Boarding Residence Center: 5 or 7 Day Boarding Options at TG

Totino-Grace is located in a quiet neighborhood of Minneapolis! Nearby is the city of St. Paul and these two cities are known collectively as the Twin Cities. The campus is conveniently located just 16 KM from downtown Minneapolis and 25 KM from downtown St. Paul. This gives students two cities for the price of one. Bus routes that run to both downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul are within a few blocks of the campus.

Every year the Twin Cities is highly ranked as one of the best place to live in the U.S. Click HERE to read about the ranking. The Twin Cities gets high marks for many reasons:

• Considered the U.S. Midwest cultural capital with 30 theater venues, 10 dance companies, and 60 museums
• Home to the Mall of America, the largest shopping mall in the U.S. with unbeatable savings due to no tax on clothing and shoes
• Home to more Fortune 500 companies per capita than any other state in the U.S.
• Short distance to the Mayo Clinic, considered the best hospital in the world and a destination for health care for many world leaders
• Offers more shoreline than California, Florida and Hawaii combined with almost 15,000 lakes
• Offers a four season climate
• Lots of green space, parks, and clean air
• Minneapolis has the number one ranked park system in the U.S., with St. Paul coming in 3rd. Click HERE to read the article
• Easy access to places like Target, local malls, restaurants, the airport, etc.   

• Boarding schools provide a unique chance to develop skills needed for college
• Students are stimulated intellectually in ways they never were before in their schools surrounded by an extraordinary community of learners
• Participate in one (or more!) of TG's awesome clubs, athletic teams, performing arts groups, etc. 
• Create life-long friendships and experience cultural diversity with students from all over the U.S. and the world
• Smaller class sizes and more support than public schools
• Fewer distractions, allowing students to keep up with the school's academic standards 
• Go on exciting field trips/travel opportunities

All the opportunities of 7-day boarding but students and their families reunite for weekends.

• More family time dedicated to enjoying each other, not for school related stress like homework or getting to and from extracurricular activities
• No wasted time on commuting to and from school; students will have more time to focus on homework and study time, allowing them to excel in their classes and participate in one of TG's many after school activities  
• Study hours during the week are supervised by faculty
• Students will have the opportunity to get a taste of "independence" to prepare them for seven day boarding in college, allowing them to begin to assume more personal responsibility 
• Despite the feeling of independence, students' days are still structured from the moment they wake up until lights out; our Boarding Residence Director lives on site in the secure building connected to the school
• Totino-Grace's boarding residence is a home away from home; students eat meals together, socialize, study, and are supported in whatever they need
• There are many options to get to the Twin Cities: car, train, bus, etc. We recommend looking at https://www.metrotransit.org/ for different routes if you didn't want to drive your child all the way into the city! 

"We want to say thank you again for all of your help with getting [our son] situated, not only at Totino-Grace, but in the Boarding Residence Center. The experience has exceeded all expectations. He has felt part of the Totino-Grace community since the first day... and living in the dorm is a huge part of his success. I can't say enough good things about Totino-Grace and the Mueller's! Our son has made such wonderful friends in the dorm and with staff that we are sure he will be back visiting them often. I also know that he will miss the good meals!" 

Maite and Esteve from Spain wanted to share with you their experience about sending their daughter to Totino-Grace to live in the boarding residence center her freshman year of high school.

Outside of the family, the values that your child receives at school will be what influences them the most as they become an adult; that's why the choice of the school your children go to is so important. If you add to that the fact that at a very young age they leave home and will be under the supervision of other people you don't know, that decision is even greater, almost vital. This is how we felt when choosing TG. We did not know the school or the people in charge of the residence center, but from the first moment, their treatment, professionalism, responsibility, and affection convinced us.

Now, after our 14-year-old daughter has lived an exceptional year in her life at TG, we can guarantee that we could not have made a better choice. Our daughter has felt like being apart of a big family; they have always helped her and she has received love and attention, just like us in our hard work of managing having her away from us.
 
In addition, we highly appreciate the school's Catholic values, which help students to grow in their faith and to be better humans in solidarity, love, and humility.

• Entertainment/recreation area includes ping pong table, pool table, foosball table, big screen tv, piano, video games, etc.
• Enclosed courtyard
• Study spaces
• Comfortable accommodations
• Home-cooked meals provided
• Family-style dining for dinner
• Laundry facilities (free use)
• Secure entry
• Indoor access to high school classes
• Wireless connections for Internet
• Access to fitness center
• Weekend activities and excursions
• College visits - the boarding staff takes residents to tour colleges, such as the University of St. Thomas, University of Minnesota, etc. 

Student rooms have some basic items that every student needs for safety and comfort and the ability to function within a residential community.

• Single occupancy until rooms are filled
  • After, double occupancy (two girls or two boys per room) starting first with freshman, then sophomores, juniors and seniors
  • Boys and girls are always kept separate 
• Furnishings include: standard, twin size lofted bed and mattress, desk, chair, closet, dresser, window blinds/shades, waste basket

A Day in the Life
A typical Totino-Grace student ranges from a local individual living their life in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis or St. Paul, to a student from elsewhere in the U.S., to an international student who is here for a world-class education.

School day:
7:30-8:00 AM Breakfast
7:30-8:15 AM Before school activities (clubs, organizations, study groups, etc.)
8:15 AM Bell for homeroom
2:45 PM Classes are dismissed and after school activities begin. Totino-Grace offers many co-curricular activities to students: athletics, instrumental or vocal groups, clubs, drama, service.
6:00 PM Evening meal in the boarding residence 
6:45 - 10:30 PM Required study hours and free time once homework is done
10:30 PM Lights out, students are required to be in their rooms and settling in for sleep. (11 PM on weekends)

Weekends: 
On the weekend, students are provided with transportation to shop and explore the Twin Cities. Resident managers also organize excursions and activities for residents.

Tuition and Fees

• The Totino-Grace Board of Directors approved a Tuition Freeze for the 2021-2022 school year! To learn more, click HERE. 
• Did you know that the average cost of boarding school for students is over $50,000? Even places close to Totino-Grace are charging twice as much as we are, but we are committed to being affordable to you and your families. Such is the Lasallian way.

August 2020 Move-In and School Start (details for the 2021-2022 school year coming soon)

• Any student living in the boarding residence and has confirmed participation in a fall sport is allowed to move in on August 15, 2020
• Fall sports begin on August 17, 2020
  • Only students who are in a fall sport are allowed to move into the boarding residence at this time
  • The fall sports for 2020 are: Cross Country, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Girls Tennis, Girls Swimming and Diving, and Fall Dance Club
• New international students should arrive in Minneapolis on Monday, August 24, 2020
  • Only NEW students are allowed to move into the boarding residence on this date
• New student orientation day is August 28, 2020
• Any returning students to the boarding residence can move in starting Wednesday, August 26, 2020 and should arrive no later than Saturday, August 29, 2020

Christmas Break 

• Christmas Break is December 21, 2020 through January 1, 2021
• The boarding residence will be closed during this time and students need to arrange other housing (please work this out with Boarding Residence Director, Elizabeth Mueller)
• The boarding residence will be closing at noon on Saturday, December 19, 2020 and will reopen on Saturday, January 2, 2021

Graduation for Seniors and Last Day of School

• Seniors last day of school is May 28, 2021
  • All seniors must be present in class through this date; early departure is not permitted
  • The earliest seniors may leave is May 29, 2021 but they are strongly encouraged to stay through the graduation ceremony on Friday, June 4th and depart June 5 - 12, 2021
• Last day of school for grades 9-11 is June 10, 2020
  • The boarding residence will close for the school year on Saturday, June 12, 2021

To see all dates in a downloaded PDF format, click HERE.

The Boarding Residence Center will be taking a trip to Chicago, IL over spring break. This is an optional, but highly encouraged trip that will be offered to all Residence Center students. The trip will leave on the morning of Saturday, March 13 and will be returning the evening of Tuesday, March 16. In Chicago, the culture, art, local cuisine, and history is incredibly rich and exciting to explore! We cannot wait to give our students an opportunity to see another beautiful city in the U.S., as well as have fun and make lots of memories together.

Trip highlights include: hotel in downtown Chicago, SkyDeck at Willis Tower, Field Museum, architecture boat tour, shopping on the Magnificent Mile, tour of Loyola University of Chicago college campus, etc.

• Click HERE for the 2020-2021 Boarding Residence Center Handbook. The last page is required to be signed and returned before students can move into the dorm. 
• Click HERE for the 2020-2021 Letter to families with Safe Reopening Plans in response to COVID-19

Elizabeth Mueller, Residence Center Director: Elizabeth joined the Totino-Grace community in July of 2019, and is looking forward to serving as Residence Center Director for the second year in the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. Elizabeth is a native of the Chicagoland area and is a proud graduate of Benedictine College where she graduated with Bachelor's Degrees in Spanish and Secondary Education in 2017. After several years of teaching Spanish at the secondary level, Elizabeth joined the Totino-Grace community as the Residence Center Director. Elizabeth served as a resident assistant at an international dormitory throughout her collegiate years, and loves building relationships with students and learning about new cultures. Outside of work, Elizabeth enjoys cooking, staying active, and spending time with her family and friends. Parents can reach out to Elizabeth at elizabeth.mueller@totinograce.org. 

Michael Mueller: Michael has served as residence center assistant since July of 2019, and enjoys helping around the residence center and building relationships with our residents. Michael is a native of the Twin Cities area and currently teaches English at the secondary level. Michael also graduated from Benedictine College in 2017 with degrees in English and Secondary Education. Outside of work, Michael enjoys spending time with his family and friends, fishing, and spending time in the outdoors.

Elizabeth and Michael Mueller had their first child in May 2020, and are excited for their little one to be a part of the Residence Center community. 

• Chef Joe: prepares delicious meals for students!

• Randy Skeate, Residence Assistant: Randy grew up in the Anoka, MN area and after graduating from Anoka High School in 2016, he entered St. John Vianney College Seminary at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN to discern the call to the priesthood. After graduating in May of 2020, with majors in Philosophy and Catholic Studies and minors in Theology and Spanish, Randy decided to take at least a “gap year” before entering the major seminary program to study theology and receive the further necessary formation before ordination. During his time in high school and seminary, Randy has had numerous opportunities to work with young people of various ages in catechesis and youth ministry. He is excited to work as an R.A. for the dormitory community at Totino-Grace and to get involved in the school during his first year out of college! Randy enjoys praying, cooking, reading, meeting new people and learning about other cultures, especially when he is able to practice his Spanish with others.

Katrina, Residence Assistant.

Visit our Boarding Residence Center, wherever you are! Click HERE to watch our amateur virtual tour on YouTube. 

Shanna Peterson
Assistant Director of Enrollment and International Students
shanna.peterson@totinograce.org