing and changing in exciting ways. To learn more about this program and how you can become involved, visit our website in the Office of Community Services at http://community.dadeschools.net and click on School Volunteer Program, or call 305-995-1439.
K-12 SCIENCE PLAN
Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ K-12 Science Plan helps students achieve the science literacy necessary for success in post-secondary education and in the workplace.
The plan’s goals and requirements include the following components:
The plan provides a structured approach to improve the capacity of teachers to teach science and to transform teaching practices, which focuses on concept formation and problem solving.
M-DCPS Curriculum and Instruction (science) is in partnership with local universities and informal science institutions to bring programs that enhance professional development for teachers, design competitions, outreach programs, internship experiences and science experiences in general.
For more information, please contact Dr. Cyd Heyliger-Browne, Administrative Director, Office of Curriculum and Instruction (Science), 305-995-1905.
SECONDARY SCHOOL REFORM
Work with our students today, and they’ll work beside you tomorrow!
The Secondary School Reform (SSR) Plan is a roadmap for substantively altering the educational experience of all high school students in the District to assure the future graduates have the skills that they will need to effectively compete in the new global workplace. It serves as an opportunity to engage business and community leaders to expand learning through internships that connect to career academies.
Eleven schools implemented career academies during the 2006-2007 school year, and seventeen additional schools will begin implementation during 2007-2008. The internship experience is where students apply their academic foundations in real world settings.
Organizations interested in providing internships should contact the Office of Community Services at 305 995-3050 or visit http://toolkit.dadeschools.net.
The achievement and progress of students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) are measured each year with the help of district, state and national standardized tests. Some of the major tests are listed below.
The FCAT Sunshine State Standards (SSS) test designed to assess levels of student proficiency as they relate to the SSS benchmarks, will be administered March 2008. The FCAT SSS measures students’ reading and mathematics skills in third through tenth grades. Students in grades 5, 8 and 11 also will take the science portion of the FCAT.
Tenth-grade students must earn a passing score on the Grade 10 FCAT SSS in order to meet the high school standard diploma graduation test requirement. Students who do not earn passing scores on the applicable subjects of the Grade 10 FCAT SSS will have additional opportunities to pass the test in 11th grade and above, on the September 2007, March 2008 and June 2008 administrations of the FCAT retake.
The FCAT Writing + assesses students’ ability to organize and clearly express their thoughts in writing. The FCAT Writing + will be administered to students in fourth, eighth and tenth grades in February 2008.
The FCAT Norm-Referenced Test (NRT) compares the performance of Florida’s students to the performance of a national norm group. The FCAT NRT Reading and Mathematics will be administered to students in third through tenth grades in March 2008.
The grade 3 Reading Student Portfolio measures proficiency of selected Sunshine State Standards in reading. The portfolio will be administered to students in grade 3 throughout the second semester of the school year.
The Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) is a nationally normed achievement test used to compare local students’ performance in priority study areas with the performance of students in the nation. In March 2008, the SAT will be administered to first and second-grade students to assess reading and mathematics skills.
The state’s Comprehensive English Learning Assessment (CELLA) is a four-skill English-language proficiency assessment that will be administered next Spring to all students in grades K-12 classified as Limited English Proficient (LEP). The CELLA tests listening, reading, writing and speaking, and the results will provide information about students’ strengths and weaknesses in English and their overall progress over time.
The District’s Interim Assessments will be given to students in grades 3-10 in reading and mathematics, and to students in grades 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11 in science, in the fall, winter and spring. These tests, designed to measure Florida’s standards and benchmarks in reading and mathematics, will be used by teachers to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses, to target instruction, and to monitor students’ progress.
All kindergarten students are assessed for school readiness during the first 30 days of school as part of the state’s Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS). The FLKRS measures the skills, growth and development of early literacy skills needed for success in kindergarten.
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assesses the development of pre-reading and early reading skills. DIBELS will be administered to students in kindergarten through grade 3 and selected students in grades 4 and 5 in the fall, winter and spring..
The Florida Oral Reading Fluency (FORF) assessment measures students’ reading skills. The FORF will be administered to selected students in grades 6-12 in the fall, winter and spring.
Students also have the option of participating in the following programs offered by The College Board and ACT, Inc.:
• The PSAT, offered by The College Board, will be administered to all students in grades 9 and10 and to interested students in 11th grade in October 2007. The PSAT provides practice for the SAT and is also the qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship program. In an attempt to build college readiness and to support more rigorous course selection among Florida’s high school students, the state of Florida has formed a partnership with The College Board to pay test fees for all 10th-grade students to participate in the PSAT. M-DCPS implemented a similar initiative in 2006-2007 and has provided the PSAT to all 9th-grade students at no cost to them.
• The SAT, offered by The College Board, and the ACT, offered by ACT, Inc., are optional college-entrance tests that students may take at scheduled times throughout the school year. Students taking the SAT or ACT can request that their scores be sent to the colleges or universities of their choice.
Test results are made available in a timely fashion to students and their families. Results of district and state testing programs are sent home with students by the respective schools. Parents needing assistance in interpreting these scores should contact their children’s teachers or guidance counselors.
For more information about these and other tests, check the testing calendar on the district’s website at www2.dadeschools.net. Additional information about each testing program is available at http://oada.dadeschools.net/saet/assessment.asp.
Student attendance is a means of improving student performance and is critical to raising student achievement. Attendance is defined as school attendance, class attendance, tardiness and early sign-out. Absences will initially be recorded as “unexcused” and will be changed to “excused”, appropriate, upon receipt of reason for absence.
A student’s illness, medical appointment, death in the family, observance of religious holidays when it is mandated for all members of that faith, school-sponsored or educational enrichment activity approved in advance by principal, subpoena or mandatory court appearance and documented absences beyond the control of the parent/guardian as approved by the principal are the only acceptable reasons for a student to be granted an unexcused absence. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to report and explain an absence or tardiness to the school within three (3) days upon return to school or the absence will be recorded as unexcused.
Students with excused absences will have the opportunity (three days) to make up all missed work. Failure to make up assignments for excused/unexcused absences will result in the lower assessment of the student’s academic and/or effort grade. Parents and students are required to appear before an Attendance Review Committee to receive counseling and support relative to the attendance history of the student. In addition, students will be given prescribed activities that are designed to mitigate the loss of instructional time.
A student accumulating ten (10) or more class unexcused absences in an annual course or five (5) or more class absences in a designated semester course will have quarterly, semester and final grade(s) withheld pending an administrative screening and completion of assigned interventions by the Attendance Review Committee.
Attendance data on age appropriate students who are habitual truants (15 or more unexcused absences within 90 calendar days) is submitted to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles and the student will be ineligible to receive or maintain driving privileges. Driving privileges may be reinstated upon demonstration of thirty (30) consecutive days of attendance without unexcused absences.
Specific guidelines for student attendance are reflected in The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida rule 6Gx13-5A-1.041, Student Attendance - www2.dadeschools.net/schoolboard/rules/Chapt5/5a-1.041.pdfwith specific procedures delineated in the Student Attendance Reporting Procedures Handbook ehandbooks.dadeschools.net/policies/89.pdf.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Code of Student Conduct, reinforced with a tough policy on deadly weapons, focuses on providing and maintaining a safe and positive learning environment for students, faculty, staff and community.
A major consideration in the application of the Code of Student Conduct is to identify the most appropriate disciplinary action for bringing about positive student behavior. Toward that end, the violations have been divided into six groups, along with both recommended and mandated disciplinary actions.
Teachers, counselors and administrators work to use a variety of progressive disciplinary or guidance strategies prior to, during and after formal disciplinary action.
Differences in age and maturity are recognized in determining the types of disciplinary action to be taken. However, the procedures outlined in the code apply to all students under the jurisdiction of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The code is in force during regular school hours, while students are being transported on a school bus and at such times and places – including but not necessarily limited to school-sponsored events, field trips, athletic functions and other activities – where appropriate school administrators have jurisdiction over students.
Principals are authorized to take administrative action whenever a student's misconduct away from school has a detrimental effect upon other students or on the orderly educational process. Types of violations range from general disruptive conduct to aggravated battery (injury with a deadly weapon).
Several types of disciplinary action exist for improper conduct and behavior. These include detention, work assignments, reassignment to a special school or program, suspension or expulsion.
The "work back" program gives students recommended for expulsion the option of returning to traditional school settings earlier than the maximum expulsion time permitted under state law. Students must attend an alternative program, earn credit and maintain good attendance and behavior. The work back program is not an option for students charged with Group 6 violations, which include but are not limited to: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or possession of a firearm.
The code addresses students' rights and responsibilities pertaining to the right to learn; attendance; students' records; grades; free speech, expression and assembly; and publications. It also outlines parents' rights in regard to assuring their child's opportunity for an education.
Students or parents having problems interpreting the code should address concerns through the school principal. Additionally, should the concerns not be resolved at the school level, an appeal can be made at the region office and subsequently to the District.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools has a dress code for students that is strictly enforced.
The dress code exists to ensure that a student’s appearance does not disrupt health, safety, cleanliness or the learning environment. The code is not intended to regulate hair length or types of clothing worn.
The determination of what constitutes a safety or health hazard, distraction of students from a classroom activity, or the disruption of a school program is made by the principal, teacher or other concerned School Board employee.
Students may be disciplined for violating the code only after being given an opportunity to correct the violation and after a parent-teacher conference.
A number of schools have received School Board approval to adopt stricter dress codes that ban such clothing as T-shirts, tank tops, hats, thongs and clothes bearing messages about tobacco, alcohol, profanity, drugs or sex.
Moreover, many schools have adopted student uniforms in order to encourage students to improve their study habits and to identify more closely with their schools.
Parents wishing further information on school dress code regulations should contact their child’s principal.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and section 1002.22, Florida Statutes, protect the privacy of, and guarantee parents, guardians and students access to, information contained in student educational records. The parent is guaranteed the right to challenge the accuracy of these records.
These laws provide that without the prior consent of the parent, guardian or eligible student, a student's records may not be released except in accordance with the provisions listed in the above-cited laws. The laws provide certain exceptions to the prior consent requirement to the release of student records, which include, but are not limited to, school officials with a legitimate educational interest and lawfully issued subpoenas and court orders. To ensure compliance with these laws, the school system has published detailed instructions for maintaining and releasing student records. These instructions may be found in the Student Educational Records Manual, which is incorporated by reference in School Board Rule 6GX13-5B-1.07.
Each school must provide to the parents, guardians or eligible students annual notice in writing of their right to inspect and review student records. Once a student reaches 18 years of age or is attending an institution of post-secondary education, the permission or consent required of, and the rights accorded to, the parents shall thereafter be required of and accorded to the student only, unless the student qualifies as a dependent under the law.
Students should contact their school registrar if they wish to send transcripts to colleges or scholarship services.
DISTRICT’S UNITED WAY EMPLOYEE, STUDENT CAMPAIGNS LEAD NATION
Miami-Dade County Public Schools employees and students have contributed over $25 million to the United Way of Miami-Dade since partnering in 1974, and lead the nation in school system-run campaigns.
For many students, participating in the campaign becomes a meaningful learning experience. This year’s United Way Student Campaign runs from September 19 to October 31. The Employee Campaign begins September 24 until October 19.
The United Way helps children and youth succeed in school and stay off the streets, ensures care and companionship for our elderly, gives families the tools they need to stay together, helps people stay healthy and well, promoting economic independence, and reaching out fast in the face of emergencies.
For more information, please contact Diana Venturini, Director, Office of Community Services, at 305-995-1367.
Public Broadcasting System (PBS) affiliate WLRN-TV Channel 17 and National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate WLRN-FM 91.3 are licensed to the Miami-Dade School Board.
WLRN-TV Channel 17 is recognized as Florida’s leading Ready to Learn (RTL) station, combining quality PBS children’s television programs with a variety of community outreach efforts to help children build learning skills. RTL serves low-income families by providing free community workshops and resources for parents, teachers and childcare providers.
Channel 17 also broadcasts award-winning PBS documentaries, biographies and music programs, such as Nature, Nova, American Experience and Great Performances. Viewers can watch popular public television weekly programs, including Antiques Roadshow, Globe Trekker, and other cooking and home improvement shows.
WLRN also produces several local programs, including the following monthly series: ArtStreet, which introduces South Florida to the arts explosion; WLRN Perspectives, which explores issues and trends that are impacting South Florida’s social, cultural and economic environment; Celebrate South Florida, which takes viewers on a journey of discovery about interesting people, places and events in our own backyard; and Class Act, which presents the exciting world of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the positive impact it is making in the lives of children and the community.
WLRN- FM 91.3, Florida’s top-rated NPR station, serves a weekly audience of more than 320,000, from Palm Beach to Key West, providing programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, A Prairie Home Companion and Car Talk. It also provides one of the country’s largest Radio Reading Services - a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week service to South Florida’s visually impaired residents.
WLRN manages the district’s Video and Film Library, which is a lending library that makes available for loan videos that support all phases of educational instruction throughout Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Additionally, WLRN operates and programs 20 Instructional Television (ITV) channels that provide students and teachers with a host of video choices, including a video-on-demand service called, Teacher’s Choice. For additional information, please call 305-995-1717.
For further information, please call 305-995-1717.
Radyo Lekòl, Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ half-hour education news program in Haitian-Creole, airs Monday-Friday at 9 p.m. on 91.3 FM, Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. on 1610 AM, Thursday at 10 a.m. on 1020 AM, and additionally, a 10-minute program airs on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. on Planet 17 on 1580 AM.
For more information call Carline Faustin, Director, Haitian Affairs Unit, at 305-995-1188, or Rosie Andre, Supervisor, Haitian Affairs Unit, at 305-995-2063.
