Sunlake Weekly Update

Highest points of all traditional high schools in Pasco County!

Student Hours: 7:05 AM-1:39 PM

Email: kmerlin@pasco.k12.fl.us
Website: https://slhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/
Location: 3023 Sunlake Boulevard, Land O' Lakes, FL, USA
Phone: (813) 346-1000
Facebook: facebook.com/SLHSseahawk
Twitter: @SLHSseahawks

Welcome Back Families,

I am excited to welcome everyone back for another outstanding school year! As we celebrate our A School designation and earning the highest point total among all traditional high schools in the state grading system, we remain committed to increasing student achievement and learning gains for every student. All of our policies, procedures, and practices are designed to support a relentless focus on teaching, learning, and student success.

To help ensure a smooth start to the school year, please take time to complete all required acknowledgements in the Parent Portal, update emergency contact information, and carefully review school policies and procedures.

Communication is key to a successful partnership. Our Weekly Update will be sent each Sunday evening with important information, reminders, and upcoming events. Please make it a priority to read it each week so you can stay informed and "in the know."

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. I am looking forward to our best yet!

Thursday, Aug 13th- First Day of School

6:15 AM- Senior Sunrise (Seniors only- Sunlake Stadium)

1:45 PM-5:00 PM- Class of 2029 Hoco Practice: 4 Left Commons

1:45 PM-5:00 PM- Class of 2028 Hoco Practice- 3 Right Commons

5:30 PM-8:00 PM- AWAY Pre-season Volleyball @ Calvary Christian

Friday, Aug 14th-

1:45 PM-5:00 PM- Class of 2029 Hoco Practice: 4 Left Commons

1:45 PM-5:00 PM- Class of 2028 Hoco Practice- 3 Right Commons

7:00 PM-9:30 PM- AWAY Football "Fall Classic" @ Hernando High School

Saturday, Aug 15th-

4:00 PM-6:00 PM- Cross Country Media Day: Sunlake Gymnasium

Please be sure to sign on to PascoOne and complete the acknowledgments including the Parent Bill of Rights and update your emergency cards. One of the scariest moments for school personnel is the inability to reach a parent or guardian when their is an emergency at the school. Please help us by keeping your information current and answering the Parent Bill of Rights questions.

Read the graphic below and help us to achieve our goal this year by ensuring your child is in school every day for the entire day!

Our School Advisory Council (SAC) has one parent position open for a two year term starting in the 2026-2027 school year. SAC meets 8 months during the school year on the 4th Tuesday from 7:05 AM-8:05 AM to discuss school improvement efforts, review data and stay informed on current events at Sunlake. Interested candidates will be placed on a ballot, along with their personal interest statement, to be voted on by the parent population at Sunlake between August 19th-August 21st. If you are interested in having your name placed on the ballot, please complete the interest form at the link below no later than Tuesday, August 18th at 4:00 PM.

Sunlake School Advisory Council Interest Form 2026-2027

Schedules are always a HOT topic in high school. While we desperately wish that we could give every one of our 2181 students the exact courses they want and in the exact order that they want, this is simply not possible.

The number of sections we offer for each course is determined by the course requests that students entered last Spring so space is limited. We have already received greater than 550 schedule change requests. If you have already submitted the form and have not yet heard back please do not submit another form.

There are 9 reasons our counselors can make a schedule change at this point in the year. We do not change electives for the first 10 days of school.*

1-Student has a class on their schedule they have already earned credit for.

2-Student is scheduled into a class that has a prerequisite that has not yet been completed.

3-Student is a senior and missing a graduation requirement.

4-Student has been accepted into an academy and is missing an academy class.

5-Student has less than 6 classes.

6-Student has a duplicate class.

7-Student is missing a core course.

8-Student has two lunches or no lunch.

9-Courses do not reflect changes request on the Spring Course Acknowledgement Form.

Schedule Change Request Form 2026-2027

*After the first 10 days of school we will have a better understanding of which students showed up as expected and which students have withdrawn. This attrition of students sometimes allows us to grant schedule change requests for electives so if we have the ability to change electives we will notify families of the procedure at a later date.

For example- 3rd period English 2 has 34 students, but 6th period English 2 has 16 students. In order to "balance" 3rd period 9 students would be randomly selected and moved to 6th period English 2. Unfortunately, this sometimes means schedule changes that were not requested.

We understand that this is frustrating and we do not enjoy balancing classes at this time of year, but unfortunately it is necessary. Please be patient with our staff as we work to meet class size mandates while also trying to create the best possible schedules for everyone.

Yes, students with B Lunch may leave after their 6th period class instead of remaining on campus for lunch if...

• This is their regular disimissal plan
• The student is a car rider, walker, bike rider or scooter rider
• The student has a completed B Lunch Early Dismissal Form

GREAT NEWS! PE Lockers are now included in the PE fee so everyone gets a locker!!

There are many ways to practice school spirit at Sunlake! The two easiest?

Thursdays- College or Career Shirt Day- wear your favorite college shirt or a shirt representing your future career

Fridays- Seahawk Spirit Day- wear your favorite Sunlake gear

Who knows? You might be spotted by a staff member and earn some Seabucks for your spirit!!

A new Districtwide Business Partnership Sponsorship provides businesses with another way to support students and schools across all District campuses. This sponsorship expands partnership opportunities by allowing every school to benefit from businesses that choose to invest districtwide. It is not intended to replace the school-based partnerships you have worked hard to build, and schools should continue to develop and maintain relationships with their current business partners.

Want to learn more? Visit the Districtwide Banner Sponsorship website.

Sunlake is participating in a collection for the Marjorie's Hope Cinderella & Prince Charming Project starting on August 12, 2026. Wardrobe collection boxes will be available in our front office so that we can gather new and gently used formalwear and accessories for students served through the project. Please consider donating formal gowns, ties, dress pants, suit jackets, button down shirts, shoes, heels, etc. to help students prepare for Homecoming and/or Prom.

District staff will pick up the boxes after October 5, 2026.

Our student athletes LOVE when you come watch them compete! Game dates and times are listed in the calendar each week and can also be found on the Sunlake website community calendar. Please read the expectations ahead so you are not caught by surprise (especially the clear bag rule) when attending a game.

Save yourself time and purchase your ticket before you come to the gate. Simply click the picture below to link to GoFan...better yet dowload the app on your phone for quicker access.

Passes are available:

Family Pass- All year, 4 Tickets $125.00 (+$8.25 fee)

Seasonal Student Pass- All sports for the season for 1 student $25.00 (+$3.25 fee)

10/12-10/16- Homecoming Week

10/17- Homecoming Dance

5/8/27- Prom

6/2/27- Graduation (1:30 PM)

Click Here for the College & Career Specialist Newsletter

This link will remain in all future issues of the Weekly Update.

https://sunlakeperch.com/

The link above will take you to Sunlake's very own virtual newspaper with articles written by our talented student journalists! This link will stay active all year and be posted at the bottom of each newsletter so be sure to check it out each week. Who knows? Your child may end up in a feature article!!

Sunlake Handbook Edition of Weekly Update

2026-2027