Our School

The mission of Bayside Elementary School is to develop life-long learners.

Bayside Elementary School will provide instructional opportunities to our community of learners based on data-driven objectives to meet the Virginia Beach City Public Schools curriculum. Instruction will include a variety of teaching strategies and incorporate technology, which will allow learners to reach their potential.

• Find humor and joy in our teaching and implement humor and joy in our lessons
• Develop a significant relationship between teachers and students
• To reinforce the hidden rules of school and focus on social skills and interaction
• To determine and implement the best learning strategies to ensure that we differentiate instruction so that all students learn
• Participate in regular, ongoing communication with parents

Welcome to Bayside Elementary, home of the Bulldogs. Bayside Elementary is once again fully accredited. Learning is an adventure. Our teachers are prepared to take our students on new adventures each and every day. In a safe, secure, environment our students are encouraged to take risks and challenge their minds. The relationships we build with your children will propel them to be “21st Century Learners.” We invite you to surf our web and learn more about Bayside and visit our school at anytime.

Bayside Elementary School's rich history began with a log cabin school headed by Reverend Joseph H. Hall. In 1911, the school moved to the W.E. Biddle School, a wooden building located on Independence Boulevard. The school was later renamed The Bayside School. At that time, the two teachers were Nettie Seymour and Agnes Hatchett.

In 1941, the school moved to its present location with the construction of original Bayside Elementary School. The first principal at this location was Felix Williams. The surrounding community was built around the school. In 1997, it was determined that renovations were no longer considered a solution for the problems of an aging facility. The building was demolished in 1999 and a new school was built on the original site.

The new Bayside Elementary School opened in December 2000, with Janet Zitt as the first principal of the new facility. It provides for a capacity of 725 students with facilities for Art, Music and Physical Education. An Innovation Lab and a Media Center provide technology and support resources and services. All classrooms have data, telephone and cable lines for technology and access to a closed circuit television system. The current staff and faculty boasts several graduates of Bayside Elementary School, thus fostering our rich heritage and legacy.

In 2004, the Bayside Elementary School PTA celebrated its 90th anniversary with a Founder's Day celebration. The history of the Bayside PTA began in 1914, with the first PTA President Ruth Fentress. Over the years, the PTA has provided a vital and important part of the Bayside educational community under the direction of 58 different PTA presidents. Many thanks to Charleene Bateman, Barbara Toncray, Lisa Sproat and Glenn & Sadler Engineers & Architects for the preservation of this history.

In order to preserve some of the history of the school, the original stone "Bayside" sign is set in its original brick in the corridor that leads to the Commons area. In addition, the brick that surrounds the showcases in the Commons area and the pavers in the Courtyard are all from the original school building.

~ Glenn & Sadler Engineers & Architects, 2000