PCMS Weekly Update

Thank you to all parent volunteers who joined us for the sixth grade field trip to BizTown! We really appreciate your help and you were vital to the success of our field trip!

Thank you to our wonderful Counselors working so hard organizing today's Career Fair for our 6th and 7th Graders!

Here’s a quick recap of our Pirates in action from this past week.

Winter Guard: They had an outstanding performance this past Saturday at Oak Park High School, bumping up to an Excellent rating after sitting at Fair for the last two competitions. The team got to perform in their costumes finally and looked stunning! All of the judges complimented the team on how confident they were performing and how good their skills were for their age group! If we were able to finish out our season with Championships (We can't since it falls during Spring Break unfortunately) I'm sure they would have been able to achieve the highest rating their group can receive, which is a Superior rating.

The CharacterDare is a heart workout, inviting students and adults to practice kindness, patience, and respect with themselves and others. These school-wide challenges encourage staff and students to put character into action, fostering personal growth and positively impacting school culture.

This Week's CharacterDare is: Community Care (see below).

Parents/Guradians,

I hope you all are doing well and are starting to enjoy the improving weather. It has been great seeing the kids on a consistent basis now that we have the bad weather behind us. Personally, I am very thankful for ALL of you. As you know, I have been working with our student population at PCMS to improve our attendance at PCMS and every minute counts. To date, here are the strategies that we have deployed to increase attendance:

1. Attendance drawings at lunch for free Ala-Carte

2. Weekly attendance tracking by teams resulting in a STAR if higher than 95%

3. STAR team parties when they reach 25 STARS which tracks attendance as a component.

4. Celebration and Recognition of student attendance growth (kids receive candy and a high five)

Due to our collective efforts, currently Our School Based Weighted Score percentile is: 87.07 (highest secondary school, 3rd place out of entire district). If you know me at all, you know I want to be first and the kids are really getting into the friendly competition. Thanks for all you do at home...keep encouraging your student to be at school as every minute counts. We are bound and determined to be in first by the end of the month of April. Go Pirates!

We hope that you are enjoying the beautiful Spring weather that is slowly, but surely, coming back to MIssouri. Due to the recent snow days and weather-related disruptions, the Platte County High School NAVIGATE Elective is extending its deadline for those who are interested in applying. The new application deadline is Friday, April 4th at 11:59 pm.

We understand these challenging weather conditions may have affected your ability to submit applications on time, and we want to ensure all students have the opportunity to apply to and participate in this elective. Please make sure to follow the three-step process by the new deadline!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to tessmer.victoria@pcr3schools.org!

We are happy to announce that we are again partnering with Miles of Smiles to host in school dental services for students in the Platte County R-3 School District.

Miles of Smiles is a full service dental program that provides FREE comprehensive dental care to those who qualify. Whether you have insurance or not, qualifying children receive comprehensive dental services at no cost. You might be surprised at how flexible the income guidelines actually are. For example, if your annual family income is below $62,000 for a family of 4, your child will qualify for services.

If your child participates in the program, their dental care will be provided on site, in the school, by a Missouri licensed dentist and dental team. These services include, but are not limited to, cleanings, x-rays, fillings, crowns, pulpotomies, and extractions. Miles of Smiles also offers follow-up appointments year-round at their office, Monday through Friday.

The dental clinic will be in our district from May 5th to May 20th. Your student could be seen at any time during that time frame.

For more information about Miles of Smiles and to take advantage of this opportunity, please complete the online registration form below.

The deadline to sign up is May 2, 2025!

If you need a paper copy sent home with your student, please call or email me, and I will be happy to do that for you.

With warmer weather finally here, we are revisiting safe walking routes and expectations with our students as they leave school and head home or to popular destinations like Sonic, Price Chopper, the YMCA, and more.

Our main priorities are:

1. Student Safety – Ensuring all students travel safely.
2. Community Partnerships – Maintaining positive relationships with our local businesses.

For students walking toward the Price Chopper area, there are two designated routes (see map):

• Option 1: Use the sidewalk along the north side of the District Office building.
• Option 2: Take the walking trail that connects to Kentucky.

To stay safe, students must remain on sidewalks and avoid walking through parking lots, between cars, or through local businesses where vehicles are moving.

Additionally, students needing to cross Kentucky should always use the crosswalk at Platte Falls Road and Kentucky. Pressing the walk button will activate the traffic signal, allowing for a safe crossing.

We are also working closely with the Platte City Police Department and our PCR3 SROs to help ensure students are safe as they walk to their destinations. Their presence will support our efforts in reinforcing safe walking habits and maintaining positive interactions within our community.

Thank you for your support in helping us keep all students safe after school!

We are excited to launch 4th quarter PACE (Pirate After Class Events). Here are a few details about the program:

Program to start for 4th Quarter on April 1 (6-week session) 3 pm - 4 pm (NO PACE during Spring Break). Students will need to re-sign up even if they were in 3rd quarter activities. Spots are filled on a first-come first-serve basis. PACE focuses on Lifestyle Activities - Depending on the strengths of our staff, activities will be offered that are outside of the realm of sport. Activities offered in the 4th Quarter will be Art Club, Intro to Debate, Acts of Kindness and Board Games.

Please take some time to review the slideshow. The slideshow will explain the details of the PACE activities.

We're excited to announce this year’s Trolley Run! This competitive 4-mile race will take place in Kansas City on Sunday, April 27th. The registration fee is $40, and all proceeds go to the Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired, which works to help young children who are blind or visually impaired reach their fullest potential in the sighted world.

This is a fantastic opportunity, and we encourage parents to consider joining in on the fun by running or walking as well!

Important Dates:

Our organization meeting will be next week during Advisory time, where students will receive paperwork and further details. Open to 6th-8th graders.

First Day of Training:

Monday, March 17th

Practices will be held approximately one hour long and will conclude around 4 PM.

Training Commitment:

Training for the Trolley Run is a commitment, and students will need to run at home over the weekends. Since 4 miles is a significant distance, it’s important that students take their training seriously. Please note the following:

• 100% participation is required; runners can miss no more than 1 unexcused training session

• Ensure your child has a good pair of running shoes and proper clothing for the varying weather

(March and April can be chilly!).

Should you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at humburg.jeff@pcr3schools.org.

Looking forward to an exciting training season!

🏆 RUNNING DATES 🏆

- March 17 (M), 18 (T), 20 (TH)

- March 24-28:** Spring Break (Run on Your Own)

- March 31 (M), April 1 (T), 3 (TH)

- April 7 (M), 8 (T), 10 (TH)

- April 14 (M), 15 (T), 17 (TH)

- April 21 (M), 22 (T), 24 (TH)** — Hand-out Trolley Packets

- Trolley Run: April 27 (Sunday)

Let’s lace up those running shoes and hit the pavement!

Best,

Coach Humburg

Spring Pictures will be taken on March 17th. Please DO NOT send money on Portrait Day. Proofs will be sent home to you in a few weeks. An order form will be included with the proofs. (This is not a full-length posed image. Shoes will not show.) For more information contact Reed Portrait Group @ 816-436-5550.

Earlier today, we emailed families with 2025 MAP Grade Level Assessment Information. Below is an ”at-a-glance” testing schedule for this year. We ask that you make every attempt to ensure your child is present during these testing dates and that he/she is prepared for testing. (Please Note: Students will need to have plug-in earbuds for testing.)

The Board approved the following make up day plan to address our 10 inclement weather days to date this school year:

• January 7, 8, 9, and 10, and February 5, 2025 - Inclement Weather Virtual Learning Days (do not need to be made up)
• February 12, 2025 - To be made up on Monday, April 14, 2025 (previously a no school day)
• February 13, 2025 - To be made up on Tuesday, May 27, 2025
• February 18, 2025 - To be made up on Wednesday, May 28, 2025
• February 19, 2025 - To be made up on Thursday, May 29, 2025, a 3-hour early release
• February 20, 2025 - The Board has waived this day. With this waived day, PCR-3 would still be at the 169-day calendar required to receive full salary funding from the state.

Please note, with this plan, May 23 will now be a full school day. With this make up plan, we are also shifting Summer School Dates to June 2-30, 2025.

An order form is now available to fill out on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. If you are using the app on your phone, please select the "More" icon at the bottom of your Dashboard screen. Then you will select the "Forms" icon to find the "2024-2025 Yearbook Platte City Middle" Form. If you are on a desktop, you will just need to select the "Forms" tab from the Home screen.

While you are filling out the order form online, you will be able to pay the $20 for the yearbook via debit/credit card. You may also choose the cash/check option, but then will need to send the money with your student to the front office.

Yearbooks will be on sale now through April 11th. If you have any questions, please contact the office.

Mar 15

• Robotics Missouri State Championship
  

Mar 17

• Spring Picture Day

Mar 20

• NJHS Induction Ceremony, 6 pm

Mar 21

• FCA Meeting, 7:10 am

Mar 24 - 26

• Robotics US Open National Championship
  

Mar 24 - 28

• Spring Break - No School

Apr 2

• Swim Meet vs North Kansas City, 4 pm
  

Apr 3

• Track Meet @Lakeview Middle School, 4 pm
  

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.

March's #PiratesROCK trait is INTEGRITY: having a sincere, honest nature.

Leader in Me connections to INTEGRITY:

• Habit 1: Be Proactive - You are in charge of you.
• Habit 3: Put First Things First - Do the important things first.

Character Strong connections to INTEGRITY:

• Responsible Decision Making, Honesty, Kindness, Respect, Selflessness, Commitment

Email: tomlinson.kristie@pcr3schools.org
Website: http://www.pcms.plattecountyschooldistrict.com
Location: 900 Pirate Drive, Platte City, MO, 64079
Phone: (816)858-2036
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plattecitymiddleschool/