PCMS Weekly Update
October 14, 2022
Good afternoon PCMS Families!
We hope everyone is doing well and had a great week! Fall seems to be settling in a bit so that’s a welcome sign for some of us! We had three really neat leadership opportunities this week for our student leaders who are on Student Council and National Junior Honor Society. Several of our NJHS students attended the Northland Youth Leadership Summit. Some of the topics they learned about included obstacles that teens face and how to steer clear of negative influencers, mental health, and learning about biases, and cultural differences. Our Student Council group went to a regional leadership conference where they worked with other middle school STUCO leaders and discussed new ways we can build community and leadership in our school. They also attended a pep rally assembly at South Valley Middle School where they learned about new ways to build spirit in our monthly assemblies and got to work with other students learning how they've built school spirit in their school. We’re looking forward to seeing the incredible things that these student leaders will do!!
Enjoy the fall weekend and GO PIRATES!!
Check Out What We Did This Week!
Donut Parties
for the 3 Pirate Time classes that showed the most spirit last week during Homecoming week.
6th Grade - Panich
7th Grade - Pegler
8th Grade - Edman/Singer
School Tips & Reminders
Just a reminder that students need to ride their assigned bus routes home from school. They are not allowed to ride home with any other student on a different bus. They are only allowed to ride a different bus home If they have an alternate bus route already registered with transportation. Thank you for your help with this!
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 talked about Building Relationships. The theme of this year is "Belonging" and this was the 1st of 2 sessions with the goal of helping us make connections with each other. In this session’s activity, students made plans to get to know 4 adults in the school.
7 Grade started learning how to Understand Emotions. This was the 1st of 5 sessions focused on understanding and regulating emotions. Across this session and the next we learn some basic brain science to help us understand where our emotions come from. We learn that our brains all create emotions quickly and automatically, which means people don't have strong emotions on purpose. This can help us to gain a helpful perspective on both our own and others' strong emotions.
8 Grade is thinking about High School Hopes and Dreams. This is the final session where we looked ahead and planned for our futures. In this session we continued thinking about high school, what we hope for, obstacles we might face to achieve those wishes, and ways we might overcome those obstacles.
Pirates in Action
All of our Pirates were in action this week! Here’s a quick recap of their games.
Volleyball: Our volleyball teams are finishing their season tomorrow at their end-of-season tournaments with the A-Team traveling to Belton and the B-Team on the road at Bingham. They finished their regular season matches this week with the A-Team losing in a close match and B-Team winning in the final set 15-8 against South Valley Junior High on Monday and both suffering losses Wednesday vs Ray-Pec East. We wish them good luck tomorrow!
Football: This week only the C-Team was in action as they traveled to Antioch MS for their last game of the season. They ended their season with an 18-6 loss ending their season with a 4-2 record. Congratulations to them on an outstanding season! Good luck to the A/B team on their last game coming up on Tuesday!
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.
From the Nurse
As we get ready for the cold and flu season, here are just a couple of reminders of how we handle medications here at school:
The health room does NOT provide over-the-counter medication for students (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and antacids). Parents may bring medication to school for their students’ use with a completed Medication Administration Form. All medications (over-the-counter) must be in the original, unopened packaging with dosages on the label.
Opened bottles or opened packages of medications will NOT be accepted or administered. Medications sent to school in baggies, envelopes, or punch-out cards will NOT be accepted or administered and the medications will be held in the health room until a parent/guardian can pick up the medication. We are NOT permitted, by law, to administer any medications sent to school in unlabeled containers.
Students may NOT carry any type of medication with them at school or store medication in their locker unless special written medical authorization (from a physician) requires that to be done.
If you have any questions about anything medication-related, please feel free to call our office and speak with Nurse Ginger. Thank you!
NCC Haunted Forest
Join us for a few evenings of fun at Basswood Resort, 15880 Interurban Rd, Platte City.
SkillsUSA and FFA members will be hosting a Haunted Forest (directed to elementary and middle school aged kiddos), a few snack options from the food truck (CASH ONLY) and a FREE hayride. Possibly even pumpkin painting and decorating. We will be there for the remaining Friday and Saturday nights, 6 - 9 p.m. in October.
All proceeds benefit the NCC SkillsUSA and FFA chapters to help fund their leadership conferences and competitions.
2022 End-Of-Season Volleyball Tournaments
Tomorrow, October 15th @ 8am
2nd Quarter PACE Programs
We are excited to launch our 2nd Quarter PACE (Pirate After Class Events) Program offerings. Here are the details for 2nd Quarter:
- Starts on November 1 for the 7 week session.
- Activities offered 2nd Quarter will be SPARK (Students Promoting Acts of Respect and Kindness), Board/Digital Games, Cooking 101, Art Club, Card Collectors, and Pirate Improv Club.
Students will need to resign-up even if they were in 1st quarter activities. Spots are filled on a first come first serve basis - spots are filling up fast so hurry! Cooking 101, Art Club and Board/Digital Games are already FULL for 2nd Quarter.
Every Tuesday and Thursday from 3pm-4 pm.
Tyler Crawford is our PACE Coordinator and can answer any questions you may have about the program. Please review the PACE Slideshow for additional details about our 2nd quarter offerings. To sign your student up for PACE, click on the form below. Students can sign up for one activity per day. If you need to make any changes, please contact Tyler (crawfort@platteco.k12.mo.us).
Winter Sports Coming Soon
Tryouts for Winter Sports are coming up shortly. Click below for information on MS Basketball and
Wrestling.
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
8th Grade to Tour NCC
On Tuesday, October 25 and Thursday, October 27, the 8th-grade class will tour Northland Career Center (NCC) to learn about the variety of programs offered. During our tour, students will have the opportunity to see every program NCC offers and talk to current students and teachers. Students with the last name A-K will tour on Tuesday, October 25, while students with the last name L-Z will tour on Thursday, October 27. We will walk from the middle school and will be at NCC from approximately 8:15-9:45 am. For more information about NCC, please visit https://northland.plattecountyschooldistrict.com/.
If you have any questions regarding the tour, please do not hesitate to reach out to Kim Schank, school counselor, at schankk@platteco.k12.mo.us.
Save the Date: Fall Parent Teacher Conferences Nov 2-3
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.
Pirates ROCK Character Trait for October: Responsibility
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
October 15
Volleyball A Tournament @ Belton High School 8am (Bus Departs at 6:50am)
Volleyball B Tournament @ Bingham Middle School 8am (Bus Departs at 6:50am)
October 18
- A/B Football Game vs. Antioch @ Oak Park High School 3:30pm
October 19
PLC Day - 2 Hour Early Release
Archery Tryouts 4-8pm
October 24
Boy’s Basketball 1st Practice/Tryouts @ PCMS 3-5pm
Girl’s Basketball 1st Practice/Tryouts @ Barry Middle School 3-5pm
Wrestling 1st Practice @ PCMS 3:15-5:15pm
October 25
8th Grade NCC Tours
October 27
8th Grade NCC Tours
October 28
Report Cards Go Home
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/