PCMS Weekly Update

Declan Taylor, PCMS sixth grader, took the opportunity to teach his peers about a challenge he faces every day. Declan has Alopecia, a disease that happens when the immune system attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss. In the past, Declan has had unkind things said to him by those who may not understand why he doesn't have hair. Declan shared his challenges with his peers in order to help build an understanding of these challenges and teach his peers how they can respectfully approach the topic. Most importantly, he wanted his fellow students to know what they could do to support each other when they encountered another person being unkind. Many students encounter different types of challenges so this helps us grow understanding and support one another regardless of the type of challenge that they may face. Thank you, Declan, for being so willing to share and doing an amazing job!!

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

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

• 6th Grade worked on Building Connections. This was the 1st of 2 sessions about building community. Connecting with peers and building friendships and relationships are important for our sense of belonging and can lay a good foundation for creating a sense of safety and community in our classroom.

• 7th Grade focused on Building Connections. This was the 1st of 2 sessions about building community. The goal is to begin to develop relationships and create a sense of safety and community in our classroom space.

• 8th Grade continued to work on creating Class Agreements. This was the 2nd half of last week's lesson. 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.

Last week, 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.

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.

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.

Platte County School District's Homecoming festivities run October 9-14, 2023. This year's theme is "Enjoy the Ride - RoadTrip to Homecoming 2023." Click here for the week's spirit days and festivities.

PCHS will host the Victory Supper on Wednesday, October 11, starting at 6pm 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 dance team, PCHS cheerleaders, Super Saturday youth cheerleaders, and alumni cheerleaders. PCHS cheerleading alumni are asked to arrive at 5:30pm for a short practice. Pirate Legacies, our second (or third) generation Pirates with parents who graduated from PCHS, are invited to gather at 5:45pm in the southside stands for a group photo. The Victory Supper event is open to the community and food will be available.

The Homecoming Parade will begin at 3pm on Friday, October 13, 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 2:25pm as Fourth Street between Zed Martin and Thomas Drive will be closed to traffic beginning at 2:30pm. 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 11. If you have a convertible or Jeep and would be willing to drive Homecoming candidates, please contact Robin Herron.

• PLEASE NOTE, AGAIN THIS YEAR:
• Parade Staging: We will be utilizing the bus loop at the PCHS Phase I Rebuild project for float staging, again this year. Parade entries will receive complete instructions. There will be a shuttle bus to take parade participants and their sponsors back to the main PCR-3 campus.
• Shuttle Bus: 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 to Zed Martin Drive. We encourage parents to pick up their participants at the PCR-3 main campus.

Immediately following the parade, Connections Bank will be hosting 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! PLEASE NOTE: The PCHS Band will not be playing on the Courthouse steps.

Homecoming Football Game: The Pirates will take on the Park Hill South Panthers at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 13 at Pirate Stadium. The Homecoming Queen will be crowned at halftime, and the Pride Band will perform after the game.

Teen vaping rates are declining in the Kansas City Northland! We’ve knocked vaping down to just 6%, and it’s all thanks to you! More adults and teens know vaping is harmful to growing brains, and highly addictive, especially for young people under age 25. We’ve got teen vaping on the ropes, so let's knock it out for good.

To help prevent our kids from vaping, we can have conversations about our vape-free expectations early and often. We can warn teens of the risks, set the expectation they remain vape-free, and give them the confidence to say “no” to their peers. Remind your kids that they can come to you for help with peer pressure, stress, or anxiety. Parent Up KC is here to help too! Take action to help knock out teen vaping at ParentUpKC.com/Vaping.

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

Oct 2

• Cross Country vs. South Valley Junior High @ Capitol Federal Park, 4 pm

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

Oct 3

• Football A/B Team @ Kearney Elementary School, 5 pm

Oct 4

• 7th Grade Pastries w/ Pirates, 7 am

• Cross Country @ Raymore-Peculiar High School, 4 pm

• Volleyball Scrimmage @ Platte County High School, 5 pm

• Open PTO Meeting, 6 pm

Oct 5

• Football C Team vs. Raytown Middle School, 5 pm

Oct 6

• FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) Meeting, 7:10 am

• NJHS Meeting, 7:20 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/