Letter to the South Lake Tahoe community from new STHS principal

As new South Tahoe High School Principal Carline Sinkler is preparing for her first year at the helm she sent out a letter to the community and it is shared here:

Dear South Lake Tahoe Community,

It is a privilege to serve as principal of South Tahoe High School and I look forward to a highly productive year of forming lasting relationships, building teams and meeting challenges together that enable us to prepare our students for college, career and life.

I have already met many people and I appreciate the welcoming spirit and enthusiasm of the South Lake Tahoe community. I am excited to build relationships through authentic listening, dialogue and workings side by side on behalf of our students. I will be scheduling group discussion sessions and working groups with students, staff, families and community members throughout the year to understand perspectives, gain clarity around a shared vision of success and build teams that work together toward common goals. Meeting times and topics will be posted in August.

Together, we will focus on learning experiences that build 21st Century skills like critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication with the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards as a foundation. We will continue to celebrate our athletes, sports teams, talented artists and musicians, college bound AVID students, and our array of innovative Career Technical Education programs. I look forward to attending events and watching our students shine!

In 2017-18 we will focus much of our efforts on ensuring that we meet and exceed WASC requirements and aim to grow in several areas:

● Vision and Goals:​ Refresh and clarify our vision for student success and enhance our Viking Goals to create a graduate profile that describes qualities of STHS graduates.
● College and Career Readiness​: Continue to implement Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards with a focus on 21st Century learning skills that prepare students for college and career choices.
● School Climate and Culture:​ Promote a positive school climate and culture through student leadership, collaborative problem solving and clear expectations.
● STEAM​: Build opportunities for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) careers.
● English Learners:​ Increase academic achievement, English proficiency and family engagement of students learning English.
● Communication: ​Provide multiple ways for the entire community to access information and participate in school activities.
● School and Community Environment: ​Cultivate stewards of our beautiful campus and
advocates for the natural resources within and surrounding the Lake Tahoe region.

I look forward to working closely with the 2018 graduating class to gain insight into improving our students’ learning experiences and readiness for their future.
Let’s make 2017-18 a fantastic year!

Warm regards,
Carline Sinkler