Tradewinds Eagle Parent Newsletter

Debra Hixon, Chair

Sarah Leonardi, Vice Chair

Lori Alhadeff

Maura McCarthy Bulman

Brenda Fam, Esq.

Dr. Jeff Holness

Nora Rupert

Rebecca Thompson

Dr. Allen Zeman

Dr. Howard Hepburn

Superintendent of Schools

Welcome back to another exciting school year at Tradewinds Elementary School! It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome our returning Eagles back home and extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to all of our new Eagles and their families. We are so excited that you are joining our Tradewinds family and look forward to the wonderful year ahead.

This year, our theme is "Learning Takes Us to Infinity and Beyond!" Together, we will embark on an exciting journey of discovery, growth, and achievement. Our dedicated staff has been working hard to prepare engaging classrooms, meaningful learning experiences, and a welcoming environment where every child feels safe, valued, and inspired to reach their fullest potential.

At Tradewinds, we believe that every student can soar when we work together. Through strong partnerships between home and school, we will continue to foster academic excellence, character development, and a love of learning. We are committed to creating opportunities for every child to succeed while celebrating the unique talents and strengths each student brings to our school community.

As we begin this new adventure, we encourage all families to stay connected, get involved, and join us in making this an incredible year filled with learning, laughter, and lasting memories. Thank you for trusting us with your children and for being an important part of our Tradewinds family.

We can't wait to see our hallways filled with smiling faces and our classrooms buzzing with curiosity and excitement. Here's to an amazing 2026–2027 school year as we learn, grow, and soar to infinity and beyond! 🚀💚💛🦅

Please visit our website at www.browardschools.com/tradewinds for important updates and information. Follow us on social media:

• X (formerly Twitter): @TradewindsES
• Instagram: @TradewindsBCPS

Also, be sure to register for the FOCUS Parent Portal at www.browardschools.com/focus to access your child’s schedule, grades, and more throughout the school year.

We are honored to serve as your administrative team and are truly grateful to be a part of such an exceptional school community. Together, let’s make this a year to remember.

Here’s to a fantastic year ahead! #ExcellenceIsTheStandard

Sincerely,

Dr. Priscille Elie

Ms. Kim Marinacci-Rohloff

Principal Assistant Principal

Our Mission Statement & Vision Statement

Our Mission: A diverse community of learners and educators striving toward educational excellence for all.

Our Vision: Committed to developing a learning community of caring individuals and life-long learners. Self-worth is cultivated in a nurturing environment and decisions are based on what is best for students.

Beginning next school year, Students will no longer eat lunch at no cost. Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) families will need to apply to determine their eligibility for free and reduced-price lunches.

The Food and Nutrition Services Department will start accepting online Meal Benefits Applications for the 25-26 school year on Monday, July 14, 2025, at www.myschoolapps.com.

An online payment portal designed to allow parents and guardians quick and easy access to online payments for additional meals or à la carte items.

À la carte items include: Sparkling water, Ice-Cream, Pop-Tart, Rice Crispy Treats and more. All à la carte items are USDA Smart Snack approved.

A nominal fee of $2.49 is charged per credit/debit transaction.

Second meals will be charged at the adult price of $4.95. We encourage parents to register through My School Bucks payment portal for easy and convenient online payments.

The School Board of Broward County (SBBC), Florida maintains its commitment to honoring the rights of parents/legal guardians. Parent involvement in our District is a critical function in the education of students. This webpage contains important information relating to the rights of parents/guardians and the promotion of parental involvement in our schools.

Welcome Back, Eagles!

The Tradewinds PTA is excited to kick off another amazing school year! This year's theme, "Learning Takes You to Infinity and Beyond!", reminds us that every student has unlimited potential. We invite all families to join the PTA, volunteer when you can, and help us make this our best year yet. Together, we can create memorable experiences that support our students, teachers, and school community.

PTA Membership Drive
Become a member of the Tradewinds PTA and help make a difference! Memberships support student programs, family events, teacher appreciation, and so much more. Every membership strengthens our school community. Join the PTA here.

Spirit Wear & Class Shirts
Show your Eagle pride all year long! Spirit wear is on sale now and 2026-2027 Class Shirts will be available for purchase August 17 – September 4 at www.tradewindspta.com. Class shirts are perfect for school events, field trips, and showing off your grade-level spirit!

Our First Fundraiser – Domino's Slice the Price Cards
Our first fundraiser of the school year begins August 31 and runs through September 14! Purchase a Domino's Slice the Price Card for just $20 and receive 1 free large pizza with the purchase of one through June 30, 2027. It's a great way to support our PTA while enjoying pizza all year long!

Class Donation Request Forms Coming Home in August!

Be on the lookout for your child's Class Donation Request Form coming home this month. A one-time donation helps support classroom celebrations, educational activities, crafts, and other special experiences throughout the school year. Every contribution, no matter the amount, is greatly appreciated and helps make these memorable moments possible for our students.

📱 Stay Connected with the Tradewinds Elementary PTA! 🦅

Don't miss out on school events, volunteer opportunities, spirit wear, fundraisers, and important PTA updates!

✨ Follow us on social media:
💙 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TradewindsElementaryPTA
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tradewindspta/

Like, follow, and share our pages with other Tradewinds families to help us grow our school community. Together, we can make this an amazing year for our Eagles! 💚💛

Location: All General Meetings will be held at Tradewinds Elementary in the Media Center.

Dates and Times:

• September 8th at 6:00 PM

• January 12th at 6:00 PM

• May 11th at 6:00 PM

Tradewinds is a unified dress school and students are expected to follow the color patterns of hunter green, gold/yellow, khaki and/or white. As these colors may be a bit challenging to find during certain seasons, students are permitted to wear variations of greens and yellows.

At Tradewinds Elementary, we are fortunate to have a team of wonderful teachers dedicated to your child’s success. Please note that there is no need to submit specific teacher requests, as we cannot guarantee placement with a particular teacher and will not accommodate friend requests placements.

As it relates to addressing teacher concerns, If you have any concerns, you’re welcome to reach out to the administration, and we’re happy to assist. However, we will always ask: Have you communicated with the teacher? Is the teacher aware of your concerns? Have you scheduled a parent-teacher conference? Our staff is committed to addressing any issues that are brought to their attention, so please make every effort to speak with the teacher first.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. We’re all in this together, and I sincerely appreciate your partnership in supporting our students.

Parents this is for YOU! The District will implement a new Student Information System (SIS), Focus School Software, beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. Student's schedules will be available for parents to view on FOCUS beginning August 6th.

Focus will replace Pinnacle, Virtual Counselor, PCG (EdPlan), BASIS, and TERMS. It centralizes all applications used by parents into one districtwide system, incorporating attendance, grade book, scheduling, report cards, transportation, and communication.

To sufficiently inform parents and guardians, the Parent and Community Involvement Task Force and District staff hosted Parent University: Get Focus(ed)! on April 8, 2024, to provide an introduction and overview of the system. The recorded webinar may be found at https://www.browardschools.com/parentuniversity.

For detailed information, Focus Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and translated directions for parents and guardians to register for the Focus Parent Portal, visit https://www.browardschools.com/focus.

For Focus SIS project information, please check the Focus Resource Hub.

Should you have any questions, please reach out to Focus Communications at focuscommunications@browardschools.com.

Tradewinds Elementary DOES NOT, allow birthday celebrations or allow bringing in birthday celebration items such as cupcakes, treat bags, drinks, pizza, etc. There will be two classroom celebrations occurring during the school year (Winter break and End of Year celebrations). Your child’s teacher will advise you of the exact date of these celebrations.

A monthly “Birthday Table” sponsored by the PTA will celebrate the students’ birthdays in lieu of individual classroom activities. This also takes the place of sending balloons, cupcakes, flowers, surprise gift or “goody bags,” etc. to your child during the day. We are unable to accept these items. If they are sent to school, they will not be accepted and will have to go home with the parent. No exceptions.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

Visitors: Any visitors on campus, if they need to gain access onto the campus, must be issued an ID badge from the front office and processed through the Raptor System with a valid ID. Also note that parents or guardians picking up students early must have a valid ID in order to do so. Not having an ID will prevent your child to not be released until proper identification is presented to the front office staff.

• All visitors must report to the front office.
• All visitors must go through our Raptor Visitor System.
• All visitors must have an I.D. in order to gain access to the school.
• All parents must have a Dismissal car tag to pick-up their child. A picture of the sign on your mobile device is acceptable as well.
• Students will wear their I.D.s while on campus
  
• Parents must update their contact information with the front office.
• All students should be in uniforms. Our uniform policy is listed in this newsletter and our website.
• Consistency with dismissal is critical. Please alert the teacher and office ASAP of any changes.
• Early student sign-outs will cease at 1:30 p.m.

School Climate & Discipline / Code of Conduct (browardschools.com)

The Code Book For Student Conduct (browardschools.com) (K-2) UPDATED 26-27 COMING SOON

The Code Book For Student Conduct (browardschools.com) (3-5) UPDATED 26-27 COMING SOON

The Code Book For Student Conduct (browardschools.com) (ENGLISH) UPDATED 26-27 COMING SOON

Libro del Código de Conducta del Estudiante (browardschools.com) (SPANISH) UPDATED 26-27 COMING SOON

Cêdigo de Conduta do Estudante (browardschools.com) (PORTUGUESE) UPDATED 26-27 COMING SOON

Final Code SY 2021-2022 11_4_21v4b_ht.pdf (browardschools.com) (HAITIAN CREOLE) UPDATED 26-27 COMING SOON

RATIONALE: Under new Fla. Stat. § 1014.06, licensed health care providers and practitioners as defined in Fla. Stat. § 456.001 may not provide, solicit, or arrange to provide health care services to children without first receiving written parental consent. Schools should note that § 1014.06 provides that violators will be subject to disciplinary action under licensing statutes, administrative fines, and potential criminal action.

The Parents’ Bill of Rights allows parents to do the following:

• Access and review all medical records (unless the parent is the subject of a criminal investigation for harm to a child).

• Opt out of HIV/Aids education for their child.

• Opt out of any portion of the school district’s comprehensive health and sex education.

• Reject medical treatment for a child unless the state can prove the child’s own welfare would be best served by such treatment.

• Exempt a student from required immunizations.

• Create a list of people, by priority, who may consent to the medical care or treatment of a minor when a parent or legal guardian can’t be reached.

Scholastics First (K-2)

• Log into https://sso.browardschools.com
• Click Log in with Active Directory
• Log in username and password
• Click on Scholastics F.I.R.S.T

NewsELA:

• Log into https://sso.browardschools.com
• Click Log in with Active Directory
• Log in username and password
• Click on NewsELA

• Log into https://sso.browardschools.com
• Click Log In with Active Directory
• Log in username and password
• Click on BrainPop or BrainPop Jr.

Khan Academy

• https://www.khanacademy.org/
  

Readworks:

• Log into https://www.readworks.org/

• Log into https://www.spellingcity.com/

STEMScopes:

• Log into https://sso.browardschools.com
• Click Log in with Active Directory
• Log in username and password
• Click on STEMscopes

• Reading Sites
  
• i-READY www.i-ready.com
  
  Weekly Reader -The same great magazine used in classrooms around the country has a great website devoted to extending reading activities at home.
  http://www.weeklyreader.com
  
  Scholastic's Book Central - https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/home/
  
  Scholastic Activities for families to participate together.
  https://www.scholastic.com/parents/kids-activities-and-printables.htm
  
  
• Kids-Reads A great resource to find out about books, authors, and illustrators.
  
  http://kidsreads.com
  
  Star Fall - http://www.starfall.com
  
  Time For Kids - http://timeforkids.com/tfk/
  
  "Ultimate Guide to Reading Comprehension"
  http://www.supersummary.com/reading-comprehension-guide/
  

The School Board of Broward County, Florida, prohibits any policy or procedure which results in discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. The School Board also provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Individuals who wish to file a discrimination and/or harassment complaint may call the Director, Equal Educational Opportunities/ADA Compliance Department & District’s Equity Coordinator/Title IX Coordinator at 754-321- 2150 or Teletype Machine (TTY) 754-321-2158.

Individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008, (ADAAA) may call Equal Educational Opportunities/ADA Compliance Department at 754-321-2150 or Teletype Machine (TTY) 754-321-2158.

Email: priscille.elie@browardschools.com
Website: https://www.browardschools.com/tradewinds

BCPS Website: http://www.browardschools.com
Location: 5400 Johnson Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073
Phone: 754-322-8700
Instagram: @tradewindsBCPS
Twitter: @tradewindsES