A couple of reminders for the coming days…

Students who are taking Highland online or Vo-Tech (Vo-Tech students only if they’ll need them for their Vo-Tech classes) classes can pick up their Chromebook on Thursday, August 13 in the high school office. I’ll be here from 8am-11:30am and 1:00pm-3:00pm.

The Mandatory Parents’ Sports Meeting is Monday, August 17^th in the C.W. Oliver Gymnasium at 5:30pm. Amberwell will be in the high school cafeteria from 4:30pm-5:30pm for anyone who missed Sway concussion testing today. Amberwell and Booster Club will speak at this meeting. Afterwards, we will conduct individual sports meetings with coaches and parents.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you.

Please complete before August 19 , 2026! Enrollment will close on this day! 

ALL ENROLLMENT FORMS ARE COMPILED INTO INFINITE CAMPUS!

PRE-K-12: Student/Family

1. Infinite Campus OLR

   1. For Returning Students/Families ONLY ( ... > More > Online Registration, 1 per household) Please note that your student may already be in our system due to an existing household member, Parents as Teachers, etc. So please check using this form before requesting a new student link.

   2. If you are brand new to the district please complete a new family registration: HERE

2. Free and Reduced Meal Application (1 per household) OPTIONAL (If you have questions regarding the free/reduced application please contact Harley Franken @ hfranken@troyusd.org or call the District Office at 785-985-3950.)

Fees/Payment:

• Payment will be available online in your Parent Portal with eCheck or debit/credit (or with a physical check). 

• Newly enrolling students will have fees applied to their account after their enrollment has been processed. You will be notified when this has been done.

• Meal Purchases: Free and reduced meals will only be available for those who complete the online Free and Reduced Meal application and qualify.

• Viewing Fees Owed: Fees or future fees, once applied to account, are visible in Parent Portal.

Important information about school meals for 2026-27

1. Apply for free/reduced meals! As part of the enrollment process, you will be able to apply for free/reduced school meals online. It is simple and you will be notified of your eligibility once the application is processed by the Food Service Director. Paper applications will also be available. If you receive  Food Assistance (FA), Temporary Assistance to Families (TAF), or have Foster Children, your family automatically qualifies for free meals.

2. Meal Account Policy No more than $25 per student of lunch and/or breakfast charges will be allowed. After $25 of unpaid charges, the student must bring a sack lunch, or we will provide that student with a sandwich and milk for a maximum of ten (10) days. You will receive notices of low and negative meal balances via email or text. (Be SURE your cell phone and email address is correct in Infinite Campus OLR.) Once the negative $25 limit is reached, you will receive ONE (1) phone call to notify you that your student will be served a sandwich at the next meal service. 

3. Payments can be made online through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, or via check or cash at either the high school or elementary school office. Make checks payable to: USD 429.

4. For students in grade 6-12 ala carte is available, but will be an additional item fee. 

You are receiving this e-mail because you are a contact in our grade book for a middle school and/or high school student at Troy High/Middle School for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year. Your e-mail will be on the WeekAhead e-mail list as we begin school. The WeekAhead is a document started by my predecessor, Mr. Mike Estes, that highlights the next week of school as it pertains to school activities and sporting events and leave times. If you know of someone who may want this information, please send me their e-mail. If you want to be taken off the WeekAhead e-mail list, please let me know.

I hope everyone has had a terrific summer so far. The school has been busy: custodians working hard to make sure the school is prepped for staff/student returns; coaches laying the groundwork for our student-athletes and the 2026-2027 sports seasons; new staff members moving in and organizing their classrooms (you’ll have a chance to meet them at Open House); our counselor, Mrs. Emma Blevins, readying schedules; and our grounds crew, including Mr. Andrew Dominguez and Mr. Tom Etherton, keeping our landscaping fresh and our vehicles running. I am sure I am forgetting someone or something, but I appreciate everyone’s work; the school clock does not stop ticking once students leave.

I have been working on numerous policy changes. The front burner issue is cell phones and the Kansas legislature’s policy on such. Students, according to the legislature, are not to have cell phones during the school day, bell-to-bell (8:00am-3:25pm). I will have more information out soon on how that looks at Troy High/Middle School. As you know, I have been anti-phones-in-school since I started this position, and the Kansas legislature’s policy reaffirms my belief that cell phones create more negative distractions than positive moments in schools.

Also, keep in mind that any policy addressing cell phone usage will also apply to Smart Watches, personal laptops, or any other personal electronic device. This is per the Kansas legislature.

Please work with me as we institute measures for the betterment of our students, our staff, and our school. More information to come.

I would also like to highlight some important August dates for all stakeholders to know:

Monday, August 10:

Sway Impact Testing (concussion baseline) for all Troy High/Middle School students interested in sports for the 2026-2027 school year. 8am-noon at the high school.

Monday, August 17:
               Fall sports practices begin

Mandatory Parent Sports Meeting. 5:30pm. C.W. Oliver Gymnasium – new gym. For all parents who have a son or daughter participating in sports for the 2026-2027 school year.

Friday, August 21:
               The first WeekAhead e-mail will be sent out.

Saturday, August 22:
               Volleyball scrimmage and pancake breakfast. Come support the high school volleyball girls.

Monday, August 24:
               2026 Fall Sports Pictures – 2:00pm – C.W. Oliver Gymnasium – new gym.
               Open House 5:30-6:30pm. Come say hi to familiar staff and meet new ones.
               Late Night Celebration 8:15 pm. C.W. Oliver Gymnasium – new gym.

Wednesday, August 26:
               First day of school. New policies will be enforced immediately. Please consider e-mails and social media posts to serve as student warnings.

DCEC is looking for a ParaProfessional!

Dear USD 429 Parents and Patrons:

I truly hope you are enjoying your summer with your children.  Speaking from experience, summer never slowed down for Renee' and I and our family.  Enjoy these times with your kids, they go so fast.  I have enjoyed visiting with some of you at the ballpark and enjoyed watching your children and our teams compete in baseball and softball.  I know some of that is winding down, but we still have a few weeks before we start thinking about getting back to school.  We have been busy in the district office finishing up this school year and preparing for a new one.

Your board of education is committed to following our strategic plan.  Specifically, Focus Area 4, Facilities. Grounds, and Transportation has been a topic we have discussed during our meetings.  The board of education has committed to keeping our facilities as modern as they can be for their age.  We have replaced carpet and flooring in 5 classrooms this year, two at the grade school and three at the high school.  This will help create a better learning environment for our students.  The board also committed a large amount of capital outlay for repairs at the high school.  The mortar and stone work around the top will be cleaned, power washed and repaired. Tuck pointing will be done where needed and all doors and windows will be re-caulked and sealed.   New entry doors are also being replaced at the entrance to C.W. Oliver Gymnasium.  This will be a noticeable and much improved look for your building.  We are also planning on adding more handrails to the football stadium bleachers for easier access to the bleachers. 

Brian Clary, Amy Smith, and Deb Hunsaker have been busy cleaning classrooms, carpets, bathrooms and all the areas of the buildings.  Please tell them thanks if you seem them.  Tom Etherton is working with us to maintain our buses and vehicle fleet.  A big shout out to Andrew Dominguez who has had a fulltime job this spring and summer keeping the grounds mowed and weedeated.  It has been lot! Thank you to all our support staff.

We are excited to welcome some new staff too our district as well.  These new names and faces have been shared with you on the website and other social media sites.  We will continue to share them with you and as you welcome them to our district. 

I will touch base with you again as we get closer to the start of the school year.  It will be here before we know.  Continue to your enjoy our summer time with your kids. 

Patrick E. McKernan

Superintendent of Schools

Troy USD 429

26-27 Supply List

SWAY concussion testing through Amberwell will be required for all athletes in upcoming Grades 7-12.  SWAY is an app used on your cellphone device or Ipad.  SWAY concussion testing will be August 10th from 8 am - Noon.  An athlete can come anytime between 8 am - Noon on August 10th in the Troy High School Cafeteria!  Below are permission forms that are required to be signed before the athlete will be allowed to take the SWAY concussion testing.  The permission forms may be brought with the athlete signed the day of testing on August 10th.  Forms are below that can be printed or will be available in the THS Weight RoomTroy Central Office from 8 - noon /1-3 PM -Mon-Thurs. and also will be available in the weight room.  

Amberwell Athletic Trainer Consent to Treat Form (Required for all athletes)

Sway Concussion Testing Consent Form (Required for all athletes)

The SWAY testing app is used on your cell phone device.  If you do not have a cell phone, the school district will have an Ipad(device) available to take the test on.   

A mandatory parent meeting will also be held on Monday, August 17th at 5:30 PM in the C.W. Oliver Gymnasium.  Amberwell Training staff will be on site at the meeting for more information about their training services throughout the year that are offered.  

Amberwell Health has transitioned our neurocognitive baseline concussion testing to Sway Medical. This program assists our team physicians and athletic trainers in evaluating and treating head injuries, such as concussions. Sway is widely used in professional, collegiate, and high school sports programs across the country to help accurately diagnose and manage concussions.

Sway is a mobile app used to establish a baseline for athletes prior to their sports season. This baseline helps determine the severity of a concussion if one occurs and is also used throughout recovery to ensure the injury has fully healed.

Amberwell Health athletic trainers will administer the baseline test at your student’s school prior to the fall sports season. The test is completed on your student’s phone (or a provided device if needed). It is non-invasive, designed in a simple “video game” format, and takes approximately 20–25 minutes to complete. The Sway test evaluates areas such as symptoms, balance, memory, reaction time, speed, and concentration—essentially serving as a preseason “physical” for the brain.

If a concussion is suspected, the athlete will typically retake the test within 72 hours of the injury. A modified version of the test may also be administered on-site if warranted by the athletic trainer. Both baseline and post-injury results are reviewed by the concussion coordinator and a physician to guide diagnosis and recovery. This data helps determine when it is safe for the athlete to return to play. Before returning, the athlete must be medically cleared by a physician, return to their baseline Sway scores, and complete the established Return-to-Play protocol.

The Sway app is free and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. No personal data is stored on the device, and the app may be deleted after the baseline test is completed if desired. Baseline testing will be conducted in a group setting, with each student using their own device when possible.

Please have your student download the Sway app prior to their scheduled baseline testing. An informational sheet and QR code for downloading the app are included.

If you have any questions about baseline testing or the Sway app, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Jeff Hale, MS, LAT, ATC

Head Athletic Trainer

Amberwell Health

jhale@amberwellhealth.org

*USD 429 Troy used Mosiac for Sway Testing 2 years ago.  

Sports Pictures -August 24, 2026
C.W. Oliver Gymnasium – Troy High School

Schedule:
2:00pm Senior Banners
2:15pm Senior football, senior band, senior volleyball, senior cross country, senior cheer, senior wrestling, and then all seniors (banners)
2:30pm High school football
2:45pm High school volleyball
3:00pm High school cheerleading
3:15pm High school/middle school cross country
3:30pm Middle school football
3:45pm Middle school volleyball

2026-2027 No School Dates