Happy Super Bowl Red Friday!

Parent/Teacher Conferences are this Thursday, February 13th from 12:00-6:30 pm. There will be a 3 hour dismissal that day. Please use the link below to sign up.

Friday, February 14th is a PLD DAY, so there will be NO SCHOOL. There is also NO SCHOOL on Monday, February 17th for Presidents' Day.

We also have Character Warms the Heart Spirit week this week and PTSA Cookie-gram sales!

As always, it's a great time to be a Pirate. Let's Go CHIEFS!

Have a wonderful weekend!

• February 10:
• Spirit Day: Wear PJs
• PTSA Meeting, 6 pm (PPMS LMC)
• PTSA Cookie Pre-Sale during lunch ($1 each)
• Addams Family Musical Rehearsals, 3-5 pm (PPMS)
• Academic Lab, 2:50-4 PM
• February 11:
• Spirit Day: Wear Pirate or Sports Team Gear
• PTSA Cookie Pre-Sale during lunch ($1 each)/ Purchase a fresh carnation ($1 each)
  
• Addams Family Musical Rehearsals, 3-5 pm (PPMS)
• PACE (Board & Digital Gaming), 3-4 PM
• MS Step Practice, 3-4:30 PM
• Science Olympiad, 2:50-3:50 PM
• February 12:
• Spirit Day: Wear yellow to support raising awareness for childhood cancer
• PTSA Cookie Pre-Sale during lunch ($1 each)/ Purchase a fresh carnation ($1 each)
• Addams Family Musical Rehearsals, 3-5 pm (PPMS)
• February 13:
• Spirit Day: Wear red and send a nice note to a cancer patient in need.
• PTSA Cookie Delivery!
• P/T Conferences, 12-6:30pm (3 hr early release, 11:50)
• February 14:
• Spirit Day: PLD Day - NO SCHOOL- Wear crazy/cozy socks at home
• February 17:
• NO SCHOOL- Presidents' Day

February 10-12: PTSA Cookie Fundraiser (Cookies delivered 2/13)

February 10-14: Character Warms the Heart Week

February 11-12: PTSA selling carnations for $1 at lunch

February 11: PPMS Counselor Support (9th Grade Course Selection)

February 13: 3 Hour Early Dismissal for Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences (See Information Below!)/ NO PACE

February 14: NO SCHOOL- PLD Day

February 17: NO SCHOOL- Presidents' Day

The Platte Purchase Step Team competed at the North Kansas City Step Show last Saturday. They performed a puppet-themed routine and placed 2nd at the show! We are so proud of the time, effort, and dedication they've spent practicing since November. Congratulations PPMS Steppers!

Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on Thursday, February 13 from 12:00-6:30pm with a 3-hour early release that day.

Please click the button below to sign up for a date/time with our teachers! Make sure to find 2/13 to select your time.

February 10-14 is our Pirates ROCK "Character Warms the Heart" week, when we warm up with our good character and great leadership with fun spirit week activities! This year we are teaming up with PCHS FBLA to collect items (art supplies, stuffed animals, books, games, etc.) for Happy Disciples, a student-run non-profit that provides care packages to children fighting cancer. Participate in our spirit days and send in any donations to our schools! The class, PLT, or Advisory in each school with the most donated items will receive a donut party! 🍩🍩🍩

On Thursday, we'll either be making our own hand-made notes for cancer patients, or using this form to create a digital note.

Reminder: Friday, February 14 there is no school for our Professional Learning Day. See flier for details on our spirit days and come cheer on our Pirates and participate in the activities at the Home Basketball games on February 11!

Students will be receiving their aMath and aReading Winter Reports from their ELA teachers on Monday.

These reports will include the results from their January Fastbridge Screener. There is an error in the letter that says these are the results from September, but these are results from our Winter Screeners.

Please reach out to your student's Math and ELA teacher if you have further questions.

The Platte County Health Department is partnering with Platte County R3 to offer required immunizations for students entering 8th-grade for the 2025-2026 school year. They will also provide recommended vaccines, should you choose. Health department staff will be at PPMS on Wednesday, March 12th, around 1 p.m. to administer vaccines to students who have signed up and qualify.

This clinic is ONLY for current 7th-grade students entering 8th-grade for the 2025-2026 school year.

Please review the attached letters from the health department for detailed information on eligibility for the vaccine clinic. If you decide to enroll your student in this free immunization program, please complete the online Consent and Registration Form by scanning the QR code or clicking the link below. The deadline to sign up is February 26th.

https://form.jotform.com/233395031889162

All incoming 8th-grade students must receive a Tdap booster (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis) and a Meningococcal (Meningitis) vaccine before they can receive their back-to-school schedules. In accordance with Missouri state law, students who are not up to date on their immunizations will be unable to attend school.

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.

NAVIGATE class is designed to support all students in planning for their futures—whether that means enrolling in college, pursuing a trade school, or enlisting in the military. It specifically focuses on students in the academic middle (2.0–3.5 GPA) who are driven, motivated, and eager to challenge themselves with rigorous coursework. Additionally, it provides extra support for students navigating high school while taking demanding classes.

Strong attendance is a key requirement for this program. However, N.A.V.I.G.A.T.E. is not an intervention or remedial course—we follow a structured curriculum tailored to student success.

If 8th grade students are interested in applying for this HS course, they can do so by following the link below labeled "NEW! NAVIGATE Website." There they will find an online application link at the top of the home page. Applications are due March 1st, 2025.

For more information, please click on the following links:

• NEW! N.A.V.I.G.A.T.E. Website
• NEW! N.A.V.I.G.A.T.E. Introduction Presentation
• NEW! N.A.V.I.G.A.T.E. Pirate Learning Time Video

Introducing SchooLinks: A New College and Career Readiness Platform for 6th-12th Students

We are very excited to introduce our college and career readiness platform, SchooLinks! All of the SchooLinks features are designed with students in mind to help them become career, college, and life ready. As a guardian, you will have the opportunity to join your student in their career and college exploration process and have conversations with them about their future. You will have access to SchooLinks through your own account.

SchooLinks allows you to:

• View the results of your student’s career interest, strength, and mindset assessments to learn more about their interests and what careers might be right for them

• Check your personalized dashboard for upcoming events as well as important reminders and to-dos for your student

• Complete your own research on colleges, careers, and more to help you have informed conversations with your student

• Compare college costs and explore expected financial aid, scholarships, and out of pocket expenses

For incoming 9th-12th grade students: Counselors are guiding students in using the SchooLinks platform to request courses for the upcoming school year. Final student course requests for the 2025-26 school year will be due in SchooLinks March 8th.

For incoming 6th-8th grade students: Counselors are guiding students to make their 2025-26 course requests through PowerSchool, but are using the other college and career readiness elements of SchooLinks.

Your student will be emailing you with instructions on setting up your SchooLinks guardian account this upcoming Monday.

See this document to learn more about how to create and use your account, and click here for a quick introduction video to the SchooLinks platform.

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).

Who: Any PPMS or PCMS 7th or 8th Grade Middle School Students

What: This is a program for both the advanced competitive swimmer and those who wish to try out

competitive swimming and are thinking about competing when they get to high school.

When: Start Date: Monday, March 3rd. Season will finish on April 25th. After school from 3:15 – 4:45 p.m., Monday-Friday

* NO PLC day practices

* We will NOT practice over Spring Break.

Where: Platte County YMCA

Physicals: All athletes MUST have all forms (physical, insurance, concussion signature, activity

participation form) on file by Monday February 25th. https://plattecountyr3sd-ar.rschooltoday.com/

Transportation: Bus will be provided to Platte County YMCA from both PPMS and Platte City Middle

School. Athletes can change at the YMCA in the locker rooms before practice. Have your rides home planned for 4:50 if they are picking you up from the YMCA. Arrange car-pooling as needed. There will be a bus that can pick up the swimmers after practice @ 4:50 to return to PPMS.

Are you a 7th or 8th grader interested in joining Track & Field? Come to the informational meeting on Thursday, February 20th during Out to C. The meeting will be held in the commons.

Track & Field practice start date will be Monday, March 3rd. Practices will be from 3-4:30 pm. Track & Field gear/merchandise will be available starting sometime in February.

Do any of these belong to you? We have A LOT of coats left behind! Students can check lost and found during school hours. Lost & found is located across from Studio 2 & 3.

Students interested in joining FCA will meet with Coach Bass in the library at 7:15 am on Fridays.

In February, MOCSA (Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault) will be visiting our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes.

MOCSA's education presenters offer age-appropriate programs for students in elementary, middle, and high schools. They are active in over 30 school districts in the Kansas City metro area, serving both sides of the state line. Their presentations use various teaching methods, including group discussion, lecture, Q&A sessions, and activities to enhance learning and behavior change.

If you prefer your student not to attend this presentation, kindly contact me at 816-436-1443 or email me at griffin.amanda@pcr3schools.org

Feel free to read more about MOCSA's educational programming or contact youthed@mocsa.org for additional information.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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.

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/

This question will be placed on the April 8, 2025 ballot. If approved by voters, the approximately $62 million bond issue would fund the following projects identified in the District’s Long-Range Facility Plan:

• Completing Phase 2 of rebuilding Platte County High School, creating a consolidated high school building with all classrooms and programs under one roof
• Constructing site amenities at Platte Purchase Middle School activities complex
• Constructing playground facilities at Pathfinder Elementary
• Expanding parking and improving traffic flow and safety at Compass Elementary

For more information, click here, or attend an Informational Meeting:

Monday, March 3, 2025, 6pm, Platte Purchase Middle School

Tuesday, March 11, 2025, 6pm, Platte County High School

Message from Platte County Prevention Coalition: 5 Urgent Reasons to Keep Kids Marijuana-Free

Whether you know it as marijuana, THC, cannabis, or weed, one fact is clear: No amount of marijuana use is safe for youth. Because young people’s brains are still developing into their mid-20s, they are much more vulnerable to the harmful effects of marijuana. Not only is today’s marijuana stronger than ever before, but it's more addictive than ever before. Marijuana use harms teen mental health and school performance, and makes driving even more dangerous for our kids. Here are 5 urgent reasons to keep our kids marjuana-free:

1. Marijuana today is stronger than ever before. The average potency of THC is marijuana flower in 1995 was just 3.96% compared to 15.34% in 2021. That’s an almost 400% increase in just the last 25 years!

2. Marijuana, like other drugs, can be addictive. About 1 in 10 people who use marijuana will become addicted, but if they start before age 18, the risk of addiction rises to 1 in 6.

3. Marijuana use harms teen mental health. Depression and anxiety are more common in teen marijuana users than in their non-using peers.

4. Marijuana use negatively impacts school performance. Students who use marijuana tend to get lower grades and are more likely to drop out of high school compared to their peers who don’t use. The effects of marijuana use can include things like difficulty thinking, worsened problem-solving, memory and learning issues, and difficulty maintaining attention. All important skills for succeeding in school.

5. Marijuana use makes driving dangerous. Marijuana negatively affects the skills needed for safe driving - especially for inexperienced teen drivers - like alertness, concentration, judgment, coordination, and reaction time. Marijuana use is thought to roughly double a driver’s chances of being in a crash.

We can prevent youth marijuana use by caring about their developing brains, connecting, communicating, and paying careful attention to our kids and teens. To protect young minds, visit ParentUpKC.com/drug-topics/Marijuana for free tips and resources to help prevent youth marijuana use.

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.

Pirate Fans, starting in December we will no longer be streaming our athletic events to YouTube. All regular season athletic events will now be streamed on our Hudl Fan page:

https://fan.hudl.com/usa/mo/platte-city/organization/117/platte-county-r-3-high-school

You will still be able to purchase all postseason events on MSHSAA.tv.

GO PIRATES!

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.

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.

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.

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).

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