Bijou Community School

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) said Wednesday that there has been a COVID-19 positive case at Bijou Community School.

LTUSD, with guidance from El Dorado County Public Health Department, has notified individuals at the school site of the need to isolate and monitor their health. It has not been released if the person was a teacher, student or staff member.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) will be able to offer free meals to all students through December due to the U.S. Department of Agriculture extended all Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) waivers. Earlier this week they had issued instructions on how to pay for meals and submit income verification applications for free or reduced price meals, but these are no longer required.

These programs are extended in response to the nationwide COVID-19 pandemic

Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe (SISLT) awarded scholarships to a group of local students from South Tahoe High, George Whittell High, the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy and Lake Tahoe Community College. The club, serving the community since 1959, has given out over one-million dollars to local graduates over the years.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Several people in the Bijou neighborhood saw and heard something on Thursday they normally aren't a witness to. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) SWAT and Crisis Negotiation teams were called out to an apartment on Spruce Avenue to arrest a suspect with a known violent history and a history with weapons, according to police.

They were there to arrest 45-year-old Edgar Bringas Zavala, a suspect in a domestic violence and terrorist threat case from the night before.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In time of need, the South Lake Tahoe community continues to come forward and help those less fortunate. As the effects from the coronavirus pandemic continue to affect families with job and income loss, community members rise to the occasion with several places to volunteers and donate.

One of those opportunities is with Steph Warren and the Altruism Project on Fridays at Bijou Community School.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A team of volunteers will be handing out sugar pine seedlings to students at four South Lake Tahoe school sites on Friday, April 24.

The Sugar Pine Foundation has given a box of seedlings to Bijou Community School, Sierra House Elementary, Tahoe Valley Elementary, and South Tahoe Middle School. The free seedlings will be given out when students pick up their meals between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. while supplies last.

At Tahoe Valley, TRex will be on hand to hand out the sugar pines, and at the Middle School, meet Hans the service dog.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - What do you get when you mix two angels with a comic on morning radio in Lake Tahoe? Daily cash giveaways that can turn an ordinary day into something magical.

It started on November 7, 2018. Ricky Reich, a local man who has become known as "The Angel of Tahoe's Guardian," walked into the studios of KRLT-FM on Kingsbury Grade in Stateline, Nevada. He had been listening to Howie Nave's Morning Rush shown on the station and wanted to pay homage to Lisa Maloff, the Angel of Tahoe.

The public is invited to a Community Health Fair in South Lake Tahoe on Thursday, October 17 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Bijou Community School;s multi-purpose room. Get free or reduced services including flu shots and free dinner from Tacos Por Favor.

El Dorado County will be offering their low-cost flu shots - $10 for everyone six months and older, but they won’t turn anyone away that can’t pay.

Free services include:

- Primary care will be there conducting blood pressure, temperatures, and pulse oximetry
- Covered CA enrollment counselors
- CPR training

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There continue to be harsh words aimed at Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Superintendent Dr. James Tarwater over his handling of the fire, reconstruction and now repopulation of Sierra House Elementary.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Superintendent Dr. James Tarwater of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) has announced he'll retire in one year.

Dr. Tarwater has been with LTUSD since 2005.

During their last meeting on June 11, the Board concluded its annual evaluation of Dr. Tarwater's performance. Though details of that evaluation are not available, they extended his contract one extra year until 2022 until they were notified of his notice of retirement.

At their June 25 meeting, the Board is scheduled to accept his retirement.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two businesses that were not selected to go further in the process of vying for one of three cannabis retail store licenses have filed appeals with the City of South Lake Tahoe. They are questioning the fairness of the selection process, and one is stating that all three applicants who had the top scores evaluation scores should be disqualified. A third applicant said he is in the process of filing an appeal.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - "Never again," chanted the dozens of people that showed up to Trout Creek Thursday to show support of the Jewish community after anti-Semitic graffiti was found underneath the bridge on Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Tahoe Women’s Community Fund has announced their 2019 grant recipients. This year, there were over 27 organizations who applied for the grants, with $84,000 being distributed to 14 non-profit organizations

Focus Grant recipients in the category of Poverty, Housing, or Basic Needs (up to $10,000 each):

• Tahoe Youth & Family Services (Project: Tahoe Youth Transitional Living Program:
Basic Household Essentials)
• Tahoe Magic, Inc. (Project: One Time Family Emergency Housing Help Fund)

This story has been updated:

Registration for kindergarten students in Lake Tahoe Unified School District for the 2019/20 school year will be held April 29-May 10, 2019 for Tahoe Valley and Sierra House elementary schools. For those enrolling in the Two-Way Immersion program at Bijou and wanting to enter the lottery for enrollment at Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet School, the deadline is March 22.

For eight years the South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge 1632 has supplied boxes of food supplies for local families in need, and this year will be no different.

On Tuesday, members of the lodge delivered 50 decorated boxes to the Family Resource Center, each packed full of a ham, vegetables, canned goods, pasta, potatoes, bread, tortillas and everything else needed to feed a family a big holiday meal, and then more for leftovers.

SOUT LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It is often said, “It takes a village to raise a child.” In South Lake Tahoe, the same could be said about keeping kids healthy. October is National Farm to School Month, and in South Lake Tahoe, the UC Cooperative Extension CalFresh nutrition education program has partnered with Barton Health and Lake Tahoe Unified School District to implement Harvest of the Month, a statewide initiative that motivates students to make healthier choices and brings fresh, in season produce to all South Lake Tahoe elementary schools.

During the first two weeks of June, participants in the 13th annual Lake Tahoe Bike Challenge traveled 11,215 miles on foot or on bicycle, burning an estimated 482,245 calories and preventing an estimated 12,105 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and $2,493 in gasoline purchases.

Organized by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition, the basin-wide Bike Challenge is a friendly competition to see what individuals and teams can rack up the most trips and miles by biking, walking, or taking transit instead of driving cars.

In an ever more vitriolic, self-centered and money hungry culture, the magnificent moments appear to be farther and fewer between. However, in Tahoe, a constant bright spot has been found over the past several years with Ms. Lisa Maloff’s numerous charitable donations. Illustrated by the exhaustive list below, it is overwhelming to envision the impact she has had on our little community. And, while most would argue that the money has all the power to change everything, I disagree.

Thank you Bijou Safeway for your continuous support of Bijou Community School. These past two weeks, Bijou PTA and the 2nd grade teachers have been selling otter pops at school to raise funds for the 2nd grade field trip to Carson City Children's Museum. Our efforts were enhanced by Bijou Safeway who donated 800 otter pops for the fundraising efforts.

The Tahoe-Douglas Rotary Club held their annual Community Heroes Awards luncheon at the MontBleu Resort on Friday, April 27. In the past the club has honored firefighters, law enforcement and dispatch employees. This year, the awards went to local teachers from five schools: Whittell High School, South Tahoe High School, South Tahoe Middle School, Bijou Community School, Sierra House Elementary and Zephyr Cove Elementary.

Whittell High School: The winner is Susan Van Doren who has taught Engligh and Computer Science. She has taught for 20 years.

Help fill a SLTPD police car with food and cash during St. Theresa's Bread & Broth 4 Kids Cram-A-Cruiser on Saturday, September 30, 2017 at Grocery Outlet, 2358 Lake Tahoe Blvd., in South Lake Tahoe from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

During the last meeting of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Trustees, discussion about neighborhood schools and theme schools surrounded the proposed STEAM Academy at Al Tahoe Elementary when it reopens. STEAM - science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics - would be the focus of all students at the school, much as the themes surround all other local elementary schools.

At the request of the board, LTUSD Superintendent Dr. Jim Tarwater will present the demographic data from each school in relation to where they reside.

For six years the South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge 1632 has supplied boxes of food supplies for families in need, and Christmas 2016 is no different.

On Thursday, members of the lodge delivered 51 decorated boxes, each packed full of a ham, vegetables, canned goods, pasta, potatoes, bread, tortillas and everything else needed to feed a family a big holiday meal.

This year's recipients were selected by the Family Resource Center.

The South Lake Tahoe Endowment Cabinet awarded $50,000 to South Lake Tahoe area non-profits and schools during a recent reception at South Tahoe High School.

Wendy David, the Cabinet Chair, awarded the grants to an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd.

Private donors fund the Foundation with money to be given back to the community in the form of grants.