PCMS Weekly Update

We hope everyone has had a wonderful week with the “is it fall” or “no, is it summer” weather. We had an absolutely incredible Pirates ROCK Assembly yesterday where our Student Council put on a show with a blackout/neon theme - it was a ton of fun for everyone! Hopefully, your kiddos came home talking about it! You should be receiving your child’s 1st Quarter Progress Reports today via email. Check those out and let us know if you have any questions. Thank you to everyone who attended Parent-Teacher Conferences this past Wednesday - we had a full house, which is great! It’s still not too late to sign up for next week’s conferences, which are all day Thursday from 7:30 AM to 3 PM. Again, they are by appointment only, so see below to schedule your conference if you haven’t already. Next Wednesday is our 8th Grade Pastries with Pirates, so we hope you join us for a bit that morning for some coffee, juice, and pastries! And finally, our kiddos have a couple of options to dress up on Wednesday if they want to - they can dress up for Halloween, or they can wear their favorite team apparel. We have a few guidelines below to make this a fun day, so be sure to check those out below!

Have an amazing weekend and GO PIRATES!!

Score of the Lost & Found: 72 after Week 10 !! If you see anything below that belongs to your student, please claim it at Conferences on Wednesday or just come up anytime and pick it up!

We hope that everyone has a safe and fun Halloween full of ghosts, goblins, and lots of CANDY!

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: Supportive Space (see below).

We invite families to join us in these challenges and look forward to the positive impact they will have on everyone.

One of our 6th Grade Students, Hadley Price sold 15 Major Saver cards and won the grand prize of riding in a limo to Pizza Shoppe. She was able to take a friend and a teacher with her for a fun lunch outing.

Next week we began our winter sports seasons with boys and girls basketball, wrestling, and archery teams all getting started with practice and tryouts. We can’t wait to watch them compete!

These students were nominated by their teachers for doing it the Pirate Way by showing great character! These students were recognized at our Assembly on Thursday where they received a certificate and a gift bag with goodies. Today, they were able to have a pizza lunch with a friend and play in the game room with a friend during Advisory. Congratulations - we’re super proud of them!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this letter finds you well and that your family is having a successful school year. As we continue to work together to support every student's academic and personal success, I want to address an important area that significantly impacts student learning: attendance.

At Platte City Middle School, we are committed to ensuring that all students have the best possible opportunities to succeed, and that starts with being present every day. We understand that there are legitimate reasons for occasional absences, such as illness or family emergencies.

To support our students in maintaining strong attendance, recently we have been recognizing students with exemplary attendance through various school-wide initiatives, including awards and special acknowledgments throughout the year. We have also recognized students who are making positive growth in their attendance and who are very close to being at school 90% of the time at a minimum. Every minute counts, and we want to celebrate those who make it a priority to be here!

My personal goal is to have 90% of our students attend school 90% of the time. As mentioned, I want to be the first school to attain this lofty goal and can only do so through a strong partnership with our students and parents. Currently, we have 556 students, or 86.74% of our students with 90% or better attendance. The students and I have really enjoyed working on this goal together. Thank you in advance for all of your support. Here is our updated attendance data:

Thank you for your continued partnership in making Platte City Middle School a place where all students can thrive. Together, we can ensure that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Sincerely,
Dr. Chris Miller
Principal, Platte City Middle School

It's time for Parent/Teacher Conferences and your PCMS PTO is organizing snacks for the teachers and staff! If you are able to donate, please sign up for a slot below and send in your items to the office on Monday October 28th and Tuesday, October 29th.

At PCMS, we have a long-standing tradition of welcoming our extended Pirate families to enjoy breakfast with their middle school students. We are happy to announce we will be again hosting our 8th Grade Pastries with Pirates breakfast on Wednesday, October 30 at 7 a.m. 7th-grade students are encouraged to invite special family member(s) to join them. This could be grandparents, mom, dad, aunt, uncle, or any other significant person in the student's life. We’re looking forward to seeing you on the 30th!

We are excited to launch our 2nd Quarter PACE (Pirate After Class Events) Program offerings. Here are the details for 2nd Quarter:

Starts on November 5th for the 6 week session.

Spots are filled on a first come first serve basis!

Every Tuesday and Thursday from 3pm-4 pm.

Activities offered 2nd Quarter will be Art Club, Board/Digital Games, Junior Golfers, Mindfulness/Crafts and Sign Language.

Tyler Crawford is our PACE Coordinator and can answer any questions you may have about the program. Please review the PACE Slideshow for additional details about our 2nd quarter offerings. To sign your student up for PACE, click on the form below. Students can sign up for one activity per day. If you need to make any changes, please contact Tyler (crawfort@platteco.k12.mo.us).

Tryouts for Winter Sports are coming up on Monday. Click BELOW for information on MS Basketball and Wrestling.

This year, 6th and 7th graders from Platte Purchase Middle School and Platte City Middle School will be participating in a Career Fair on Friday, March 14, 2025. The event will take place at Platte Purchase Middle School from 8:00 a.m. to 2:25 p.m.

We would love to partner with parents from both schools to make this a successful and enriching experience for our students. If you’re interested in participating, please complete the 2025 Career Fair Presenter Sign-Up Form.

For any questions about the Career Fair, feel free to reach out to Amanda Griffin, counselor at Platte Purchase Middle School, or Kim Schank, counselor at Platte City Middle School.

Picture retakes are scheduled for November 15th. If students have already had their Fall Picture taken, please bring your original picture packages back to get a retake replacement. Any student who did not get their picture taken on the original picture day can order with cash or check on or before picture day in the office using the form below. All checks MUST be made out to Reed Portrait Group. Orders may also be placed with a credit card by calling RPG @ 816-436-5550.

The 10th annual Yuletide Market is scheduled for 9am to 3pm on Saturday, November 9 at Platte City Middle School to benefit the PCHS Music Parents Association. The Yuletide Market features local crafters, artisans, and direct sales consultants.

Oct 28

• 7/8 Boys First Basketball Practice/Tryouts, 3 pm
  
• 7/8 Girls First Basketball Practice/Tryouts, 3 pm
  
• 7/8 First Winter Cheer Practice, 3 pm
  
• 7/8 First Wrestling Practice, 3:15 pm
  

Oct 30

• 8th Grade Pastries with Pirates, 7 am
  

Oct 31

• No School, Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences

• No School

Nov 2

• All-District 7/8 Gr Band Auditions @ Central High School, 7 am
  

Nov 7

• Jazz Band Rehearsal, 7 am

Nov 8

• 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.

October's #PiratesRock trait is Responsibility: being accountable for your actions without blame.

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/