February 14, 2026
Pepin Academies New Port Richey
Good evening,
I hope you are having a wonderful Valentine's weekend! On Friday, Mrs. Kinney and I started out incredibly grateful. We were visited by three of our amazing high school students who came bearing gifts for each of us. I received a beautiful purple orchid, a crystal bowl full of sweets, a balloon, gift cards, and a huge card signed by staff and students. I honestly have no idea how that got that big card around campus without me seeing it. Mrs. Kinney was also given a beautiful orchid, a ballon, gift bag of goodies, and a card. Both of us were surprised and are incredibly appreciative. We want to thank everyone who participated in this secret mission; it truly exemplifies the "belonging" that we all feel here at Pepin.
I wanted to make all families aware that the school lunch program we contract with, SLA, began selling ice cream novelties in the cafeteria last week. I was not made aware of this change and emailed SLA to get more information. I shared that it is extremely important for our staff and families to be notified prior to changing dietary options. Parents you do have the ability to login to your account and limit your student's ability to purchase certain snack items, including ice cream.
Even though the upcoming school week is only four days, it is going to be busy. Please make sure to read through the newsletter carefully and review the upcoming events section. We don't want you to miss out on anything!
Kathy
This information comes directly from our 25-26 Parent & Student Handbook. Click on the word Handbook to 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
â–ª Official uniform polo shirt with the appropriate logo.
â–ª Colors: ES-Navy or Maroon MS-Gray or Green HS-Black or Columbia Blue
â–ª Long or short sleeve undershirts may be worn in the following colors: white, gray, or black.
â–ª Undershirts must not hang out from the uniform shirt.
â–ª Pepin Academies spirit shirts may be worn on Fridays.
Pants/Shorts/Skirts/Skorts
â–ª Must be khaki (tan) in color.
â–ª Pants and shorts must be worn at the waistline and fit appropriately.
â–ª Pants must not be stretch material or form fitting.
â–ª Shorts, skirts, or skorts must be no shorter than 4 inches above the knee.
â–ª No cargo style pants or shorts.
â–ª No elastic waistbands unless pre-approved for therapeutic reasons.
â–ª Black- or khaki-colored leggings may be worn under shorts or skirts in cold weather.
Jackets and sweatshirts
â–ª Official Pepin Academies attire with school logo: navy blue (elementary), gray (middle) or black
(high).
â–ª If not official attire, solid color only: navy blue (elementary), gray (middle) or black (high).
â–ª Jackets and sweatshirts must not have a hood.
â–ª No lettering, designs, patterns or any other embellishment on non-official jackets and sweatshirts.
â–ª Winter jackets in different colors may be worn due to very cold weather but must be taken off inside.
Hats/Head Covering
â–ª No hats or head covering may be worn at any time unless pre-approved for religious reasons.
â–ª No bandanna print headwear/accessories may be worn on campus.
â–ª A hat may be worn when appropriate during PE or cold weather but must be removed upon entering the building.
February 2026
You can access the menus digitally through the SLA/Nutrislice website by clicking on the cheeseburger icon to the right. Once on their site and viewing the Pepin Academies menus, you’ll have the option to see detailed nutritional and allergen information for each item.
We are currently accepting cash or check payments. Please include your student’s number on all payments.
**Additionally, please make sure to complete the Free/Reduced Lunch Application on the Pasco County Schools website. This not only helps with school funding but may also qualify your family for meal benefits.**
*** STUDENTS MUST BE ENROLLED PRIOR TO ATTENDING TUTORING ***
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.
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 and in our care.
* 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.
- 02/16/26 - Presidents' Day - No School
- 02/18/26 - Rescheduled NPR Board Meeting @ 5:30 pm - This is the new date
- **02/20/26** Please note the date change for these events:
- Title 1 Parent Meeting @ 4:00 in the Conference Room
- Literacy Night: Book Fair (4pm - 6pm)
- Literacy Trivia (doors open at 5:30; first game begins at 6. Event ends at 8pm. Pizza, chips, drinks, and snacks will be on sale
- 02/23/26 - Color Run Kick-off
- 02/27/26 - Last day for new students to enter the 26-27 School Year Lottery. Students currently enrolled need not reapply.
- 03/12/26 - 4th grade field trip to Starkey Park
- 03/13/26 - Early Release Day @ 12:15; House Day (wear your House color)
- 03/19/26 - Color Run
- 03/20/26 - No School
- 03/23 /26 - 04/06/26 - Spring Break
- 03/27/26 - 26-27 School Year Lottery
- 03/28/26 - 03/29/26 - Pepin Tennis Tournament at Avala
- 04/01/26 - Passover begins at sundown
- 04/05/26 - Easter Sunday
- 04/06/26 - School resumes
Kathy Neptune
Principal
Carolyn Kinney
Assistant Principal
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