CSRMS Family Newsletter!

Raven Families,

Election Day is this Tuesday! As part of their Social Studies classes, our Ravens will participate in a schoolwide Mock Election experience. This hands-on activity helps students learn about the voting process, civic responsibility, and the importance of participating in our democracy. It is also a great opportunity to have conversations at home about elections, citizenship, and making informed decisions.

Also on the November ballot is the renewal of the Pasco County Schools Salary Referendum. This referendum has provided important funding that helps attract and retain high-quality teachers and staff across our district. To learn more about how the referendum has supported Pasco County schools and students, please visit the information page: https://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/2026_referendum/

This Tuesday is also the District Championship Football Game at the Angeline Sports Complex. Please note that the game is not being held at Angeline Academy of Innovation. The sports complex is located on North US 41. If you plan to attend, please review the directions, parking information, and stadium expectations linked below so you arrive prepared and ready to cheer on our Ravens!

As we welcome November, the month of gratitude, we invite families to help us celebrate the incredible staff members who make a difference every day. Throughout the month, you can submit messages of appreciation for any CSRMS staff member who has gone above and beyond to support your child or family. Your messages will be shared directly with the staff member and are a meaningful way to recognize their impact. Feel free to submit as many shout-outs as you'd like using the gratitude form: https://csrms.pasco.k12.fl.us/mform/view.php?id=66104

November is also a time when we come together to support one another. Beginning Monday and continuing through November 11, our Counseling Department and Builders Club will be collecting nonperishable food items to help create holiday meal kits for Raven families who may need extra support during the Thanksgiving and Winter Break seasons. Information about requested donation items can be found later in this newsletter. Every donation, big or small, helps make a difference for a local family.

If your family could benefit from holiday assistance this season, please know that support is available. Information on how to confidentially request assistance can also be found below. Together, we can make sure every Raven family feels supported, cared for, and connected during the holiday season.

Finally, when students need a quick emergency change of clothes at school we like to keep a closet of clothes to offer them. Our clinic closet is running low. If you are cleaning out closets we welcome items like sweat pants, athletic shorts, sweat shirts, etc. Things that are comfortable, comply with dress, code and can fit a variety of sizes!

Thank you for being such an important part of our Raven community. We wish everyone a wonderful start to November!

• Pasco Pathways School Choice Expo: Nov 9th & 10th (*not held at CSRMS)
• Great American Teach In: Wed, Nov 18th
• Recess Reloaded Field Day: Fri, Nov 20th
• Thanksgiving Break: Mon, Nov 23- Fri, Nov 27
• Winter State Testing (PM2): Dec 1-18- Schedule Coming Soon
• School Choice Open House at CSRMS: Wed, Dec 2nd
• Center for Gifted School Choice Open House at CSRMS: Wed, Dec 9th

The Pasco Pathways Expo is just a few weeks away. Save the date for the 2026 Pasco Pathways Expo, where you can meet school representatives, explore programs and learn more about school choice opportunities for your child.

CSRMS will be at the Tuesday event! If you have friends or neighbors who are considering Rushe for the fall, tell them to visit us at Cypress Creek High School on Tues, Nov 10th at the Expo! We will also be holding Open House Events for School Choice families at CSRMS in December!

Monday, November 9
Gulf High School | 5–8 p.m.

Tuesday, November 10
Cypress Creek High School | 5–8 p.m.

Each event will offer information sessions on Pasco Pathways and school choice, dual enrollment, and early childhood programs.

Registration is open! Please visit pasco.k12.fl.us/expo to see which schools will attend each event, explore the details and sign up. See flyer here.

The holiday season is a wonderful time for our Raven community to come together and support one another. In another section of this newsletter, you'll find information about how families can reach out if they are experiencing financial hardship and may need holiday assistance.

To help support these families, our Builders Club and School Counseling Team are teaming up to collect non-perishable food items that can be used to create holiday meal baskets for families in need.

📦 Collection Dates: November 1-11
Students can drop off items from the flyer in the atrium each morning during arrival beginning next week.

🎁 Coming Soon: Holiday Giving Tree
We'll also be setting up a Holiday Giving Tree in the front office, where families can "adopt" a Raven family by purchasing a holiday gift for a student in need.

Thank you for helping us make sure every member of our Raven family feels supported this holiday season. Be sure to watch upcoming newsletters for more details and ways to help!

On Tuesday, November 3, CSRMS students will have the opportunity to participate in a Mock Election in our Media Center as part of a hands-on civics learning experience. This activity is designed to help students better understand the voting process and the important role citizens play in our democracy.

Prior to participating, students will learn about how elections work, including what voters experience when they cast a ballot and make informed choices. During the mock election, students will have the opportunity to vote on several races and ballot items, including:

• Florida Governor
• U.S. Senate
• U.S. Representative, District 12
• Amendment 3
• Millage Election for Public School Students

The purpose of this activity is not to persuade students toward any particular position or candidate. Instead, our goal is to provide awareness, education, and real-world exposure to the electoral process while encouraging civic engagement and informed citizenship.

To make the experience even more memorable, students will receive an "I Voted" sticker and can participate in a fun photo opportunity to celebrate their involvement.

We are excited to provide our Ravens with this meaningful learning experience and help them connect what they learn in the classroom to the world around them.

Supporting student success continues to be one of our top priorities at Rushe this school year. To provide additional academic support and opportunities for students to improve their grades, we will be offering two Academic Saturday School sessions this quarter.

The first session will be held on November 14 and will be invitation only based on student academic needs. Teachers will identify students who would most benefit from additional support and will prepare specific make-up work, reassessments, and grade recovery opportunities for those students. Because the activities will be individualized and prepared in advance, families will not be able to sign students up for this session independently. Priority will be given to students with failing grades in core academic subjects that are required for promotion.

Our second Academic Saturday School session will take place on December 12, near the end of the quarter and semester, providing another opportunity for students to receive support before final grades are posted.

We encourage all families to regularly monitor grades through the parent portal, check in with their child about academic progress, and stay in communication with teachers throughout the quarter.

We are thrilled to launch this year’s National PTA Reflections program at Rushe! This year’s theme, “What My Culture Means to Me,” invites students to explore and celebrate their heritage, family customs, and personal identities through creative expression.

Students can submit original work in six categories: Visual Arts, Photography, Literature, Music Composition, Dance Choreography, and Film Production.

Every student who participates will receive a special medal and be invited to our PTSA awards ceremony. The first 10 submissions will receive a special prize!

Top submissions will advance to District Finals, with the opportunity to move on to State Finals and Nationals for a chance to win an $800 Young Artist Scholarship!

Entry forms and official guidelines are available by scanning the QR code on the Reflections flyer or visiting our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/RushePTSA

Submission deadline: Friday, November 13, 2026

For questions, please contact Kerri Nuccio, Rushe PTA Reflections Chair, at Rushe.PTSA.Secretary@gmail.com.

Please encourage your child to participate! We can’t wait to see how our Rushe Ravens share their culture, stories, and creativity.

If your family may need support for a holiday meal for Thanksgiving, or gifts for children and a meal for the winter holidays, please reach out to our school counselor, Denise Ferguson, dlwolfe@pasco.k12.fl.us.

CSRMS like many Pasco County Schools has an ABC (Assist, Believe & Care) program. In Pasco County Schools, this is a district initiative that provides limited, confidential assistance to students and families experiencing financial hardship or crisis.

The program relies on voluntary donations from school staff, families, local businesses, community groups, and annual drives by local county organizations. Once we know what the need is at Rushe, we will be seeking support from the community to provide holiday assistance to some Rushe families experiencing hardship.

Ravens are ready to take flight! On November 18, Charles S. Rushe Middle School will participate in the Great American Teach-In, and we're inviting members of our community to help inspire our students. Share your career journey, life experiences, talents, or expertise as we connect classroom learning to real-world opportunities. Every presentation helps our students spread their wings and explore new possibilities.

Sign up: https://csrms.pasco.k12.fl.us/school-news/great-american-teach-in-2026

At the beginning of the school year, we included attendance reminders and procedures from the Student Code of Conduct in several newsletters to help families navigate attendance expectations. For families who joined us later in the year, or for anyone who may have missed those reminders, we'd like to share them again.

Regular attendance is critical to student success. It's important to understand that submitting an absence excuse through the Parent Portal does not automatically make an absence excused. Whether an absence is excused or unexcused is determined by the reason for the absence and the frequency of absences, according to the guidelines outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.

Below is the attendance guidance we follow based on the Student Code of Conduct:​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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 as defined

below:

• 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.

For the purposes of attendance, the following definitions apply:

• Major Illness is defined as any life altering accident/diagnosis.

• Immediate family includes but is not limited to, parents, child, siblings, legal guardians, caregiver, or a member of one’s own household.

Reasons for acceptable (excused) absences include but are not limited to:

• Illness of student.

• Major illness in the immediate family of the student. (a member of their household)

• Death in the immediate family of the student.

• Religious holiday of the student’s faith (including Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Epiphany, etc.).

• Religious instruction (including Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Confirmation, etc.).

• Religious institutes, conferences, workshops, provided that the principal or designee approves the absence in advance.

• 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.

• In-school or out-of-school suspension.

• Subpoena or forced absence by any law enforcement agency, a copy of the subpoena or court summons must be submitted to the school.

• Issues and occasions specific to military families.

• Jessica Maus- Principal-

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