PCHS Pirate News

September 23, 2024

Pirate Families,

As we have begun a new school year, I want to express my gratitude for your partnership and support. I'm excited to announce our upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 3. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with your student's teacher and dicuss their progress. Together, our goal is to ensure a relevant and engaging environment for our students. I'm excited for this year for our students' growth, achievement, and lasting memories!

Thank you,

- Mr. Kiel Giese

Principal, Platte County High School

Sep. 24: Jostens meets with Senior Class, 11 am

Oct. 3: PCHS Fall Parent/Teacher Evening Conferences, 3:30-7:00 pm

Oct. 4: Senior Grad. Product Order Day, during lunch

Oct. 7-11: Homecoming Spirit Week

Oct. 10: Senior Grad. Product Order Day #2, during lunch

Oct. 11: Homecoming, 3-hour Early Dismissal

Oct. 11: Parade, 3 pm, 4th Street; Football Game 7 pm

Oct. 12: Homecoming Dance, 8-11 pm, New Cafeteria

Oct. 14: No School, Professional Learning Day

Oct. 18: End of 1st Quarter

Oct. 25: Report Cards are Available

Oct. 25: Blackout Football Game and Light Show

Oct. 29: College & Career Readiness Day

Oct. 31: No School, Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences, 7:30 am-3:30 pm

Nov. 1: No School

Nov. 4: Picture Retakes, 7:30 am-12:00 pm

Nov. 5: Semester Grad. Meeting, 11:00 am

Nov. 11: Veterans Day Salute, 1:55 pm

Click here to view the full calendar on our website.

COLLEGE WEEK - SEPT. 23-27

College Application week is a Apply Missouri program, sponsored by the Missouri Dept. of Higher Education and Workforce Development. Apply Missouri events and programs help promote college as an achievable reality for all students, by encouraging them to learn, and make an

educated decision on where to apply, and helping them through the application process.

At PCHS, we try to make College Application week fun and educational for all students, while also prioritizing helping senior students through the application.

WHO IS COLLEGE APPLICATION WEEK FOR?

While some of the activities will be geared specifically towards senior students who plan to apply to college this year, there will be opportunities for all students to participate in throughout the week!

COLLEGE FAIR - Sept. 26

See the presentation with events going on this week!

COLLEGE FAIR STUDENT REGISTRATION

All Junior and Senior Students MUST register for the college fair to receive their barcode.

Student barcodes will allow students to exchange contact information with colleges they are interested in at the fair. Every barcode scan will also serve as entry to win the College Application Week prizes.

To register, students should visit:

Strivefair.com

This is the spot for Senior Information and Dates.

• Sept. 24 - Jostens meets with all Seniors - Cap/Gown and Announcements Order Packets distributed, 11:00 am
• Oct. 4 - Jostens Order Day, during lunch shifts
• Oct. 10 - Jostens Order Day, during lunch shifts (this was changed from Oct.11 since it is a 3-hour early dismissal for Homecoming)

Please click on the button below for the presentation from Senior Parents Night and all of the documents and presentations from that evening.

Fall Conferences will be held on

• October 3: 3:30-7:00
• October 31: 7:30-3:30

Sign up sheet

PCHS Pirates Blackout Game is Oct. 25!

Blackout shirts are available until Oct. 4; order online (click here) or return the order form/payment to your child's school. Pickups will be Oct. 17 from 3-5pm and Oct. 19 from 9-11am. See flier for details.

The Blackout Game is a PCHS Tradition. Stay after the game for a LIGHTS-OUT Marching Band show on the field - they will be all decked out in GLOW STICKS!! Don't Miss It!!

October 29 will be our College and Career Readiness Day. All Seniors have selected and will take the ACT, ASVAB, or Accuplacer that morning.

The schedule for that day will be posted soon.

P-SAT will also be given that morning with more information to follow.

Students who need retakes, or who missed pictures the first time around, can have their picture taken on Nov, 4th, South Gym.

If your student is not ordering pictures, they will still need a picture for our system and for their Student ID.

Time to be announced later.

Senior ads are now available to purchase for $65 at yearbookforever.com. Have 1-2 photos and a message no longer than 40 words ready when you get online to place your order. Messages longer than the 40 word limit may be shortened to fit the space. The deadline to purchase and guarantee a spot in the yearbook is Oct. 24. If any room is left after that, a late fee will be applied to any remaining space for senior ads with an absolute cutoff of Nov. 7. Please refer to the image for more information and contact adviser Devan Foos with any questions.

Is your student taking an AP class? If so, do they plan to take the exam?

By OCTOBER 1, all students in an AP class must select YES or NO in their student AP classroom account for whether or not they plan to take the exam in May.

From there, we will add them to RevTrak via Powerschool Portal if they ARE testing so they can pay online through Powerschool by NOVEMBER 1.

The cost for each exam this year is $99.00. If they change their mind or have not paid by the deadline, they will incur a $40 late fee. If they do pay to test and change their mind after the deadline, they will be refunded next fall minus a $40 fee.

If you have questions, please reach out to Mrs. Ogden or your student's AP teacher.

Regular attendance not only benefits academic performance but also helps students build essential life skills, such as responsibility, time management, and resilience. When students are present in class, they have more opportunities to engage with their peers, participate in class discussions, and seek help from teachers when needed.

We understand that there are times when absences are unavoidable due to illness or family emergencies. In those instances, we encourage you to communicate with us so that we can support your student’s continued learning.

Let’s work together to ensure that every student at Platte County High School has the opportunity to thrive. By prioritizing regular attendance, we can help our students achieve their full potential.

**Leaving for lunch and skipping all-school assemblies also counts toward student minutes missed in the classroom.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and our District is coming together to show support. On September 30, we encourage all students, staff, and community members to wear gold in honor of those impacted by childhood cancer. Many of our PCR-3 families have been affected by this disease, and by wearing gold, we stand in solidarity with them. Let’s raise awareness and show our support for these brave children and their families as we work towards a future without childhood cancer.

Platte County's Homecoming festivities run October 7-12. This year's theme is "Homecoming 2024: GAME ON." Click here for the week's spirit days and festivities.

This year's theme is "Homecoming 2024: GAME ON." Click here for the week's spirit days and festivities.

PCHS Student Council is also partnering with Glory Days Threads for an official Homecoming tee. Click here to order yours! The pre-sale will run until September 25. All orders will be delivered to PCR-3 schools on October 9. A portion of the proceeds from every shirt sold will be donated back to PCHS Student Council.

Additional information for parade entries will be sent soon.

• Homecoming Spirit Week Flier
• Homecoming T-shirt Orders

This year our theatre department will present — MAMMA MIA!

Here are our show dates :

Wednesday November 13, 7pm

Thursday November 14, 7pm

Saturday November 16, 2pm

Saturday November 16, 7pm

*There is no Friday show this year*

CLICK HERE for tickets.

(On sale in late September)

Safety is our District's top priority. PCR-3 has a system of safety and security measures in place, including trained security staff (now at every building following the passage of the Prop C Waiver/Levy Transfer), secure entryways, ongoing monitoring, and partnership with local law enforcement.

We remind parents, staff, and students that school safety is the responsibility of the entire school community. Please follow the principle of "see something, say something." If anyone (student, parent, staff member, community member) sees or hears anything of concern, please contact the District office at (816) 858-5420 so that those concerns can be investigated. You and your child can also easily report tips on bullying, harassment, or any safety issue you're concerned about through our online Safe Schools Alert system. Every tip 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. Each building's website has the Safe Schools icon located within the “quick links” bar on the homepage.

Order your 2024-25 Yearbook at yearbookforever.com.

**The price has increased to $70.

We are now using LINQ CONNECT for meal payment and account management.

Please create a new account - with student's ID - and you will be able to add money to their balance, as well as control limits, block a la carte, and transfer funds between your students when you need to.

• High School doors are open from 7:00 am - 3:00 pm. School begins at 7:30 am.
• No outside food or drink delivered or dropped off for the students. (see the handbook)
• Student Check-In and Out is only through the main doors - at the Welcome Center. This is for students tardy to school, or checking in/out for appointments, etc.
• Please CALL AHEAD if your student needs to be dismissed. This gives us time to prepare a pass so the teacher knows they need to leave class and check out at the welcome center. It takes a longer time to reach classes that are outside (Band, PE, etc.)

See the flyer below for information about tickets, schedules, registering online and uploading the student's physical, etc.

Pirate Activities Website

Activities Calendar

Click here for clubs and organizations offered at PCHS.

The Announcements button below is linked to our live document that is updated as soon as new events come up. Please check often so you do not miss anything!

👉Students can save this in their Google Drive and access it at least weekly.

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.

September's #PiratesROCK trait is Pride: a feeling of self-respect and worth.

Join PTSA and support students and staff!

PTSA Membership Form

Meetings are every 2nd Wednesday, 6:00 pm, at Mid-Continent Library.

• President - Jennifer Ball - ptsapchs@gmail.com
• VP - Melanie Doll - ddoll1@att.net
• Treasurer - Jill Talbot - jrtalbot23@gmail.com
• & Robin Herron - herron.robin@pcr3schools.org

PTSA is looking families to help with the staff luncheon during Oct. 31 Parent/Teacher Conferences.

Please click on the link to sign-up!

**Thank you for supporting our teachers!

The Board of the Platte County High School Booster Club

• President: Heather Duncan farm2epa@gmail.com
• Vice President: Kim Macias-Lewis kimmacias@hotmail.com
• Treasurers: Kate Harmon harmons42@yahoo.com and
  Robin Herron herron.robin@pcr3schools.org
• Secretary: Keri Dillingham kerilucas@hotmail.com

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

Twitter: @PirateBoosterPC

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

Email: pcpirateboosterclub@gmail.com

The PCR-3 Treasure Chest is a stocked resource center providing food, milk, and toiletries for PCR-3 students and families in need. Qualifying families will receive a weekly form via email to sign up or can call 816-858-7001 for assistance.

Families will receive an email with approval to come to the Treasure Chest on Wednesdays from 4-6pm at the new Treasure Chest site (south side of Paxton building*).

*NEW Location