CSRMS Family Newsletter!

CSRMS Families,

This week marks our final fall athletic tryouts with Girls Volleyball. We also have several club meetings, fine arts activities, and audition opportunities beginning as our extracurricular programs get underway. Be sure to check the calendar for dates and details.

Looking ahead, the first week of September begins our Fall State Testing Window (PM1). Please review the attached testing calendar to see when your child is scheduled to participate in assessments.

Attendance will be especially important throughout the month, as testing and make-up opportunities are limited. Thank you for your support in helping your child arrive on time and ready to do their best!

• Aug 31-Sept 4- Fall Book Fair
• Friday, Sept 4th: Yearbook Club Starts
• Monday, Sept 7th: No School- Labor Day
• August 31- October 2- Fall Testing
• October 1st: Evening Family Event: What does my FAST Score mean?

To find out when your child will take an assessment, please locate your child's course and the teacher who teaches that course on the testing schedule.

• Reading: All students will take a state reading assessment using the FAST platform.
• Mathematics: All students, with the exception of High School Geometry students, will take a fall mathematics assessment. Algebra students will participate in a district monitoring assessment, while students in all other mathematics courses will test on the FAST platform.
• Science: All 8th grade Science students, selected 7th grade Accelerated Science students, and selected Physical Science Honors students will take a district fall monitoring assessment in science.
• Civics: All Civics students will take a district fall monitoring assessment.

Thank you for helping ensure your child is prepared and present for their scheduled assessments.

For the safety of all students and staff, please do not park in the school parking lot and have your child walk through the lot to get to school. Instead, please use the designated car loop and drop your child off or pick them up on the sidewalk.

When parents park in the lot during morning arrival, it can block access for high school students who have purchased parking permits and for staff members who need to get to their assigned parking spaces and to their classrooms.

We have also noticed an increase in families arriving very close to the tardy bell and dropping students off in the far corners of the parking lot rather than waiting in the car loop. Students are then running through areas with moving vehicles in an effort to get to class on time. This creates a serious safety concern for everyone.

We appreciate you following our arrival and dismissal procedures and helping us keep students safe. School staff and our School Resource Officer (SRO) will continue to remind families who park in the lot for student drop-off to use the designated car loop instead.

https://registration.scholasticbookfairs.com/flipbooks/?fb=F26-MS-case

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please be advised that Charles S.Rushe Middle School will administer the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) to Algebra students during the month of October at no cost to students. The PSAT/NMSQT is a computer-based test and can only be administered on site. This test is used as a counseling and diagnostic tool, which can be used to foster student thought about advanced coursework and college/career planning. While this test is optional, there are many benefits for students, including:

• PSAT/NMSQT test results are an indicator of performance on the SAT college entrance exam. Once the results are released, students may link them to a Khan Academy account to receive a personalized plan for preparing for the SAT.
• The PSAT/NMSQT includes reading, math, and writing/language components that focus on the knowledge and skills that are most essential for college and career readiness and success; it is also used as a diagnostic tool to measure and follow student performance and pinpoint areas for development.
• Results can help identify each student’s potential for academic success at the postsecondary level and lead to discussion about future educational plans.
• Test results will provide school counselors with information to help identify students who may be ready to enroll and be successful in Advanced Placement and other college preparatory courses or identify students who may need additional instruction to do so.
• Every student who takes the PSAT/NMSQT is given access to multiple online resources that provide personalized SAT preparation, as well as college and career planning tools – all at no cost to the student or their family.
  • A PSAT/NMSQT score report that includes answers with detailed explanations.
  • A personalized SAT study plan when the student links their PSAT results to the Khan Academy SAT Prep site.

You may visit https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt for more information, including practice tests and sample questions, as well as https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt/taking-the-test/what-to-bring-leave/calculator-policy for more information on the calculator policy.

If your child requires a testing accommodation, please complete the Consent Form for Accommodations Request that can be found at https://accommodations.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ssd-consent-form-accommodations.pdf. Please sign and return the consent form as soon as possible but not later than Monday, August 24, 2026.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Swackard and 813-346-1200 or eswackar@pasco.k12.fl.us

If you would prefer your student NOT to participate in the PSAT/NMSQT, please contact Dr. Swackard at 813-346-1200 or eswackar@pasco.k12.fl.us by September 2, 2026

Dropping off outside food (take out, coffees, etc)

Please do not plan to drop off outside take out food or coffees to your child mid day. We cannot have them missing important instruction and be called out of a classroom to pick it up, and we cannot have our office staff continually leaving the office to disrupt instruction or deliever food and drinks. The office staff will not be able to accept these drop offs. If your child forgot their lunchbox, and you drop it off, a staff member working in their lunch will take it with them on their way to the lunchroom for their duty.

Adding Money to your Child's Lunch Account:

This year the county is not using My School Bucks any longer. Instead all lunch money can be added through your student fees Rycor account embedded in your Parent Portal.

Early Check-Outs:
If your child needs to be checked out early, please plan to do so before 1:15 p.m. This helps our front office staff efficiently complete end-of-day responsibilities and allows us to maintain safe and orderly dismissal procedures for all students.

Tryout dates will be:

🏐Girls Volleyball

All tryouts are in the gym from 1:45-3:15 with Coach Flatley and Coach Smith- NEXT WEEK!

6th Grade- Aug 24

7th Grade- Aug 25

8th Grade- Aug 26

If you plan to come to tryouts for any of the 3 fall sports, you will need to have all your athletic paperwork completed.

Now is a great time to get started! Students MUST have a cleared status in the Athletic Clearance Portal in order to attend tryouts.

Links to all required tasks and paperwork: https://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/athletics/page/forms/

• Create an Account & Complete all items on AthleticClearance.com
• Complete EL2 (physical) form with a doctor's signature, stamp, and date, along with Parent and Student Signatures and date at the bottom of Page 4. Then, upload to Athletic Clearance.
• Complete NFHS classes for: Sudden Cardiac Arrest, Concussion for Students, and Heat Illness. Then, upload certificates to Athletic Clearance
• Completed Transportation Form uploaded to Athletic Clearance
• Completed GA4 form uploaded to Athletic Clearance for transfers

Please reference the Student Code of Conduct for Pasco County Schools when knowing if your child's absence will be excused. Pasco County Schools (attendance can be found on page 20)

Important Attendance Points:

• After three (3) unexcused absences, the school shall contact the home (or workplace) of the parent/guardian to determine the reason for the absence.
• All elementary, middle, and high school students who are absent will be marked “unexcused” (U) until the parent/guardian notifies the school in writing and justifies the absence with one of the acceptable reasons Failure to do so within three (3) school days will cause the absence to be recorded as “unexcused”.
• In the case of excessive or extended absences, which are claimed to be due to illness, upon request of the principal or designee, a parent must provide documentation (doctor’s statement) of a student's illness.
• Excessive or extended absences are considered three (3) consecutive days, five (5) in one calendar month, or ten (10) in a 90-calendar-day period.
• A history of excessive absences per period as defined in Student Consequences for Unexcused Absences.
• Absences that meet this threshold as defined above will require a doctor’s note. If doctor’s notes are not provided, absences will be marked as unexcused
• Absences for trips or other parental requests.
• Requests must be approved in writing by the principal or designee, at least one (1) week in advance. Only 5 days per year will be excused.

Student Consequences for Unexcused Absences

At the secondary level, attendance is marked per period. If a student has at least five (5) unexcused absences, or absences for which the reasons are unknown, in any one course within a calendar month or ten (10) unexcused absences, or absences for which the reasons are unknown, in any one course within a ninety (90) calendar day period, the student may lose privileges as described below.

• Lose the privilege of participating in extracurricular activities. They include but are not limited to dances, special events, club activities, and athletics, until the end of the following grading quarter

• Jessica Maus- Principal-

• Dr. Eshonda Swackard- Assistant Principal- eswackar@pasco.k12.fl.us
• Edward Doychak- Assistant Principal- edoychak@pasco.k12.fl.us