Kindergarten

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It was a long, hard-fought effort to get it done, but the determination of Kathy Haven and a group of dedicated parents in 2006 has brought the two-way immersion (TWI) program at Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) its first group of 13-year students and graduates.

Starting in 2007, 20 students enrolled in the very first kindergarten TWI class at Bijou Elementary and that group of students will be graduating from South Tahoe High School at the end of the week. They have had 13 years of school taught in both Spanish and English.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities is presenting their third "Tip of the Week," an ongoing series for the public since they are unable to perform their normal community outreach services.

Below are tips, lessons, videos, and hands-on activities for the children in the home.

This Week's Tip: Talking to Kids About Wildfire

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The threat of the coronavirus COVID-19 has prompted more events and activities to be postponed or canceled in the South Lake Tahoe area. At this time there are no confirmed cases in El Dorado, Douglas, or Carson City counties.

Lake Tahoe Unified School District

Both concerts scheduled for this week have been canceled.
All upcoming kindergarten tours have been canceled.
Contact individual schools for on-site meetings.
All high school athletic games and meets have been canceled until further notice.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For some students, there are many barriers to their being able to get a college degree, one of them being affordable child care. A recent move by the Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) is helping remove that barrier by having extended hours on Monday and Tuesday evenings so parents who are LTCC students can attend classes and/or study.

Choices for Children will be able to give away winter clothing and accessories to the youngest and most vulnerable members of the community due to a grant they received from the El Dorado Community Foundation (EDCF) for their Winter of Warmth (W.O.W.) initiative.

Community agencies including child care providers, social workers, and Head Start teachers can soon refer families of children ages 0-5 (not yet in TK or Kindergarten) to get the boots, gloves, socks and snow clothes that they need.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Students and staff at Sierra House Elementary started their first day of school Monday, nine months after a fire caused significant damage to the building and moved students to other locations as work was completed to remove all damaged material and rebuild the inside.

Excitement about the return has been shortlived and shadowed by issues causing authorities to move many of the students back to Al Tahoe Elementary for classes until issues can be resolved on the campus.

August closes with a Chautauqua presentation “Sisters of the Sage” which will highlight the lives of Annie H. Martin, Lillian V. Finnegan and Anna N. Harris at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Wednesday, August 28, at 6:30 pm.

These three influential women from the early days of Nevada will meet to reminisce about their early lives, the suffrage movement and their accomplishments as women, in both Carson Valley and Carson City.

Location

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Eleven teachers and six instructional and library assistants are retiring this year from Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD). Together they have worked in education for 465 years.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It was a day of crazy socks, mismatched shoes and untied shoelaces at the Sierra House Elementary campus at Al Tahoe Learning Center Thursday in celebration of World Down Syndrome Day.

Kindergarten teacher Amy Terpening organized #RockYourSocks day in her classroom and held a surprise celebration of her student Dylan Polan who has Down Syndrome. The six-year-old came through a tunnel created by her fellow students and then sat down to be "interviewed" by her teacher. The students displayed paper socks they decorated with fun shapes and colors.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It's been twelve years since Bijou Community School in South Lake Tahoe started offering two-way immersion classes where students become bilingual and learn Spanish and English in their daily work.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Since a fire destroyed a section of Sierra House Elementary on November 11, 2018, students and staff have been dealing with the smoke damage, relocation, and minimum school days.

Just before the winter break classes were held at the Al Tahoe Elementary school site, home of the Boys & Girls Club, but that plan will now change starting January 14, 2018.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There is now a new plan for students at Sierra House Elementary School, one that will require some to move over to the Al Tahoe site sooner than expected.

California's State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson is wrapping up his final term by touring some of the state's schools.

In just a few days he went from visiting a school in Los Angeles with an enrollment of 4,000 to touring Alpine County Schools and the Diamond Valley Elementary School campus, in particular, which has 80 students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

“It is a small school in numbers but mighty in its focus and learning,” said Torlakson in Alpine County on Sept. 20.

South Shore students are the beneficiaries of funds raised during the American Century Championship (ACC) in Lake Tahoe this July. Edgewood Tahoe partnered with three local non-profits who operated concessions during the tournament in exchange for donations to be used for education.

Lake Tahoe Community College Foundation, Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation, and Tahoe-Douglas Rotary Club each volunteered at least 400 hours at the food tents, and in exchange for their efforts they split $55,230, giving each group $18,410.

Twenty-six team members from Lake Tahoe Unified School District are retiring this year after serving a collective 627.5 years in the local schools.

During a reception hosted by the Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation, each retiree was honored with a gift and plant and a round of applause.

The following certificated and classified retirees will be honored:

Certified Employees - 300.5 years of employment

Joann Allister, P.E. Teacher, 22 years of service
Melissa Bornstein, 2nd Grade Teacher, 35 years of service
Diane Burtraw, Kindergarten TWBI Teacher, 34 years of service

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.

Many people donate both money and auction items to the Soroptimist of Tahoe Sierra club for their annual Elegant Evening which occurs on Saturday, April 21. What many don't know is where those donations go. There was question recently in the community about donations, so the club wanted to clear up any misunderstandings.

The club recently created a diagram to better explain where each penny goes as they don't have must left over funds after they issue scholarships, grants and other forms of financial support.

Last year’s Elegant Evening funds went to provide:

This letter was sent to South Tahoe Now. We will be running all three "Letters to the Editor" received at the same time.

To the community,

Two sisters were honored during Tuesday night's Lake Tahoe Unified School District meeting for years of perfect attendance. Ryann Canfield, a freshman at South Tahoe High School, has had perfect attendance since the 1st grade at Tahoe Valley Elementary. She missed only one day of school in Kindergarten. That is nine consecutive school years with perfect attendance. Her sister, Morgan Canfield, 6th grader at South Tahoe Middle School, has had perfect attendance since Transitional Kindergarten. Morgan has not missed one day of school in seven consecutive years.

For the past 38 years, Missoula Children's Theatre has been coming to South Lake Tahoe, transforming youth into actors and actresses in just a few days.

This year the production is Alice in Wonderland.

Auditions will be held on Monday, July 10 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at South Tahoe Middles School's multi-purpose room (STMS MPR). Approximately 50-60 local children will be cast to appear in the show.

Pequeños Rascals Daycare has moved into a new center in South Lake Tahoe after operating at a local home for 15 years. Filling a big need on the South Shore, the owners are offering quality care for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school age children up to age 13.

It's not just babysitting either. It's care with a heavy emphasis on education, music, art, physical activity and family.

The public is invited to see for themselves when Pequeños holds an open house on Saturday, March 18 from noon to 5:00 p.m. They are located at 3336 Sandy Way in South Lake Tahoe.

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.

Rumors were flying around schools and on social media in South Lake Tahoe this week about a Whooping Cough (pertussis) outbreak at Tahoe Valley Elementary. A 4th grade student became sick with symptoms that resemble pertussis, but that cannot be confirmed for two weeks.

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.