learning

There are more than 300 Reno families currently living in motels. It's a problem the City of Reno wants to deal with, so they're putting up the cash needed to help.

"One huge problem we see is the inability to save for a deposit,” said Hettie Ploeger, Resource Network Director at Catholic Charities. "Other issues might be substance abuse, mental health and also learning how to budget."

Those are problems the City of Reno wants to help people overcome. They've given a $100,000 to catholic charities for a program that gets people into stable housing.

Most kids and parents have a mixture of excitement and nervousness about starting a new school year. This is normal. However, parents can help ease the transition from summer vacation to the school routine. Here are some tips to prepare you and your student for the upcoming academic year.

The public is invited to the 16th annual Children's Environmental Science Day presented by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center on Sunday, August 2 at Commons Beach in Tahoe City. The event will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will continue until 3:30 p.m., with a free Mumbo Gumbo concert at 4:00 p.m.

When:
Thursday, August 20th 2015 @ 06:00 pm PDT

Where:
Nevada Connections Academy
555 Double Eagle Ct., Ste. 2000
Reno, NV 89521

Price: Free!

Additional info:
Join us at the Nevada Connections Academy office for an open house! This free event is open to the whole family and is a great opportunity to enjoy activities, have your questions answered, meet school staff, and interact with other families from the community. Light refreshments will be served.

With fires already burning out of control in Alaska and Southern California, there is no time like the present to learn how to prevent fires.

The Wildfire Safety Expo was held Saturday in South Lake Tahoe, and kids and adults alike learned not only fire safety tips, but were able to interact with the multiple agencies in the area that fight and prevent fires.

Also on hand at the Expo were law enforcement, TRPA, the City of South Lake Tahoe and the Lake Tahoe Humane Society.

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District will be holding a public hearing Tuesday on how to spend an estimated $2,159,294 in LCAP funding. They want parents to participate in the decision making and have invited everyone to the June 9 School Board meeting to encourage participation.

The public is invited to the League to Save Lake Tahoe's free Summer Kickoff party at the League to Save Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe on Friday, June 10 at 5:00 p.m. Music, food, fun, prizes and education will all be part of the evening's activities.

The party will feature the grand re-opening of their Fritzi & David Huntington Environmental Education Center. Featuring cutting-edge interactive displays, the Education Center’s overhaul has improved the agency's ability to educate and engage the public about how to protect Lake Tahoe and the threats facing the Lake.

Location

Students interested in being on the South Tahoe High Cheer or Dance teams will be starting with clincis on Monday, May 25.

Here is the schedule and other needed information:

Mon 05/25 – First Timers Clinic Cheer Sound Stage 3pm-5pm (will be moved to Gold Gym if not enough space on Sound Stage)
Tues 05/26 – Prep Clinic Cheer & Dance Gold Gym 3pm – 5pm
Wed 05/27 – Prep Clinic Cheer & Dance Gold Gold Gym 3pm – 5pm
Thurs 05/28 – Prep Clinic Cheer & Dance Gold Gold Gym 3pm – 5pm
Fri 05/29 - OFF

Dr. Frederick “Fritz” Wenck, a longtime local dentist and Board of Trustees member for Lake Tahoe Community College for 41 years, was recently honored for his service by the Community College League of California. During their Annual Trustees Conference last weekend the League honored community college trustees with 20, 30 and 40 years of service from around the state.

Dr. Wenck was the only trustee to be recognized for four decades of commitment.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today reported California’s cohort graduation rate climbed for the fifth year in a row in 2014 to a record high, with the biggest jump taking place among English learners.

Among students who started high school in 2010-11, 80.8 percent graduated with their class in 2014, up 0.4 of a percentage point from the year before. The California graduation rate has increased substantially since the class of 2010 posted a 74.7 percent rate.

Give Where You Live! is a 24-hour giving challenge coordinated by the El Dorado Community Foundation. This year's day long giving day is Thursday, April 23, 2015.

“We have approximately 70 nonprofits participating in the event this year. Each nonprofit will have its own website presence to highlight a particular need or needs for which it is focusing giving dollars, as well as more information about the organization in general,” said Megan Buchanan, donor services coordinator at the foundation.

The Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization (TMPO) and its partners continue their lunchtime forum for learning and sharing ideas that strengthen our Tahoe communities.

Topics focus on transportation, environmental, and economic ideas that are pertinent to issues we face today at Lake Tahoe. They are always looking for idea on new topics.

Upcoming Brown Bag events:

Wednesday, April 15 – Dealing with Drought – Stewardship Practices at Sierra-at-Tahoe
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Speaker: John Rice, VP General Manager Sierra-at-Tahoe

Knowing that not all South Lake Tahoe kids plan on heading to a four-year college, John McDougall wanted to help those students find their vocational path.

And he is accomplishing this in two ways: Pay it Forward Scholarships and with a High School Mentoring Program.

"I'm helping kids that are taking the vocational path," said the 1972 South Tahoe high graduate.

Beginning in Fall 2015, California community college transfer students who meet certain academic criteria will be guaranteed admission to nine historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), thanks to an agreement the California Community Colleges Board of Governors and the leaders of the institutions signed at the board’s meeting this week.

“The course of true love never did run smooth," wrote William Shakespeare in his most famous comedy, 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream.' Fans of the Bard are in for a treat as the talented South Tahoe High students present this famous play in the school's new, state of the art TADA Theatre March 13-15 and 20-22.

Midsummer's Night Dream will be presented with a Tahoe Twist and promises to keep you in stitches. Director Nannette Niven has a cast of 20 students including Bjorn Hedqvist, Stephanie Hernandez, Zoe Greco, Tyler Martin, Steve Huerta, Zane Brady, Hunter Turney and Jered Stowell.

The Bijou Bike Park will take a step towards reality on Tuesday if the South Lake Tahoe City Council votes to approve the funding and in-kind services staff is recommending.

Members of the Bijou Bike Park Association (BBPA) presented the original project to the City back in September of 2011, and since then they've been working non-stop in their efforts to create the park. South Lake Tahoe BMX and Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association have been helping BBPA in their efforts.

As we enter a New Year, it’s time for artists to share their thanks in celebrating one of Northern Nevada's icons by applying for spring residencies at the Black Rock Desert High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area. Applications will be accepted until March 31.

For the past few years, the geologists Brenda Buck and Rodney Metcalf have combed the wild terrain of southern Nevada, analyzing its stony dunes and rocky outcroppings — and to their dismay, tallying mounting evidence of a landscape filled with asbestos.

Asbestos occurs naturally in many parts of the country, mostly in the West but also along some mountain ranges in the East. But in Nevada, the scientists found, natural erosion and commercial development were sending the fibers into the wind.

JumpStart Lake Tahoe is offering an intensive crash course in entrepreneurship from March 25 through 29, 2015 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in South Lake Tahoe, California that puts participants on the fast track to success in their business endeavors.

Learning how to respond to aquatic emergencies is the focus of two American Red Cross Lifeguard training sessions being offered in South Lake Tahoe over the next few months.

Participants must be at least 15 years of age, be able to swim 300 yards continuously while demonstrating breathing control and rhythmic breathing, tread water for two minutes using the legs only, and complete a timed event. The class includes 7 hours and 25 minutes of online learning and 20 hours of hands-on instruction.

What a great opportunity for young people in South Lake Tahoe! All kids in 2nd grade through 8th grade are invited to participate in the first ever STHS Dance Team camp on Saturday, January 24. After spending the day learning routines from the varsity Dance Team, attendees will be performing during a halftime show during the Viking varsity basketball against rival Truckee High.

Camp will start at 10 a.m. All participants will get a performance t-shirt and lunch. The cost is $35 per dancer. All proceeds go to support the Dance Team.

After several years of declining enrollment, Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) has seen more students sitting the seats of local schools over the past two years.

The lowest enrollment figures were for the school year 2012-2013. When school ended in June of 2013 there were 3,793 students in South Lake Tahoe's eight schools.

When school started back up in the Fall of 2013 there were 3,855 students enrolled. An additional 26 students started off this school year.

Shortly after graduating from UC Davis in 1983 and working at wineries in Napa Valley and the Santa Lucia Highlands, Jonathan Lachs and Susan Marks took desk jobs in Silicon Valley. High-tech was the couple's ticket to their dream vineyard and winery -- but it wouldn't be in Napa or Monterey.

While at Davis, Lachs had tasted a 1980 Madrona Vineyards Chardonnay from the El Dorado Hills -- a wine so pure it sealed his fate.

"The wine was so refreshing, bright and true to character compared to the big oaky wines that were popular at the time," he recalls.

Local riders and skiers headed to the slopes of Sierra-at-Tahoe for their opening day on Friday. The resort opened at noon following the recent storm that left more than 15 inches of fresh snow in the Sierra. Since early season conditions still exist, the resort will operate ten trails accessed by the Grandview Express and Easy Rider Express.