Platte County's Homecoming festivities run October 3-8, 2022. This year's theme is "A Storybook Homecoming." Click here for the week's spirit days and festivities.

PCHS will host the Victory Supper on Wednesday, October 5, starting at 6 p.m. at Pirate Stadium. The Victory Supper 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, PCHS dance team, PCHS cheerleaders, 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 and food will be available.

The Homecoming Parade will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 7, and will run on Fourth Street from Thomas Drive to Rising Star Park. 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 for an entry form by October 5. If you have a convertible or Jeep and would be willing to drive Homecoming candidates, please contact Robin Herron.

Immediately following the parade, Wells Bank will also be hosting its annual Community Tailgate Party, in the High Pointe Shops Shopping Center parking lot. The community is invited to come see PCHS's Traditions Band, cheerleaders and dance team perform, and enjoy free food and drinks! PLEASE NOTE: The PCHS Band will not be playing on the Courthouse steps.

Homecoming Football Game: The Pirates will take on the Belton Pirates at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 7 at Pirate Stadium. The Homecoming Queen will be crowned at halftime, and the Pride Band will perform after the game.

For PCHS Students Only: PCHS students are encouraged to participate in Homecoming hallway decorations on Sunday, October 2 from 1-6pm and decorate designated class hallways. The PCHS Homecoming Dance is Saturday, October 8 in PCHS's North Gym from 8-11pm. $10 per person.

Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, November 2 and Thursday, November 3. We are offering both in-person and virtual options for conferences. This is a very important time for parents to discuss their student's progress with his/her teachers, as research has shown that parental involvement is one of the most important factors in a student's success in school. Please see the schedule below (buildings and teachers will be communicating specifics for reserving time slots).

The adolescent years are marked by a roller-coaster ride of emotions-difficult for students and their parents. It is easy to misread depression as normal adolescent turmoil; however, depression (among the most common of mental illnesses) appears to be occurring at a much earlier age. Depression-which is treatable-is a leading risk factor for suicide. To proactively address these issues, Platte County School District offers depression awareness and suicide prevention training as a part of the SOS Signs of Suicide Prevention Program. Parents will learn the components of this program, and will be provided skills to continue conversations with our students to proactively address these issues, and engage as partners in suicide prevention.

Join us for a Parent IgNIGHT session on Thursday, October 13, at 6:30pm in the PCMS Forum Room. If you are unable to attend, visit the website with Signs of Suicide program parent resources. Parents will learn the components of this program, and will be provided skills to continue conversations with our students to proactively address these issues, and engage as partners in suicide prevention.

The school year has started, but we still have some openings across our District, including transportation, custodial, paraprofessional, lunch monitor, food service, and substitute positions. If interested in joining our team, click here to apply!

For the Pirate Pride portion of the September meeting, the Board of Education welcomed six foreign exchange students at Platte County High School for this year and recognized our host families: Laura Ramadani, from Italy, residing with Aaron and Ashley Bryant; Joanna Benuzzi, from Italy, residing with Megan Danner; Mara Burgos, from Spain, residing with Rachel Kennedy; Clara Ferrer, from Spain, residing with Melissa and Joe Hagg; Iva Petrova, from Bulgaria, residing with Stephanie and Travis Bailey; and Dakanda Kuernoon, from Thailand, residing with Dave and Kristi Whitmer.

At the September meeting, the Board also recognized Samantha Brant, teacher at Compass Elementary, who applied and was granted the rare and prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. She completed her residency work studying educational organizations in Europe and how they use thematic teaching (integration) to create meaningful learning experiences for students, and we will be leveraging her leadership and knowledge as we continue to investigate the most efficient way to create meaningful learning experiences for our elementary students.

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, and Results Orientation.

At the September board meeting, staff members from Pathfinder Elementary (Taylor Ahmad, Dr. Anna Bohn, Barbie Glidewell, Monique Platz, Ashley Seidl, Mindy Wheeler, and Jenn Wright) were recognized for their innovation, collaboration, and high expectations for their research, development, and implementation of a Foundational Reading Curriculum aligned to Missouri Learning Standards and with the science of reading research.

Each month, project managers for our 2021 Bond Program projects, 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, and Darren Lee with McCown Gordon, reviewed construction progress on Platte Purchase Middle School project.

Over the last month, there has been great progress at the Platte County High School Phase One Project, both inside the building and across the site. In the classroom wing, punch list work has begun. Graphics, bleachers, casework, and other finish items will soon be completed, while mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades work towards final inspections. Site work will wrap up with remaining landscaping and hardscapes in the next 30-45 days. The project is on track to finish at the beginning of December 2022. A ribbon cutting and open house is being planned for December 8.

At the Platte Purchase Middle School Project, construction progress has resequenced to the gym, locker room, and commons area, as the team works through some design details in the classroom area. Masonry block is wrapping up in the gym, and crews will start installing air barrier and brick in this area. The concrete slab on grade has been poured in the commons area, and installation of the roofing will ramp up for the flex performance space in the next month. Right-of-way work off of Platte Purchase Drive and the football and track areas have begun, and the team hopes to have all rock and asphalt placed on drives and parking lots by the end of this month.

After holding a public hearing at the September meeting, the Board of Education voted to set the 2022 property tax rate at $5.0193, remaining unchanged from 2021.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 2021. 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.

The District recently requested qualifications for architectural/engineering design services for the new Northland Workforce Development Center. Six architect/engineer firms responded and were invited to interview with the selection committee which included key members from each of Northland Career Center's sending districts. The Board of Education approved the committee's recommendation to select Clark & Enersen. Clark & Enersen will design the facility and will provide assistance in raising the matching $30 million to build the facility. Full design will not be completed and the District will not incur any design costs until funds are secured for this project.

At the September meeting, the Board of Education approved a real estate services agreement with Aristocrat Realty. The District is currently seeking land for a new Northland Workforce Development Center and an elementary site for future growth, and has potential property for sale in Platte City. The District is currently under an agreement with Newmark Zimmer until February 2023, for the sale of the remainder of the property near Compass Elementary (approximately 35 acres).

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 reviewed the newly adopted Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) 6 Accreditation standards and measures which will be used this year and next year by the State for accountable scoring and accreditation starting in 2024.

October 7: Homecoming, 3-hour early dismissal

October 10: No School, District Inservice

October 19: PLC Day, 2-hour early dismissal

October 20: Board of Education Meeting, 6:30pm, (reconvene from closed session which begins at 5:30pm)

October 21: End of 1st Quarter

October 28: Report Cards Go Home

November 2 & 3: Parent/Teacher Conferences

November 4: No School

November 9: PLC Day, 2-hour early dismissal

November 17: Board of Education Meeting, 6:30pm, (reconvene from closed session which begins at 5:30pm)

November 23-25: No School, Thanksgiving Break

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, 

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