Tahoe Valley

It is that time of year again. It is time for the youth in our beautiful community to take the big plunge. We, the members of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Education wish to congratulate each and every member of South Tahoe High School and Mount Tallac High School class of 2017 for all their hard work, not just for the last 4 years, but for the last 12. We are deeply proud of our seniors, and we hope that moving forward you never forget the closeness and care of a community like South Lake Tahoe.

Every two years a new business plan is presented to the South Lake Tahoe City Council, outlining goals, the vision and strategic priorities. This is done after each election.

In February, City staff, Council and community members got together for a two-day strategic planning session, and the results that came out of that were put into the 2017/18 South Lake Tahoe Business Plan.

Bread & Broth 4 Kids (BB4K) is holding their popular Cram-a-Cruiser food drive at South Lake Tahoe’s Grocery Outlet on Saturday, May 6, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

It took just minutes to fill up Lake Tahoe Aleworx Taproom & Pizzeria Thursday when they opened their doors officially for the first time. Friends, family, firemen and those looking for a great selection of beer and wood-fired pizza all came to see what the newest spot to open in South Lake Tahoe was all about.

Housed in the former Factory Stores at the Y, Aleworx is the first of two restaurants that will make their home at the new Crossing at Tahoe Valley.

The Tahoe Women's Community Fund will be holding their second annual Grants Gala on Thursday, May 18 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Tahoe Beach Retreat. They will be awarding grants to their 2017 recipients and hearing back from their 2016 winners on how their funds were put to use.

The Tahoe Women’s Community Fund is a collective giving organization that was created in 2015. Members donate money and then through a simple grant making process, proceeds are awarded to nonprofits that address pressing issues facing the communities of Lake Tahoe.

Get ready for the second of two seasons for South Lake Tahoe: Road Construction (the other being winter).

Caltrans will start their almost $57 million project along Highway 50 (US50) from the "Y" to Trout Creek Bridge on May 1, 2017.

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.

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. - The January 7, 2017 storm that hit the Sierra Nevada and brought with it over 5 inches of rain before several feet of snow, also brought along some records, too.

During this storm event the Tahoe Resource Conservaton District (TRCD) Stormwater Monitoring Program measured the highest flows ever recorded at all eight of their monitoring locations since monitoring began in 2013. The Tahoe Valley site, located off Tahoe Keys Blvd., measured 1.5 million cubic feet of flow, nearly 90 percent of the flow that was observed throughout the whole 2016 water year!

The lottery to assign spots for the Fall '17 kindergarten class at Lake Tahoe Environmental School (Magnet School) will be held in Spring. Signups to be part of the lottery will start when school resumes after the holidays on January 9.

It is not a first-come, first-served process so parents have until the end of March to sign up.

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.

Since the Tahoe Valley Area Plan was approved in 2015, several projects are being either already in the works or being planned, and land is being opening for development.

During Thursday's Planning Commission meeting, one of those projects was approved.

The monthly meeting of the South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission on November 10 will have four major projects to consider, along with hearing an appeal of a vacation rental permit denial.

All candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were given the same questions. With just one day to go to the elections, we will be featuring their answers and a video of their interview with Tahoe Regional Young Professionals through the day.

Brooke Laine, 52, Branch Manager, US Bank, Born and raised in SLT

Discuss your interest in serving on City Council. What is your prior experience in working with civic, community or governmental organizations?

When one sees a vacant lot in the Lake Tahoe Basin with a California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) sign placed on a tree within its borders, it normally that means the parcel will remain vacant.

And in most cases, that is true.

In the basin, CTC owns 4,780 parcels of land totaling 6,400 acres, many of those parcels are about 1/4 acre in size. In the 1980s and 1990s, most of these smaller lots were purchased due to their being deemed environmentally sensitive. If a lot, or a portion of a lot, was once considered to be sensitive, they are permanently protected and cannot be built upon.

For her tenth birthday, Arial Carreau-Schultz anticipated presents just as any young lady would, except she wasn't getting them for herself.

During her birthday party on September 30, the young South Lake Tahoe resident and Tahoe Valley Elementary student asked for gifts to take to the animals at the El Dorado County Animal Shelter. All 25 children that attended fulfilled her wishes, leaving behind a huge bounty that she'll take to the shelter this weekend.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - The students at Tahoe Valley Elementary School are enjoying the fruits of many volunteers' labors as the new greenhouse, Tranquil Garden, climbing stumps and outdoor learning areas have been completed and officially dedicated.

Principal Christina Grubbs gathered staff, parents and community members prior to last week's Back to School Night to thank all who took part in the projects, and to show off what the kids now get to enjoy.

"This is a labor of love for all to enjoy," said Grubbs.

Monday is the first day of school, and most parents will get several forms to fill out for each of their students, but there is one form that many may skip over if they think their children won't utilize it.

Not only does the National School Lunch Program Form give qualifying students free or reduced cost lunches and breakfasts, but it can also mean a few million dollars for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) annually.

School starts on the California side of the South Shore on Monday, August 29, are you ready?

Here is a list of the local school start and end times:

STHS starts at 7:55 a.m. and ends at 2:40 p.m.
STMS starts at 7:45 a.m. and ends at 1:55 p.m.
Bijou starts at 8:35 a.m. and ends at 2:45 p.m
Sierra House starts at 9:10 a.m. and ends at 3:20 p.m.
Tahoe Valley K - 5 starts at 9:10 a.m. and ends at 3:20 p.m. TK runs from 9:10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School starts at 9:15 a.m. and ends at 3:25 p.m.

Many conversations around South Lake Tahoe center around affordable housing, but the community isn't alone in this topic.

What started as a small group with a vision of empowering high-risk young girls in the South Lake Tahoe community has expanded into a much sought after program serving 124 girls, and growing every year.

Tahoe Youth & Family Services started “The Girl’s Project” in 2010 to partner with girls and help them become more confident and influential women later in life. The Girl’s Project has now expanded to Tahoe Valley Elementary, Sierra House Elementary, Bijou Elementary and South Tahoe Middle School.

Four new projects in South Lake Tahoe will be moving forward after the City was awarded $3 million in grants from the federal government through TRPA's Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization (TMPO).

The money will be used for the following:

$1.8 million for design and construction of the Sierra Boulevard Complete Street Project
$510,000 for construction of the Tahoe Valley Greenbelt Project
$390,000 for purchase of a Sander vehicle replacement
$200,000 for the design and engineering of the Lake Tahoe Boulevard Bike Trail

Join other South Lake Tahoe residents on Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. at the South Lake Tahoe Community College and learn how to keep your home and neighborhood safer in the event of a wildfire.

Firefighters and community safety personnel need the public to help protect their neighborhoods from catastrophic wildfire. They are holding the two-hour long seminar as a new effort to help those living in Lake Tahoe in protecting their homes.

Tahoe Women’s Community Fund (TWCF) has announced their inaugural Grants Gala on Friday, June 3, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Tahoe Beach Retreat in South Lake Tahoe.

ALL community members are invited and encouraged to attend to learn more about what the 170 members of TWCF are contributing to the community. Tickets are $35 and may be purchased
HERE.

Tickets will be available on line until May 27 and cannot be purchased at the door.

Its time again for kindergarten enrollment in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District.

Registration for the 2016-17 school year is being held from May 2 through May 6 at all local elementary schools for children will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2016.

Children who will be five years of age between September 1, 2016 and December 2, 2016 qualify for Transitional Kindergarten (TK), a two year Kindergarten program located at Tahoe Valley Elementary School.

LTUSD is also offering an Early Entry TK program for students born between