teachers

Retiring South Tahoe Middle School Principal thought it was an assembly to honor the school's staff who are retiring. Words were said and plaques were given at the Wednesday morning ceremony. Then, the fire alarm sounded and hundreds of students and staff moved out onto the soccer field.

After working a total of 637 1/2 years for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD), 25 teachers, staff members and administrators were recognized in a ceremony Tuesday evening.

LTUSD and the Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation hosted the reception.

Certified Retirees:

Betsy Benavidez, Teacher - 24 years
Karen Boyer, Speech Therapist - 20 years
Howard Coleman, Teacher - 32 years
Beth Delacour, Principal - 32 years
Madeline Fernald, Teacher - 16 years
Joann Hernandez, School Counselor - 15 years
Deborah Kushner - 31 years

- Many children go undiagnosed and unidentified; they are penalized for inappropriate behavior though symptomatic.
- 42% of diagnosed students graduate with a high school diploma.
- 48% of diagnosed students drop out of school.
- 50% will serve jail time after leaving school; 20% serve sentences prior to leaving school.
- Currently 12 % of children in America under the age of 18 have a diagnosable
mental illness.
- Among the US population, mental illness impacts 1 in 4 individuals.
- 50% of adult cases of mental illness had signs and symptoms by age 14.

Did you know that 30% of those diagnosed with early stage breast cancer will develop metastatic disease? Did you know that the big cancer organizations only dedicate, on average, 2% of the money they raise to metastatic breast cancer research? Do you even know what metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is?

Location

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.

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.

A free, all day workshop about teaching science to children will be held at the UC Davis Tahoe Center for Environmental Science on January 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

They will present an overview of the Next Generation Science Standards, tips for becoming a better science teacher, sample activities to present the new standards, as well as tie-dying the scientific way.

Each winter, groups of students participate in the US Forest Service's Winter Trek Program in South Lake Tahoe.

The 20th Annual MontBleu Holiday Extravaganza will highlight the talents of South Lake Tahoe children, teachers, parents and alumni.

South Tahoe High Graduate Francisco Figueroa-Yanez, known as "Frankie" to his friends, has his new career as a school teacher in San Francisco highlighted in a recent SFGate article titled "Bay Area schools scramble for qualified teachers amid shortage." Frankie graduated from STHS in 2007, went to Santa Clara University where he majored in Biology and Spanish and is now at the University of San Francisco working on his masters degree. He visits South Lake Tahoe when time allows to see his parents and friends.

My name is Dr. Frederick “Fritz” Wenck, DDS, and I’ve been closely involved with Lake Tahoe Community College since its beginning in 1974, when I was elected one of the first LTCC Board of Trustees members. I’d like you to consider, just for a minute, what would happen if the college’s Measure F bond effort failed to pass this Election Day.

Join TahoeChamber for a ribbon cutting on September 17 at 2:00 pm to celebrate Lake Tahoe Paint & Sip Studio, a new South Shore business that offers “painting with a splash!” Located in the picturesque Ski Run Marina, Lake Tahoe Paint & Sip Studio offers painting lessons taught by an experienced artist accompanied by customers’ choice of wine or beer. Meet the owners and artists of this innovative business, as well as tour the studio and admire the masterpieces created by teachers and customers alike.

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District is renewing their focus on raising the attendance rates of students in the district's seven schools. Not only is being at school essential to a good education, it's also essential to the District's budget.

On Tuesday, the LTUSD Board will vote on a proclamation to declare September as "Attendance Awareness Month." They want parents, students, teachers, staff, administrators and the community to focus on "Every School Day Matters" and help keep kids in school.

During the 2013/14 school year, the attendance rates were:

Bijou - 92.3%

This year, Lake Tahoe Community College is marking 40 years of providing excellence in education to the Tahoe Basin. As the college prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a gala this weekend, we wanted to take a moment to express our deepest thanks to our community—for its support, energy, time, donations and commitment to helping us provide access to quality college education for all members of our community.

The Cold Water Challenge. Unless you're still in hibernation you've probably heard of someone in South Lake Tahoe taking the Cold Water Challenge.

But What is it?

Someone takes a video of themselves jumping into a body of cold water (such as Lake Tahoe, the Truckee River or Trout Creek). Once they emerge from the water they record themselves saying the names of people they are challenging to jump in cold water as well, and within 24 hours.

Children not 5 years old by the time school starts in the fall are unable to attend kindergarten due to a new state law, but the Lake Tahoe Unified School District will have Transitional Kindergarten (TK).

The Kindergarten Readiness Act, signed into law by Gov. Schwarzenegger in 2010, changed the kindergarten entry date from Dec. 2 to Sept. 1 so that children enter kindergarten at age 5. The law phases in the new age requirement by moving the cutoff date one month a year for three years, beginning this fall for children born between Nov. 2 and Dec. 2.

Selected among several local outstanding youth Josh Kornbeck will compete against other Boys & Girls Club members for the California Youth of the Year title and a $1,000 college scholarship from Tupperware Brands Corporation. As the new Youth of the Year for Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, 16-year old Josh is a true example of an extraordinary young man recognized by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) for his sound character, leadership skills and willingness to give back to the community.

The popular South Lake Tahoe winter education program for fifth graders, Winter Trek Conservation Education, begins a new series of classes in January.

Local teachers may reserve a spot for their class beginning on Monday, December 16 by calling the Forest Service at 530-543-2694, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Winter Trek begins Tuesday, January 7, 2014, and continues through March 27, 2014, weather permitting. Field trips are generally three hours long and are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

October is International Fair Trade Month, and Meyer's newest coffee shop, Freel Perk is playing along. Freel Perk carries only organic coffees; but what many don't know is that most of the coffee sold there is “fair trade” coffee from Alpen Sierra Roasting Company. That is, according to www.alpensierra.com, coffee that is purchased “direct from small growers, i.e. Direct-Trade, guaranteeing as much as possible, the conscientious and responsible functioning of the supply chain in maintaining a healthy and prosperous balance of social, environmental and economic capital.”

The 2013-14 school year is off to a great start! We have had much excitement since August 19th with our first and hopefully, annual Round Hill Pines Beach Bash which was held on September 8th. Festivities included hot dogs and hamburgers, a raffle, and a silent auction. Families were able to get acquainted and re-acquainted and the kids were still enjoying the long summer sun. Thanks to our awesome Parent-Teacher Club, we are well on our way to funding many academic opportunities for enrichment and intervention as well as materials and resources for our teachers.

Whether you’re looking to update your job skills, pursue a college degree, or just take classes for personal growth, there are a number of options to explore this fall at Lake Tahoe Community College.

LTCC students enjoy the highest transfer rate to UC and CSU schools for a community college of its size in California. They also learn from one of the best educated, most experienced faculty in the community college system. No matter what your educational goal is, LTCC can help you reach it.

Top Bay Area alt-folk band, The New Thoreaus, are set to make their South Lake Tahoe debut at The Divided Sky on Saturday, June 8.

While many already know ‘A Noun is a Person, Place or Thing,’ what they may not know is it’s time to show your inner rock star at the School House Rocks event to support local schools. The ‘Conjunction Junction’ will start at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at MontBleu and it will feature a live DJ, music, silent and live auctions, cocktails, food and more.

As Prepared for Delivery Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013:

Madam Speaker, Mr. President, Distinguished Members of the Legislature, Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court, Constitutional Officers, Senator Heller, honored guests…...