From the Principal’s desk...

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September 2014

LEADERSHIP

We just wrapped up our training for Super Test Day and I had a moment to

reflect with a teacher about the journey. We gravitated to how far we have

come as a learning community with our use of data over the past year. The

conversation highlighted the effective use of data critical for continuous

improvement inside and outside the classroom. A fabulous book that challenged my thinking about

using data in a meaningful way titled “Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to

Improve Teaching and Learning.” Here is what the author’s say administrator’s need to do to help

support systemic improvement to teaching and learning:

1. Set Up a Data System

Whether the district creates its own system or purchases a software program, administrators must

consider:

• What data to include

• How to organize it and update it regularly

• Computational power vs. ease of use

• How to balance access and confidentiality

2. Create Incentives

One incentive is to require that school improvement plans be based on student assessment results.

If schools with strong improvement plans and proven results are granted more autonomy, this can

motivate school teams to do the analysis work well.

3. Support New Skills

School staffs will need professional development to support a variety of skills:

• How to interpret and use assessment data

• How to access data and create graphic displays

• How to participate productively in group discussions

• How to develop, implement, and assess action plans

4. Find the Time

Teachers need time to work together in order to learn and implement these new skills.

Options can include:

• Scheduling a weekly early release day

• Paying substitutes to cover classes

• Compensating teachers for extra time

5. Model the Work

Building leaders can also model the “Data Wise” Improvement Process. This may be new

and challenging work for most members of the building admin team, but it sends a strong

message to all school stakeholders.

If you would like to preview this excellent resource, please let me know. While the list

challenges myself as an administrator, it also highlights what we can do as a professional

learning community.

As we continue to grow in our BSIP improvement, BLT, and department teams, solid use of

the right data provides the path. “Data Wise” really framed my thinking about what PCHS is

doing and how we are beginning the journey of using our data wisdom in creating learners for

tomorrow….

ACADEMIC

Innovation and student-motivated learning is a common topic of discussion at PCHS, as I am sure it is at

home! Real-world projects, students collaborating with business mentors and teams of students working

together to solve problems and create programs are a major focal point this year! There is evidence of

this in cross-curricular, scaffold projects such as the one in Government and English 3, Passion Projects &

Genius Hours in English 3 and English 4 and piloted through a new class called Innovations. Students

move from the information-based, teacher-directed and assigned work model of learning, and instead focus on a student-

centered, self-directed, self-selected and collaborative model of learning, which incorporates creating, applying, analyzing

and synthesizing knowledge…a cycle of learning students will experience and engage in throughout their lives.

Perhaps one of the most essential skills that PCHS teachers try to develop in their students is critical thinking. But do we

know what elements make up critical thinking? Do we “teach” critical thinking? How do we know students are continu-

ously improving this skill? One of the most important elements of critical thinking resides with Essential Questioning skills.

“When you have students taking on the onus for their own learning, questioning and thinking and formulating their own

arguments, then they're the ones who come up with new ways to learn the material.” (Edutopia, Sept. 5, 2014) In order

to accomplish this there is no need to alter the curriculum or to control the learning experience of our students. It does,

however, challenge students and parents to adjust how we think about grading.

Research by Carol Dweck and others has shown that there's a difference between learning goals and performance goals.

A learning goal is, "I want to master algebra." A performance goal is, "I want to get an A in algebra." The research shows

that reaching performance goals doesn't necessarily mean that you have hit a learning goal. If people are single-mindedly

focused on performance goals—and they achieve them—it doesn't mean they've learned anything, improved their capabil-

ities, or mastered something complex. (Motivated to Learn: A Conversation with Daniel Pink, Education

Leadership, September, 2014)

Our goal is to provide an environment where we inspire students to become intrinsically motivated to

explore, question, analyze and interpret meaningful learning experiences.

For more information on critical thinking and essential questions go to:

http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/becoming-a-critic-of-your-thinking/478

Page 2

Ms. Waters

PCHS NEWS

Upcoming Events

Sept. 19 - Progress Reports

Sept. 24 _ Super Test Day

Sept. 24 - PLC Day

Sept. 25 - Northland Youth Leadership Summit

Oct. 10 - Early Release Day—Out at 11:40

HOMECOMING

Oct 11 - Homecoming Dance 8pm -11pm

Oct. 13 - No School, Teacher In-service

Oct. 17 - End of First Quarter

Oct. 22 - PLC Day

Oct. 24 - Report Cards Go Home

Oct. 27 & 29 - Parent Teacher Conferences

Oct. 31 - No School

Nov. 5 - PLC Day

Nov. 19 - PLC Day

Nov. 26 - 28 - No School, Thanksgiving Break

S E PT EM BE R 201 4 Page 3

Mr. Messick

PCHS Student/Staff Support Welcome back, Pirates parents!! Can you believe we are about half way through the first quarter

of this school year already? Time is flying by and we are off to an amazing year!

“90 of 90”…what does that mean? We want to take a few minutes to set the ground work for one of the “Big Rocks” we would like to move this year: student attend-

ance. Our goal for the upcoming school year is to meet the state minimum of 90% of our students being in attendance at least

90% of the time. Our internal data shows that we came in just shy of meeting that goal for the 2013-2014 school year: 86.4% of

our students in attendance at least 90% of the time. We were close! We are taking pride in formulating a plan and taking the nec-

essary steps in order to meet the same 90 of 90 goal this year. We will have a Student/Staff Support subcommittee which will fo-

cus specifically on strategies to meeting this goal. I am eager to see this group take charge right out of the gate.

September just so happens to be Attendance Awareness Month, so let’s all ride that inspiration into proactive measures to ignite

student success all year long.

“Excused” or “Verified” One change that has been made this year is the elimination of the term “Excused” absence. We felt that the term “Excused” was misleading and often times gave a student or parent an ill-advised ave-nue to take when approaching an absence. We no longer accept any absence as being “Excused.” We still ask that our parents call in and let us know that their student is not in attendance; however, that phone call only verifies the absence but does not excuse it. A “Verified” absence will be repre-sented in SISK12 Parent Portal as a “V”. Bottom line: an absence is an absence. For whatever reason, that student isn’t in attendance; therefore, he/she is missing out on learning opportunities. Some students might need some help understanding this change. We ask, therefore, that you articulate this change to our students to the best of your ability. We have also shared this information in our Semi-nar meetings throughout the start of school, but your input is invaluable and will certainly help our students understand how this change affects them.

Thanks for everything you do for the sake of our kids.

“Every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story.” – Josh Shipp

Page 4 PCHS NEWS

PTSA PTSA PTSA

Please support your PCHS PTSA! It is not too late to join!

$5.00 membership fee per person. For more information call Carol Parmeley, President, @ 816-891-7366.

Our next meeting is Sept. 25th in the South Commons at 6:30pm. Dr. Sayre will be our guest speaker!

It's your move!

There will be a Chess Club Meeting on

Thursday, Sept. 25th at 2:45pm in room 16

(behind the North Gym).

All skill levels are welcome..

PCHS Library Launching Its Makerspace and Looking for Donations

The PCHS Library is preparing to officially launch its Makerspace. This will be a dedicated space for our students (and staff) to tinker, construct, create, invent, design and/or conceptualize a range of products and projects. These products/projects may be initiated by individual students or small groups of students who sign up to work in the Makerspace or they may be the result of hands-on workshops scheduled throughout the year and led by “guest” makers from our school community or the community at large.

Our school library makerspace aligns well with the district vision, mission and values. As a natural extension of the library’s services, it will provide a learner-focused environment where students and staff will have several options and opportunities to innovate, construct, and collaborate throughout the year. Those who often learn better by doing,--who possess incredible amounts of knowledge and skill in their hands--will be able to contribute and explore that knowledge in meaningful ways.

Makerspaces typically house a variety of materials and resources to help users bring their ideas to life. Many of those materi-als are leftovers, cast-offs or recyclables that are simply taking up space elsewhere. That’s where members of the PCHS com-munity and the Platte City community at large can help. If you have or know of someone else who may have any of the fol-lowing items they would like to donate to the PCHS LMC Makerspace, please contact Mrs. Stokes (858-2822 Ext. 1272) or Mrs. Diaz (858-2822 Ext. 1235) in the PCHS Library to make arrangements for drop off.

Because the dedicated area for this Makerspace has limited storage capacity we cannot currently accept donations of items beyond the scope of this list. If you have materials or resources that you think would be perfect for use in it, please contact Mrs. Stokes to discuss the possibility of a future donation.

Materials/Supplies: Small Tools/Equipment:

Drinking straws

Buttons (any shape, size or color)

Pipe cleaners

Legos (gently used or new)

Fabric scraps

Old game pieces & game boards

(dominoes, dice, game board tokens, etc.)

Old keys

Rolls of foil and/or plastic wrap

Tin metal containers

(like the kind for Altoids or Band-Aids)

Leftover scrapbooking materials

Styrofoam pieces

Twine

Embroidery thread

Marbles

Small ceramic tiles

Rolls of duct tape (original silver or

colored/patterned)

Toothpicks

Q-Tips

Popsicle Sticks

Small cardboard scraps

Sandpaper

Small paintbrushes

Glue guns

Small Portable Sewing Machine

Blender

Small hand tools – pliers, hammer, Phillips

screwdrivers, regular small screwdrivers,

Clay modeling tools

Cookie cutters

Page 5 S E PT EM BE R 20 14

Page 6 PCHS NEWS

UPCOMING COLLEGE VISITS:

Sept 23—MO West 10:30

Sept 29 Lindenwood 1:00

Sept 30 Baker University 9:45

Sept 30 Lindendwood 10:45

Oct. 02 Northwest MO 10:45

Oct. 5 & 6 National College Fair

Oct. 6 Crowder College 1:00

Oct. 9 UMKC 1:10

Oct. 15 Central Methodist University 10:20

Oct. 15 Central College Iowa 12:50

Oct. 17 KU

Hello! I am Rachel Nelson the high school social

worker. My hours are 7:20am-3:00pm. I provide

support to students that may be struggling aca-

demically, socially, and/or emotionally. I enjoy working with families

as well. I am a resource to you as parents. Please call when need-

ing support.

Another service I provide is linking students and families to local

community resources. I would like to take this opportunity to ask

parents to contact me by phone or email if you and your family can

benefit from any of the following resources. All information re-

ceived and any service provided is kept strictly confidential.

Rachel Nelson 816-858-2822 Ext. 1258 gabri-

elr@platteco.k12.mo.us

Free/Reduced Lunch and Breakfast Program

Weekend Food Assistance/Food Pantries

Missouri Medicaid (health insurance)-MO Health Net, Platte/Clay

Health Departments

General Community Resources

School Supplies/Hygiene Products

Health (Dental, Vision, Mental Health referrals)

COUNSELING DEPT. NOTES:

Come out and support our Pirates this week-end as we host the Platte County Volleyball Invitational at PCHS beginning at 8:30 AM and the Platte County Softball Invitational at Platte Ridge Park, beginning at 9:00 AM.

Also, please come out to the Paxton parking lot on Saturday, between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM and take a no pressure, test drive in a new Ford vehicle and support our Pirate Booster Club. For every test drive, Ford will donate $20 to our Pirate Booster Club

ATHLETICS

Congratulations to our Lady PIRATES

Tennis Team for

Back-to-Back-to Back Championships

Page 7 PCHS NEWS

Monday, September 22-

TBA Girls Tennis JV – NKC Tournament @ Macken Park – Bus 7:00 am

7:00 am DECA Meeting – Room #34

2:30-8:00 pm Fall Musical Rehearsal – Wilson Auditorium & Vocal Room

4:00 pm Girls Tennis JV/V vs. Ray-Pec @ Recreation Park – Bus 2:15

4:00 pm Football JV @ Winnetonka – Bus 2:45

4:30 pm Softball V/JV vs. Grandview – Home

5:30 pm C-Team Volleyball vs. Liberty – Home (South Gym)

5:30 pm Volleyball JV/V vs. Liberty – Home

Tuesday, September 23-

7:00 am Science Olympiad Meeting – Room #62

7:00 am FCCLA (Officers Meeting) – Room #9

2:30-8:00 pm Fall Musical Rehearsal – Wilson Auditorium & Vocal Room

2:50-3:20 pm Science Olympiad Meeting – Room #62

3:00-4:30 pm Art Club Meeting – Room #46

4:00 pm Boys Swimming JV/V vs. St. Joseph Central – Home (PC Community Center North)

4:00 pm Girls Tennis V vs. Belton @ The National Golf Club – Bus 2:30

4:00 pm Girls Tennis JV vs. Park Hill @ Barry Park – Bus 2:30

5:00 pm Boys Soccer JV/V vs. Grandview – Home

5:30 pm C- Team Volleyball @ Belton (BMS – Freshman Center) – Bus 3:15

5:30 pm Volleyball JV/V @ Belton – Bus 3:15

Wednesday, September 24-

7:30-12:40 pm SUPER TEST DAY

8:30 am Girls Golf V – Suburban Conference Golf Tourn. @ Paradise Pointe – Bus 7:15 am

12:40 pm PLC – Early Dismissal

2:30-8:00 pm Fall Musical Rehearsal – Wilson Auditorium & Vocal Room

3:00 pm Volleyball Practice – North & South Gym

4:00 pm 9th Football @ Oak Park – Bus 3:00

4:00 pm Softball V/JV @ Lee’s Summit West – Bus 2:15

4:00 pm Girls Tennis JV/V vs. St. Joseph Central @ Noyes Ten-nis Complex – Bus 2:30

5:30 pm Boys Soccer JV/V vs. Park Hill @ Park Hill South – Bus 4:00

Thursday, September 25-

TBA Northland Youth Leadership Summit @ Pleas-ant Valley Baptist Church – Bus 8:00 am

7:00 am FBLA Meeting – Room #18

7:15-7:40 am Jostens – Announcements, Cap/Gown Orders

2:30-8:00 pm Fall Musical Rehearsal – Wilson Auditorium & Vocal Room

2:40-3:30 pm NHS Meeting – Band Room

2:45-3:15 pm FBLA Meeting – Room #18

4:00 pm C-Team Volleyball @ Raytown South – Bus 2:00

4:00 pm Girls Golf JV/V vs. Excelsior Springs @ Excelsior Springs Golf Course – Bus 3:00

4:30 pm Softball V/JV vs. Blue Springs – Home

5:00 pm Boys Soccer JV/V @ Belton (Southwick Stadium) – Bus 2:45

5:30 pm Volleyball JV/V @ Raytown South – Bus 2:00

6:30-7:30 pm PTSA Meeting – South Cafeteria

7:00-7:30 pm FBLA Parent Meeting – Room #18

Friday, September 26-

7:00 am SADD Club Meeting – Room #41

8:30 am Girls Tennis V – Suburban North Tournament @ Oak Park – Bus 7:30 am

2:30-8:00 pm Fall Musical Rehearsal – Wilson Auditorium & Vocal Room

2:40-3:30 pm NHS Meeting – Band Room

3:00 pm Volleyball Practice – North & South Gym

3:30 pm Football Meal – North Cafeteria

5:00-6:30 pm FBLA Office Olympics – North Cafeteria

7:00 pm Football @ Belton (Southwick Stadium) – Bus 3:30 (Cheerleaders – Bus 5:00)

Saturday, September 27-

TBA C-Team @ Kearney Tournament – Bus 6:30 am

7:00-12:00 pm Pride Band Clinic – Pirate Stadium

8:00-5:00 pm Fall Musical Rehearsal – Wilson Auditorium

8:00 am Volleyball JV @ Grandview Tournament (South Gym) – Bus 6:15 am

8:00 am Volleyball V @ Grandview Tournament (North Gym) – Bus 6:15 am

9:00 am Cross Country JV/V @ Rim Rock Farm – Bus 6:00 am

Sunday, September 28-

6:00-8:00 pm Girls Basketball Conditioning – North Gym

PCHS CALENDER OF EVENTS