Please see the following notes from Mr. Scherrer about the 2019-20 Schedule.

Schedules:

Schedules will be available on Renweb on the morning of Monday the 29th of July.  I will send an email letting everyone know they are accessible. They are under “student information.”    

Schedule changes:  I did the best I could to get everyone into the classes they requested.  This doesn’t always work out. Here are some notes on scheduling this year that can explain some of the class assignments:

Classes not offered this year:  

Speech-Communication does not have an available teacher so it is not offered.

American Literature had such a small number of requests so it will not be taught this year.  Students requesting American Literature will take British Literature this year and American Literature their senior year.

Spanish 4 is combined with Dual Credit Spanish.  

New class offered this year:

Private Music:  Private Music is a rehearsal based class that permits students that are playing instruments that are not a part of the Tolton Band to play their instruments at school.  Students must bring their own instruments and music to school and will be graded on their progression through the music as well as a performance each semester. For instance a student who plays the violin could practice during the school day and receive credit.  It is offered two periods during the day and only three students may take it period.  

Lunch:  

Lunch this school year will be during 5th period.  The latest a B lunch starts on a school day is 12:43 with the exception of the weather/10am late start school day which has lunch at 1:04.  Your lunch time will be announced closer to the start of school.  

Schedule change instructions including parent signature.   

The procedure for schedule changes is different for this year.  All schedule changes require a change of course form signed by a parent.  This includes courses not requested but assigned by me.  Emails from parents are not acceptable. Students and parents must be diligent in getting this done because of the narrow add/drop window of one week after school starts.  The form is attached HERE. I also have copies in my office but will need to be taken home for a parent signature.  

Per my earlier guidance, all Freshman schedule changes must be accompanied by a joke.   A real joke, a funny joke. It must be verbally told upon submitting the form. Start working on these now.  This is no joke.  

I will not do schedule changes by email because there are just too many options.  It goes much better in person. An in person meeting takes just as long as drafting a single email reply.  

I will be available during upperclassman registration day on Tuesday, July 31and Freshman 101 on August 1.  I will be around other days as my schedule permits. I will email times each week I am available until the end of add/drop.

Valid reasons for schedule changes are changes in interest in courses, changes in desired or scheduled electives, etc.  Social engineering for putting friends into classes or lunch assignments is not a valid schedule change.  

Add/Drop Window:  

Add/drop is the time where schedules can be changed.  The add/drop window for the fall semester will end on Monday the 19th of August at the end of school.  That gives students a half-day and four full days of class.  

CACC Schedules:  

CACC schedule pickup at TCHS will be held on August 7th from 1pm-3pm.  I will give a talk about how this will work at 2pm.  

Students taking CACC classes will have “CACC” on their schedule.  They are taught in blocks which cover 2 periods of the Tolton school day.  

• 1st block covers 2nd and 3rd period.
• 2nd block covers 4th and 5th periods.  There is time for lunch for these students
• 3rd block covers 6th and 7th periods.
• 4th Block covers 8th period and ends at 4:05pm.  That is 45 minutes after the Tolton school day ends.

CACC classes have A and B days.  Some students are scheduled for just an A or a B day.  If this is the case you will have a CACC-GSH listed on your schedule for your off days which will tell you where to go during your alternate day.  

Dear Parents and Students,

We want to share with you some changes that have been made to the AP program.

To begin with, starting with the Fall of 2019, all students taking an AP class should plan to take the AP exam in May.   This decision comes from research which shows students get more out of the AP class when they have a goal and purpose while taking the AP class.  The goal is to do well on the AP exam. AP classes are some of the most rigorous offered at Tolton and students can earn college credit and placement for a good performance on the AP exam.   AP classes also can provide deeper content to carry forth into college, regardless of the test score.   

Students who wish to continue in an AP class and not sign up for the exam will have the class relisted on their transcript as an unweighted class without the AP tag.  That means there will not be a GPA weight applied. Doing well on the AP test requires a commitment on a steady basis throughout the school year versus just earning good grades in a class.  

Recent policy changes will require registrations to be done in the fall, with a deadline of  November 1, 2019. Parents should budget for the $94 per exam fee which will be due by the November deadline.  If students qualify under Tolton’s free and reduced lunch program, Mr. Scherrer will work to get fee waivers for those students to reduce the financial burden.  

This schedule shows the dates and times of the AP exams in May.  Please block out those dates.  

https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/exam-dates-and-fees/exam-dates-2020

Also note that there is a change to the spring final exams for seniors.  Senior privilege for the past 3 years has included an out for seniors taking final exams during the spring semester.  Because AP exam scores are not returned until July, well after report cards are completed, seniors will be required to take final exams.  This gives students another opportunity to show their knowledge and possibly raise their class grades.   

We hope these courses will provide rigor and challenge for students who want to adequately prepare for their college experience.  Please contact Mr. Scherer if you have questions about the AP courses.

God bless you,

Mrs. Gwenn Roche, Principal

Mr. Tim Scherrer, Academic Dean

In recent months I’ve been working with the Academic Committee of the school’s Advisory Council to review and revise the school uniform dress code, where needed.  A thorough review, including student input, determined that very few changes were really necessary.

Probably the biggest change concerns shoes.  I realized that students needed to have some flexibility in the style and type of shoe worn in school.  Therefore, approved shoes now include dress, casual, or athletic styles, as long as they have a closed toe and heel/back.  In keeping with the current uniform policy, shoes are to be in good condition and clean.  Boots may be worn inside the pant leg.  Slipper-style shoes, sandals, croc style shoes, and heels higher than 1” are not permitted.

Major concerns were raised regarding pants and skorts.  The committee compared what the handbook required and what students were actually wearing and found several areas where the existing dress code policy was appropriate, but simply not actually being adhered to by the majority of students.

For instance, many of the skorts/skirts currently being worn are easily rolled and worn too short. Skorts/skirts should be no more than 3” above the knee.  (Less accurate, but helpful, is to have a student stand with shoulders relaxed and extend the fingers at the bottom of the skirt.  If their fingers extend past the skort/skirt it is too short.)

Also, trouser style pants are required in the uniform dress code policy.  However, students have been wearing “trendier” pants that are tight to the hip, leg and ankle.  These are not considered trouser style.

Our teachers are charged with verifying that students in their classrooms are dressed according to dress code.  In the past, one of their biggest frustrations has been determining proper skort/skirt length and proper “cut/fit” of pants.  To lessen this burden on our teachers, eliminate the confusion and frequent conversations related to the dress code, and help parents and students to choose items that are uniformly appropriate and in compliance, the committee is providing a list of recommended vendors for academic year 2019-2020: Snow Creek, Land’s End and Tommy Hilfiger.

I have samples of pants, skorts (with and without pockets), and polo shirts from some of our vendors in the school office.  One vendor has even supplied sizing kits which includes information about our school account and how to order from the website. Parents and students are welcome to come and see the sizing kits and samples in the school office.   We will certainly notify families of any coupon/sale opportunities that come to our attention as well.

While compliance can be assured through the use of these preferred vendors, returning students will be allowed to use existing uniform items from other vendors as long as they fully comply with the uniform standards outlined in the handbook and appropriately reflect the style/fit of the items being provided by the preferred vendors.  If you are in doubt about compliance of any existing uniform piece, feel free to stop by the office to have me take a look!

Finally, the academic logo is being added as an option for tops.  All of the designated uniform vendors will have the academic logo available.  Snow Creek and Tommy Hilfiger will also have the script Tolton Catholic available.  Either logo is acceptable.

Please understand, the teachers and I want to spend as much time as we can focusing on academics and building positive relationships with our students, and this past year’s issues related to dress code were an undue distraction to that end.   With your help and acceptance as a parent community, we can all work together to make the uniform dress code policy a non-issue next year and in future years to come.

If you have any questions and concerns, please feel free to contact me.

God bless you,

Mrs. Gwenn Roche

Principal

Read the 2019-20 Dress Code Policy

Bishop McKnight hosted a reception for friends of Tolton Catholic on April 1st. He wanted long-time supporters gathered there to know it’s his long-term hope that local parishes will ultimately support our schools to make Catholic education accessible to all families. Until that vision becomes reality, he stressed that he is personally very committed to the success and sustainability of our Catholic schools, including Tolton, the newest institution in our diocese.

He reminded everyone that, in January, a donor supported Tolton’s long-term viability in a significant way, committing a gift of $1,000,000 specifically to reduce the school’s debt. He confirmed that the school’s debt obligation now stands at $6M and the paying down of that balance remains one of the school’s highest priorities.

He also announced that a second $1,000,000 commitment has been made by an anonymous donor for the purpose of establishing a scholarship and tuition assistance endowment for Tolton Catholic students. This asset will not only increase accessibility for students, but will positively impact the school’s annual budget, allowing leadership to re-allocate budget dollars previously used for tuition assistance toward other high-priority operational and academic program needs.

Bishop McKnight emphasized that there is wonderful momentum behind the school. He invited those gathered to follow the example of the anonymous donors’ generosity and encouraged them to take a long-term view when considering a gift commitment, calling special attention to the priorities of reducing the debt and building upon the existing operations endowment.

COLUMBIA — Fr. Tolton Catholic High School has filled all five of its available coaching positions for the 2019-2020 school year, Interim Athletic Director Gary Link announced this morning. The following coaches have been hired: Michael Egnew, Head Football Coach; Allison McGough, Head Girls Tennis Coach; Elizabeth Best, Head Volleyball Coach; Don Barnes, Assistant Volleyball Coach; Renee Hulshof, Head Dance Coach.  

“I am excited to welcome all five of these coaches to the Tolton Catholic coaching family,” Link said. “Each of these coaches will bring positive energy and a passion for their sport. I very much look forward to working with each of them.” 

Since Link’s hiring on March 5 he has consistently stressed the importance of each coach’s responsibility to make the experience for students and student-athletes the best possible. Link believes the five new coaches will be an excellent fit for Tolton Catholic and his vision for the athletic department. 

“Our common mission for each and every coach must be to do our absolute best for our students and student athletes to help them grow, have fun competing in their sport, develop relationships and friendships with their teammates, and respect the game,” Link said. 

Link says that his coaches will be evaluated on how well they treat their student-athletes, their sport, their opponents, and most importantly, how they prepare students for life after they graduate from Fr. Tolton Catholic High School.

Michael Egnew will take over as head football coach for outgoing coach and Athletic Director Chad Masters. Egnew played tight end for the University of Missouri football team from 2008-2011. He was an All-Big 12 first team selection in both 2010 and 2011, an All-American in 2010, and was selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. After his professional career, Egnew started API Project Fitness with fellow Mizzou football player Jerrell Jackson, a Tolton Catholic assistant coach in 2018. Egnew also served as a volunteer coach at Tolton Catholic in 2015. 

Allison McGough has been involved in tennis for more than 30 years as a player, coach, parent, and administrator. She coached both high school boys and girls tennis in North Carolina and has been president of Booster Clubs and served on many more. She and her husband John are the parents of Tolton Catholic Junior Aaron McGough.

Elizabeth Best, a recent teaching hire and current assistant track and field coach, will be the next Trailblazers Head Volleyball Coach. Best graduated from the University of Missouri in 2018 and currently teaches History and British Literature at Tolton Catholic. 

Best will be joined on her staff by assistant coach Don Barnes who served as a volunteer coach with the team last season. He and his wife Sherri are the parents of Tolton Catholic Junior Olivia Barnes and will have a freshman at Tolton Catholic next year. 

Renee Hulshof will take on the role of Head Dance Coach for the Tolton Blazer Girls. After graduating from MU with a Bachelors of Journalism, Renee has worked in PR and communications for 28 years. She organized and assisted with the founding of Tolton’s Blazers Girls in 2014. Hulshof is in the process of hiring a choreographer while she manages and directs the team. She and her husband Kenny are the parents of Tolton Catholic sophomore Hanna Hulshof.

CONTACT:

Joe Bradley

Communications Coordinator

jbradley@toltoncatholic.org

COLUMBIA — Bishop Shawn McKnight, bishop of the Diocese of Jefferson City, announced today a national search for the next president of Fr. Tolton Catholic High School. The school, which opened its doors in 2011, currently has 262 students in grades nine through 12.

The national search will be coordinated by School Sisters of Notre Dame Sister Julie Brandt of the diocesan Catholic School Office and led by a search committee composed of representatives of the Tolton High School community and the diocese. Search committee members include Father Chris Cordes, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Columbia and chair of Tolton’s board of directors; Msgr. Robert Kurwicki, diocesan vicar general and Tolton board member; Jay Burchfield, chair of the Tolton Advisory Council; Kenya Fuemmeler, principal of Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City; and Jim Schauwecker, a community leader in Columbia. In addition, another search committee member will be chosen by members of the Tolton Advisory Council.

“A Catholic school is a place where young people receive not just academic lessons, but lessons in how to be better disciples, to contribute in a positive way to the Church and society,” Bishop McKnight said. “We need the best caliber of people to be inspirational leaders of our school communities, and we hope our vision for the future of Tolton will encourage great candidates to consider the position.”

The school has benefitted from recent multi-million-dollar gifts to the diocese and is utilizing its advisory council and committees to solidify the school’s future. Deacon Dan Joyce, who has been serving as president this school year, will complete his term June 30, allowing the possibility of a transition period for the new leadership.

“It has been my privilege to have served as president at Tolton in this transitional year,” Deacon Joyce said. “I’m very proud to have been part of establishing a very skilled and active Advisory Council, as well as enhancing Tolton’s collaboration with various stakeholders and increasing operational transparency.”

The Fr. Augustine Tolton Regional Catholic High School, known as Fr. Tolton Catholic High School, develops students in spirit, heart, mind, and body, providing a rigorous academic program and expansive extracurricular offering in a Christ-centered environment. The school is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City, which includes 38 counties in northeastern and central Missouri and is led by Bishop McKnight.

CONTACT: Helen Osman
Communication Office
hosman@diojeffcity.org | 573.635.9127 or 512.785.3006

Within the last few weeks, Tolton Catholic High School hosted two visitors who reviewed our building for safety—an officer with the Columbia Police Department (CPD) and a member of the Columbia Fire Department—and both came away with positive findings for our school.

After a walk-through on February 28, the CPD reviewer said that TCHS was among the best, if not the best, education building he has reviewed in Boone County, from a safety perspective, because of how its design and construction facilitates evacuation and shelter options if there is a security breach and an intruder is in the building.

Administration requested the CPD to do a security review of the building and how well its design and construction would help protect our students, teachers and staff working in conjunction with our established procedures for a security breach by an intruder.  The CPD trains schools and other institutions in a modified version of the ALICE program (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate), and the layout of a building and how its rooms, doors and windows are constructed can greatly aid its effectiveness. On May 8, CPD will present a training for faculty and staff on ALICE and safety procedures for a building intrusion.   That training will help us develop a future program for students.

In another building review on March 18, the Fire Department inspector conducted the annual review of the school for compliance with all fire code requirements.  TCHS not only passed its inspection with flying colors with no fire code violations, but nothing turned up that even merited a mild warning in the official report.  

Kudos to our facilities manager, Dan Shimkus, and to Ron Comley, our maintenance staffer, for doing all they do to keep the building safe!

Diocese of Jefferson City parish and high school families recently received notification from the Catholic School Office about the State of Missouri’s mandatory vaccination policy, which the School Office has included among its policies and procedures for Catholic schools in the Diocese. To ensure that everyone is properly informed about this policy, we are providing the following information.

Preventive vaccination for certain illnesses has been mandatory under Missouri state law for school children in public, private, parochial or parish schools since 1961.  “It is unlawful for any student to attend school unless he has been immunized as required under the rules and regulations of the department of health and senior services, and can provide satisfactory evidence of such immunization.” Exceptions are permitted under the law for medical and religious purposes. (Section 167.181, Missouri Revised Statutes, and 19 Code of State Regulations 20-28.010)

Following state law, the School Office provides in its school policy DSR 5105 that:

Students may not be enrolled in school unless they are in compliance with the immunization requirements or qualify for either:

(1) a medical exemption as confirmed by a statement from a duly licensed physician; or

(2) a religious exemption as confirmed by a statement from the family’s faith leader that is furnished by the parents or legal guardian of the student. Religious exemptions for Catholic families will not be accepted.

The medical exemption requires a signed certification by a licensed physician on a state-specified form (Imm.P.12) that  “either the immunization would seriously endanger the student’s health or life or the student has documentation of disease or laboratory evidence of immunity to the disease.” The form must be placed with the school immunization health record for each student with a medical exemption.

If you have any questions about the state law or diocesan policy, please contact Deacon Joyce.

COLUMBIA, MO. — March 5, 2019.  Gary Link has been hired as interim athletic director at Fr. Tolton Catholic High School, effective immediately.  Link succeeds Chad Masters, who recently resigned to become the varsity head football coach at St. John Vianney Catholic High School in St. Louis.

“We’re very pleased that Gary has agreed to step into this position at a critical time of the year,” said Deacon Dan Joyce, Tolton Catholic’s president.

“We have several important coaching positions we need to fill very soon, including a varsity head football coach spot,” Joyce said. “The fact that Gary knows our school and students, coupled with his experience in athletics as a player, coach and administrator, made him an ideal choice to come in and take care of the things we need to get done right now.”

Link said that his vision for the athletic department “is to prepare our students for life experiences after they graduate” from Tolton Catholic High School.  “I believe my first responsibility should always be for the best interests of our students and our student athletes,” he said. “I will constantly do my best to listen to them with an open mind and to represent them on decisions involving them and the future of our school.”

Joyce said that Tolton will initiate a search for a permanent athletic director this Fall because there was inadequate time this Spring to complete the AD hiring process and timely fill all the coaching vacancies.

In addition to head varsity football coach, Tolton is recruiting three other head coach positions (head volleyball coach, head girls’ tennis coach, head dance coach) and an assistant volleyball coach.

Link has been employed at Tolton this school year as a teacher and basketball coach. This past season he was head coach of the junior varsity boys’ team and served as an assistant coach with the varsity boys’ team.

A member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Link spent 16 years with the University of Missouri’s athletic department as a special assistant to the athletic director (2001-2017) and was associate director of development (major gifts) for the Tiger Scholarship Fund (2001-2017). He was a player on the Missouri Tigers men’s basketball team in the 1970’s, serving as co-captain his senior year.

COLUMBIA, MO – February 22, 2019 – Fr. Tolton Catholic High School Athletics/Activities Director and Varsity Head Football Coach, Chad Masters, has officially tendered his resignation to school officials. Masters has accepted the position as varsity head football coach and leadership and theology teacher at St. John Vianney Catholic High School in Kirkwood, Missouri. Masters’ last day with Tolton Catholic will be June 30, 2019.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce that I will be stepping away from Fr. Tolton Catholic at the end of this school year, but I am also excited to begin a new chapter of my life in St. Louis at St. John Vianney Catholic High School,” Masters said.

“My family and I truly love the Fr.Tolton Catholic community, school, football program and families. It has been a labor of love that we have wholeheartedly poured ourselves into this special place. We are very grateful for all of the families in the football program and school who allowed us to serve, coach and mentor their children. We will miss the many people who make this a great community, and we will continue to keep you all in our thoughts and prayers, as we ask the same from you. This was a very difficult decision for us, but God opens doors and asks us to follow His call wherever it may be, which my family will always do. Thank you, Blazer Nation, for everything!” 

Masters has served as the director of athletics and activities and varsity head football coach since March 2011, the first year of Tolton Catholic’s operations. He was instrumental in growing the school’s athletics and activities program to its current state with 15 varsity and junior varsity sports and several MSHSAA-sanctioned activities. He also implemented the Play Like a Champion Today Educational Series for coaches and parents at Tolton Catholic to promote character education through sports. During his tenure, the Trailblazers won six team state championships and 23 individual state championships.

In previous years with Tolton Catholic, Masters also served as the dean of students, track and field coach, theology teacher, and physical education teacher. Prior to accepting the position with Tolton Catholic, Masters taught physical education at Hickman High School and was an assistant coach for football and track and field.

In addition to his duties at Tolton Catholic, Masters is a member of MSHSAA’s Investigative Committee and Athletic Directors Advisory Committee, as well as President of NE District of Missouri Interscholastic Activities and Athletics Association.

“Coach Masters’ many contributions as a teacher and coach, along with his trailblazing role in building a 15-varsity sports program as athletic director, will be forever remembered here at Fr. Tolton Catholic High School,” said Principal Gwenn Roche.  “While our school will miss him, we are extremely pleased for him and wish him well as he steps into his new position at Vianney Catholic High School.” 

“Coach Masters did a lot for our school and we have some big shoes to fill, and not just because he served as our head football coach as well as the athletics and activities director,” said President Deacon Dan Joyce. “We’ll begin within the next couple of weeks by posting an ad for the AD position, and shortly after that we’ll seek applicants for the football coaching position.”   

CONTACT:

Joe Bradley
Coordinator of Strategic Communications
jbradley@toltoncatholic.org
573-445-7700 Ext. 2106