November 26, 2025

Good afternoon,

We had another busy week at school. Below is a brief summary of all the events that took place. In next week's newsletter we will share photos of them with you.

* Students continued to work on their IXL testing and when they return next week, PM3 FAST testing begins.

* Giving Tree Drum Circle - All I can say is WOW! The students had a great time making music together. Thank you, Ms. Knarvik for coordinating this unforgettable opportunity.

* Pepin First held its Thanks To You Breakfast on Friday. Students and their special guests got to enjoy a light breakfast together as a way to show their appreciation.

* Homecoming 2025 was amazing! We had over 70 students attend and they all had a great time. Many students came dressed in costume, representing several decades, while others dressed more formally. Congratulations Homecoming King and Queen, Travis Mauras and Cici Garcia!

Next week our Boys Basketball team has 3 home games. Please consider coming to cheer on our team. They have worked hard and continue to improve not only their athletic skills, but life skills as well. I am so proud of how well they carry themselves, even when things aren't in their favor. They always give 100% and hold their heads high.

I wish each of you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving!

Kathy

This information comes directly from our 25-26 Parent & Student Handbook. Click on the word Handbook to be view the recently updated copy. To the left you will see our new Dress Code Violation Forms. Should your child come to school out of uniform, they will be issued one of these as well as a consequence. The consequence, which may include a detention or ISS, will depend on the number of violations a student has accrued.

Shirts

▪ Official uniform polo shirt with the appropriate logo.

▪ Colors: ES-Navy or Maroon MS-Gray or Green HS-Black or Columbia Blue

▪ Long or short sleeve undershirts may be worn in the following colors: white, gray, or black.

▪ Undershirts must not hang out from the uniform shirt.

▪ Pepin Academies spirit shirts may be worn on Fridays.

Pants/Shorts/Skirts/Skorts

▪ Must be khaki (tan) in color.

▪ Pants and shorts must be worn at the waistline and fit appropriately.

▪ Pants must not be stretch material or form fitting.

▪ Shorts, skirts, or skorts must be no shorter than 4 inches above the knee.

▪ No cargo style pants or shorts.

▪ No elastic waistbands unless pre-approved for therapeutic reasons.

▪ Black- or khaki-colored leggings may be worn under shorts or skirts in cold weather.

Jackets and sweatshirts

▪ Official Pepin Academies attire with school logo: navy blue (elementary), gray (middle) or black

(high).

▪ If not official attire, solid color only: navy blue (elementary), gray (middle) or black (high).

▪ Jackets and sweatshirts must not have a hood.

▪ No lettering, designs, patterns or any other embellishment on non-official jackets and sweatshirts.

▪ Winter jackets in different colors may be worn due to very cold weather but must be taken off inside.

Hats/Head Covering

▪ No hats or head covering may be worn at any time unless pre-approved for religious reasons.

▪ No bandanna print headwear/accessories may be worn on campus.

▪ A hat may be worn when appropriate during PE or cold weather but must be removed upon entering the building.

We’re exploring the possibility of moving to a 4-day school week for the 26-27 or 27-28 school year, and your input is essential. Please take a moment to complete our survey and share your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. Your feedback will help guide our planning and ensure we understand what matters most to families.

This survey is just the beginning—there will be more opportunities to engage and share as we move forward. If this change is implemented, rest assured that our school will continue to meet or exceed all state instructional requirements, and students will receive the same high-quality education.

We’re committed to keeping families informed every step of the way. Regular updates will be shared as we explore this potential shift.

🗓️ This initial survey will close on November 30th.

Note: If your child will not be returning next school year (graduating, completing transition, etc.), please do not submit this survey.

Thank you for helping us shape the future of our school community!

Survey Link: Family Survey: Support for a 4-Day School Week – Fill out for

It's that time of year again! Listed below are surveys for the Pack A Sack program. One Community Now (OCN) is the organization that heads the Pack A Sack (PAS) program we have here at Pepin. For those of you who are new to Pepin, PAS is a program that supplies food to students facing food insecurities. This food is given out every Friday during the school year by me. These surveys help provide funding to keep this program running.

The links below are for parents and students. It would be GREATLY appreciated if you would take a few minutes and provide your feedback and allow your child to take the student survey, too! Please complete the surveys no later than Dec. 1st. Thanks for your help!!

• Parent Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ParentNov2025
• Student Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/StudentNov2025

While the menus are listed below, you can access them digitally via the SLA/Nutrislice website by clicking on the cheeseburger to the right. Once on their site and viewing the Pepin Academies menus, you will have the option of seeing nutritional and allergen information for each item.

The generosity of our Pepin community continues to shine. Thanks to everyone who contributed, the Interact Club was able to provide multiple families with food for the holiday. Your willingness to help others reinforces what we teach our students everyday - kindness matters. It is with immense gratitude that I say thank you for supporting our community and for being an active role model to all our students. I also want to thank Ms. Delaney, our campus Interact Club, and Ms. Goeden for all their efforts to ensure as many families as possible received a Thanksgiving care package.

Ms. Healey and Ms. Wisselman did a wonderful job coordinating this year's event. Thank you to everyone who came to speak at our Great American Teach-In (GATI). There were over 20 different presenters who volunteered their time to share their professional stories. Our students really enjoyed learning about your jobs. There was a yoga instructor, a food truck, firefighters, a lawyer, and a Sheriff with their K-9, just to name a few. We hope you got to learn a bit about Pepin Academies, too, while visiting our campus. You never know...you may have sparked an interest within a child that will change their future.

We are pleased to office tutoring again this year, to all students free of charge.

Tutoring will be offered in reading and math. Tutoring will be data-driven based-on students’ performance on school-wide assessments.

Tutoring will begin the week of 9/29/2025 and end on April 30, 2026. The days offered are Mondays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30.

If students are not picked up by 4:35 they will remain in the office and charges will apply ($1 for each minute late).

There will be no make-up sessions for missed tutoring and no tutoring during school breaks. If a student’s behavior and/or lack of effort impedes the student’s ability to learn or prevents others from learning, the parent will be notified by either the tutor or administration. If the behavior occurs again, the student will be dismissed from tutoring. If school closes early for any reason, tutoring will be canceled. Students will be assigned tutoring days of the week based on the tutor’s caseloads by the tutoring team.

Please complete the form using the link below.

https://forms.office.com/r/ANCDtTYT0d?origin=lprLink

Dear families,

A big thank you to everyone who attended our meeting about the upcoming trip to Berlin, Krakow, Budapest, & Prague in Summer 2027. Enrollment is now open! There are only 35 spots available, and you can lock in your spot with only $95. Plus, enroll by Friday, November 7th and you’ll receive a $200 discount. As a reminder, EF also offers risk-free enrollment, which gives you the flexibility to cancel within 7 days for a full refund, just in case your plans change.

As we discussed in the meeting, we wanted to do a special bonus, so we’ve added an additional $100 off for anyone who enrolls within 24 hours! That’s a total discount of $300 off!

Enroll now and check out the trip details here: www.eftours.com/2982858NB Space is limited and spots are first-come, first-served!

To learn more about EF Educational Tours, our trusted travel partner, you can check out their website. It covers everything from payment plans to what’s included to their approach to safety. Once you enroll, you'll also get access to your personal fundraising page and can apply for EF’s Global Citizen Scholarship!

Have additional questions? Email me directly, check out EF’s website, or contact EF’s Traveler Support Team: Live chat: https://www.eftours.com/contact-us Call: 800-665-5364 eftours.com

If your student has friends who are interested but haven’t signed up yet, feel free to pass this message along to their families.

Looking forward to an incredible trip!

Jennifer Morris

P.S. Check out this video to learn what parents & guardians like you thought about their own children's EF tour experiences.

Please note this is a non-school sponsored trip.

* Our front office hours are from 7:30-3:30, Monday through Friday.

* Drop-off for Before Care is 7:00 am. Please do not block the gate or follow staff into the parking lot prior to that time. There is no one present to receive students until 7:00 am.

* All school behavior expectations are in place once a student is on the campus

* Instructional time begins promptly at 8:30 am. If your child is late, you must park and walk them into the office to check them in. Do not drop them off and leave.

* If you are picking your child up early, you must park and come into the office to get them. Early pick-up ends at 2:30 pm; students will not be released after that time. Dismissal via the carline starts at 3:15 pm. From 3:15 - 3:30 pm you will pick your child up through the carline; do not come to the office.

* Following the dress code is not an option; it is a requirement. Hooded shirts, sweatshirts, or jackets are never allowed, even on dress down days.

• 11/24/25 - 11/28/25 - Thanksgiving Break
• 12/01/25 - Back to school
• 12/02/25 - Boys Basketball Home Game vs. Classical Prep @ 4:30pm
• 12/03/25 - Boys Basketball Home Game vs. Innovation Prep @ 4:30pm
• 12/04/25 - Boys Basketball Home Game vs. Manifestation @ 4:30pm
• 12/5 /25 - Cookies & Cocoa 5:30-7:30pm
• 12/13/25 - New Port Richey Christmas Parade
• 12/15/25 - 12/18/25 - Mid Term Exams
• 12/19/25 - 01/06/26 - Winter Break
• 01/06/25 - Students return to school

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Jane Bjorbekk - Data Processing JBjorbekk@pepinacademies.us

Melanie Kirk - Administrative Assistant MGasparovich@pepinacademies.us

Beth Stubler - Administrative Assistant, Front Desk EStubler@pepinacademies.us

Carrie Donahue Cdonahue@pepinacademies.us

Kimberly Evans Kevans@pepinacademies.us

Kelly Goeden KGoeden@pepinacademies.us

Jill Niski JNiski@pepinacademies.us

Samantha Bump SuBmp@pepinacademies.us

Theresa Gooldrup TGooldrup@pepinacademies.us

Amy Greene AGreene@pepinacademies.us

Gail Eshelman GEshelman@pepinacademies.us

David Valdez - Behavior Specialist DValdez@pepinacademies.us

Gabe Gonzalez - Behavior Assistant GGonzalez@pepinacademies.us

Erica McDowell EMcDowell@pepinacademies.us

Barbara (Bobbi) Root Broot@pepinacademies.us

Dean Quinlan npr.officer@pepinacademies.us

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Click on the #FortifyFL icon to report suspicious activity.

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To prepare students to meet the academic, social and emotional challenges encountered in everyday life and prepare them for a successful transition to middle and high school and post-secondary.

Where belonging leads to learning.