We can't believe it's May!

Next week we begin MAP Testing here at the 'Purch and we are confident and ready to show what we know! Please help us all test our best by making sure your Pirates are well rested and here on time with their charged Chromebook and wired headphones. We begin ELA next week and students will be taking their MAP test during their ELA class time. Math and Science tests will be happening on Week 2 of MAP.

As we look ahead to this last month of school, we've got lots of information about Field Trips and End of the Year Celebrations, Concerts, and Activities, so take a look at all of that information below.

Have a wonderful weekend, Pirates!

Congratulations to all the students honored for demonstrating the April Pirates Rock trait of Perseverance and the Character Strong value of Forgiveness! 🌟 We are so proud of your hard work, determination, and compassion. Keep shining and leading by example! A big shoutout as well to the amazing teachers and staff who were recognized at the assembly — your dedication and support make all the difference!

Platte Purchase Archers Shine at 2025 U.S. Western Nationals!

The Platte Purchase Archers proudly represented our school at the 2025 U.S. Western Nationals in Sandy, Utah last week—and they truly held their own on the national stage!

7th grader Easton Courter shot his personal best in the Bullseye event, scoring an impressive 278 out of 300 and finishing 38th out of 554 archers in his division.

6th grader Makenzie Williams also achieved her personal best, shooting a strong 250 out of 300 in the Bullseye event.

Our archers didn’t stop there! In the 3D event, which challenges archers to hit six different animal targets at varying distances:

Easton Courter once again delivered a personal best, scoring 270 out of 300 and placing 62nd out of 461 archers.
Makenzie Williams repeated her success with another personal best of 247 out of 300.
8th grader Grace Hampton stood out with a fantastic 240 out of 300, also a personal best—a huge accomplishment in her first year as an archer!

I am incredibly proud of each of our archers for their hard work, determination, and the amazing progress they’ve made this season.

Interested in trying this unique and challenging sport?
Keep an eye out for summer opportunities and try-outs in October. We’d love to have you join the team!

Go Archers!

Coach Platt

We had a great Trolley Run practice season with 4 runners who dedicated their Sunday morning to run a 4-mile race. We had around 6 participants who practiced 3x a week prepping their bodies to compete. We accomplished the following things:

1. 2 Hill run practices working on form and pushing their bodies to tackle hill running
2. 3 Speed Days working on how to pace run to speed up and then slow down to build cardiac ability
3. Overall, practice distance running (we ran at MOST up to 3.8 miles by the end)

Congratulations to the following runners at Trolley Run:

• Edward DePeralta, who ran the entire race UNDER an 8-minute per mile pace!
• Michael Kacz, who finished 10th in his age group!
• Malakai Bushnell, who finished 13th in his age group!
• Maddie Richardson, who finished 8th in her age group!

So proud of our 8th graders for having such a wonderful and memorable formal! Everyone looked incredible! Special thanks to all the organizers, teachers, and parents who helped make it such a special event! 🖤

On to the next adventure — high school, here they come! 🎓

• Staff Appreciation Week May 5-9
• May 5 (Odd Block Day)
• MAP TESTING- ELA Session 1
• Academic Lab, 2:50-4 PM
• Track & Field Meet @ Staley (Top 2 ONLY)
• May 6 (Even Block Day)
• MAP TESTING- ELA Session 1
• Track & Field Meet @ Kearney
• May 7 (Odd Block Day)
• MAP Testing- ELA Session 2 & 3
• Track & Field Awards and Uniform Turn In Part 2, 3-4 pm
• May 8 (Even Block Day)
• MAP Testing- ELA Session 2 & 3
• LAST PACE (Speech & Debate) Class, 3-4 pm (PPMS)
• Track & Field- Possible meet for those who qualify
• May 9 (7 Period Day)
• MAP Testing- ELA Session 4 (8th Grade ONLY)
• Spirit Day: Dress Like You're in the 90s!
• 6th Grade Permission Slips Due for Kauffman Stadium
• FCA 7:15 AM in the LMC
• Track & Field- Season concluded (turn in uniforms if needed)
• May 9 - May 12: Robotics Worlds! Good Luck!

May 5-16: MAP Testing

May 9: Summer School Enrollment Deadline/ Spirit Day: Dress Like You're in the 90s/ 6th Grade Permission Slips Due for Kauffman Stadium

May 9-12: Robotics Worlds

May 12: PTSA Meeting, 6 pm, LMC

May 19-20: EOC Testing

May 14: Treasure Island Choir Dress Rehearsal (PPMS-Flex)

• 6th Grade Choir: 3pm-4pm
• Concert Choir: 4pm-5pm
• Honor Choir: 4:45pm- 6pm

May 15: Treasure Island Choir Concert

• 6th Grade Performance: 6 pm (call time 5:30)
• 7th & 8th Grade Performance: 7:30 pm (call time 7 pm)

May 16: Summer School Deadline/ PPMS Robotics Sign Up Deadline (See Info Below)

May 21: 6th Grade Field Trip

May 22: Spring Band Concert

• 6th Grade Band: 6 pm Concert Start Time
• 7th Grade Band: 6:45 pm Concert Start Time
• PPMS Jazz Band: 7:30 pm Concert Start Time
• 8th Grade Band: 8:00 pm Concert Start Time

May 23: NJHS to Barry Field Day

May 26: NO SCHOOL/Memorial Day

May 27: Inclement Weather Make Up Day/ 8th Grade Zoo Field Trip

May 28: Inclement Weather Make Up Day 8th Grade Celebration

May 29: Inclement Weather Make Up Day/ 3-hour early release

MAP Testing starts next week!

• We will follow a block schedule during our testing window May 5-16th (except Fridays)
• 6th/7th Grade ELA: May 5-May 8
• 8th Grade ELA: May 5-May 9
• 6th-8th Grade Math: May 12-May 15
• 8th Grade Science: May 12-May 15
• Algebra 1 EOC: May 19-May 20
• Make Up Testing Dates: May 9, 16, 19, 20

7:25 am- Doors open & breakfast begins

7:37 am- 3 minute warning bell

7:40 am- Class begins

2:50 pm- Dismissal begins

We've had a lot of late students. Please make sure your student is in class and ready to learn by 7:40 am.

📢 Reminder for Students & Parents!

🔹 Chromebooks & Chargers: Please bring your Chromebook and charger to school every day, and make sure your device is fully charged each morning so you're ready to learn! A charged and ready Chromebook helps you participate in all class activities without interruptions.

✏️ School Supplies Running Low! The supplies students brought at the beginning of the year are nearly gone. Please ensure your child has a couple of pencils and some notebook paper for daily use.

Thank you for being responsible and prepared! 💡📚

If your student is a walker, please make sure they are utilizing the crosswalk. Using the crosswalk is crucial for safety, as it helps pedestrians stay visible to drivers and reduces the risk of accidents.

We've had some unsafe things happening in our Car Rider Drop Off/Pick Up Line with kids being dropped off or picked up from parked cars. This is certainly not safe for our students to be darting across our car rider traffic.

Please make sure if you are dropping off or picking up students that you are being patient and following the line of our car riders and dropping students at the sidewalk. We appreciate your help keeping our students safe.

Parents can deposit money for meal transactions through Linq Connect. Parents can access Linq Connect through this link or when signing in to PowerSchool Parent Portal. In addition to allowing for better and faster service to students during meal times at school, the online portion of this system allows guardians to set up scheduled meal deposits or deposits to accounts when falling below a certain amount. A transaction fee will be applied based on the amount of funds added. The Fees are 3.95% of the transaction total with a $2.85 minimum to be paid by the parent/cardholder.

Parents can still deposit money for meal transactions by sending payment via check or cash to their child's school.

Staff Appreciation

Yo caregivers! Let’s show our totally rad staff some love!

Staff Appreciation Week is coming May 5th - May 9th, and we’re throwin’ it back to the 90s

— because our teachers are all that AND a bag of chips!

Help us keep the good vibes rollin’ by signing up to bring in some sweet treats.

Think brownies, cookies, cupcakes — anything that would make Zack Morris say “whoa!”

https://www.signupgenius.com/.../8050C45AAAC23A5F58...

Let’s make this dessert table the bomb dot com! Thanks for being the dopest caregivers crew around!

Final PTSA Meeting 2024-2025 School Year

The final PTSA meeting will be held Monday, May 12th at 6 pm in the Library Media Center at Platte Purchase. Come help us set our calendar for next year and celebrate the closing of this school year.

2025-2026 PTSA Committee

Calling All Superstars!

We’re already getting excited for the next school year—and we need YOU to make it amazing! The PTSA is looking for enthusiastic, creative, and committed volunteers to join our 2025–2026 committees. Whether you have an hour a week or an hour a month, there’s a place for you!

Help us plan events, support teachers, enrich student life, and build an even stronger school community.

Interested?!? Please reach out via email at plattepurchaseptsa@gmail.com.

6th Grade is going to Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday, May 21st. Permission slips were sent home with students today. A signed permission slip along with $10 cash is due back by Friday, May 9th.

8th Grade Zoo Field Trip – Tuesday, May 27th

We’ve finally made it to the weekend! A quick reminder: 8th grade students will be going on a field trip to the zoo on May 27th.

To participate, students must submit the following by Monday, May 5th:

• A signed permission slip

• A $10 payment

Both the permission slip and payment are required by the deadline. Students who do not turn in both items on time will not be allowed to attend the trip and will remain at school that day.

If you have any questions, please contact Coach Briz at brizendine.dakota@pcr3schools.org.

The permission slip with additional details is attached below.

Have a wonderful weekend!

4/22 Tuesday Recap – Excelsior Springs Meet

On Tuesday, we traveled to Excelsior Springs and wrapped up another strong week of competition. Our athletes brought home an impressive haul: one 1st place finish, four 2nd place finishes, and six 3rd place finishes. A huge shoutout to our Girls 4x200 team for breaking the PPMS school record! M. Dellinger had an absolutely standout performance, not only breaking our school’s 1600m record but also surpassing the Platte County Middle School record from 2014 with an outstanding time of 5:45.20.

4/24 Thursday Recap – Final Open & Home Meet
Thursday marked our final open meet—and final home meet—of the season, and our athletes continued to shine. They earned six 1st place finishes, three 2nd places, and five 3rd place medals. The Girls 4x200 team of Reyes, Burris, McCord, and Mullins broke their own school record once again, setting a new time of 2:01.82. Dellinger ended the night by shaving another five seconds off her 1600m time, running an incredible 5:40.82, breaking her own school record yet again!

Middle School Swim wrapped up our season last week with our Championship meet at Gladstone. It was a great meet for the kids. This is our biggest meet of the season swimming against North Kansas City, Belton, KCPS, Raytown, and Independence. PC swimmers showed so much improvement over the season and we had a LOT of time drops to show for all their hard work. More importantly, the kids were even better teammates than swimmers.

While these are some of our best scores of the night. We have 11 swimmers who need recognition for their efforts this season. If you see these kiddos around congratulate them on their hard work, determination, and making PC proud!

Amy Guzman

Gavin Lister

Callen Marchisio

Khloe Niehaus

Delayna Noller

Noah Ricapa

Eli Ricapa

Shae Sipes

Amelia Trainer

Carson Vorbeck

Corbin Williams

Has your child visited the nurse?

We understand that students may occasionally feel unwell, fatigued, or overwhelmed by schoolwork or tests, and may contact their parent/guardian to be picked up. However, we encourage parents to ensure that their child has been seen by the school nurse before deciding to pick them up.

It’s essential to keep healthy students in school, where they can continue to learn and engage with their peers. The school nurse plays a key role in evaluating your child’s condition, helping to determine whether they are truly ill, and ensuring they receive appropriate care.

Additionally, these evaluations allow our health services team to monitor any illnesses or potential outbreaks in the building and across the district. Your cooperation helps us maintain a healthy and safe environment for all students.

Thank you for your support in keeping our students healthy, safe, and ready to learn!

- Nurse Kelly

At PCR3, we believe that students learn at different rates, times and in different ways. In order to support our Principles of Learning, students have the opportunity to receive additional time and support in content areas where they are struggling or where the student wants to improve.

Academic Lab will be held from 2:50 - 4:00 on Monday afternoons. Students must be signed up by a parent to attend prior to the start time of Academic Lab. Signups will be capped at 20 students. No bus will be available, so please make sure student's have a ride home at 4.

If you have any questions about Academic Lab, please direct them to Coach Brizendine (brizendine.dakota@pcr3schools.org) and/or Dr. Hoffecker (hoffecker.jessica@pcr3schools.org).

The high school robotics team will be holding tryouts for incoming freshmen in the new part of the high school from 3:15-5:00pm on May 20th - 22nd. (Enter through the main doors at the bus loop, Entrance 6. The robotics room is to 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 multiple 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 complete it by Friday, May 9th.

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.
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.

Notebooking: You will have a short interview about your style of notebooking, and if you have previous notebooking experience, please present your best pages from your notebook. This may be shared in one of three ways: 1) email a selection of pages to assel.wendy@pcr3schools.org, or 2) digitize your entire notebook and email it to assel.wendy@pcr3schools.org, or 3) bring your physical notebook with you to tryouts.

If you have any questions, please email Coach Assel (assel.wendy@pcr3schools.org) or Coach Perkins (perkins.kyle@pcr3schools.org).

Course Changes for 25-26

Students entered their course requests through SchooLinks for the 25-26 school year in February. If changes for the 25-26 year are requested prior to the first week of school, they will be completed based on the following needs:

• Schedules that need to be amended based upon limitations from programs or courses students have been accepted to (NCC, NCAPS, audition based courses, etc...)
• Incomplete schedules due to conflicts in the master schedule
• Seniors who have requested part-time status (students are encouraged to submit their part time request by May 23, 2025) Students and parents are strongly encouraged to review the part-time criteria and considerations.

Changes that are requested based on changes in interest since submitting requests in February will be reviewed when students submit a course change request form in August per our schedule change process guidelines.

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 5-7

Cheer Tryouts: Starting at 3:30pm, PCHS North gym, May 8

Coach will be at PPMS next Wednesday during Advisory to share more information to anyone interested!

Pirates ROCK End-of-Year Celebration/Sharpen the Saw Challenge - May 2

Get ready for the "Greatest Show" of Character! The Pirates ROCK End-of-Year Celebration and Sharpen the Saw Challenge Course will be at Barry-Platte Park on Friday, May 2. Course is open from 5-7pm, with the character recognition ceremony at 6pm. Pre-register here and see flier for details.

Want a $10 Pirates ROCK race day t-shirt? Complete registration/order by April 16!

Summer School 2025: K-8 Enroll via PowerSchool Parent Portal by May 16
Platte County School District is excited to announce that Summer School will be held June 2-30, 2025 (please note updated dates). All Platte County R-3 students are invited to attend and continue to grow as learners throughout the summer! The purpose of PCR-3’s Summer School Program is to provide an experience that is relevant, rigorous, and engaging, based on individual learner needs, in a safe and caring environment. Click here for more information about Summer School at PCR-3.

• Parents of existing students currently in grades PreK-7 interested in K-8 Summer School: You can now enroll for 2025 Summer School via the Forms on PowerSchool Parent Portal (via a browser or the app). Please complete by May 16, 2025.
• Incoming Kindergarten students will be able to complete summer school registration after they complete regular enrollment. Click here for 2025-26 New Student Enrollment. (Kindergarten Kickoffs will be held April 15 and parents will learn how to enroll your kindergartner in Summer School).
• High School summer school program enrollment will begin April 14, 2025 via Parent Portal.

Summer School Middle School Experiences: Middle School students will partner with the Missouri Department of Conservation to explore real world ecological issues on our campus, as well as participate in a Make48 Innovation experience.

• Missouri Department of Conservation: Students will be examining issues related to water and its impact on our land. Teachers will guide students through a project-based experience with the Missouri Department of Conservation, called "Unhooked."
• Make48 Innovation Experience: Students will work in teams for this innovation challenge, and will engage with a real-world client to work through a design problem and ultimately create a solution including a small-scale prototype, a one-minute marketing or informational video, and an informational sales sheet.

Current Students in Grades 8-12 interested in PCHS Summer School: Enrollment via Parent Portal will begin April 14

High School Summer School: Click here for details on high school summer school offerings including traditional courses, credit recovery courses, and driver's education.

Enrollment for PCHS 2025 Summer School will be open via the Forms tab on PowerSchool Parent Portal starting April 14 until May 16. 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 16, 2025, by 4pm.

Starting April 14, 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.

Platte County Health Department is offering the Safe Sitter course (March 27, June 11, July 7, and August 6), designed for young teens in grades 6-8, to equip students with essential skills for safety, childcare, first aid, and rescue, as well as life and business skills, preparing them to be safe and competent babysitters.

Register by clicking here.

See flier for details.

Please see information below about Northland Career Center's Winter and Spring Community Education Courses. The link to the registration website is https://northlandcareercenter.asapconnected.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).

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.

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.

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

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.

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