PCMS Weekly Update

We hope you and your families enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! In the hustle and bustle of this time of year, we’re still finding some moments to enjoy the holidays as a school community! On Thursday, our friends from PCHS came over to spread some holiday cheer with us as their Concert Choirs and Sound Express groups performed some of their best Christmas Carols. And our office, hallways, and pods are looking like a winter wonderland thanks to a project sponsored by our Student Council Pirates! As the end of the quarter nears, we continue to work hard and finish the semester strong. Continue talking with your Pirate about their grades and continuing to make good choices with others. The million-dollar question to ask them is, “How did you make someone’s day better?”

Have an amazing weekend, get that Christmas shopping done, and GO PIRATES!

Score of the Lost & Found: 118 after Week 14!! Some of our students must be feeling pretty cold with the amount of jackets, coats and hoodies that are hanging on our Lost & Found rack! We will be donating all these items when we leave for Winter Break. Please have your children retrieve their items before December 20th!

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: Noticing the Nurse (see below).

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

Robotics: On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the Robotics team had their first tournament at KU. 8778Z were tournament champions!! 8778Y were tournament finalists and won the Design award for an impeccable notebook and robot design. 8778W made it to the semi-finals and won the highly coveted Judges award for outstanding interview and notebook. 8778X made it to the quarter finals. PCMS Robotics brought home 3 of the 6 tournament awards. It was a great weekend for PCMS robotics! Good luck to them this week at their tournament at Platte Purchase Middle School!

Wrestling: The wrestlers did a great job coming back from break and wrestling hard. They fought back well against Liberty North and Northgate at home. We took on Smithville and New Mark at Smithville and we had 28 wins, 22 pins, and 3 tech falls. We are very proud of their progress and look forward to the challenges next week.

Boys Basketball: On Tuesday, all three Boys Basketball teams played at Maple Park Middle School and they all came out with a win. Then on Thursday the C team played at home vs New Mark Middle School and lost a close one by only 3 points.

Girls Basketball: On Tuesday, all three Girls teams played Maple Park here at home. A team was led by Sam Jones with 12 points bringing a win over the Vikings of 28-16. B team was led Brooklyn Kieser with 6 points in a close fought loss. C Team was led by Jalynn Hupp scoring 6 points but they ended up falling 10-28. On Thursday, C team played hard against a very large and aggressive New Mark team.

If your student would like to request a change to their 2nd semester schedule, please complete the Course Request Form by 8:00 AM on Wednesday, December 11. Any requests made after 8AM on 12/11 will not be looked at.

Please note that submitting a request does NOT guarantee approval. Counselors will look at all requests but a final decision will be made based on administrative approval, class sizes, and course availability.

Our 7th Graders will have the opportunity to go on a Field Trip to tour Kauffman Stadium and complete team building activities around the center. The Skulls Team will be going on January 8th and the Crossbones Team will be going on January 10th. They will leave the school at 9:00 am and return to the school around 1:45 pm. There is a $10 admission fee for this field trip and our amazing PTO is paying $5 per student, so parents are responsible for $5.

A permission slip is now available to fill out on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. The online permission slip will be closing on 12/13. Please fill out the form only if you are giving permission for your student to attend. 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 7th Grade Field Trip Form. If you are on a Desktop, you will just need to select the Forms tab from the Home screen. (see pictures below)

While you are filling out the permission slip, you will be able to pay the $5 for the trip via debit/credit card. You will not be able to submit the online permission slip without payment, so if you are unable to pay via debit/credit card, please contact the office for a physical form to fill out.

If you have any questions, please contact the office.

This holiday season, we’re coming together to make a difference in the lives of families in our community. Join us in our Gift Card and Money Drive to help provide meaningful support.

• Gift Cards: Donated gift cards will go directly to families in need, allowing them to purchase essentials and gifts to brighten their holidays.

• Monetary Donations: Your contributions will be used to pay off student lunch balances, easing financial burdens for families and ensuring every child can focus on learning without worry.

Every donation, big or small, makes a meaningful impact. Let’s bring hope and joy to those who need it most. Together, we can make this holiday season one to remember! We need all donations turned in by December 13th - Thank you!

7th Grade Parents: On Tuesday, December 17 the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) will be at PCMS to speak to 6th on the topic “Healthy Relationships.”

MOCSA’s Healthy Relationships explores how all types of relationships need to be equal and healthy, including friendships. This presentation discusses how everyone has different boundaries and how to understand each person’s. This presentation also explores what healthy vs. unhealthy relationships are and what to do if we feel like we are in an unhealthy relationship. Finally, we discuss and practice intervention skills as well as identifying safe adults that we could talk to should we need help.

If you do NOT want your child to attend this presentation, please complete THIS FORM by Friday, December 13th.

With Winter Sports underway, PTO needs parent and student volunteers to help out with the PTO Concession stand at each home game. Please sign up below to help out!

We are excited to share a helpful "Canvas How-To" video designed to support parents (and students) in navigating their child’s Canvas account. This guide covers tips on how parents and students can:

• Understand what assignments are due and where to find them.
• View grades and recent feedback.
• Communicate with teachers and access helpful resources.
• Set up and customize an Observer account, including adjusting notifications and using the Canvas Parent App.

With these tools, we aim to strengthen family communication and involvement to help drive student success. You can find logins, guides, and this video linked on our Parent Portal and Canvas landing page here. Should you need assistance in setting up your Observer account, please reach out to your child's advisory teacher or contact our office.

Please visit the Winter Weather Information page on the Parents Tab of the District website for information on recess and clothing considerations (there will be no outdoor recess when the wind chill is at 20 degrees or below), cancellations, two-hour delayed starts, how the District will notify families, and Y-Club info.

In the event of school cancellation or delayed start, PCR-3 will get that information out as early as possible through automated phone calls and text messages, the District website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, the District Hotline (816-858-2752), and local media. Parents: To opt in to receive texts, please text the word "YES" to 67587.

For the 2024-25 school year, PCR-3 will implement Inclement Weather Virtual Learning Days for the first five canceled school days. These days will not need to be made up. Any additional canceled school days may be waived, or may need to be made up (added to the academic calendar). Click here for details on our Inclement Weather Virtual Learning Days.

Dec 7

• Robotics Tournament @ Platte Purchase Middle School
  

Dec 9

• Wrestling Meet @ Antioch Middle School, 4 pm
  

Dec 10

• Girls Basketball A/B Teams @ Kearney Junior High, 4:30 pm
  
• Boys Basketball A/B Teams vs Kearney @ Home, 4 pm
  

Dec 11

• Wrestling @ Raytown South Middle School, 4 pm
  
• Winter Choir Concert @ Wilson Auditorium, 7:30 pm
  

Dec 12

• Jazz Band Rehearsal, 7 am
  
• Boys Basketball A/B Teams @ Raymore-Peculiar East Middle School, 4 pm
  
• Girls Basketball A/B Teams vs Raymore-Peculiar East Middle School @ Home, 4 pm
  

Dec 13

• FCA Meeting, 7:10 am
  

Dec 14

• 7/8 Gr All-District Band Clinic/Concert, 7 am
  
• Wrestling Tournament @ Platte County High School Field House, 9 am

Dec 16

• Wrestling @ Raytown Middle School, 4 pm
  

Dec 17

• Boys Basketball A/B/C Team @ Smithville Middle School, 4 pm
• Girls Basketball A/B/C Teams vs Smithville @ Home, 4 pm
  

Dec 18

• Wrestling @ Kearney Jr High School, 4 pm
  

Dec 19

• Jazz Band Rehearsal, 7 am
  
• Boys Basketball A/B/C Team vs Congress Middle School @ Home, 4 pm
  
• Girls Basketball A/B/C Teams @ Congress Middle School, 4 pm
  
• Winter Band Concert @ Wilson Auditorium, 6 pm
  

Dec 20

• 3 Hour Early Release

Dec 23 - Jan 3

• No School - Winter Break

Jan 6

• No School - PLD Day

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.

December's #PiratesROCK trait is COMPASSION: showing concern through words & actions.

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/