Parent Newsletter

We had our 2nd STUCO assembly this week! A few 6th grade students gave their STUCO representative speeches. It was impressive to see such confidence and leadership in our students! We also had the privilege of recognizing some outstanding students with our Pirates ROCK and Character Strong certificates for their pride and commitment and showing what it means to be a true leader in our school community. Teachers and staff were recognized, as well! Congratulations to all of our award winners and a special shout out to the 6th graders for their fantastic speeches! See below for more pictures!

7:25 am- Doors open & breakfast begins

7:37 am- 3 minute warning bell

7:40 am- Students should be in class and ready to learn

2:50 pm- Dismissal begins

• September 30:
• Support Childhood Cancer- Wear Gold
• Cross Country Meet- Stocksdale
• Cheer Practice, 3-5 (PPMS)
• Football Practice, 3-5 (PPMS)
• October 1:
• Cross Country Meet- Capital Federal
• Football Practice, 3-5 (PPMS)
• Volleyball Practice, 3-5 PM (PPMS Gym)
• October 2:
• Cross Country Meet- Pioneer Ridge
• Cheer Practice, 3-5 (PPMS)
• Football Practice, 3-5 (PPMS)
• October 3:
• Middle School Football A&B Games (vs. Kearney) 4/5 PM (PPMS)
• Volleyball Practice, 3-5 PM (PPMS Gym)
• Cross Country Practice, 3-4:30 PM (PPMS)
• October 4:
• Football Practice, 3-5PM (PPMS)
• Volleyball Practice, 3-5 PM (PPMS Gym)
• Cross Country Practice, 3-4:30 PM (PPMS)

Middle School Football Home Games & Cheer Team:

Thursday, October 3 A & B Games (vs. Kearney) 4/5 PM

On Tuesday, the C Team played an excellent game against Northgate and won 57-0. Jacek Kwiatkowski threw four touchdowns to Bo Wilkens, Max Johnson, Caleb Gold, and Ben Cisco. Rowdy Hawk had two rushing touchdowns, and Calvin Jarboe also had a touchdown on the ground. Langston Wilson had four extra point kicks. The Defense played great!!!

On Thursday the A team had a tough, back and forth game with Park Hill, and lost 26-21. Kade Fowler threw two touchdowns to Owen Yates, and Kade had his own rushing touchdown. Macklin Bollin added three extra point kicks. Easton Elliot and Kayden Byng both had interceptions for the defense. The B team followed and won 13-12. Krue White threw a touchdown to Hunter Hays, and Emmet Hughes had a rushing touchdown. Leah Gold kicked the extra point for the winning score!

The teams are 6-3 on the season!! Well done Pirates!!!

Volleyball Home Games:

(From now on, our front doors will unlock at 3:45 PM for home volleyball games)

Monday, October 7 (vs. Walden) 4/5 PM

Wednesday, October 9 (vs. Smithville) 4/5 PM

Congratulations A & B volleyball teams for their victories over Maple Park!

Cross Country Meets:
Monday, September 30- Stocksdale
Tuesday, October 1- Capital Federal

Wednesday, October 2- Pioneer Ridge

Monday, October 7- Capital Federal

A huge congratulations to Mary Dellinger for placing first (again!) with an impressive time of 7:27 at the Capital Federal Cross Country Race! Noah Thompson also put in a strong performance at Capital Federal finishing 14th with a time of 8:11! Congratulations!

Students in Ms. Daria Opanasenko's class had a visit from Mrs. Hanman, an ELL teacher from Pathfinder.

Our district and building expectations are that staff respond to parent communication 24-48 hours (during school workdays) to parent communication. If you have sent emails or phone calls that are not getting a response during that time frame, please reach out to our admin team, Dr. Hoffecker or Dr. Adams (hoffecker.jessica@pcr3schools.org and adams.jeff@pcr3schools.org). Sometimes we've found that it might be a simple typo in the email address that is prohibiting that communication, so please reach out quickly so we can help troubleshoot any issues. Our partnership and communication is important and we want to support the necessary communication between our families and our staff.

As we continue to foster a safe and caring environment for our students, we want to address the topic of social media, particularly platforms like Snapchat or TikTok. It has come to our attention that some students may be using these apps despite being below the age requirement (13). In some cases, there have been groups made that are grade level specific and a variety of negative content is being posted in these forums.

While social media can be a fun way to connect, it’s important to remember that many platforms have age restrictions for a reason. These guidelines are in place to protect young users from exposure to inappropriate content and to ensure their online interactions are safe.

We encourage you to have open conversations with your child about social media use, including the potential risks and the importance of privacy. Monitoring their online activities and setting clear boundaries can help keep them safe.

Please see the attached article to learn about social media parental monitoring tools!

As we have settled into our school year, we want to address a growing concern regarding the importance of students coming to school each day with a fully charged Chromebook.

As you are aware, our school has a 1:1 Chromebook program to enhance the learning experience for our students. However, we have noticed an increasing trend of students arriving without their Chromebooks charged and ready for the day's lessons.

We cannot stress enough the importance of students coming to school each day with a fully charged Chromebook. This simple preparedness step ensures that they are ready to participate actively in their lessons and complete all assigned classroom activities. It also demonstrates a level of responsibility and ownership over their own learning that we aim to foster in all of our students.

We need your help! Please reinforce and remind your student to charge their Chromebook! This will benefit both their individual learning and the overall learning environment of our school.

Support Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: Wear Gold on September 30

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.

Students in Mrs. Morelock's classroom selected and researched a Paralympic athlete. They are currently working on designing prosthetics for their selected athlete!

• All tickets for PCR-3 athletic events are now digital. Fans will purchase tickets online through GoFan (click here) or by presenting a card or mobile payment option at the ticket gate. Fans unable to make the game, can watch a live stream on our PCR-3 Activities YouTube Channel.
• All middle school and elementary age students must be accompanied by a supervising adult to attend PCHS athletic events. Middle school students are not allowed to be dropped off. If they do not have a supervising adult, they will not be allowed to attend.

Check out the Glory Days Threads PPMS Robotics Collection! Shirts will be delivered to PPMS in late October.

Blackout Game Shirts - Order by October 4

PCHS Pirates Blackout Football Game is October 25! Blackout shirts are available until October 4; order online (click here) or return the order form/payment to our school. Pickups will be October 17 from 3-5pm and October 19 from 9-11am in front of PCHS's South Gym entrance. See flier for details.

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.

Platte Purchase Middle School is seeking a second (or third) business partner to support our Pirates ROCK character education program! Your $500/year sponsorship includes:

• Participation in monthly character recognition events
• Logo and link in building parent and staff e-newsletters
• Logo and link on Pirates ROCK webpage
• Partnership status for flier/community event promotion on Community Events webpage and social media
• 18” x 24” poster displayed in building front office/entrance and additional poster and window cling offered for business to display
• Exclusive event table at annual staff Convocation in August
• Invitation to participate in other school-wide events

For more information or to sign up for this important program, contact Laura Hulett, Dr. Jessica Hoffecker, or Dr. Jeff Adams.

Homecoming 2024: GAME ON, October 7-12

Platte County School District's Homecoming festivities run October 7-12, 2024. This year's theme is "Homecoming 2024: GAME ON." Click here for information on Homecoming activities, including spirit week information, the Homecoming Victory Supper, parade, and football game.

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.

• Homecoming Spirit Week Flier
• Homecoming T-shirt Orders

Preventing a New Generation of Addiction

Our teens are in the time of their lives where they’re trying new things, making new friends, and taking risks! During adolescence, youth need adults to guide them towards healthy, safe exploration and away from harmful risks like vaping. The brain is still developing until about age 25, making teens especially vulnerable to nicotine and cannabis addiction. Learn how we can prevent teen vaping, and encourage safe risk taking, at ParentUpKC.com/drug-topics/Vaping, and see the attached flier for additional information.

Pirates ROCK Character Trait: PRIDE (September)

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.

September's #PiratesROCK trait is PRIDE: a feeling of self respect & worth.

Leader in Me connections to PRIDE:

Habit 1: Be Proactive - You are in charge of you.

Habit 6: Synergize - Work together to do better.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw - Take care of yourself.

Character Strong connections to PRIDE:

Self-awareness

Social Awareness

Commitment

Humility

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).

The District uses text messaging and automated phone calls to notify parents of upcoming events and days off, school closings due to weather, and during emergency situations. Newly enrolled families will automatically receive an opt-in message from 67587. If you missed it, simply text “Yes” to 67587 to receive text messages.

The following business partner contributes goods, services, and financial support toward supporting students and staff at our school! Thank you!

Tradition Home Group:(816) 857-5700

https://livelovekchomes.com/

Farmers Insurance Alisha Elliott Agency: (816) 841-9494

https://agents.farmers.com/mo/kansas-city/alisha-elliott/

Email: hoffecker.jessica@pcr3schools.org
Location: Platte Purchase Middle School

9400 N. Platte Purchase Dr., Kansas City, MO 64155
Phone: 816-436-1433 x. 3401
Twitter: @PlattePurchase

Facebook: www.facebook.com/plattepurchasemiddleschool

Instagram: @plattepurchase

Email: adams.jeff@pcr3schools.org
Location:Location: Platte Purchase Middle School

9400 N. Platte Purchase Dr., Kansas City, MO 64155
Phone: 816-436-1433 x. 3402
Twitter: @PlattePurchase

Facebook: www.facebook.com/plattepurchasemiddleschool

Instagram: @plattepurchase