PCHS Pirate News

November 27, 2023

Pirate Families,

I hope that this newsletter finds you well. There has been a lot going on with PCHS and the final few weeks before the end of the first semester will seem to fly by. Please take a few moments to read through this newsletter to see what has been going on and what is in store for PCHS in the weeks ahead.

Thank you for your support!

Mr. Kiel Giese

Principal, Platte County High School

Dec. 6: ACT Bootcamp, 8:00 am-12:00 pm

Dec. 7: Choir Winter Concert, 7:00 pm

Dec. 8: Choir Holiday Tour

Dec. 14: Band Winter Concert, 7:00 pm

Dec. 18: Semester Graduate Ceremony, 3:00 pm -4:00 pm, Wilson Auditorium

Dec. 18-20: Semester Finals

Dec. 20: First Semester Ends - Early Dismissal, 11:40 am

Dec. 21-Jan. 2: NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

Jan. 9: Sophomore Class Meeting, 11:00 am, Wilson Auditorium

Jan. 12: PLD Day - No School

Click here to view the full calendar on our website.

Please take a look at the Finals Schedule for December:

Ms. Huhmann has been an integral part of the day-to-day operations of our Common Grounds Coffee Shop at the High School. You can see her every morning working with our students to create a real-world experience for our students. On top of that, Ms. Huhmann is the department chair for our Practical Arts department. We appreciate her leadership with this department and being a helpful hand whenever anyone needs it.

Thank you, Ms. Huhmann! We are grateful that Ms. Huhmann is a Pirate!

Pictured from L-R with Mr. Giese: Lena Haake, Gabriella Simmons, Ellie Cox, and Amelia Kidd are our Craig Robinson Students of the Month for October. These students were recognized for their positive behavior in alignment with the characteristics of the Portrait of a Graduate: Global Citizenship, Personal Connections, Self Awareness, Problem-Solving, Personal Growth, and Effective Communication.

Scholarships

Students - Check the local & regional scholarships page often to see what you can apply for.

This document will be added to periodically, so bookmark this page and keep checking!

UPCOMING DATES:

December 18: Semester Grad Ceremony, 3:00-4:00, Wilson Auditorium

Parents: Don't forget to complete the NAME form for graduate's names on their diplomas.

January 17th we will host a FAFSA completion event for students and families. This event will be from 5pm-7pm in the cafeteria at PCHS. Families are encouraged to attend, and sign ups will be sent out in January.

Is your student interested in gaining real world experience this summer? PCHS students are eligible to apply to the ProX Internship Program through the Kauffman Foundation. This is paid experience working with business partners across the Kansas City Metro. Applications are open now, and will close on Dec 31st. More information can be found here.

Glory Days and The Pirate Store have partnered to create an exclusive Cyber Monday Special! This one-of-a-kind illustration of the iconic Pirate (from the Halls of PCHS) will only be available at a discounted rate from Monday, November 27 - Sunday December 3! All orders can receive a 15% discount off each item by typing "PIRATESTORE" at checkout.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated back to the Pirate Store. Orders will require 10-12 business days to fulfill, all orders will be delivered to the Pirate Store for pick-up at an upcoming date/time.

Stay tuned via email for those pick-up instructions.

Click here to place an order: https://glorydaysthreads.com/.../glory-days-pirate-store..

Our Library Media Center Staff have put together a newsletter to share any events and what is available to our students. Please take a look!

https://pchs.plattecountyschooldistrict.com/library

Let's Go to Italy!

We’re excited to tell you more about the trip we’re planning with EF Tours, our educational travel partner. Please be sure to register for this info session to be considered for this opportunity: https://bit.ly/47wiuyi

When students travel, they expand their knowledge of the world around them, discover more about themselves, and grow more confident. These skills are critical for creating the global citizens of tomorrow, and we would love to have your student join us on this adventure.

In this info session, we’ll talk about:

• How this opportunity will benefit your student
• What we’ll see and do on our trip
• Everything that’s included in this experience
• How your child can earn academic credit
• How we’re keeping this safe and affordable
• How to enroll on this trip (before it fills up!) during EF’s risk-free enrollment period

There are limited spots on this trip, so we would love to have you attend this meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

There’s a place for you in education! Three exceptional school districts along the Highway 92 corridor are coming together for a special recruitment event, and we want YOU to be a part of it! Platte County, Smithville, and Kearney School District are all actively seeking passionate individuals to join our teams. We’re accepting applications for teaching openings for the upcoming school year. Paraprofessional, substitute, custodian, and maintenance roles are available now.

Connect with representatives, learn about their unique cultures, and explore the wonderful opportunities that await you. Take your first step towards shaping the future of our students.

School Messenger is our automated phone calling and text notification system. We use this system to notify parents quickly for sudden changes in schedules due to emergencies, school cancellations, or just important school announcements.

If you aren't receiving the District's text reminders and notifications and would like to opt in to receive these, simply text "YES" to 67587. Standard text messaging rates apply.

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.

When a student needs to be dismissed for an appointment, please give us plenty of time to find them. Some students may be in band rehearsal outside, PE classes may go outside, and sometimes a class is somewhere other than the classroom.

It also helps if students can tell their teacher to check for an eHallpass because they will be dismissed during that hour.

Thank you!

REMINDER: All students must check in/out through the Welcome Desk at the main building.

Parent/Student Handbook 2023-24

• Click HERE to see how our Athletics/Activities performed this week.
• Click HERE to see our Athletics/Activities Calendar.
• Click HERE to visit our online Pirate Store.

Safety is one of our district’s top priorities, and to help safeguard our school community, our District uses Safe Schools Alert, a tip reporting service by Vector Solutions, that allows students, staff, and parents to submit safety concerns to our administration.

You and your child can easily report tips on bullying, harassment, or any safety issue you're concerned about through this online reporting system. On the homepage of the District website (www.plattecountyschooldistrict.com) and on each school building's homepage there is a Safe Schools quicklink which links to the reporting tool. Every tip Vector Solutions receives about our District is immediately logged in the system and our administration is notified so that they can investigate and take appropriate action. Tips may also be submitted anonymously if you prefer. Together, we can make our District a safer place to learn.

Please consider joining PTSA!

Thank you

PCHS PTSA Membership Form

We have had growing crowds for our Friday night home football games! The community support is amazing but it requires the need for more volunteers to help in the concession stands to make it more efficient. We will also have the Softball/Baseball concession stand open on Friday nights to help and to serve the Band during the 3rd quarter. Here is the link if you are able to help: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084BACA92EA1FB6-booster4

If you are not able to help on Friday nights we still have lots of other opportunities to help throughout the week and even a few Saturdays. We know everyone is extremely busy with work and families so we really do appreciate any time you can dedicate to help! If everyone chips in then we can make sure we have the concessions stands open for all of our home events! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084BACA92EA1FB6-booster4

Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns. Personal emails are below or you can respond to this email directly.

The Board of the Platte County High School Booster Club

President: Krista Wimberly kwimberly12@gmail.com

Vice President: Kim Macias-Lewis kimmacias@hotmail.com

Treasurer: Kate Harmon and Robin Herron harmons42@yahoo.com and herronr@platteco.k12.mo.us

Secretary: Jennifer McClure mcclurej@platteco.k12.mo.us

References:

Website: http://www.pchsboosterclub.com/ (Links to everything there!)

Twitter: @PirateBoosterPC

Signup Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084BACA92EA1FB6-booster4

Email: pcpirateboosterclub@gmail.com

Pirates ROCK (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.

December's #PiratesROCK trait is COMPASSION: showing concern through words and actions.