PCMS Weekly Update
November 11, 2022
Good afternoon PCMS Families!
We ended the week with one of our favorite days of the year as we recognized our local military family for their service to our country during our annual Veteranβs Day Breakfast and Assembly. The day is one of the hallmark days on our calendar and one that we as a school community, look forward to each year. Itβs incredibly humbling to see the kids with their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and neighbors gathering here at school to celebrate this day with our school community. We hope you enjoyed the performances by our students, as they did an excellent job leading the assembly, singing, and performing!
Last week, our Student Council conducted our annual Day of Hope donation drive. With your help and generosity, we were able to donate over 860 items to Day of Hope which serves Platte County residents and families enrolled in the Platte County School district! Thank you very, very much for helping our students participate in this great community service project!
Stay warm this weekend and GO PIRATES!!
π§ͺ Check Out What We Did This Week!
Our great science teacher, Mr. Peterson demonstrates chemical reactions in his Science classes!
We appreciate all the amazing Veterans who joined us for breakfast and our assembly this morning!
We also enjoyed listening to our guest speaker, Josh Hulett, Lieutenant Colonel of the Missouri Air National Guard. Thank you to him and all of our Veterans for your service!
We are excited to follow the World Cup and use this world sports event to learn about other countries! Each Pirate Time class sent representatives last Friday to participate in the βWorld Cup Country lottery.β Each class will then research their adopted country, decorate their door, develop a promotional announcement, and recreate their countryβs flag for the World Cup soccer bracket displayed in the cafeteria.
βοΈ School Tips & Reminders
Please have your students check the LOST & FOUND. Items not claimed by Wednesday, November 16th will be donated.
𧑠This Week's CharacterStrong Focus
Hereβs a quick recap of what we talked about this week in our CharacterStrong sessions - some good stuff right here!
6 Grade discussed What is Important to Them. This was the 3rd of 3 sessions focusing on exploring values; in this session, students reflected on how they want to feel in different situations and discussed how this relates to and can help us understand our personal values. We spent time thinking about what each of us values and how that helps us to think about who we want to be.
7 Grade talked about Identifying Emotions. This was the 5th of 5 sessions related to emotion understanding and emotion regulation. We learned that tools for regulating emotions are only effective if we use them. In this session, we worked on thinking through how we'd handle emotional challenges presented in scenarios.
8 Grade learned about Happiness. This was the 1st of 5 sessions on understanding emotion and how to regulate emotions. Students learned that understanding and handling strong emotions is important for coping with various challenges, including maintaining well-being, building peer relationships, handling peer conflicts, and meeting classroom expectations. We also explored common myths about happiness that can make it harder for us to handle difficult emotions.
π· Pirates in Action
Congratulations to our 29 band students that made All-District Band: Baotrinh Nguyen, Elise Lundholm, Claire Soyland, Cali Sellers, Millie Parke, Reece Janssen, Reid Fraccascia, Katherine Jones, Alex Miller, Jonathan Clark, Sophia Brake, Barrett Ryan, Madeline Arthurs, Owen Wettack, Nathan Solomon, Kendall Johnson, Josiah OβRourke, Benjamin Kidwell, Aiden Fisher, Tate Stone, Evan Magnuson, Lorelei Smith, Brooklyn Harris, Sawyer Sullins, Tate Archer, Ephraim Jatau, Jude Churchill, JT Diercks, and Trace Scott and to our 9 band students that made Jazz Band: Jonathan Clark, Alex Miller, Maya Heckman, Owen Wettack, Zander Gust, Madeline Arthurs, Kendall Johnson, Olivia Dixon, and Sawyer Sullins!
Our winter sports teams continue to prepare for their first competitions which start in the next couple of weeks.
πΈ Picture Retakes on November 16
Retakes are scheduled for November 16 from 8-10 am for any students who missed the first picture day or any student who needs to retake their picture. Online ordering is not available at this time however you may send money with your student on picture day or by calling Reed Portrait at the following number 816-436-5550. All checks MUST be made out to Reed Portrait Group. Below is the link to the order form to view available packages.
πΌ Platte County School District Hiring Fair
We are STILL hiring! Interested in joining our team? Come to our Hiring Fair next Wednesday, November 16, from 5-7 pm at PCHS's South Commons.
β Coffee & Conversation with Dr. Jay Harris, Superintendent
Our new Superintendent, Dr. Jay Harris, is inviting parents and community members to join us for "Coffee & Conversation" connections in our buildings, and will be visiting PCMS on Friday, November 18 from 7:45-8:45am in the Cafeteria! These informal events are designed to share our District goals and listen and learn from families to improve our overall educational experience for our students. We hope you can join!
π Future Freshman Day at Platte County High School
It's time for 8th graders to start thinking about high school course choices! To assist the Class of 2027 with course planning, students will visit Platte County High School on Friday, November 18 from 9:30 am-11:30 am for information about freshman course choices and a tour of the school. Students will have the opportunity to hear about course choices and identify possible course selections, but will not enroll in courses on that day. Parents will be invited to the annual information meeting in January, and course enrollment will happen in February.
If you have questions about Future Freshman Day, please contact Kim Schank, a counselor at PCMS (schankk@platteco.k12.mo.us).
π¬ WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK: Please Complete the Parent Survey by December 4
Our annual parent survey is now open. Thank you for taking the time to answer each question that applies to your family thoughtfully. Our district, various district departments and programs, and our school use this information to help us improve.
The survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for your feedback!
π₯« Treasure Chest Support
The PCR-3 Treasure Chest also provides groceries to assist families who qualify for Free or Reduced Meal Plans. Qualifying families will receive a weekly form via email to fill out or call 816-858-7001 weekly, so we can appropriately plan for resources. Once approved, families can receive additional food on Wednesdays from 4-6 pm at the Treasure Chest site (in the north parking lot of PCHS).
βοΈ Winter Weather Information
Click here for information on school cancellations/modifications due to inclement weather, how the District will notify parents, as well as information on recess, Y Club, and Inclement Weather Virtual Learning Days. As a reminder, PCR-3 will implement traditional inclement weather days (no school and no virtual learning), until we reach a threshold that would push the school year past Memorial Day. We will make those days up per our academic calendar, and if we go past our planned make-up days for inclement weather, we will implement our Inclement Weather Virtual Learning Days.
π΄ββ οΈ Pirates ROCK Character Trait for November: Citizenship
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.
Novemberβs #PiratesRock trait is Citizenship: providing service and duty to your community.
π Upcoming Events
November 12
Robotics Tournament @ Basehor- Linwood HS
November 14
Wrestling vs Antioch Middle @ Home, 4:00 pm
November 15
PCMS 7/8th Gr Winter Guard Auditions, 5:30-6:30 pm
November 16
PCMS Jazz Band Rehearsal, 7:00-7:35 am
Picture Retakes, 7:40-9:00 am
Wrestling vs Maple Park Middle School @ Winnetonka High School, 5:00 pm
November 18
Coffee & Conversation with Dr. Jay Harris, Superintendent, 7:45-8:45 am
Future Freshman Day, 9:30-11:30 am
November 19
5th & 6th Grade Honor Choir Concert, 3:00 pm
7th & 8th Grade Honor Choir Concert, 4:00 pm
All-District Jazz Clinic/Concert
November 21
Boys A/B Teams Basketball vs Belton @ Home, 4:00 pm
Boys C Team Basketball @ Summit Lakes Middle School, 4:00 pm
Girls A/B Teams Basketball @ Belton Middle Schoo, 4:00 pm
Girls C Team Basketball vs Summit Lakes @ Home, 4:00 pm
Wrestling @ Kearney Junior High, 4:00 pm
November 23
No School - Thanksgiving Break
November 24
No School - Thanksgiving Break
November 25
No School - Thanksgiving Break
πΌ 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/