PCMS Weekly Update

Even though the calendar says May and there are only 3 weeks to go, there’s still a lot to accomplish this school year. With Teacher Appreciation Week this week, we want to let our teachers/staff members know how grateful we are for them! Nothing makes them feel better about what they do than hearing positive things from their students or their student’s families. So we would love for you to Call Out a Teacher for all that they do for your child by clicking here and sharing something that you or your child is grateful for about them. You can submit a specific staff member's name or you can leave it blank with a more general comment about the staff here at PCMS. Either way, we’d love to be able to share some of the ways that they’ve impacted your child!

MAP testing has gone very smoothly this week as we finished the ELA portion of state assessments. Next week we tackle Math! Speaking of MAP testing, it is crucial to acknowledge that it can add stress for students. To support students in managing test anxiety, families can implement strategies at home to help. Encouraging deep breathing exercises like 5 Finger Breathing can help students relax, while the 1+3+10 Strategy by Dr. Michele Borba teaches calming techniques. Prioritizing a good night's sleep is essential for reducing stress levels. Additionally, emphasizing doing their best during tests and forgetting the rest are key messages to convey to your kiddos. Continue to encourage your student to FINISH THE 4TH QUARTER STRONG with their grades and their choices. We want to finish better than we started!

Have an amazing weekend and GO PIRATES!!

It’s been a busy and successful week for our competing Pirates! Our track team successfully completed their track season. Our Special Olympians competed at the Spring Games last weekend bringing home lots of medals and Robotics competed at the World’s Competition this week. See below for details.

• Robotics: Our Robotics team ended up in a tough bracket at Worlds this week and ended up 5-3 in their matches. At one point, they moved up to 32 place. We are super proud of how they performed and represented Platte County!
• Archery: Good Luck to Archery as they head to Nationals next week!

• Track: Our track and field team finished the season by traveling to Kearney. A storm passed through bringing lightning and thunder so we did not finish. However, before the cancellation, we had a lot of success!! Noelle Boekhout won the 100m Hurdles, Addison Stone won the 100m dash, and the girls 4x800m team also took gold. For boys, Emmett Hughes won the 7th grade Triple Jump. This season was full of Personal Records and School Records and the coaches are very proud of the commitment, integrity and competition displayed by the team throughout the season!!

• Special Olympics: Congrats to the Special Olympics Team for coming home from the 2024 Spring Games with a total of 23 - 1st place, 19 - 2nd place, and 5 - 3rd place medals!

Here’s a quick recap of what we talked about this week in our CharacterStrong sessions - some good stuff right here!

• 6th Grade Connected through Perspective Taking. This was the 2nd of 2 sessions on perspective-taking. Learning to understand others' perspectives is a fundamental social skill important for making friends, solving conflicts, and working in groups. In this session, we explored and practiced "perspective-getting" by actively asking questions of each other to better understand the perspectives behind their thoughts and opinions - rather than simply assuming we know.
• 7th Grade worked on Understand Mental Health and Well-Being. This was the 1st of 4 sessions on mental health and well-being. Recent science has shown that we can benefit from increasing our well-being (which we use synonymously with mental health) even when we struggle with mental illness and life’s challenges. Well-being matters for all of us and in this session we learned about three types or aspects of well-being.
• 8th Grade assessed their time management skills and identified areas for improvement. We took a time management self-assessment to see how good we are at managing our time. Time management, just like character development, is something that we can get better at with practice!

Remember you can deposit money to your student's lunch account by sending in cash, a check made out to PCR-3, or by logging on to K12PaymentCenter. You can also check your student's lunch balance on K12PaymentCenter. Please make sure your student's lunch account has a positive balance. We depend on everyone to pay their meal charges on a timely basis so we can keep meal costs as low as possible.

If you think your student may qualify for free or reduced meals, please click here for information. If you have any questions regarding the Free and Reduced meal program, contact Debi Jurkovac 816-858-5420 x. 2130.

A Big THANK YOU goes out to our PTO for providing candy for our students for after their MAP testing! Thank you so much for all the support you give our school!

Everyone’s favorite action-packed drum-a-palooza is back for the 14th year! This year’s show will take place on Friday, May 3rd at 7pm in the Wilson Center Auditorium at Platte County High School. This year’s theme is The Art of DRUM! The music is sure to paint a picture for the audience and will surely draw everyone's attention from start to finish! You’ll hear everything from popular songs, percussion ensembles, and of course some cartoon theme songs thrown in at the end! It’s sure to be a true masterpiece! Tickets will be available at the door for $7, and all proceeds benefit the performers.

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up May 6-10 and we are ready to spoil our PCMS Staff!

We have so many fun ideas ready to go to make this year the best ever, but we want to make it even better! Instead of asking you to bring in snacks/drinks that week, we have decided to make it easier for our parents! Please consider donating via Venmo or Cash - see Signup Genius link below for more details. Thank you for helping us show much we appreciate all of them!

Are you interested in playing Sports next year in Middle School or High School? In order to participate in athletics and activities at Platte County High School or Platte City Middle School, students must be registered in the activity registration system (sometimes referred to as rSchool). Please see the information sheet below about how to complete the online registration.

Also, some of the Athletics/Activities will be holding summer camps and practices throughout the summer. Please see below for the schedules and contact information for these Athletics/Activities.

NCC is proud to say we are sending 17 students to the SkillsUSA National Contests and Leadership Conference in Atlanta in June. To help students with their costs, we are hosting a Silent Auction. The flyer and QR code is attached for you to view the items. The auction will be open until 8:00 p.m. on Monday, May 6.

On Monday (5/6) evening from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m., you can come view the items at NCC and purchase a pulled pork dinner to also help the cause. If you can't stay to eat and are on the run, just grab and go.

If you have any questions, just don't hesitate to ask.

Thank you for supporting NCC and the SkillsUSA competitors.

Thank you for your Feedback! Please Complete the FINAL PCR-3 Parent Survey by May 10. We're conducting our final parent survey cycle to gather feedback on strengths of the District, as well as areas to consider for growth. Your input is important and will be considered when making future decisions. Results from our second cycle can be viewed here. Please complete the FINAL cycle survey by Friday, May 10. Thank you in advance for your feedback!

Medication Pick-Up

Prescription and over the counter (OTC) medications that have been brought to the school must be picked up prior to student dismissal at 11:50 on the last day of school. You will not be able to pick up any medication remaining in the health room after the students are dismissed. All medications remaining in the health room will be disposed of.

Prior to the last day of school, the health room will be open on regularly scheduled school days from 7:30 am to 2:40 pm. You may pick up your student’s medication during those hours.

Please contact the school nurse in advance:

• If your student is attending summer school and you would like to have the medication available for your student during summer school.

• If you do not plan to pick up your student’s remaining medication.

Incoming 8th Grade Students

Incoming 8th grade students are required to be compliant with immunizations prior to the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccine and the MCV (meningococcal) are required for all incoming 8th grade students. These vaccines are typically given around age 11. Plan ahead and don’t wait until August! Appointments will fill up quickly as the new school year approaches. Contact your health care provider or the Platte County Health Department at www.platte county health dept.com.

--

Best of health,

Jaclynne Campbell BSN, RN

Nurse, Platte City Middle School

816.858.2036 ext. 2608

campbelj@platteco.k12.mo.us

Middle school cheer tryouts for current 6th and 7th graders will be held May 6th-9th at PPMS. See flier below for more details.

Auditions for the 2024-25 PCHS Treasures Dance Team are May 6, 7, and 9. Current 8th-11th graders interested in trying out should sign up here: https://forms.gle/SVgdt5mFFQUbd2mM9. See flier for details!

The high school robotics team will be holding tryouts in the new high school building from 3:30-5pm on May 7th & 8th. (Enter through the main doors at the circle drive of the new building. The robotics room is down the hallway that's on the left.)

In order to try out, you will need to do the following:

1. Sign up for tryouts on this Google Form. You can sign up for both days if you want to present in two different areas (one each day).

2. Fill out this Questionnaire as part of the application process.

3. Get 2 teacher recommendations. Please send/share this Teacher Recommendation Form with 2 of your teachers. **Ask that they return it by Friday, May 3rd.

Below are the guidelines for each tryout:

Building: To demonstrate your building skills, you will be asked to reconstruct a small structure using typical Robotics parts.
Notebooking: If you have previous notebooking experience, present your best pages from your notebook. These should be copied and shared with asselw@platteco.k12.mo.us, or you may bring your entire notebook to tryouts.
Programming: You will program a simple autonomous and/or drive program that will be tested out on a bot.
Driving: You will be asked to demonstrate your driving skills through a predetermined course on the field.

If you have any questions, please email Coach Assel (asselw@platteco.k12.mo.us) or Coach Perkins (perkinsk@platteco.k12.mo.us).

'An Evening of Jazz' is an annual fundraiser for the PCHS Jazz Band. On May 10th, the new cafeteria at PCHS will be transformed into a Jazz Club. It's the perfect night out! Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. For tickets contact, Connor Callahan at 816-858-2822 ext. 1271.

Parents of existing students currently in grades PreK-7 interested in K-8 Summer School: You can now enroll for 2024 Summer School via the Forms on PowerSchool Parent Portal (via a browser or the app). Please complete by May 10, 2024.

Summer School will be held May 31-June 28 at the following locations. Click here for more information about summer school.

• Barry Elementary: For all K-5th grade southern attendance area students (Pathfinder and Barry Elementaries)
• Siegrist Elementary: For all K-5th grade northern attendance area students (Compass and Siegrist Elementaries)
• PCHS: For all 6th-8th students, and 9th-12 grade students

*Incoming Kindergarten students can complete summer school enrollment after completing their regular school year enrollment (Kindergarten Kickoffs will be held April 22).

**Information about enrolling in the High School summer school program will be available in April.

PCHS JV Cheerleading Tryouts are coming! Open to current 8th, 9th, and 10th grade students.

Cheer clinics: 5:30- 7:00 pm, PCHS North gym, May 13-15

Cheer Tryouts: Starting at 3:30pm, PCHS North gym, May 16

The PCHS Booster Club will be holding Board Elections for the 2024-25 school year at the next booster club meeting on May 15th at 6:30pm. Board positions that are available for nominations are President and Secretary. Please see the attached bylaws for the description of the positions. Self nominations are welcome - feel free to forward this to anyone that you think might be interested!

Please send any nominations to pcpirateboosterclub@gmail.com. If you are nominated please plan to attend the May 15th meeting if possible. Feel free to reach out with any questions!

Enrollment for PCHS 2024 Summer School will be open via the Forms tab on PowerSchool Parent Portal starting April 15 until May 17. PowerSchool forms are available on web browsers and through the PowerSchool app (not via a browser on your smartphone). See images below on where to find these forms on your Parent Portal browser or app.

Summer School Traditional Courses (Available for incoming 9th-12th graders): All traditional courses will be taken off campus, virtually. Students will only be allowed to earn a ½ credit (one class) of traditional courses in the summer.

PLEASE NOTE:

• At least 5 students must enroll in a course in order for the class to be offered. Courses will also be capped when full. If this should happen, students will go on a waitlist.
• If a student enrolls in any course and misses TWO FULL DAYS of attendance, they will be dropped from the course and no credit will be received. This is a state of Missouri expectation.
• The deadline to register for PCHS summer school courses is Friday, May 17, 2024, by 4pm.

Starting April 15, parents (and students) can follow the steps below to complete the online summer school enrollment.

• Log on to Parent Portal via a web browser or PowerSchool app. If you need assistance logging in, please contact your child's school.
• Find and click on the "Forms" tab via the left-hand navigation on a web browser or via the "More" tab at the bottom of your app. (See screenshots).
• Under General Forms, complete the PCHS Summer School Enrollment Form(s) for each eligible student.

PCMS will celebrate the outgoing Class of ‘28 with our annual 8th Grade Pirate Bash on May 23!!

The PTO will provide lunch, beverages and class shirts. We're partnering with local business Vi-Vi Paleteria for this year's sweet treat! Shirts will be distributed that morning so that they can be worn for the class photo.

• 12:15 - 8th grade students will be dismissed to gym for a class picture

• 12:30 - food and games

• 1:30 - water balloons (weather permitting)

• 2:10 - yearbook signing

Platte County Wrestling Club is hosting a summer clinic with Coach Reggie Burress for ages 5-14, June 4-5 or June 4-6 depending on experience level. Register by May 23 at www.plattecountywrestling.sportngin.com.

See flier for details.

Friday, May 24, 2024 will be our last day of school, and will be a 3-hour early dismissal.

May 6

• MAP TESTING
• 8th Grade Boys PCHS Basketball Student Meeting, 7:40 am
  
• 8th Grade PCHS Cheer Student Meeting, 7:40 am

May 7

• MAP TESTING
• So This is Middle School Night (for current 5th graders and their parents), 6 pm
  

May 8

• MAP TESTING
• 8th Grade Boys PCHS Soccer Student Meeting, 7:40 am
• 8th Grade PCHS Wrestling Student Meeting, 7:40 am

May 9

• MAP TESTING

May 10

• FCA Meeting, 7:10 am

May 13

• Choir Spring Concert @ PCHS Wilson Auditorium, 7 pm
  

May 16

• Spring Band Concert @ PCHS Wilson Auditorium, 6 pm
  

May 17

• FCA Meeting, 7:10 am

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.

May's #PiratesRock trait is Respect: being considerate of others, property, rules & authority.

Welcome to Platte City Middle School where we are Building Learners of Tomorrow!

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/