PCMS Weekly Update
September 16, 2022
Good afternoon PCMS Families!
What a week we had!! First of all, THANK YOU to all of the 7th grade families who were able to make it to our 7th Grade Pastries with Pirates event on Tuesday! It’s been a few years since we’ve done these events and it was incredible to see the cafeteria packed with students and their families. 6th Grade - your’s is this Tuesday - we’ll see you there!!
Another HUGE THANK YOU to our parent volunteers and our PTO for helping sponsor our 6th Grade field trip to the Earnest Shepherd Memorial Youth Center in Liberty this week! The weather was perfect and the kids had an awesome time while developing leadership and communication skills and learning how to work together through the outdoor challenges. Awesome stuff right there!
And finally, next week is a big week for us as we show off our Pirate Pride during Homecoming Week! This year’s theme is "A Storybook Homecoming." Encourage your child to dress up and participate in our Spirit Days if they’re able to. This is always a fun and exciting week for us - we take a lot of pride in being PIRATES!
I think Fall might be finally here so enjoy the weekend and GO PIRATES!!
-- Robert Mueller
CHECK OUT WHAT WE DID THIS WEEK
7th Grade Pastries with Pirates
was a hit with great conversations and excellent food!
6th Grade Field Trip
found our 6th graders learning to work together toward their goals!
PACE Board Game Group
gets excited to learn and practice some chess!
Mrs. Pegler's class writing Cuneiform (Sumerian writing) on clay tablets.
THIS WEEK’S CHARACTERSTRONG FOCUS
Here’s a quick recap of what we talked about this week in our CharacterStrong sessions - some good stuff right here!
6 Grade worked on developing their Community Agreements. This session was dedicated to developing Community Agreements. This process is designed to bring many voices forward to make sure everyone has an opportunity to reflect on and discuss how we want to treat each other. These agreements are meant to help the class to become a safe place where people can be genuine without fear of mistreatment. The agreements are designed to serve as guidelines we can refer to throughout the year.
7 Grade continued their conversations on What They Value. This was the 2nd of 3 sessions focused on values. This session applies learning from the last session related to values and offers some perspective on how we might have the same (or different) values for various reasons. At the end, we introduced to the CharacterDare process - a challenge to put values (and the session content) into action.
8 Grade is still Dreaming Ahead. This was the 2nd of 4 sessions where we looked ahead and are planning for our futures. In this session, we touched base with our individual values and used them to help guide us in thinking about dreams we want to see come true in our futures.
SCHOOL TIPS & REMINDERS
You’ve probably noticed that each Monday morning by around 8:15am towards the end of Pirate Time, your child sends you an email updating you on how their week has gone and how their grades are looking. Here they talk about their favorite part of their week, something they did for others, something they’re proud of, and their grades. And we’re teaching them how to send an actual letter that doesn’t look like a text message you often receive from them! We hope you’re enjoying them and finding them beneficial!!
PIRATES IN ACTION
- Volleyball: Both teams fell to tough Grain Valley opponents on Monday. Then both teams had great victories over Raytown on Wednesday. Thanks for the great fan support on Wednesday - it was loud and crazy!!
- Football: A team dominated Park Hill South winning 15-0, B team won against Park Hill South 20-12, and C team defeated Pioneer Ridge 32-14. All 3 teams are now 3 and 1 with 2 games left in the season.
- Cross Country: Monday in our race in Liberty, the runners continued to decrease their mile times and get stronger. On Wednesday, our top 12 runners traveled to Independence to run in the Buffalo Stampede. This meet was the largest of the season so far with 29 schools and over 800 runners in attendance. This was a great experience for our kids in running with such a large group.
6TH GRADE PASTRIES WITH PIRATES
6th grade! It's your turn for our Pastries with Pirates breakfast on Tues, Oct 4 at 7am. 6th-grade students are encouraged to invite special family member(s) to join them. This could be grandparents, mom, dad, aunt, uncle, or any other significant person in the student's life. We’re looking forward to seeing you on the 4th!
HOMECOMING- OCTOBER 3-8, 2021
Platte County's Homecoming festivities run October 3-8, 2022. This year's theme is "A Storybook Homecoming." Click here for the week's spirit days and festivities. Our guidance to students for Tuesday’s “Anything but a Backpack Day” is 1) must be able to fit on the bus, 2) no glass, 3) it cannot damage the school in any way, and 4) it cannot have a motor. Other than that, let's see how creative we can get!
PCHS will host the Victory Supper on Wednesday, October 5, starting at 6 p.m. at Pirate Stadium. The Victory Supper will be a community pep rally with our coaches introducing the fall teams, the crowning of the underclassmen candidates and the Homecoming King, and performances by the Traditions Band, PCHS cheerleaders and alumni cheerleaders. PCHS cheerleading alumni are asked to arrive at 5:30 p.m. for a short practice. Second (or third) generation Pirates (those students with parents who graduated from PCHS) are invited to gather at 5:45 p.m. in the southside stands for a group photo. The event is open to the community.
The Homecoming Parade will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 7, and will run on Fourth Street from Thomas Drive to Rising Star Park. Students will be dismissed three hours early that day. Parents and the community are encouraged to arrive by 2:25 p.m. as Fourth Street between Zed Martin and Thomas Drive will be closed to traffic beginning at 2:30 p.m. Thomas Drive between Siegrist Elementary and Fourth Street will also be closed. If you'd like to participate in the parade, please contact Kyle Perkins for an entry form by October 5. If you have a convertible or Jeep and would be willing to drive Homecoming candidates, please contact Robin Herron.
PLEASE NOTE: There will be changes to the staging area setup for the parade this year. We will be utilizing the bus loop at the PCHS Phase I Rebuild project for float staging, NOT the back parking lot of PCMS this year. Parade entries will receive complete instructions.
AGAIN THIS YEAR: There will be a shuttle bus to take parade participants and their sponsors back to the main PCR-3 campus. The shuttle bus will be parked along Zed Martin Drive. Floats will disband in the Rising Star Park/Splash Pad and will take the path from Rising Star Park to Zed Martin Drive. We encourage parents to pick up their participants at the PCR-3 main campus.
Immediately following the parade, Wells Bank will host its annual Community Tailgate Party, in the High Pointe Shops Shopping Center parking lot. The community is invited to come see PCHS's Traditions Band, cheerleaders and dance team perform, and enjoy free food and drinks!
Homecoming Football Game: The Pirates will take on the Belton Pirates at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 7 at Pirate Stadium. The Homecoming Queen will be crowned at halftime, and the Pride Band will perform after the game.
SIGNS OF SUICIDE (SOS) PROGRAM
Platte County School District offers depression awareness and suicide prevention training as a part of the Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program. PCMS students will participate in this program in the fall. Students will watch a video, have a brief classroom discussion, and will complete a brief questionnaire to offer support if needed. Families can view SOS videos by clicking here.
If you do NOT wish for your child to participate in the SOS program, please complete THIS FORM before Thursday, October 20. If we do not hear from you by this date, we will assume that your child has permission to participate in this program.
MESSAGE FROM THE PTO
Please click below for the Signup Genius to volunteer to help in the Concession Stand at home games! This is for adults only please, we will have a link soon for students who need volunteer hours.
WINTER SPORTS COMING SOON
Tryouts for Winter Sports are coming up shortly. Click below for information on MS Basketball and
Wrestling.
Please see link below for Lady Pirates Basketball Parent Newsletter.
Tryouts for the PCMS Archery Team are quickly approaching, and we are ready to get our season started! If you would like to try-out for a spot on our nationally ranked team, please sign up for a time slot by clicking below.
If you have any questions please contact Coach Ratsch @ ratschj@platteco.k12.mo.us
SAVE THE DATE: PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, November 2, 3:30-7:30pm and Thursday, November 3, 3:30-7pm. We are offering both in-person and virtual options for conferences. This is a very important time for parents to discuss their student's progress with his/her teachers, as research has shown that parental involvement is one of the most important factors in a student's success in school.
PREVENTING A NEW GENERATIONS OF ADDICTION
Did you know that the average age that youth begin vaping in Missouri is age 13? And more than 1 in 4 Northland youth don't see vaping as harmful? Check out this flier with facts, warning signs, and how you can end teen vaping, brought to you by Platte County Prevention Coalition and Parent Up. Learn more and find resources at ParentUpKC.com/Vaping.
PIRATES ROCK CHARACTER TRAIT: Responsibility (October)
Pirates R.O.C.K. (Raising Outstanding Character Kids) is a program designed to surround our families with examples of strong character traits through school experiences, at home, and reinforced in their community. Each month our community focuses on a specific character trait and students are recognized for exhibiting these traits: Self Confidence, Pride, Responsibility, Citizenship, Compassion, Individuality, Self Control, Integrity, Perseverance, Respect, Honesty, and Cooperation.
October’s #PiratesRock trait is Responsibility: being accountable for your actions without blame
UPCOMING EVENTS
Oct 1
Volleyball Tournament @ Platte County High School 9am
Oct 3
Volleyball vs Antioch Middle School @ Home 4pm
Oct 4
6th Grade Pastries w/ Pirates 7am
Football A/B Teams @ Nowlin Middle School 4pm
Oct 5
Cross Country @ Raymore-Peculiar South Middle School 4pm
Volleyball @ Raytown Central Middle School 4pm
Oct 6
Football C Team @ Smithville Middle School 4:30pm
Oct 7
3-hour Early Dismissal
Homecoming Parade 3pm
Oct 10
No School - District Inservice
Volleyball @ South Valley Junior High 4pm
Oct 11
Volleyball vs Raymore-Peculiar East Middle School @ Home 4pm
Oct 13
Football C Team @ New Mark Middle School 4pm
Thank You to Our Pirates ROCK Star Business Partners!
Email: tomlinsk@platteco.k12.mo.us
Website: http://www.pcms.plattecountyschooldistrict.com
Location: 900 Pirate Drive, Platte City, MO, 64079
Phone: (816)858-2036
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plattecitymiddleschool/