August 27, 2021
Step Off Night, Tonight! This morning, PCHS's Band united with 8th graders at both Platte City Middle School and Barry School to preview their Step Off Night performance. They'll be performing together at tonight's home Pirate football game. This is the 10th year of this tradition designed to show our middle school band members what it's like to be in the high school band!
DISTRICT CELEBRATIONS AND NOTICES
PCHS Vocalists Top All-District Choir
PCHS vocalists auditioned for the Northwest Missouri All-District Choir on September 18 and 27 made the ensemble (the most from any district!). The public is invited to see them perform at 5pm on Saturday, October 30 at PCHS. Click here to read the list of All-District Choir members.
PCHS Earns Conference All Sports Award
PCHS Athletics was honored to accept the Suburban Blue Conference All Sports Award for the 2020-21 school year! Last year our Pirates won 10 conference championships and are looking for more this year.
"Got Character" Program Recognizes 73 Seniors!
Before the first home football game on September 3, 73 PCHS Seniors were recognized for pledging to promote positive character and mentor younger students by helping them realize they can be successful by making healthy choices and being drug-free. Click here to read more.
PCMS 6th Graders Build Teamwork on Field Trips
PCMS 6th graders took group field trips this week to the Earnest & Edna Shepherd Youth Center in Liberty, to build leadership skills, learn to work as a team, as well as practice giving positive, constructive feedback to leaders and group members. Click here for additional photos.
Homecoming is Outta This World: October 4-8, 2021
Platte County's Homecoming District-wide festivities run Oct. 4-8, 2021. This year's theme is "Outta This World" – an outer space theme. Click here for the week's spirit days and festivities.
PCHS will host the Victory Rally on Wednesday, October 6, starting at 6 p.m. at Pirate Stadium. The Victory Rally will be a community pep rally with our coaches introducing the fall teams, the crowning of the underclassmen candidates and the Homecoming King, and performances by the Traditions Band, dance team, and PCHS, youth, and alumni cheerleaders. PCHS cheerleading alumni are asked to arrive at 5:30 p.m. for a short practice. Second (or third) generation Pirates (those students with parents who graduated from PCHS) are invited to gather at 5:45 p.m. in the southside stands for a group photo. The event is open to the community.

The Homecoming Parade will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 8, and will run on Fourth Street from Thomas Drive to the former Rising Star Elementary. Students will be dismissed three hours early that day. Parents and the community are encouraged to arrive by 2:25 p.m. as Fourth Street between Zed Martin and Thomas Drive will be closed to traffic beginning at 2:30 p.m. Thomas Drive between Siegrist Elementary and Fourth Street will also be closed. If you'd like to participate in the parade, please contact Kyle Perkins or Robin Herron for an entry form by October 6. AGAIN THIS YEAR: There will be a shuttle bus to take parade participants and their sponsors back to the main PCR-3 campus. The shuttle bus will be parked along Zed Martin Drive. Floats will disband in the Rising Star parking lot and will take the path from the former Rising Star playground to Zed Martin Drive. We encourage parents to pick up their participants at the PCR-3 main campus.

Immediately following the parade, on the Platte County Courthouse steps, the Traditions Band will perform several pieces including the Platte County "Fight Song" to get in the Homecoming spirit. Wells Bank will also be hosting its annual Community Tailgate Party, featuring a PCR-3 Voice Competition following the parade in the High Pointe Shops Shopping Center parking lot. Come cheer on your favorite vocalists as they sing their way to stardom, and enjoy free food and drinks!

Homecoming Football Game: The Pirates will take on the Winnetonka Griffins at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 8 at Pirate Stadium. The Homecoming Queen will be crowned at halftime, and the Pride Band will perform after the game.
PCR-3 Community Advisory: Apply by October 29
Platte County School District recognizes the importance of community input to help set the future direction of our schools.

We are launching the PCR-3 Community Advisory to gather volunteers who will have an ongoing role to review the District’s progress toward its Comprehensive Strategic Improvement Plan (CSIP) goals, as well as to provide input regarding the District's general operation and specific issues impacting education activities and programs.

This group will review, discuss, monitor, and advise on a variety of topics including the academic calendar, long-range facility plan, fraud and audit, safety and security, attendance area boundaries, facility naming, technology, equity and inclusion, character education, health and wellness, and additional topics requested by the Board of Education. The group will meet quarterly, or more regularly as needed to complete specific tasks.

Any District resident, employee, or student may participate in the ongoing work of this group. PCR-3 hopes to have a full membership of 75 or more members. A PCR-3 Community Advisory Steering Committee will be composed of 8-10 District residents who represent a broad cross-section of PCR-3 parents and citizens with at least two representatives from each of PCR-3’s attendance areas. Steering Committee members will additionally meet in advance of full membership meetings.

If interested in serving on this advisory as a General Member or Steering Committee Member, please complete the application linked below by October 29.
Parent IgNIGHT: Signs of Suicide Engaging Parents in Prevention
If you were unable to attend this session, click here to view a video of the presentation, and here to visit the website with Signs of Suicide program parent resources. Parents learned the components of PCR-3's Signs of Suicide program, developed skills to continue conversations with students at home, and engaged as partners in suicide prevention.
Equity and Inclusion Parent Advisory Meeting Summary
PCR-3 held its first meeting of the school year for the Equity and Inclusion Parent Advisory on September 15. The Equity and Inclusion Parent Advisory is composed of parents and community members, including members of the Board of Education who have volunteered. The purpose is:
  • To serve as a two-way communication vehicle
  • To provide District updates to members on Equity & Inclusion Strategic Plan progress
  • To gather feedback on actions and results to support the continuous improvement of the plan and ultimately support the Equity and Inclusion mission

After creating common knowledge by walking through the plan and reviewing definitions used to guide our work, this advisory will be focusing on several key strategies, including: outlining the student impact of this plan across age- and grade-spans, building up communication and feedback systems, reviewing staff professional development to facilitate difficult conversations, and continuing to build celebration events related to our differences. You can view the District's plan by clicking here.
Join our Team: PCR-3 is Hiring!
Platte County R-3 is looking for motivated people who are interested in working with our students in several areas including substitute teachers, lunch monitors, custodians, paraprofessionals, sub nurses, and bus drivers. If you are interested in joining our team, click here to get started.
BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
Pirate Pride: PCR-3 Welcomes Foreign Exchange Students
For the Pirate Pride portion of the September meeting, the Board of Education welcomed three of our four foreign exchange students at Platte County High School for this year and recognized our host families: Nina Benzer, from Germany, residing with Kevin and Gena Carpenter; Nichole Phan, from Vietnam, residing with Travis and Stephanie Bailey; Julia Rabenda, from Poland, residing with Phil and Stephanie Robertson; and Giorgia Gamba, from Italy, residing with Cindy Hurst. Flags from their home countries are on display at PCHS thanks to a generous donation.
SCHIVIR Me Timbers Staff Recognition
Each month, PCR-3 recognizes staff members who are living our vision, mission, and values, by presenting the "SCHIVIR Me Timbers" award. SCHIVIR is an acronym for our values:
  • Student Focus
  • Collaboration
  • High Expectations
  • Integrity
  • Visionary Leadership
  • Innovation
  • Results Orientation

At the September board meeting, Crystal Busch, Math Teacher at PCHS, was recognized for her innovation, for her work in creating high-quality online and credit recovery math courses with supplemental resources for students.
2021 Bond Program Update
Each month, project managers for our 2021 Bond Program projects, will provide an update on construction projects taking place throughout the District. At the September meeting, Matt St. Louis with Newkirk Novak Construction Partners, reviewed construction progress on the PCHS Rebuild Phase One project.
The crews at the PCHS Rebuild Phase One project are making great progress. The new classroom wing structural steel is going up, and the concrete FEMA shelter walls are underway. The precast wall panels for the new gymnasium complex will be erected in the next month, and trades are working to prepare the baseball field. The project has great momentum and is on track to finish as planned in December of 2022. Click on the video here to see a time lapse of the project.
The design of the New Middle School #2 project is now complete and the first construction package for sitework was approved at the September meeting. Please join us for the project groundbreaking on Wednesday, November 10 at 4pm at the jobsite. See attached invitation for details.
Tax Rate Remains Unchanged
After holding a public hearing at the September meeting, the Board of Education voted to set the 2021 property tax rate at $5.0193, remaining unchanged from 2020.The Board voted to levy to the operating ceiling for both the general operating levy as well as the capital projects levy and adjust the debt service levy as necessary to maintain the same levy as tax year 2020. Final rates will be set once all information is available from the county clerks. PCR-3's total levy remains one of the lowest in the metropolitan area. Tax rates are set in accordance with state law using state auditor calculations to provide budgeted revenue.
Quality Continuous Improvement Key Process/CSIP Update
Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services and Continuous Improvement Dr. Mike Brown, gave an overview to the Board on the District's Quality Continuous Improvement (QCI) key process which guides the improvement of all other processes of the District. He explained how QCI provides the District with a means to organize, understand, align, measure and prioritize needs while continuously improving teaching and learning. QCI is our District's approach to getting better while helping us stay true to our vision, mission, values, and principles of learning. For each category in the QCI framework (Leadership, Customer Focus, Strategic Planning, Workforce Focus, Process Focus, Measurement/Analysis/Knowledge, and Results) and for each of our District's key processes and classroom improvement processes, we ask similar questions to drive improvement. This process is also used to develop our Comprehensive Strategic Improvement Plans (CSIP) annually. Click here to review the presentation.

Dr. Brown also provided the Board of Education a high level review of the District's 2020-21 State Assessment, ACT, and AP Results.
COMMUNITY EVENTS/INFORMATION
Art in the Park - Sept. 24 & 25
Platte City Friends of the Arts is hosting a Plein Air Paint Out on Sept. 24 from 10am-7pm, and Sept. 25 from 10am-1pm, as well as their 6th annual Art in the Park on Sept. 25 from 11am-2pm at Platte Ridge Park. See website for details.
Girl Scouts Info Session - Sept. 27
Platte County Troops are forming now! Join the online information session on September 27 at 5:30 or 7pm at gsksmo.org/fun. See flier for details.
Order Blackout Game Shirts - Sept. 28
PCHS Pirates Blackout Game is October 22! Blackout shirts are available until September 28, online or return the order form/payment to your child's school. See flier for details.
PCHS Cheer Bowling Tourney - Sept. 29
Get your team together for a bowling tournament to support PCHS Cheer, Wednesday, September 29, 6pm at Main Event. Click here to register a team, and see flier for details.
PCHS Cheer Super Saturday - Oct. 2
The Platte County Spirit Squad is sponsoring their 35th annual “Super Saturday" cheer, dance, and stunt clinic on Saturday, October 2. See flier for details.
PCHS Robotics Chipotle Night -Oct. 5
Join us for Chipotle fundraiser for PCHS Robotics Team, Tuesday, October 5, from 5-9pm at the Boardwalk location. Show the flier (either digital or paper) prior to paying or order online using the Promo Code 9CX46VK on the Chipotle app or website.
PCHD Drive-Thru Flu Shot Clinic - Oct. 11
Platte County Health Department is hosting a FREE Drive-Thru Flu Shot clinic at PCMS on October 11. See flier for details.
Charity Volleyball Game - Oct. 12
Join PCHS Volleyball for a charity game on October 12 to support Damon's Rally Cap, an organization providing assistance to those affected by cancer. Make a donation and cheer on the Pirates, starting at 4:30pm. See flier for details.
PCHS Choirs Mattress Fundraiser - Oct. 17
PCHS Choirs is hosting a Mattress Sale Fundraiser on Sunday, October 17 from 10am to 5pm. There will be 25 floor models on display for customers to try from name brands and prices will be 30-50% less than retail stores. See flier for details.
Platte County Wrestling Club Open Gyms & Registration
Platte County Wrestling Club (for boys and girls ages 5-14) registration is now open. Want to give wrestling a try before registering? Attend an open gym night, Sundays starting September 12. See flier for details.
UPCOMING DISTRICT DATES
October 4-8: Homecoming Spirit Week
October 8: Homecoming, 3-hour early dismissal
October 11: No School, District Inservice
October 20: PLC Day, 2-hour early dismissal
October 21: Board of Education Meeting, 6:30pm, (reconvene from closed session which begins at 5:30pm)
October 22: End of 1st Quarter
October 29: Report Cards Go Home
November 3 & 4: Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 5: No School
November 10: PLC Day, 2-hour early dismissal
November 18: Board of Education Meeting, 6:30pm, (reconvene from closed session which begins at 5:30pm)
November 24-26: No School, Thanksgiving Break
Thank you to our Pirates ROCK Stars!
Thank you to all our Pirates ROCK Star business partners who support character education in our schools! And thank you to our District-wide Pirates ROCK Star partner, Tradition Home Group.

Vision: Building Learners of Tomorrow...

Mission: To prepare individual learners for success in life, 
the Platte County School District provides meaningful experiences in a safe and caring environment.

Values: Student Focus, Collaboration, High Expectations, Integrity, Visionary Leadership, Innovation, Results Orientation