learning

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

ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. - The Zephyr Cove Elementary Parents Club and Whittell Boosters are reaching out to the community for support in the safe reopening of the two Douglas County Lake Schools on August 31.

Both of the schools will begin the 2020/2021 school year on Aug 31 with in person, daily instruction utilizing social distancing and other safety protocols.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Barton Foundation has awarded a record $100,000 in its annual Community Health Grant funding. This is in addition to more than $170,000 in grants given to local families and individuals from its COVID-19 Response Fund.

The 13 Lake Tahoe-based organizations that were awarded share Barton Health’s commitment to addressing the most urgent health needs in the area: mental and behavioral health, substance use, and access to care.

The organizations selected for a Community Health Grant serve the area’s most vulnerable populations and those in need:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Board of Trustees voted unanimously to start the school year August 31 in the first of a four phases - Distance Learning.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - A new interactive dashboard is now available for COVID-19 tracking in El Dorado County. The new feature is a more comprehensive dashboard that provides additional data points and opportunity for the public to learn how the COVID-19 virus is impacting the area in both Spanish and English.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) is planning and preparing for what the 2020-21 school year will look like, whether it is held virtually, in person, or is a hybrid of different options.

The July 21 LTUSD School Board meeting will continue the conversation of reopening at their last meeting and address options and concerns with a final decision by then end of the month.

This Saturday, July 18, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., join Make Tahoe Records at Scott Forrest Fine Art Studio at 2572 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe to help Black Ice Theatre Co.

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.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team is promoting Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Month during July. This year’s theme is “Fight fire with a plan” to encourage residents and visitors to prepare their family, property and possessions now before a wildfire starts by creating a plan.

Some ways to plan include:

Develop a family evacuation plan.
Assemble a Go-bag and a disaster supply kit for your home and vehicle.
Create and maintain defensible space around homes.
Sign up for emergency notifications for residents and visitors and stay informed.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It was a perfect day, at a perfect location, at a perfect celebration to wrap up what wasn't such a perfect senior year of high school.

On Friday afternoon, one by one, the South Tahoe and Mt. Tallac High School seniors stepped out of their decorated cars amidst cheering from teachers and staff. They sent the students onto the red carpet, down the stairs to more cheering, and dancing, and more red carpet, as they made their way onto a ski lift at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

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.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Intensive Spanish Summer Institute (ISSI) at Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) is a one-week award-winning Spanish immersion experience. Normally held in person in South Lake Tahoe, this year it is a week-long virtual event through Zoom July 27 - July 31 and August 3 - August 7.

The Tahoe Chamber has announced the 2020 list of 40 Under 40 honorees. The 40 Under 40 program highlights and honors the South Shore's brightest young community leaders and business professionals’ accomplishments, community involvement, and leadership.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Given the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 and how open or not the state of California may be in the months to come, Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) has announced its Summer and Fall quarter class formats that will allow high-quality education to continue in the safest manner possible.

The Tahoe Prosperity Center will be holding a free and brief webinar on Financial Literacy in light of the financial impact Covid-19 is having on households in the Lake Tahoe community.

The webinar will be this Thursday, April 30 at 4:00 p.m. It is open to all residents in the Tahoe Basin that are interested in learning how to create or refine their personal budgeting skills.

The focus will be on how to track income versus expenses and will provide some simple tools and resources to help you create your own budget and spending plan.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It has been a few weeks (though it may seem like months) since business shut their doors, nonessential workers were asked to stay home and nonessential travel came to a screeching halt in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Governor Newsom said it was a possibility two weeks ago, California’s schools chief Tony Thurmond recommended the state’s public schools prepare to provide distance learning through the end of their school years on Tuesday, and now today, it became a reality in South Lake Tahoe.

El Dorado County Office of Education (EDCOE) announced they are taking a safety-first approach and immediate action to extend the school facility closures through the end of the school year.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With "Stay at Home" orders from the state down to the local government, many are learning to adjust to the things they took for granted just a month ago.

One of those is a trip to the grocery store.

Even with all South Lake Tahoe grocery stores open, it doesn't mean it should be shopping as normal, a.k.a. "pre-coronavirus days."

Most households don't have refrigerator or freezer space, or even cupboard space to not have to make a run to the grocery store once in a while. But the fewer trips one makes, the better it is to remain safe and virus-free.

There is a lot of “yoga” out there right now. A boom has occurred and every gym, fitness spot, grassy area, and the beach are now offering “yoga.” There are live streams, videos, Youtube channels, memberships, subscriptions and more. Learn to differentiate between those that are Yoga and the rest.

What Is Yoga?

There are 8 specific aspects of the practice of Yoga. When all are included, you are practicing Yoga.
1) Yama: Restraint/Direction/Control
2) Niyama: Observation/Self Control

After a gangbuster start to the winter season, a lot of us in Tahoe are wondering where all the snow has gone. Sitting here at the end of February with snowpack numbers dwindling, snow lovers are chomping at the bit, waiting to see the storm track shift back our way.

Still, the mountains have been buzzing with activity as skiers and snowboarders race to the mountains to enjoy what natural snow we’ve received and are ever thankful for the assist from local resorts’ snowmaking operations.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Youth participating in SOS Outreach participated in a leadership evening on Thursday evening where they listened to a panel of three South Lake Tahoe leaders and learned about how to create positive change in breakout sessions.

SOS Outreach is a national youth development nonprofit that mentors at-risk and underserved youth with positive adults through outdoor activities. Youth in their fourth year of the mentor program have been building and practicing leadership skills and other life skills over the past years and were chosen to participate on Thursday.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Wednesday, February 5, Ashley Collard, RN, BSN, was honored by Barton Health with the international DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses. A nurse in the Medical/Surgery Department at Barton Memorial Hospital, Ashley’s compassion and skill received sincere gratitude from a patient’s family, and a nomination to be this quarter’s DAISY Award® winner.

With ski break coming up in two weeks and winter formal dance on Saturday, some students at South Lake Tahoe High School were busy with senior projects, while the basketball team travels to Dayton.

On Campus
New term means new classes. Seniors that are enrolled in English or independent senior project this term began work this week. Here are some of the senior project proposals:

Tyler Pevenage is focusing on the performance of yoga. “I will be learning about something that, in the future, I can implement and use in my life.”

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Board of Education will hold a Special Board Meeting on Friday, January 24 at 10:00 a.m.

The open session meeting is a workshop for the trustees and will be facilitated by Cummings & Associates (CAAC), the consulting firm they approved to conduct a holistic analysis of the district’s organizational health. The group is not charging for their services and were recommended by Leadership Associates, the executive search firm being used by LTUSD for their superintendent search.