Congratulations to our Teacher of the Year - Mrs. Adela Blaz! Mrs. Blaz is a wonderful teacher with years of experience. She genuinely cares for her students and is well respected by them. Her kindness and calm approach create the ideal atmosphere for students to make progress and succeed. Thank you Mrz Blaz for all you do! We love you and appreciate you!

Congratulations to Mrs. Carolyn Bullock - our SRP of the year! Mrs. Bullock is known for her kind heart and positive attitude. She is a team player who is often working behind the scenes. She is a wonderful person and we are very grateful to her for all of her efforts.

On Tuesday, October 4th, our students and staff were able to interact with the authors (Kathleen Glasgow and Christina Diaz Gonzalez) from the books we are reading. The students were able to ask questions about the writing process and the books themselves. It was a great and rewarding experience for all involved.

This month we had two field day for our students on gold and silver cards, October 7th (originally scheduled for the end of September) and October 28th. Our students had a great time participating in Tiger games, doing crafts, and enjoying some snacks. Our staff had fun as well, especially Ms. Coleman and Mr. Mahon.

Early Release Day our staff attended a presentation by Betsy Roller with SEDnet. She presented on the importance of having a calming space for our students. Some of our lucky winners were able to leave with some fidgets and other sensory items.

Every Thursday in October our students and staff were encouraged to wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Congratulation to Caleb Spaw, our October Student of the Month! Caleb is doing very well in all of his classes and according to his teachers, is a joy to have around. Congratulations, Caleb!

This month our high school students had an opportunity to meet with Ms Merchant from Keiser University who visited EPEA to talk about college and career opportunities, the importance of knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and about life after school in general. The students learned about different scholarship opportunities and were given a brief online tour of one of the Keiser University campuses.

On Friday, October 14th, in honor of the upcoming National Boss's Day, our staff honored our school leaders, Mrs. Carrino and Mrs. Mitch. Everyone at EPEA is grateful for their leadership, their hard work and dedication. EPEA teachers and staff are fortunate to have amazing leaders who support them and inspire them to be the best version of themselves.

Mrs. Kristine Dail from Specialty Electronic Systems Inc. visited our campus this month to share her journey of starting her own business and teach our students about the importance of hard work, discipline, perseverance, and discovering their passion.

October 23rd-31st we celebrated Red Ribbon Week, which is the nation's largest and longest-running drug-use prevention campaign. If you would like to see more photos, please check our Facebook page.

On Thursday, October 27th we had two guests speakers from Baycare coming to speak with our students about substance use awareness. We also had a special guest, Jillian Johnson, sharing her story and her road to success, and encouraging our students to make better choices.

Our Annual Fall Festival/Not So Spooky Trail was a huge success! We had such a great event!!! Thank you to everyone who came. The games, the spooky trail, the photo area, and the scare school were huge hits.

To view our monthly College and Career Lab Newsletter, click the button below.

On Monday, November 7th at 3pm we will have Honor Roll Celebration. Students who qualify for honor roll will receive an invitation and more details. Their families will be contacted as well.

Our first Parent Night will be hosted on November 15th at 5:30 pm, in our school cafeteria.

We will be focusing on Promotion/Graduation Requirements and Resources available to students/families.

Do you need help for the Holidays? This year Metro Ministries is offering fully online and in-person registration. Your family will have the option to sign up for convenient locations to receive help.

https://www.metromin.org/holiday-central/need-help/

By Luke Mercado

Red Ribbon Week is the nation's largest and longest-running drug-use prevention campaign. It takes place each year from October 23 through 31st. The first National Red Ribbon Campaign started in 1988. According to data from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration approximately 80 million people participate in Red Ribbon events every year.

Here are the activities we did for the Drug-Free Ribbon Week at EPEA: we had some guest speakers, for example, Dr. Mink’s granddaughter, Mrs. Jillian Johnson, talked to us about not doing drugs. She shared how she grew up around drugs and that it was terrible for everyone involved. She also shared how it affected her life. Another speaker, Keith Bell from BayCare talked to us about how people who were doing drugs were a bad influence and how they were not leading by example. We also made a drug-free pledge, watched videos of how some drugs can kill you, talked about how addictive drugs are ,and that no one should do drugs. We also had dress-up days all week: for example on Monday we wore red, Tuesday was a sports gear day, Wednesday was a wear camo day, on Thursday we could wear clothes from any decade, and on Friday we wore our pj’s.

You can read more about the Red Ribbon Week Campaign HERE.

Attention Seniors!

Don't forget to fill out The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)! Completing the #FAFSA is a requirement to be considered for federal aid such as PELL grants, work-study, federal student loans, and other targeted aid. Make sure to list all schools you’re considering! FAFSA may also be used for trade schools, as long as the school is accredited.

👉 Visit Federal Student Aid at studentaid.gov to unlock your path to college and career opportunities. *Make sure to complete your FAFSA as soon as possible because some financial aid awards are given on a first-come, first-serve basis.

https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

Students must wear the EPEA uniform shirt daily. Shirts can be purchased for $8 each.

Sweatshirts will also be available for $30, and students can wear the sweatshirts without the EPEA uniform shirt if they wear the sweatshirt all day.

Students are to abide by the dress code of Pasco County Schools.

Please note: Old JIEC shirts & sweatshirts WILL not be considered in dress code. ALL students must have an EPEA shirt or sweatshirt for this school year.

Electronics (cell phone, headphones, ear buds) will only be allowed for students who maintain C's or higher during each marking period so that the focus remains on academics without distractions.

Students who are on Red Card will not be allowed to have electronics.

Electronics will be collected each morning and kept in a secure location for student to receive back during dismissal.

Wireless speakers, video games, etc. should be kept at home and they are not permitted on campus. Students who bring them will surrender them at the beginning of the day and receive at the end of the day.

Backpacks, bags, purses, etc. should be left at home. Students who bring these on campus will turn them into staff upon arrival and receive at the end of the day.

Just a reminder: Students who are administratively placed at EPEA are not permitted on any Pasco County School campus during their length of stay.

Students will carry their point card with them around campus and be responsible for not losing it. All students will start on the Bronze level and then be able to move up to Silver and Gold. If students are not able to maintain points, they will drop down to Red level. On the Red level, students will not be able to have any electronics and they will attend academic lunch. Students who achieve Silver and Gold level will receive extra privileges, such as monthly ice cream socials, field day, etc.

This year Pasco County School District has selected Naviance by PowerSchool as its primary college, career, and life readiness education technology solution. Naviance is a college, career, and life readiness platform, that helps students uncover their strengths and interests to make more informed decisions about their futures. The app is located on the students' dashboards. We encourage all our students to take advantage of this great resource.

For more information on Naviance Platform, please click this link: https://www.powerschool.com/solutions/unified-communities/naviance/

Parents or guardians will bring student to the front office to check-in late. If the student is leaving early, photo ID will need to be shown for check-out.

It is important for students to attend school to stay on track. We understand that things may occur that will cause a student to be absent. Please contact the front office or fill out the Absence Report form on our website to report a child's absence. For it to be considered, excused we will need a doctor's note, court document, etc.

If your child takes medication, you will need to reach out to the Clinic. There are forms that need to be completed.

Medication must also be brought in person to the clinic.

Throughout the school year, parents may request to meet with your child's teachers to discuss academics and/or behavior.

At times, teachers may also request to meet to discuss academics and/or behavior.

Conferences will be held in the morning prior to school starting.

Want to have a voice about your child's school? We would love to have you join our School Advisory Council that meets every other month. School Advisory Council Meetings (SAC) will be held on: 9/23, 11/18, 2/17 & 4/21 at 9 am.

For families who are in need, we have support that can be provided through the Tender, Loving Care program. Our social worker has contacts in the community to help with food during the holidays, clothing, and school supplies. If you need any services, please reach out and we will see what we can do to assist.

School address - 35830 State Road 52 Dade City, FL 33525

Phone Number - 352-524-5700

Fax Number - 352-524-5791

Principal - Shelley Carrino E-mail - scarrino@pasco.k12.fl.us

Assistant Principal - Jessica Mitch E-mail - jeawilli@pasco.k12.fl.us

School Counselors - Tim Hall E-mail - twhall@pasco.k12.fl.us and Sherri Harris E-mail ssharris@pasco.k12.fl.us

Behavior Specialists - Jose Olmo (Dr. J) E-mail - jolmo@pasco.k12.fl.us and Travis Wisdom (SBP) E-mail twisdom@pasco.k12.fl.us

Social Worker - Michael Brooks E-mail - mlbrooks@pasco.k12.fl.us

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