1. education
2. school

April 2015
Pepin Pasco News
Principal’s Message-Clearing Up Some Confusion
Some recent conversations I have had with parents have led me to
write this message. Pepin Academies is a public charter school.
That means we must follow the same Florida academic benchmarks and standards as any public school. As we move through
this rigorous testing season, I have had some parents question as
to why we, as a charter school, must participate in standardized
assessments. Unfortunately, we are not exempt from this testing.
At Pepin, we try to make testing as painless as possible, ensuring
our students receive all allowable accommodations as mandated
by their IEPs. We try to maintain a calm approach to the tests.
You will not find us holding a pep rally to try and spur our students
to do better. Though we want our students to do their best, we
also do not want the process to make them anxious.
I have had some parents question as to why their child might be
failing a course. At Pepin, we give every opportunity for our students to have as much time as possible to complete work in the
manner that best suits their learning style. We present assessments in ways in which they can be successful. That being said,
the work must be completed. If students are not completing their
classwork or successfully passing their tests, they could possibly
fail their classes .
I have had some question as to why we send home notices and
make parent contact for excessive student absences. We are
bound by the same law (Florida School Law 1003.26) that governs
school attendance in all public schools. And we truly believe that
“when you miss school, you miss out.”
While we are bound by certain rules and regulations, what makes
us different is our ability to create a learning environment that
enables our student population to meet these rules and regulations on their own terms, in their own time, and ultimately, with
success.
Teacher
Appreciation
Week
May 4-8
Inside this issue
Principal’s Message… ............ 1
New Website…...................... 1
Pepin FIRST News… .............. 2
Pepin Community Gala… ....... 3
Lenses To Their World… ........ 3
Reminders… ......................... 4
Calendar… ............................ 4
We have a new website! www.pepinacademies.com . If you have not already checked it out, you should. The
website features all 3 Pepin Academies sites and has links to each campus. There is much information regarding activities that impact all our students as well as links to news stories, interviews, etc. The Pasco link
is still a work in progress. Please make sure when you are checking the site that you are on the Pasco link in
order to get information pertinent to Pepin-Pasco. The Hillsborough campus of Pepin Academies has a completely different calendar (Year-Round) than Pepin-Pasco and there has been some confusion between the
two.
When You Thought I
Wasn’t Looking
By Mary Rita Schilke
Korzan
When you thought I wasn’t
looking, you displayed my
first report and I wanted to
do another.
When you thought I wasn’t
looking, you fed a stray cat
and I thought it was good to
be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn’t
looking, you gave me a
sticker, and I knew that little things were special
things.
Pepin FIRST SPRING Pepin FIRST News
FLING and
Please continue to send in your
VENDOR FAIR!
Box Tops for Education clippings
Big THANK YOU to all of our Pepin FIRST All-Stars who helped
make our 1st Annual Spring Fling
a HUGE success! They onceagain created a special event that
offered a wonderful evening of
fun for the entire family. 14 awesome vendors participated. We
ask you all consider them if you
should need any of their available
services/products.

Amerilife-Richard Simpson

National Cooking SolutionsMelissa Jenkins

Jamberry-Elyse Raval

Paparazzi-Christina Nunez

Bricks for Kids-Ayesha Rodriguez

Younique-Holly Dimitrie

Scentsy-Jennifer Almodovar

Lower Latitudes Travel-Sean
Byndas (Also our SUPER DJ!)
When you thought I wasn’t
looking, you smiled and it
made me want to look that
pretty too.

Norcom Mortgage-Delynn
Gaston

Videography Services-John
Gaston
When you thought I wasn’t
looking, you cared and I
wanted to be everything I
could be.

MPower-Karin Jones

IT WORKS

Lenses to their
World Photography-Jaime
Brown
When you thought I wasn’t
looking, you put your arm
around me and I felt loved.
When you thought I wasn’t
looking, I saw tears come
from your eyes and I
learned that sometimes
things hurt-but that it’s alright to cry.
When you thought I wasn’t
looking...I looked...and
want to say thanks for all
those things you did when
you thought I wasn’t looking.

AnyTime Fitness
and Labels for Education
UPCs. These little clippings can
add up to big earnings for Pepin
Academies Pasco! The classroom
that has collected the most unexpired Box Tops and Labels by the
end of April will be recognized
with an ice cream social one afternoon in the month of May. So
hurry! There is still time to send
in your Box Tops and Labels to
count for our contest this year!
Keep clipping and collecting, Falcons!
Uniform Collection
Believe it or not, there are only 8
weeks left of school! And we are
already planning for next year!
We will be collecting used (but
still in good, wearable condition)
uniforms for redistribution. So if
your child has outgrown their uniforms (and some of these kids
have grown like weeds!) and they
are still in good shape, please plan
on donating them.
Krispy Kreme
Doughnut Sale is
coming! More info
to follow!
Pepin Academies Community Gala
May 21, 2015
TPepin Hospitality Centre
Pepin Academies Community Gala, hosted by Tom and Lauren Pepin, is our largest, annual, corporate fundraiser for all the schools of the Pepin Academies. The Gala is also a tribute to the many generous businesses,
government leaders, and philanthropists who support the Pepin Academies throughout the year. Additionally, the Gala brings awareness to the community by showcasing the skills and talents of students attending
the Pepin Academies and highlighting their achievements. The evening consists of a cocktail hour, silent auction, formal dinner, surprise performances and our keynote speaker, the great friend of Pepin, Mr. Tony
Dungy. Monies raised at the Gala will support all schools of the Academies and will ensure that our schools
continue to meet the unique needs of our students.
We are asking Pasco families to help support the Gala in a number of ways:

Seek corporate sponsorship-Corporate donors’ logos will be showcased in the grand foyer of TPepin’s
Hospitality Centre, showcased in the ballroom, featured in social media, listed in the event program, displayed on their reserved table(s), and displayed on a donor plaque in the lobby of Pepin Academies main
campus.

Seek donations for the Silent Auction-We are seeking donations for silent auctions items as well as new
items that can be placed in baskets to be auctioned off the evening of the event. All donations can be
dropped off in our main office.
Pepin Academies Support Services is a non-for-profit 201 ( c) (3) foundation supporting all Pepin Academies
schools. If you have any specific questions regarding the Gala or donating, please contact Crisha MurrayScolaro or Lauren Egan Bergold at 813-236-1755.
LENSES TO THEIR WORLD GALA
April 26, 2015 2-5pm Rialto Theater-Downtown Tampa
Please support the Pepin-Pasco Photography Club by attending our FIRST EVER
Photography exhibition to be held at the Rialto Theater in Downtown Tampa on
April 26, 2015. Our student photography will be featured and for sale. (If you
haven’t seen their work, it is phenomenal!) Pre-sale tickets are $5.00 or $7.00 the
day of the show (Children are FREE!) The link for ticket purchase is https://
eventbrite.com/event/15644084879/ If you are interested in purchasing photos prior to the event, Club Sponsor, Jaime Brown has a catalog of items for purchase. Please contact her at [email protected].
Important Reminders!
The end of the year is almost here. However, that does not mean we can relax on our policies and procedures.
 Dress Code-PLEASE all students should be maintaining the appropriate Pepin Academies uniform EVERY
DAY. This means no hats, appropriately colored shoes and belts, Pepin approved jackets, etc. (Check our
Parent/Student Handbook for specifics.)
 Electronics-Some of our teachers allow students to use their phones during class to take pictures of notes,
etc. and that is acceptable. However, students are not to use their phones for any other purpose during
the school day. We have many instances of students telling us…”My mom just texted me…” Please refrain
from texting your children during the day. It can be disruptive for them. In addition, we have had students
playing video games on their phones during the school day. Please remind them that this is not allowed.
 Attendance-Remember, your child’s absence is only excused with a parental note. Absences remain unex-
cused until note is received.
 Sign in/Sign out/Checking-All visitors MUST come through the front office and receive a visitor’s pass in
order to be on campus. All late students must be signed in and all students leaving early must be signed
out. Please make sure you always follow these procedures.
Pepin Academies-Pasco Calendar
Where belonging leads to
learning.
April 14-
Pepin Academies-Pasco Board Meeting—6:00pm
April 17-
Middle School Dance-4:00pm-6:00pm
April 23-
Pepin FIRST Meeting-Cafeteria-6:00pm
May 1-
Pepin Academies High School (9th –10th )Prom
Lowry Park Zoo-7:00-11:00pm
Tickets-$60.00
May 4-8-
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
Pepin Academies-Pasco
9804 Little Road
New Port Richey, FL 34654
May 12-
Pepin Academies-Pasco Board Meeting-6:00pm
May 25-
Memorial Day-No School
727-233-2961
727-233-2963 (FAX)
June 2-
8th Grade Award Ceremony-1:30pm
Cafeteria
June 3-
5th Grade Award Ceremony-8:20am
Cafeteria
June 3-
Last Day for Students
11:45pm Dismissal
August 24-
1st DAY OF SCHOOL-2015-2016