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

Greetings Tradewinds Families,

What an incredible start to the 2026–2027 school year! 💚💛🦅 As we welcome September, our classrooms are buzzing with learning, our routines are taking shape, and our Eagles are already showing us just how high they can SOAR!

Our theme, “Learning Takes Us to Infinity and Beyond!”, continues to guide us as we challenge every student to grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Now that we have settled into the school year, our focus is on strong instruction, student engagement, academic growth, and ensuring that every child receives the support and challenge they need to be successful.

September is also an important month for establishing strong habits. Families can help by ensuring students arrive at school on time each day, read at home, complete assignments, get plenty of rest, and come to school ready to learn. Every instructional minute matters, and consistent attendance makes a tremendous difference in student success.

We also encourage you to stay connected with your child’s teacher and talk with your child regularly about what they are learning. Ask questions such as, “What did you learn today?” “What was challenging?” and “What are you proud of?” These simple conversations reinforce the important partnership between home and school.

We are especially excited to welcome our families to Open House on Wednesday, September 2! This is a wonderful opportunity to visit classrooms, hear from your child’s teacher, learn about grade-level expectations, and discover how we can work together to support your Eagle throughout the year.

As we continue our journey, please remember that we are partners in your child’s success. Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and trust in Tradewinds Elementary. We are proud of the strong sense of family that makes TWE such a special place.

September is just the beginning! Together, we will continue to learn, grow, achieve, and SOAR to infinity and beyond! 🚀🌟

One Team. One School. One TWE Family. 💚💛🦅
#ExcellenceIsTheStandard

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.

September

🌟 Stay Connected with Your PTA!

September is here, and we have lots happening at Tradewinds! Here are a few important PTA updates and ways you can support our school this month.

👕 Class Shirts — Final Day to Order: September 4

Don’t miss out on your class shirt! September 4 is the final day to place your order. Make sure your student has theirs for all the fun school events coming up!

💛 Class Donations

Want to support your child’s classroom? Class donations can still be submitted online and will go directly toward supporting your student’s class and teacher throughout the year.

🍕 Domino’s Fundraiser — Ends September 14

Our Domino’s fundraiser is underway! Be sure to participate before it ends on September 14. Every purchase helps support Tradewinds Elementary and the programs and activities our PTA provides for our students.

🍦 First Spirit Night — Abbott’s Frozen Custard

Mark your calendar for our first Spirit Night of the year!

📅 September 23
⏰ 3:00–6:00 PM
📍 Abbott’s Frozen Custard — Publix Plaza, right by the school

Stop by for a sweet treat and support Tradewinds PTA! And you never know… you may even have your teacher serving you ice cream instead of class work! 🍦😂

Bring the family, grab some custard, and show your Tradewinds spirit!

👚 Spirit Wear Update

Spirit wear orders are being distributed now and will be going home with students. Keep an eye out in your child’s backpack for your order!

💚 It’s Not Too Late to Join the PTA!

Have you joined the PTA yet? It’s only $10 for the entire school year!

Joining does not mean you have to volunteer or attend meetings. There is absolutely no obligation—but we would love to have you as part of our Tradewinds PTA family!

Your membership helps us continue supporting our students, teachers, and school community all year long.

Thank you for supporting Tradewinds Elementary and helping us make this school year one to remember! 💚💛

📱 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:

• August 31st 6:00pm Virtual

• January 25th 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