What's Happening at Rushe

Hello Raven Families,

Thank you to all who serve or have served our country as a proud member of our military. Thank you also to the families of our service members for their sacrifices. This week we will recognize our veterans by viewing a special Veteran's Day presentation that was held at the River Ridge Performing Arts Center. This presentation showcased the talents of our very own Rushe Chorus that performed at this event!

Always remember, we ARE Ravens and Ravens soar to success! Have a wonderful week of learning.

Harper has been riding horses for seven years. She rides with Countryside Hunters, which is where she keeps her horse, Stella. Stella is a 16.1, hand-registered Appaloosa from Texas whose show name is The American Dream. Harper competes in Hunter/Jumper horse shows across Florida throughout the year and finished as champion of her division for the 2024 show year!

This past weekend, November 1 & 2, Troupe 89479 took 38 of our Ravens to River Ridge Center for the Arts in New Port Richey to compete in the District 11 Jr. Thespian Festival.

Our One Act, The Actor Games, received a Superior rating overall, including a perfect score from our technical judge. Euiseon (pronounced OOH - SAHN) Kim won the award for the All Star Cast member for her very physical comedy and her portrayal of Commedia D'ell Arte.

On Saturday, 19 students competed in the categories of Solo Acting, Duet Acting, Ensemble Acting, Improvisation, Solo Musical, Scene Writing, and Makeup Design. All students achieved scores high enough to qualify for the State festival in February, earning either Excellent or Superior ratings overall. Our two Superior-rated performances were Juliette Desmarais with her Solo Musical and Bella Becker and Amalia Esajas with their Improvisation.

Once again Charles S. Rushe Middle School has honored representation in the 2024-2025 Florida All-State Honor Choir. The following students have won a place in the Mixed Chorus:

• Ezra Ferrell

• Layla Garcia

• Paige Markwardt

• Sophie Moon

Congratulations, Ravens, on a job well done!

Our Rockin' Ravens Choir travelled to the River Ridge Performing Arts Center on Friday, November 8, to perform at the district's Veteran's Day event. Students will watch the recording of this event in their social studies classes on Veteran's Day. Great job, Ravens!

Pasco County Schools will host two in person expo events to showcase the choices and innovative programs in our county for the 25-26 school year on November 12th at Gulf High School and November 14th at Cypress Creek High School. Each expo event will take place from 5-8 p.m. Click the links below to learn more!

We are offering Extended School Day (ESD) services starting on Monday, November 4, 2024, through May 15, 2024. The program will run on Mondays and Thursdays from 2:00-3:30 PM in the Media Center. ESD is not a tutoring service and is primarily intended for students completing course recovery. ESD can also be a great opportunity for students who do not require additional help with their school work, but instead prefer to complete their work uninterrupted in school. Transportation will not be provided. If you would like to enroll your student in ESD, please contact Mr. E.J. Doychak, the administrator overseeing the program.

Parents and Guardians, if you have not already done so, please log in to your myPascoConnect parent portals to acknowledge the Parents' Bill of Rights information. These are critical documents that can impact the services we provide your student(s) and should be reviewed annually. To learn more about the Parents' Bill of Rights, click HERE.

Click HERE to login or set up a parent portal account.

The Duke Energy Great American Teach-In is part of Pasco County Schools’ annual American Education Week celebration. Sponsored by our company since 1994, it’s a special opportunity for you to visit the public school of your choice and share what you know with a new generation.

This year’s event is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. You may choose to stay for an hour or for the whole day! The amount of time you volunteer is determined strictly by what your schedule permits and what the teacher wants to accomplish.

Whatever the length of your visit, you can make a difference. Thousands of previous Teach-In participants have inspired students by sharing their experiences and professions.

To register for the CSRMS Great American Teach-In, click HERE or visit our school website for more information. Registrants do NOT need complete the new volunteer requirements.

Congratulations to the following students for conquering the Hallow-Read Challenge on Beanstack! Encourage students to read and log their minutes during November.

• Dominic Bellino

• Carlos Solis Crespo

• DeMondrae Montgomery

• Aleena Gonzalez

• Kai Cretsinger

• Cadence Dowen

• Riley Karl

• Richard Jones

• Benjamin Bergeron

• Layla Cho

• Aiden Smith

• Aadhya Guduru

• Tyson Dang

• Elianna Martinez

• William Green

• Brendan Pratt

• Euiseon Kim

• Ana-Cecilia Maia Menard

• Christian Encomienda

• Aanya Malik

• Alexandra Ortiz

• Dalton Poirier

Happy Sunday Raven Families! We are still accepting applications for the National PTSA Reflections Program. This year’s theme is “Accepting Imperfections.” All the students’ entries are now due by Friday, November 22nd. Be on the lookout for our social media posts for more detailed information. We are so excited about this program. It gives a wonderful creative outlet for our kids. We are also sponsoring another spirit night this month at AdventHealth Center Ice! Come on out Saturday, November 16th from 6:30pm to 7:30pm and skate with the family! Our next meeting of the school year is Thursday, November 14th at 4:30pm in the Media Center. This will be a general meeting as we are voting on increases and some changes to our budget to provide more support to our amazing programs. We hope to see you there!

To become a Pasco County Schools volunteer!

Charles S. Rushe Middle School has continually been recognized as a Golden School for volunteers in the state of Florida, and this past year is no different! Thank you to all our past, present, and future volunteers for their dedication to Rushe.

Volunteers are a vital part of building relationships between school, parents, community members, and business partners. We truly appreciate the hours our volunteers serve in our schools and the value they add to the educational experience for our students.

To continue to ensure the safety of our students, the District is making several changes to our volunteer requirement and application process for the 2024-2025 school year. Effective 8/1/2024, all volunteers will be required to complete a Level 2 background screening every 5 years. This background check will review records in the state of Florida as well as the national FBI database. The cost for this screening is $41.25 and volunteers will be responsible for this cost. Volunteers will need to be complete an annual volunteer application to ensure accurate records.

Click the image above to complete the Volunteer Application!

This year, all teachers at CSRMS are focusing on increasing student exposure to text and writing. To do so, we will be utilizing the following strategies in ALL classrooms throughout the school year.

Please remember to pull all the way to the front (as close to the bike rack on each side). Do not stop under the awnings. In addition, please do not park in the car line. If you wish to wait to have your child leave your vehicle, please park in a space and have your child use the crosswalk. Also, for the safety of all students and staff, please do not use the center parking area to cut through, and do not let students out along Mentmore or Sunlake Boulevards.

To ensure your continued safety, remember to only cross the road at crosswalks, and be sure there are no incoming vehicles before crossing. Please consider wearing reflective clothing/accessories to increase your visibility to drivers, particularly in the morning. Bike riders, remember to wear a helmet at all times, and do not ride on the street through the bus loop before and after school. For the safety of others, please walk your bicycles when you are on campus. Remember to lock your bicycles inside of the bike racks. Any bikes locked on the outside of the bike racks will have their locks cut and will be confiscated for parents to pick up.

If you or your child are a bike rider, please watch this important bike safety video.

Each district school board shall adopt a dress code policy that prohibits a student, while on the grounds of a public school during the regular school day, from wearing clothing that exposes underwear or body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner or that disrupts the orderly learning environment.

These guidelines are in effect while on any District School Board of Pasco County school or campus, at any school function or on any school-sponsored transportation:

• Students must wear opaque (not see through) clothing that has fabric on the front, back, and on the sides of the body extending from under the arms to cover the entire chest, entire genital area, entire buttocks area, and must extend below the buttocks area.
• Shirts must have sleeves or straps and extend to the waistband of pants/shorts/skirts/or other bottoms.
• Students may not have exposed undergarments, which would include any and all portions of a student’s underwear or bra.
• Students must wear appropriate footwear, which must secure to the heel. No slides or Crocs are allowed. All footwear must have a sole that affords traction and protection to the foot. Socks (when worn alone) and “house” or “bed” slippers are not permissible.
• Clothing must be suitable for all scheduled classroom activities including physical education, career-technical education, science labs, and other activities where unique hazards exist.
• Specialized courses may require specialized attire such as sports uniforms or safety gear

In addition, the following items are considered inappropriate for the school environment and are not permissible:

• Wallet chains, spiked jewelry, dog collars, or similar items
• Slippers or similar shoes
• Pajamas or costumes (unless approved by school administration for special events, etc.)
• Hats, bandanas, or head coverings (unless preapproved administratively for medical, religious reasons and/or for special school activities)

For more information regarding dress code, read the 2024-2025 Student Code of Conduct, page 27.

Grades 6 through 8 – Students who bring WCDs to school must ensure that they remain on silent mode and completely out of view for the entire school day except for when expressly authorized by the classroom teacher for a specific instructional activity. Classroom teachers may also provide, and students may utilize, a cell phone storage area in their classroom. These expectations also apply to extracurricular and co-curricular activities that occur before or after the school day.

For more information regarding WCDs, read the 2024-2025 Student Code of Conduct, page 31.

Tickets to all CSRMS home athletic events will be sold online through GoFan. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door and must be redeemed upon entry in the presence of a ticket taker. Tickets redeemed before entering will be null and void and attendees will be required to purchase a new entry (no screenshots!). No reentry is permitted once your ticket is redeemed. Please do not ask to leave and return after entering.

All bags are subject to search upon entry. Bags and items not permitted on Pasco County Schools property must be returned to the patron’s vehicle. ONLY clear plastic, clear vinyl, or clear Ziploc bags are permitted inside an event venue. Student athletes are permitted to bring bags. These bags are subject to search. Small clutch or wallet style bags no larger than 4 inches by 6 inches are permitted for entry but will be subject to search. All other styles of bags such as backpacks, fanny packs, purses and duffle bags are not permitted. An exception will be made for medically necessary items, diaper bags, and properly credentialed school and professional photographers’ camera bags. These bags will be subject to search prior to entry, unless the item meets the clear bag guidelines. Please refer to the “Event Security Procedures” document on the district website for more details pertaining to this countywide policy.

This Week and Beyond

• November 11 - Extended School Day, 2:00-3:30 PM in Media Center
• November 11 - Dungeons & Dragons Club, 2:00-3:00 PM in Room 324 🐉
• November 11 - Girls' Basketball vs. Angeline AI, 6:00-8:30 PM (@CSRMS) 🏀
• November 12 - ATP Drill #3
• November 12 - Boys' Soccer vs. Angeline AI, 6:00-8:30 PM (@SLHS) ⚽
• November 13 - Fellowship of Christian Athletes Meeting, 1:45-2:30 PM in PE Classroom
• November 13 - Civil Air Patrol, 2:00-4:00 PM in Room 104
• November 13 - 8th Grade NJHS Meeting, 1:45-2:30 PM in Media Center
• November 13 - Girls' Basketball vs. John Long MS, 6:00-8:30 PM (@JLMS) 🏀
• November 14 - Odyssey of the Mind, 1:45-2:45 PM in Room 237
• November 14 - Band Help with Mr. Cook, 2:10-3:30 PM in Room 121
• November 14 - Extended School Day, 2:00-3:30 PM in Media Center
• November 14 - PTSA Meeting, 4:30-5:30 PM in Media Center
• November 14 - Boys' Soccer vs. Centennial MS, 6:00-8:30 PM (@CENMS) ⚽
• November 15 - Quarter 2 Progress Reports available in myStudent

• November 18 - Extended School Day, 2:00-3:30 PM in Media Center
• November 18 - SGA Meeting, 2:00-2:45 PM in Room 311
• November 18 - Dungeons & Dragons Club, 2:00-3:00 PM in Room 324 🐉
• November 18 - Girls' Basketball vs. Thomas E. Weightman MS, 6:00-8:30 PM (@CSRMS) 🏀
• November 19 - Student of the Month, 9:00-9:30 AM in Media Center
• November 20 - The Great American Teach-in
• November 20 - Fellowship for Christian Athletes, 1:45-2:30 PM in PE Classroom
• November 20 - Yearbook Club, 1:50-2:30 PM in Room 337
• November 20 - Civil Air Patrol, 2:00-4:00 PM in Room 104
• November 20 - Builders Club, 2:00-3:00 PM in Cafeteria
• November 20 - Girls' Basketball vs. Pasco MS, 6:00-8:30 PM (@PMS) 🏀
• November 21 - SAC Meeting, 7:40-9:10 AM in Staff Development Room
• November 21 - HOSA Club, 1:45-2:45 PM in Room 237
• November 21 - Extended School Day, 2:00-3:30 PM in Media Center
• November 21 - Band Help with Mr. Cook, 2:10-3:30 PM in Room 121
• November 21 - Boys' Soccer vs. Raymond B. Stewart MS, 6:00-8:30 PM (@SLHS) ⚽
• November 22 - On Track Day (Activity Schedule)

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