PCMS Weekly Update

All of our teams were in action this week! Here’s a quick recap of their weeks.

• Football: Both A and B teams played hard on Tuesday but fell just short of beating Liberty North 16-15 and 14-6. The C Team had a dominating win over New Mark Thursday 27-6 with big plays on offense, defense, and special teams! The boys played extremely hard and are coming together as one strong unit each day.

• Volleyball: The Volleyball teams got off to a great start this week! On Wednesday both the A and B teams came away with wins against Excelsior Springs Middle School.

• Cross Country: Tyler Stambersky won the girls' race (there were over 150 runners). Leading the girls' team to second place finish out of 13 teams. Girls who medaled: Tyler Stambersky, Katelyn Newberry, and Madison Fuller. Landon McKinzie finished in the top 10 (there were 210 runners). He led the boys to a seventh-place finish out of 16 teams.

• Band: The 8th Grade Band is performing with the high school band this evening at the PCHS home football game vs. the Grain Valley Eagles.

Here’s a quick recap of what we talked about this week in our CharacterStrong sessions - some good stuff right here!

• 6th and 7th Grade had their first Character Strong Lesson. This welcome session helped set the stage for the "What", the "How", and the "Why" for this year. It helped create clarity for both the educator and students setting the program up for success.

• 8th Grade worked on creating Class Agreements. Students described why having clear expectations of ourselves and others help us succeed as a class. They identified their own needs as part of the class and they worked to clearly define agreements for the class.

On Thursday, your middle school student should have sent you an email about becoming a Canvas Observer. Starting this school year, all 6th-12th grade courses will be housed in a singular learning management system called Canvas. In Canvas, the “Observer” role is used for parents to allow them to see what is going on in their student’s courses. Use the attached guide to set up your Canvas observer account using the student pairing code from each of your students. Click here to create an account and log into Canvas: platteco.instructure.com/login/canvas.

You can then set up your notification preferences or log into Canvas to see the Dashboard of what is happening in all your student's courses. Within Canvas, you can see assignment details, submissions, comments, and more. Official grades are then posted to PowerSchool. Contact the school if you have any questions.

Our Platte County Education Foundation discount card sales program continues through Tuesday, the 19th. Our schools, in conjunction with Major Saver, work with businesses throughout our District to offer a $15 discount card providing customers with 21 local buy-one-get-one-free or discount offers. In most cases, redeeming only two offers offsets the cost of the card. Proceeds from the card campaign directly benefit your student's school and the Platte County Education Foundation. The Foundation gives back to the Platte County R-3 community by awarding annual pre-K through 12th-grade classroom and building site grants, as well as senior scholarships. Your student should have brought home an envelope with information and instructions on Thursday, September 7 or on Friday, September 8, and was instructed to not go "door-to-door," but to offer to relatives, friends, co-workers, etc. Collection dates started on Tuesday, September 12, and the program wraps up on Tuesday, September 19. Please consider purchasing a card and supporting our schools! You can also purchase cards online here.

Hello and welcome to a new school year! My name is Katie Powers and I am the building social worker at PCMS. We are so glad to have your student attend our school.

Periodically, I will send out information via email throughout the school year for families that will include community resources and events that may benefit you or your child. A great way for me to know how I can help is by filing out this resource checklist!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe86qV0Rz4KvYgnn7IS6POK6HLP1K59tXwrmQQ7oBUVbSQptA/viewform?usp=sf_link

If you would like to apply for free or reduced-cost lunches, please complete this form.: https://www.plattecountyschooldistrict.com/departments/food_services/free_and_reduced_meals

Do you need assistance with energy bills? The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) may be able to help. You can apply online or download the application at https://mydss.mo.gov/utility-assistance/liheap or call (855)373-4636 to have an application mailed to you.

Did you know that Platte County R3 has a food pantry? Follow this link to register to attend. www.plattecountyschooldistrict.com/business_community/treasure_chest

If you have any questions or I can be of assistance, please contact me at 816-858-2036 ext. 2616 or powersk@platteco.k12.mo.us.

Starting on Monday, September 18th, your student will not be able to take home their Chromebook unless you have purchased the insurance.

If you did not register for Chromebook Insurance during Registration, we highly encourage you to do so as this gives you insurance protection and allows your child to take their Chromebook home. The price for this insurance is $30. Click on the link below for more information and to register your Chromebook. Here is a video to walk you through the process. Feel free to call our office if you have any questions.

Platte County School District recognizes the importance of community input to help set the future direction of our schools. We will be kicking off another year of the PCR-3 Community Advisory by gathering volunteers who will have an ongoing role to review the District’s progress toward its Comprehensive Strategic Improvement Plan goals, as well as to provide input regarding the District's general operation and specific issues impacting education activities and programs. Any District resident, employee, or student may participate in the ongoing work of this group.

We have reached out to existing members about continuing their participation and are now opening membership up to new members. If interested in serving on this advisory, please complete the application linked here by September 25. The first General Membership meeting will be held October 3.

At PCMS, we have a long-standing tradition of welcoming our extended Pirate families to enjoy breakfast with their middle school students. We are happy to announce we will be again hosting our 7th Grade Pastries with Pirates breakfast on Wednesday, October 4 at 7 a.m. 7th-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!

PTO will be holding an Open PTO Meeting on October 4th from 6:00-7:00 pm in our Forum Room. All parents are invited to attend. Your ideas and participation are always needed and appreciated.

Sept 16

• Volleyball B Team Tournament @ Oak Park High School, Bus Leaves 6 am

Sept 18

• Cross Country @ East Trails Middle School, 4 pm

• Volleyball vs. Heritage Middle School @ Home, 4 pm

Sept 19

• 6/8 Grade LEAP Battle of the Brains Field Trip @ Science City

• Football A/B Teams Football vs. Excelsior Springs Middle School @ Platte County High School, 5 pm

Sept 20

• Cross Country @ Heritage Middle School, 4 pm

• Volleyball @ Walden Middle School, 4 pm

Sept 25

• Cross Country @ Stocksdale Park, 4 pm

Sept 26

• Football A/B Teams vs. Park Hill Middle School @ PCHS, 4 pm

Sept 27

• Cross Country Buffalo Stampede @ Pioneer Ridge Middle School, 4 pm

• Volleyball @ Northgate Middle School, 4 pm

Sept 28

• Football C Team @ Harrisonville Memorial Stadium. 5:30 pm

Sept 30

• Volleyball A Team Tournament @ Platte County High School, 9 am

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.

September's #PiratesRock trait is Pride: a feeling of self-respect & worth.

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/