With our inclement weather days on February 9 and February 16, and no school on February 15 to celebrate the Chief Super Bowl parade, our make up day plans are as follows:

Please note: While February 20 was designated on our academic calendar as a potential make up day, February 20, 2023, will be a NO SCHOOL day. This decision was made due the proximity to these no school days.

Ashley Jones will serve as the District’s Executive Director of Human Resources starting with the 2023-24 school year. Mrs. Jones brings nearly 10 years of leadership experience in the area of human resources, currently serving as the Director of Talent Acquisition for Metropolitan Community College, and previously serving as the Director of Human Resources in the Smithville, Joplin, and Carthage R-9 school districts. Ashley also worked eight years at the Public School and Education Employees Retirement System of Missouri. She earned a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources from William Woods University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Central Missouri, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Central Missouri. She is certified as a human resources professional by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM-CP) and HR Certification Institute, Professional in Human Resources (PHR). Ashley and her family reside in Kansas City, Missouri. She shares, “I am honored for the opportunity to partner with all stakeholders to continuously improve and to develop and implement effective and innovative Human Resources strategies to support the District's current and future needs. Go Pirates!”

Mindy Wheeler will serve as the assistant principal of Barry Elementary starting with the 2023-24 school year when the school is converted to the District’s fourth K-5 elementary school. Mrs. Wheeler is in her 12th year in education and 4th in the Platte County School District. Previously she has worked as a middle school teacher, K-8 instructional coach, and is currently serving as Pathfinder’s Instructional Coach. She received a Bachelors of Science in Political Science from Truman State University, Masters in the Art of Teaching from the University of Central Missouri, and her education specialist degree in educational leadership from Arkansas State University. She is currently working on her dissertation with plans to graduate with her doctorate in educational leadership from William Woods University this spring. Mrs. Wheeler’s mission is to support the growth of all learners through visionary leadership, collaboration, and a fearless pursuit of excellence. She describes herself as a life-long learner and hopes to share that passion with students and staff. She is most proud of the curriculum development work she has done with the District, as well as the creation of the instructional coaching program. Mrs. Wheeler lives in Kansas City with her two boys, Tave and Everett, and husband, James. She shares, “I am excited to grow within the Platte County School District, and I look forward to working with students, staff, and families in a new capacity!”

Families are encouraged to view the attendance area boundary map linked here on the District website, or call the District office at 816-858-5420 for confirmation of attendance area. If you know of a family with a child entering kindergarten, please pass this information along, and if your family has an incoming kindergartner, please complete the following form. We will send you additional information about Kindergarten Kickoff and an enrollment packet.

Hard to believe now, but summer will be here before we know it! K-12 Summer School will be scheduled for June 1-29, 2023 at the following locations:

For the Pirate Pride portion of the February meeting, the Board recognized the efforts of several staff members and students in the opening of PCHS's Apartment 20. Room 20 at PCHS is now Apartment 20, as the life skills classroom has been remodeled to simulate a real apartment, complete with a living room, kitchen, dining room, study area, and bedroom! Students chose the furniture, fixtures, housewares, and accessories; and they are using the space to further develop skills for their success. They recently hosted an Open House for family and friends, complete with appetizers and refreshments, all made by students. Click here for additional photos.

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 February board meeting, Zachary White, School Resource Officer at PCHS, was recognized for his student focus. Officer White has been a great addition to the high school safety team and has been intentional about building relationships with students.

Each month, project managers for our 2021 Bond Program projects, provide an update on construction projects taking place throughout the District. At the February meeting, Darren Lee with McCown Gordon, reviewed construction progress on Platte Purchase Middle School project.

At the Platte Purchase Middle School Project, interior construction finishes are continuing in the gym, locker room, commons, kitchen, and administration areas. Drying in of the classroom wings is nearing completion, and crews have been working on overhead and in-wall mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in in these areas along with layout and installation of metal stud walls. Work on site continues as weather permits with final grading and sidewalks. Athletic field areas are ready for the asphalt, track surfacing, and artificial turf as soon as spring weather arrives. Rooftop mechanical units for half of the building are installed along with main electrical switchgear. Permanent power will be turned on following the setting of the building’s transformer by the electricity provider.

At the February meeting, the Board approved the recommended purchase of an 18.23 acre site for the future Northland Workforce Development Center (a $60 million project to create a new, state-of-the-art career center at a centralized location for NCC’s Northland consortium). The site is just north of the District's current 86 acre property near Highway 152 and Platte Purchase Road and met the requirements and key considerations for the future center's goals. The total purchase price is $2,250,000, with a down payment of $250,000. A donation of $125,000 has been made to the project campaign as the local match. The capital campaign team is seeking $30 million in public and private funding to match the $30 million that has been granted from the State of Missouri.

At the February meeting, Dr. Devin Doll presented a key process update on the District's Facilities and Operations. In line with the District's efforts to meet the goals of proactively and responsibly managing District growth, finances, and support services to improve student achievement; as well as providing each student with a relevant education in a safe and caring environment, Dr. Doll highlighted strategies and results, as well as the following improvement priorities:

PCR-3's Excellence in Education nominees were selected out of 100+ nominations. In addition to being recognized at the April 25, 2023 Northland Regional Chamber Excellence in Education Banquet, the nominees will be reviewed by a panel of three outside judges in order to name the Platte County R-3 Teacher and Service Person of the Year. Click here for a list of nominees.

At the February Board of Education meeting, middle school principals from Barry School and Platte City Middle School shared a presentation outlining schedule improvements to begin next school year. Middle school principals and district leadership researched best practices, visited area middle schools, and worked with teachers and staff to develop an aligned master schedule for the 2023-24 school year and beyond.

Counselors and staff will soon be meeting with current 5th-7th graders across the District to review the schedule changes and explain the exploratory/elective options at each grade level. Course selections for 2023-24 will be due to PCMS and Barry by mid-March.

February 19: No School, Presidents' Day

March 8: PLC Day, 2-hour early dismissal

March 10: End of 3rd Quarter

March 16: Board of Education Meeting, 6:30pm, (reconvene from closed session which begins at 5:30pm)

March 17: Report Cards Go Home

March 20-24: PLC Day, No School, Spring Break

April 7: School in Session - Make Up Day

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