teachers

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A major step in preparing to open schools back up to in-person classes, teachers and staff from Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) are receiving the first of two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The news of the available vaccines came earlier than the District expected. They hope to have all staff members receive the first vaccine within the next two weeks, and the second required injection within the next six weeks.

Farwell 2020! We will always remember this year, but for most of us, we are also ready to kiss it goodbye with a swift kick to the curb. Our community, like all communities has been hard hit with lost income, closed businesses, stay at home orders, COVID and virtually learning at home. We have missed socializing, travelling, entertaining and being entertained, enjoying our extended family and cannot even see a friend’s smile behind their mask. We missed so much of 2020 and it has hurt, to be honest.

I want to thank my many, many supporters for their belief in me. Withstanding the constant barrage of incorrect information and innuendo about me printed here (in Letters to the Editor) and in other sources, the repeated vandalism of my signs, the anonymous emails at the recent city council meeting that targeted me and others has been made easier by the constant encouragement I receive from our locals who know that I am the best choice for city council.

Former Climate Crew Co-president, Anthony Pedigo, introduced Resolution No. 2020/21-07 in Support of School District Climate Literacy to the LTUSD School Board on September 22, 2020. It was the culmination of a year of passionate student organizing, writing and mobilizing. The resolution passed unanimously.

Hello Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) friends and families. We’re down to the wire and the District is very excited to welcome you back to another school year! With all of the changes and challenges the year is sure to bring, rest assured that every staff member at LTUSD is wholeheartedly embracing them all, and looking forward to making this year cheerful, engaging, inclusive, and academically rewarding for every single student. Welcome back!

BACK TO SCHOOL

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Every ten years a Census is taken of all people living in the Unitied States. While the state of California currently has a 64.5 percent response rate, South Lake Tahoe once again is lagging far behind.

As of August 6, 28.1 percent of those living in South Lake Tahoe had turned in answers to the Census Bureau. El Dorado County as a whole, 58.6 percent. Nationally, the Census return rate is 63.2 percent.

Why is it so hard to get South Lake Tahoe residents to participate?

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Over 300 locals and visitors took part in the 15th annual Tahoe Bike Challenge, biking 45,442 miles during the month-long event. The Tahoe-basin wide challenge was a friendly competition that annually encourages individuals and teams to track trips and miles completed on their bikes.

“Congratulations to all of the winners and riders,” TRPA Transportation Planner Kira Smith said. “Although this year looked a little bit different, we hope the Challenge inspires people to bike and walk through the rest of the year.”

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Board of Trustees will hear a draft proposal on what the reopening of school in the fall will look like at during a special meeting on July 14 at 5:00 p.m.

"We are in a unique time for public schools. We have been challenged to create plans for the start of the 2020/21 school year that will provide a quality education for our students and at the same time provide safety for us all. This is not an easy task," new LTUSD Superintendent Dr. Todd Cutler said in his weekly email to staff, parents, and the public.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Dr. James Tarwater will be bringing his 54-year career in education to a close this month as he passes the torch to the new Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) superintendent June 30.

When a pandemic hits the best practice is one of consideration. Learn more about how Lake Tahoe Yoga is adjusting to the changes brought on by Covid-19.

Hands Off
One of the best parts of sharing the practice at Lake Tahoe Yoga is receiving physical adjustments. All of the teachers trained at the Lake Tahoe Yoga School learn how to provide supportive and effective adjustments that help you to either deepen or develop awareness during your practice.

Back in 2019, the World Health Organization, the American Nurses Association and others pronounced 2020 Year of the Nurse, and in 2020 it would celebrate nurses and nursing. They chose this year because it’s the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing who trained nurses to focus on compassion with a commitment to patient care.

After living here for over 42 years and working/owning Sessions Salon for 34 of those years, I have never been so grateful to be here.

Watching the extreme loss of life in our country has been heartbreaking, to say the least. Not having full access to our grandkids is painful but nothing compared to what people in many cities in the country have dealt with.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Students enrolled at Marcia Sarosik Dance Studio in South Lake Tahoe cannot attend classes in person due to coronavirus restrictions, but they are still enjoying their love of dance with online dance classes.

Marcia Sarosik, better known as Ms. Marcia, has been teaching dance in the community for 41 years and this is the first time she's had to close the studio for an extended period. One of her former students, Chelsea Wightman, created a program for dancers to log onto to stay connected to the studio on James Avenue.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - All schools in Lake Tahoe Unified School District and the rest of El Dorado County will be closing for at least a week, starting Monday, March 16, 2020.

The decision was made for the safety and wellness of students, families, and school personnel due to the current threat of the world-wide coronavirus COVID-19. There are currently no confirmed cases of the virus in El Dorado County.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There are no confirmed cases of coronavirus COVID-19 in El Dorado County or South Lake Tahoe, but the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Education and the district's leaders are keeping apprised of the situation. They have been collaborating with El Dorado County Public Health with guidance from the California Department of Public Health and Center for Disease Control to determine the best course of action to protect students and staff members while meeting their educational needs.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Melissa Berry, AP Psychology and US History teacher at South Lake Tahoe High School was selected to receive one of the five 2019 Carlston Family Foundation Outstanding Teachers of America Awards.

In November, Ms. Berry received a $15,000 cash award at the Carlston Family Foundation’s 17th Annual Awards Ceremony in Mill Valley, Calif. During Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) board meeting, she received an additional $5,000 grant for South Lake Tahoe High School.

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.

Crews have cleared out of Sierra House Elementary and it is set to reopen to all grades on Tuesday, October 1.

Families, students, and staff got the good news Monday.

"The kids and staff are thrilled to be back," said Lake Tahoe Unified School District Spokesperson Shannon Chandler. "It's like a second home so I imagine that everyone is relieved and comforted to be back."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Students from Sierra House Elementary have had their school days askew since a November 2018 fire forced them out of their home campus. For the last ten months, the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe (BGCLT) site has opened the doors on the space they rent from Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) and shared with students during the school day.

BGCLT are scheduled to break ground next Spring on a new "clubhouse" that will be built next door, but in the meantime they share each room with staff and students from Sierra House.

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. - Sierra House Elementary School is on track to reopen on September 9. Students at the South Lake Tahoe school were unable to start classes on August 26 with the rest of the kids in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) after their school was not ready after a fire caused major damage on November 11, 2018.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A fire at Sierra House Elementary School on November 11, 2018, caused extensive damage and forced students to spend the school year at other campuses in South Lake Tahoe - 4th and 5th graders at South Tahoe Middle School and K-3 at the old Al Tahoe campus. With the beginning of school just around the corner, crews have been beefed up and are working overtime to try and get the doors open for all students on August 26.

The Juvenile Service Council (JSC) of El Dorado County is a 501c3 all-volunteer organization serving at-risk youth ages 14-18 who are involved in the Juvenile Justice system. Often these young people are some of our community’s most vulnerable and underserved. They are at a time in their lives when they need our “village” to be there for them without judgment, with kindness and compassion, and with the resources to be able to provide them the tools to be able to forge the future successfully.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Lake Tahoe Community College Mathematics/Physics instructor Bruce Armbrust, American Sign Language instructor Karla Johnston, and Accounting/Business instructor Dr. Jon Kingsbury are all being honored for their outstanding work in the classroom and their dedication to LTCC’s students.