lake tahoe unified

Bread & Broth 4 Kids needs volunteers and donations

To help South Lake Tahoe children in need, Bread & Broth 4 Kids has been formed to bring weekend food to 100 students each week. The bag of food is to help with meals when they aren't in school and able to receive free breakfasts and lunches Monday through Friday.

Bread & Broth is a non-profit, all volunteer organization that provides free, hot meals to those in need in South Lake Tahoe. They are now seeking donations and volunteers for the new kid's program.

Tragedy at a Community College—what are we doing here?

Like many Americans, law enforcement folks have been deeply moved by the horrific images we have seen in Oregon. A certain feeling of helplessness has become the norm when we look at these events from the prevention perspective. We may ask questions like:

“Why do people who would do such a thing have access to a gun?”
“Why didn’t people who knew the shooter do something to stop him before people died?”

Mt. Tallac High School celebrates with community barbecue

Holly Greenough wasn't sure what to expect at Mt. Tallac High's first Family and Community Fair and Barbecue.

"I thought maybe five or six parents would come for our first year," said Greenough, the school's Director. Instead, 21 families and ten community members/groups participated.

"The kids were excited to bring their parents, and the parents were grateful," said Greenough.

South Tahoe High Homecoming parade and games on Friday

Students at South Tahoe High have been celebrating Homecoming Week festivities all week long, from themed dress-up days to late nights spent building their class floats. The wrap up will be Friday's parade through South Lake Tahoe and Friday night's football games.

The final night of float building was Thursday, when the Lake Tahoe Unified School District's bus garage taken over by students putting on the final touches before judging at 10 p.m. Each class created a float with the assistance of their class advisors.

Superintendent to discuss student test score results at meeting

Last spring, Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) students in 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 11th grades took a new style of state testing. The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) was an on-line assessment that measured their problem solving and critical thinking skills.

LTUSD Superintendent Dr. James Tarwater will present the results to the School Board Trustees during Tuesday's board meeting.

Fall Food Fest to benefit South Lake Tahoe schools

Event Date: 
October 10, 2015 - 6:00pm

The Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation once again presents their major fundraiser of the year, the Fall Food Fest, on Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Lake Tahoe.

The popular event raises money for local schools.

Mt. Tallac engaging students with enterprising spirit; Community invited to Meet & Greet

The students at Mt. Tallac High School may not be experiencing the traditional path to graduation, but they are now going to experience a new one focused on work ethic and careers.

The dynamic duo team of Holly Greenough and Amy Jackson are beginning Phase Two of what they started last year, a program that takes students from school to career. The students that attend Mt. Tallac are the ones that stay in town, unlike others who take the college path and leave town and start a career and families elsewhere.

New STHS bleachers behind schedule but ready by first game

Mother Nature hasn't been very nice to Southern Bleachers out of Texas. They are the contractors working on the new football stadium bleachers at South Tahoe High and they missed the August 8 deadline for completion of the project. Summer rains caused several delays but they are now back on track to have the project finished by August 21, a week before the school's first football game.

LTUSD Bus Routes for the 2015/16 school year

School starts for South Lake Tahoe, CA students on Monday, August 31.

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District has published their bus routes for each school for the 2015-16 school year and can be found by clicking on each school:

Bijou Elementary
Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School
Tahoe Valley Elementary

Students benefit from Brief Intervention Program in South Lake Tahoe schools

Students at South Tahoe High and South Tahoe Middle schools now have an option to the normal suspension process thanks to the Brief Intervention Program (BIP) developed by the South Tahoe Drug Free Coalition.

In the past, students would be sent home for three days when suspended for having, or being under the influence, drugs or alcohol while at school. In many instances this method was looked at as a few days vacation with little, or no, opportunity to learn from their errors.

Time to register for Lake Tahoe Unified schools

With school starting on August 31, its now time for children entering South Lake Tahoe schools for the first time to register,

Kindergartners need to be registered at their designated elementary school, as determined by location. Boundaries are available for viewing at www.ltusd.org or a map can be picked up at the Education Center at 1021 Al Tahoe Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe.

Two South Lake Tahoe women win TRPA Lake Spirit Awards

Rebecca Bryson and Joy Barney of the South Shore were honored for their work in local schools that resulted in progress and environmental improvements in the Lake Tahoe region.

During Wednesday's Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's Governing Board meeting, the two South Shore women were given the Lake Spirit award along with a family and person from the North Shore. The award has been given to "real people making real progress" at restoring Lake Tahoe since 2011.

Lake Tahoe Unified School Board meeting Tuesday

Event Date: 
June 23, 2015 - 6:00pm

The Lake Tahoe Unified School Board of Trustees will be holding a meeting on Tuesday, June 22, 2015 at 6:00 p.m.

The following items are included on the agenda:

Cycling celebrated in South Lake Tahoe

Cycling in South Lake Tahoe was the focus of the second Annual Cycle Celebration on Saturday. Kids both young and old were at the Heavenly Village to participate in a Bike Parade, Bike Rodeo, Bike Tune-Up station and informational booths.

The celebration wrapped up the two-week long Tahoe Bike Challenge where hundreds of people got out of their cars and biked to school, work and for play.

During Saturday's activities, the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition honored the Town of Truckee and Karen & Pete Fink for their contributions to cycling in the region.

Tahoe Bike Challenge wraps up with a Cycle Celebration

Event Date: 
June 20, 2015 - 12:00pm

The 2nd annual Cycle Celebration will culminate the Tahoe Bike Challenge where 315 riders made 2,706 trips and covered 17,299 miles in the Lake Tahoe area on their bikes between June 1 and 14. All of those miles saved participants $3,845 in gasoline.

Bellamy Court at the back of Heavenly Village (by the parking garage) will be closed off for the celebration on Saturday, June 20 for a plethora of activities to celebrate biking in Lake Tahoe from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Out with the old and in with the new at South Tahoe High

As promised during a recent Lake Tahoe Unified School Board meeting, the bleachers at South Tahoe High started to be dismantled the day after graduation.

Its been a four year project getting the design, bids and approval to build new bleachers to replace the 49 year old ones.

The new bleachers will have 917 seats, 12 wheelchair areas and a three-room coach/press box area.

The planned completion date is August 8.

LCAP 101: What is it and how you can participate?

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District will be holding a public hearing Tuesday on how to spend an estimated $2,159,294 in LCAP funding. They want parents to participate in the decision making and have invited everyone to the June 9 School Board meeting to encourage participation.

LTUSD unveils new website with schools and community news pages

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District unveiled their new website which will provide schools, staff and the public with more information than has ever been made available on line before.

One can now navigate through the district site and land on each school's web page, visit departments, school programs, accountability report cards as well as community news and resources.

The site can also be translated into ten languages. Users simple select the arrow on the top right side.

Beth Delacour on retiring: I'll miss the kids, they make me laugh

A self-described "forever learner," Beth Delacour won't be saying goodbye to schools once she retires as the South Tahoe Middle School Principal next month. "I like to learn," she said.

After 32 years working in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, Delacour is looking forward to having breakfast with her girlfriends, cooking dinner for her husband ("He's been so supportive"), and enjoying her grandchildren (the fourth one is just one week old). But don't look for her to be just relaxing for long.

STHS Asst. Principal Dennis Sarosik retiring after 34 years with LTUSD

Enjoying a nice, quiet and boring life is what Dennis Sarosik is looking forward to after wrapping up his 34 year career with the Lake Tahoe Unified School District next month. "I'm going to make every day a Saturday and a Sunday," Sarosik said.

When asked what he'd like to be remembered for, Sarosik quickly answered. "My signature experience was working with Yvonne Larson on bringing Sports Medicine to the school." He said that seeing the new department function as it is today is "beyond cool."

Howard Coleman leaves legacy of making a difference in students' lives

On August 31, 2015, when the students and teachers are back at work in South Lake Tahoe, Howard Coleman will be treating himself to an extra cup of coffee and time to read the newspaper.

Twenty-five teachers and staff retiring from LTUSD

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

Homeless in High School

Homelessness has many faces. Some are old, some are young. It affects all races, religions, and sexes. It can be triggered by a poor economy, inconsistent work, a medical catastrophe, and death of a family member. In the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD), there are 246 homeless students (1).

I recently sat down with one of those students to understand a day in the life of a homeless student.

Barton funds local programs to improve community health

The Barton Foundation board and staff have approved to up the ante and will give $50,000 in grants and donations to improve community health.

Every year, Barton Health provides funds for programs and organizations that will positively impact the health of the South Lake Tahoe community, particularly those that benefit underserved populations. In this grant cycle, Barton Health will award up to $30,000 in grants and $20,000 will fund special community projects throughout the year as determined by the Community Health Action Committee (CHAC).

Most South Lake Tahoe schools awarded for increased attendance

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) rewarded five of the seven South Lake Tahoe schools who met the district's goal of an increased attendance of one percent this year.

Free physicals for South Shore student athletes

Event Date: 
June 1, 2015 - 5:30pm

Barton Health, Tahoe Center for Orthopedics, and Lake Tahoe Unified School District are offering free sports physicals for student athletes.

South Shore students can receive medical and orthopedic screenings from Barton Health’s Tahoe Center for Orthopedics on Monday, June 1 at the South Tahoe High School Blue Gym.

The sports physicals start at 5:30 p.m. with the schedule as follows:

5:30 p.m.: South Tahoe High & Middle School athletes
6:00 p.m.: Pop Warner athletes
6:30 p.m.: Whittell High & Middle School athletes

New Principal named at South Tahoe Middle School

When current South Tahoe Middle School Principal Beth Delacour retires in June she is leaving the school in the capable hands of John Simons. Simons (pronounced sim-mons) was introduced at Tuesday evening's Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board meeting.

Simons is relocating to South Lake Tahoe from Oakdale, CA where he has been principal at the community's middle school for the past seven years. Prior to that he served as the school's vice-principal for three years.

Mental Health Awareness: Lack of housing is a huge issue

Up until the 1970s and 80s, people with severe mental illness were housed in institutions by the hundreds of thousands. Replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health services became the norm, and it created a whole new set of issues.

Celebration of Education at South Tahoe Middle School Wednesday

Event Date: 
May 13, 2015 - 5:00pm

The annual Celebration of Education hosted by the Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation will take place on Wednesday, May 13 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at South Tahoe Middle School.

Last year's Foundation grant recipients will be displaying their projects through words, photos, videos and live performances.

This event will be taking place outside the elementary and middle school concert that will be taking place at STMS during the evening.

Families, students and the public are invited to stop by and enjoy the grant recipient's presentations.

Light refreshments will be served.

"In View with Larry King" show to visit South Tahoe High on Friday

Lights! Camera! Action!

Those words may be heard through the South Tahoe High (STHS) campus on Friday as the school is visited by a film crew from the "In View with Larry King" show.

It was announced in February that Lake Tahoe Unified School District was chosen to be one of 12 California schools to be featured on the FOX network business shows.

The show will explore the many educational opportunities that STHS offers that make the school unique.

City Council approves motion to apply for $2.1 million transportation grant

"This is astounding and I have not seen anything to this degree in the years I've lived here." Those were South Lake Tahoe City Councilwoman JoAnn Conner's words after hearing how several agencies will work together to make the Middle School Connectivity Plan a reality.

Her sentiments were echoed by her fellow council members and the mayor after seeing how multiple agencies can leverage their funds and plan together for a network of connecting trails through South Lake Tahoe that will keep pedestrians and bikers off unsafe roadways.

Routes around South Tahoe Middle School may soon be safer

If you've ever driven by South Tahoe Middle School just as the kids get to school, or as they depart, you know what an unsafe area it can be for students on bikes and on foot. Because of this, the Lake Tahoe Unified School District secured a $154,000 grant from the TRPA On Our Way program to work with the Lake Tahoe Sustainability Collaborative to conduct outreach and develop a connectivity and mobility plan for the area.

Graduation rates increase at South Tahoe High

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today reported California’s cohort graduation rate climbed for the fifth year in a row in 2014 to a record high, with the biggest jump taking place among English learners.

Among students who started high school in 2010-11, 80.8 percent graduated with their class in 2014, up 0.4 of a percentage point from the year before. The California graduation rate has increased substantially since the class of 2010 posted a 74.7 percent rate.

Opening Day for South Tahoe Little League Saturday

Event Date: 
April 25, 2015 - 9:00am

An Opening Day celebration is planned at the South Tahoe Little League Complex this Saturday, April 25th. A parade and ribbon cutting ceremony are planned prior to the start of scheduled games. The parade will start on the street next to the South Tahoe Middle School tennis courts at 9:00 a.m. with a planned parade path to follow Lyons Avenue to Rufus Allen, and into the major’s field by way of the snack shack entrance. Parking will not be available at South Tahoe Middle School due to the eWaste collection event. Parking is available along Rufus Allen Blvd.

South Lake Tahoe kindergarten and transitional kindergarten sign-ups

Sign-ups for both kindergarten and transitional kindergarten in Lake Tahoe Unified Schools will be held May 4 - May 8.

To be eligible for enrollment a child must be five years of age on or before September 1, 2015. If your child will turn five years of age between September 2 and December 2, 2015, they qualify for transitional kindergarten which is a two year Kindergarten program located at Tahoe Valley Elementary School.

To register, California Law requires that:

1. You bring child's birth certificate;

New football coach headed to South Tahoe High from Lodi

Tokay High School (Lodi) football coach and athletic director Louis Franklin announced Monday he will be stepping down at the end of the school year after being offered “an opportunity to join Lake Tahoe Unified School District.”

Franklin, a 2000 Tokay graduate, has been the school’s head football coach since 2007 and the athletic director since 2010, when he replaced Jeff Johnston.
Franklin was 38-46 as Tokay’s head coach, including an 0-4 record in the playoffs, but finished with three winning seasons.

Dr. Gregory Bergner set to retire from Barton Health

In 1981, Dr. Gregory Bergner opened Tahoe Family Physicians along with Dr. Brooks Martin and Dr. Paul Rork. The popular physicians delivered hundreds of South Lake Tahoe babies and kept many in the community healthy in a family friendly atmosphere.

Bergner is set to retire on April 14 after 34 years of helping the South Shore, not only as a doctor but as someone who actively sponsored, volunteered, and participated in many local organizations.

South Shore school food ranks third out of almost 4,000 districts

School cafeteria food, once the subject of moans, groans and jokes, is something to be proud of in South Lake Tahoe. The Niche 2015 rankings have been released, and out of 3,868 school districts participating, Lake Tahoe Unified School District school placed third in the Sacramento region and 27th in the whole state.

LTCC and LTUSD boards holding joint meeting Tuesday

Event Date: 
March 24, 2015 - 5:00pm

The Lake Tahoe Community College and Lake Tahoe Unified School District Boards of Trustees will hold a joint meeting on Tuesday, March 24.

During the meeting, two people from the Los Rios Community College will provide an overview of "Get Focused, Stay Focused!" a career and educational course that LTUSD officials hope to bring to South Tahoe High next year.

South Lake Tahoe Middle School Connectivity Plan update

Community members, school officials, local planners and agencies have been involved with the South Tahoe Middle School Connectivity Plan for months and the final plan will soon be available. The goal has been to create safer, more walkable and bikeable off highway routes around South Tahoe Middle School (STMS), Bijou Park and Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC). A $150,000 grant from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to the Lake Tahoe Unified School District got the activity in motion.

Dancing With the Tahoe Stars ends in a tie; McDaniel wins People's Choice

The 3rd annual Dancing With the Tahoe Stars is quickly becoming a community favorite. A capacity crowd filled MontBleu Casino Resort to watch ten local celebrities paired with professional dancers vie for the mirror ball trophy.

South Lake Tahoe teacher Lisa McDaniel and Lake Tahoe Unified School Board Member Ginger Nicolay-Davis each ended up with the top honors in the first ever tie. The tiebreaker combined judge's scores, ticket donations and crowd noise.

Community Athletic Coordinating Council Meeting

Event Date: 
March 11, 2015 - 5:15pm

The Community Athletic Coordinating Council, an organization consisting of representatives of all youth and adult sports organizations in South Lake Tahoe will be holding a meeting on Wednesday, March 11, 2015. This meeting will be held at the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Boardroom, starting at 5:15pm. This is an open meeting and all interested community members are invited to attend.

Topics to be discussed include:

CACC 2015 Projects– Review and update
New Business

Lake Tahoe Unified School District has new board member

When Sue Novasel won November's El Dorado County Supervisorial race it left a vacant seat on the Lake Tahoe Untiifed School Board (LTUSD). A Notice of Vacancy was filed, encouraging locals to apply to fill the trustee position for the remaining 22 months of Novasel's term. At Tuesday's LTUSD School Board meeting, the opening was filled.

LTUSD may be exclude unvaccinated students from school

With over 200 students in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District not immunized against the measles, district officials are monitoring the situation and may even exclude those children from attending classes.

Even though there are no cases in El Dorado County as of yet, the cases in Washoe County and Bay Area are of concern.

Five vie to fill vacancy on Lake Tahoe Unified School Board

The Lake Tahoe Unified School Board has been without their fifth board member this year, ever since the resignation of Sue Novasel, who is the new County Supervisor. The district has been gathering applications from interested residents from Trustee Area #1 over the past month and five candidates are now up for the position.

Olympian Jamie Anderson gives back to kids on the South Shore

Jamie Anderson continued her Give Back With Love sponsorship program on Tuesday, by giving three local students a dream package of equipment and a ski pass.

Anderson wanted to be present to give the students their prize but, according to Sierra-at-Tahoe, Jamie has been tied up with the X Games and Burton European Open. They wanted to get the kids up on the hill as soon as possible so didn't wait for Anderson's return but she'll join them on the slopes once back in South Lake Tahoe.

South Lake Tahoe schools to be featured on Larry King show, In View

Lake Tahoe Unified School District has been chosen to be one of 12 school districts in the state to be featured in the Larry King hosted show on FOX Business Network. In View.

Superintendent Dr. Tarwater was contacted by the show's Senior Producer about the opportunity to be part of the educational television program. The show will be a special edition, half-hour program focusing on the state of education.

Community Athletic Coordinating Council to meet

Event Date: 
February 4, 2015 - 5:15pm

The Community Athletic Coordinating Council, an organization consisting of representatives of youth and adult sports organizations in South Lake Tahoe will be holding a meeting on Wednesday, February 4, 2015. This meeting will be held at the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Boardroom, starting at 5:15pm. This is an open meeting and all interested community members are invited to attend.

Topics to be discussed include
 Election of Officers – 2015
 Develop and adopt procedures for submittal of projects
 Project Review and Update
 Old and Unfinished Business
 New Business

Significant drops in school suspensions and expulsions in State and South Lake Tahoe

California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced a dramatic 20 percent drop in the number of students expelled in 2013-14 and a 15.2 decline in the number of students suspended. This marks the second year in a row of declines in both areas.

Numbers at Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) follow the same trend.

South Tahoe High's new bleachers to include press box, handicapped seating

It's been four years since the plans were first started but the end is now in sight for the installation of new bleachers at South Tahoe High.

A bid was awarded during Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Unified School Board meeting to the Southern Bleacher Company of Texas to remove the 49-year old home side stands and install new ones that are ADA compliant and satisfy the snow loads and safety features required by the state.

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