PCMS Weekly Update

We hope everyone had a great week and is looking forward to the weekend and another big Chiefs win! We are finishing our winter assessments next week (Fastbridge in ELA and Math, and Benchmark in ELA, Math, and Science), which provide us with valuable mid-year information on how our kiddos are doing at the halfway point of the year.

Your Pirate should have sent home a Weekly Reflection today! We do this every Friday in Advisory class. It's a place where they reflect on their week, grades, and attendance, and think about what they are proud of and felt good about, as well as identifying those areas that might need some additional focus - some good stuff that we could all use a little more of!

The weather looks warmer next week ... have a great weekend and GO PIRATES!!

Our Lost & Found doubled in our 2nd week back after break to 21 items . Please have your kids retrieve any items that you recognize.

We had our 1st "Wings Day" in the cafeteria prepared by our amazing, Chef George! Our students loved it!

Coach Johnson teaches his Science class about Thermal Energy with fun experiments involving pancakes!

Here’s a quick recap of our Pirates in action from this past week.

Archery: At the 8th Annual Northland Christian Qualifier, team one got first place with a total of 3177 and team two got fifth place with 2789. Our top three boys were Oliver Gutshall: 270,Maddon Britz: 265, and Carson Fattmann: 264. Our top three girls were Corbin Williams: 275, Victoria Kallo: 271, and Paige McAdams: 270. Our next tournament is the 7th Annual Hunger Games on 1/24.

Girls Basketball: This week the A and B teams travelled to Northgate Middle School on Tuesday. The A team won 23-14. The team played great defense and everybody helped out on the scoring. The B team Lost 19-11, Brea Benninghoff had all 11 points. On Thursday, both teams played Platte Purchase Middle School. The A team won 32-11. Lilliana Ibarra had 14 points and Sam Jones had 11. The B team lost 18-9. Both teams will finish the season with tournaments next week!

Boys Basketball: Tuesday the boys played a really good Northgate team. Both teams fell short, but used it as a good experience. Thursday, the boys played their first ever game against Platte Purchase. Both teams played hard and came out with the win. Next week starts the End of the Year tournament. The A team comes in as the #1 seed and will play at Moreland Ridge. The B team comes in as the #5 seed and will play at Pioneer Ridge.

• Keep cell phones and earbuds completely out of sight during passing times in the hall.
• Phones can only be checked in the classroom before the bell rings—not in restrooms or the cafeteria.
• Violations may result in phones being sent to the office for parent pickup.

An order form is now available to fill out on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. 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 "2024-2025 Yearbook Platte City Middle" 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 order form online, you will be able to pay the $20 for the yearbook via debit/credit card. You may also choose the cash/check option, but then will need to send the money with your student to the front office.

Yearbooks will be on sale now through April 11th. If you have any questions, please contact the office.

8th Grade Parents: If you were unable to attend Wednesday night's High School Expo with the 8th Grade Information Session, please see the slides below for any information you might have missed. If you have any questions, please reach out to Geoff Heckman, Counseling Department Head at Platte County High School.

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!

We are partnering with the Platte County Health Department to host an in-school vaccine clinic on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. This clinic is specifically designed for incoming 8th graders, providing a hassle-free way to ensure your child's vaccines are up-to-date.

The in-school clinic is available to Vaccine for Children (VFC) eligible incoming 8th graders (current 7th grade students) including those who are uninsured, underinsured, covered by Medicaid, or identified as Alaskan Native/American Indian. Additionally, children covered by the following insurance plans are eligible: Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Cigna.

To take advantage of this opportunity, please complete the online registration form below.

Due to the recent Inclement Weather Virtual Learning Days, it was necessary to make some changes in the dates for the 7th grade field trip. Please note that the Skulls team will now be going Monday, February 24th and Crossbones team will now be going on Thursday, February 27th. If any of our scheduled chaperones have conflicts with the new dates, please email johnson.jacob@pcr3schools.org (Skulls) or chiddix.jessica@pcr3schools.org (Crossbones).

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

Eat at Chipotle on Monday, February 3 at 4 - 8 PM and a portion of the proceeds go to PCHS FBLA. Thank you for your support!

You may want to call ahead, order through the app, or online. The lines can be long at Chipotle and this could save you time. Attached are instructions on how to order through the app and/or online and still participate in the fundraiser.

"Make dinner a selfless act by joining us for a fundraiser to support Platte County FBLA. Come in to the Chipotle at 8600 N Boardwalk in Kansas City on Monday, February 3 between 4:00pm and 8:00pm. Bring in this flyer, show it on your smartphone or tell the cashier you’re supporting the cause to make sure a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Platte County FB

Jan 25

• Archery 7th Annual Hunger Games Tournament @ Home

Jan 27

• NJHS Student Meeting in Gym, 7:40 am
• Boys A Team Basketball Tournament @ B. Hill/Moreland Ridge, 4 pm
• Boys B Team Basketball Tournament @ Pioneer Ridge, 5:30 pm
  
• Girls A Team Basketball Tournament @ Bingham, 5:30 pm
  
• Girls B Team Basketball Tournament @ Home, 4 pm
  

Jan 28

• Boys A Team Basketball Tournament @ B. Hill/Moreland Ridge, TBD
• Boys B Team Basketball Tournament @ Pioneer Ridge, 5:30 pm
  
• Girls A Team Basketball Tournament @ Bingham, 4:30 pm
  
• Girls B Team Basketball Tournament @ Home, TBD

Jan 29

• Boys A Team Basketball Tournament @ B. Hill/Moreland Ridge, TBD
• Boys B Team Basketball Tournament @ Pioneer Ridge, TBD
  
• Girls A Team Basketball Tournament @ Bingham, TBD
  
• Girls B Team Basketball Tournament @ Home, TBD

Jan 31 & Feb 1

• Archery 7th Blazer Shootout @ Northland Christian School
  

Feb 5

• Musical Auditions, 3:15 pm
  

Feb 6

• Musical Auditions, 3:15 pm
  

Feb 7

• FCA Meeting, 7:10 am
• NJHS Meeting, 7:20 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.

January's #PiratesROCK trait is INDIVIDUALITY: setting yourself apart from others.

Leader in Me connections to INDIVIDUALITY:

• Habit 1: Be Proactive - You are in charge of you.
• Habit 3: Put First Things First - Do the important things first.
• Habit 4: Think Win-Win - Find ways where everyone can win.
• Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood - Listen first, then talk.
• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw - Take care of yourself.

Character Strong connections to INDIVIDUALITY:

• Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Relationship Skills, Honesty, Respect

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/