{"id":364864,"date":"2026-08-07T01:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T01:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/364864\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T01:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T01:28:09","slug":"broward-teachers-making-final-preps-ahead-of-new-academic-year-as-district-grapples-with-school-closures-wsvn-7news-miami-news-weather-sports-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/364864\/","title":{"rendered":"Broward teachers making final preps ahead of new academic year as district grapples with school closures &#8211; WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) &#8211; School teachers in Broward County are putting the last-minute touches on their classrooms so they are prepared to welcome students back when classes resume next week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Silver Palms Elementary School in Pembroke Pines, the excitement can be felt in the halls, Thursday morning, as teachers, staff and faculty were getting ready to welcome back their students.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re ready, absolutely. It was a relaxing summer,\u201d said teacher Kristin Kavanaugh. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cameras captured Kavanaugh\u2019s classroom decorated in her own unique way with banners, organized desks and hanging decorations. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is Kavanaugh\u2019s 27th year teaching. She said despite the experience, each \u201cfirst day\u201d is unique and brings her excitement to meet the students.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m never leaving unless they kick me out,\u201d she said as she laughed. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The student body will grow by about 50 children at Silver Palms this year, a big change that comes as part of <a href=\"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/news\/local\/broward\/bcps-approves-plan-to-close-6-campus-closures-amid-low-enrollment-1-school-to-remain-open-after-public-backlash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">the district\u2019s restructuring program<\/a> and the closure of nearby Panther Run Elementary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The growth brings new faces as well as new instruments to the school. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe do have new families that are joining us from Panther Run. So it\u2019s really great to see those families join us and become one together. My staff does a phenomenal job of really embracing everyone. Kindness is our culture that we press here, and we really, really press on a family atmosphere here,\u201d said Silver Palms Principal Irina Shearer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI just finished painting a banner. It\u2019s got a panther on it to welcome our Panther Run friends with a dolphin and, you know, showing that unity,\u201d said Kavanaugh. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the last few days of summer, school officials say the message is all about inclusion and belonging. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s become kind of a joke around here that kindness is our culture because we say it so many times but it really has permeated and the kids and the staff are kind here,\u201d said Kavanaugh. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teachers said they\u2019re ready to welcome the new families who will be introduced to the school on Friday ahead of the first day of classes which begins on Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve got gifts on the tables, we\u2019ve got welcoming snacks and goodies. We\u2019re all on some form of communication with the parents to let them, you know, ask as many questions as they want,\u201d said Kavanaugh.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kids will be back in the classrooms for Broward County Public Schools next week. Drivers are to be reminded of the school zones and of those school buses that will be <a href=\"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/news\/local\/broward\/bcps-bus-drivers-prepare-for-new-school-year-amid-staff-shortages-and-route-changes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">back on the roads<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n<p>\tJoin our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) &#8211; School teachers in Broward County are putting the last-minute touches on their classrooms&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":364550,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[249,251,250],"class_list":["post-364864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=364864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/364550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=364864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=364864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=364864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}