learning

To the Editor,

The 2014 Fall Aging & Caregiver Series will be given for the next six weeks in South Lake Tahoe. This six week series of classes are designed to provide instruction and support for caregivers who are, or are planning to, care for a family member or friend age 60 or older.

All classes are held at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel (formerly Embassy Suites) from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Participants must register by calling 530-621-6369 or 800-510-2020. Free in-Home respite is available to qualified caregivers. Pre-authorization is required for respite services.

The Board of Trustees, students, faculty and staff of Lake Tahoe Community College recognize the serious health problems associated with smoking tobacco and other non-tobacco products and the use of smokeless tobacco. The college also recognizes that tobacco smoke poses a health risk to non-smokers. In order to protect students and staff who choose not to smoke from an unhealthy environment, the LTCC Board of Trustees approved a new policy that prohibits smoking within buildings or facilities owned or leased by the District, and designates marked outside areas on campus for smoking.

Camp Richardson will be turned into an agricultural center on September 16 when over 500 third and fourth graders from South Lake Tahoe take part in the 2nd Annual Tahoe Farm Day.

Tahoe Farm Day is an all day field trip where the students learn about the wide variety of regional agriculture. Over 30 volunteer presenters bring agriculture alive for students through creative, interactive activities that feature fruits, vegetables and farm animals as well as concepts of healthy eating, nutrition, and stewardship of the land.

Lake Tahoe Community College gained the support of the South Lake Tahoe City Council today in their pursuit of $55,000,000 in bond funds through Measure F. The Council voted unanimously to adopt the support resolution.

Dr. Kindred Murillo, Superintendent/President of the Lake Tahoe Community College District, was on hand at Tuesday's City Council meeting to provide an explanation of what the bond would mean to the South Shore community and answer any questions the five council members had.

Lake Tahoe Community College has selected Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District Chief Ben Sharit as its Distinguished Alumni Award winner for 2014.

Studies show that an average of 4.6% of a population are in need of services to treat a serious mental illness at any given time. That number doubles in a population where people live below 200% of the poverty level (an annual income of $23,340 for 1 person, $47,700 for a family of 4 for example).

With the current population of El Dorado County at approximately 181,000, that means anywhere between 8,329 and 16,114 people are in need of Mental Health Services.

Thanks to Tahoe Maritime Museum and a generous grant from the Lana Vento Charitable Trust, there is an exciting opportunity at the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe this summer. During the first weeks of summer a selected group of teen members will work together with Tahoe Maritime Museum volunteers to build Kaholo Stand Up Paddleboards from Chesapeake Light Craft.

For every day a student misses school it costs the Lake Tahoe Unified School District about $60 in lost revenue. With a budget centered around an average attendance of 95%, every time the figures dip below the average, it is a concern not only for the student's learning experience, but also for an already tight budget.

Walking down the aisle on the South Tahoe High School football field is a long standing tradition for graduating seniors.

While that tradition is in tact, the way caps and gowns are handled are changing.

Changes in the California Education Code - EC 49010(a) - now classify the graduation ceremonies as a educational activity which mandates students can no longer be charged a fee for the required cap and gown purchase.

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.

Does it provide an array of books that are available at your fingertips?

Does it provide children's story times and age appropriate books?

Does is offer free public computers?

Whatever it means to you, the South Lake Tahoe library keeps providing what the community needs and is always evolving to be what is needed for the future. Over the next few weeks we'll be looking into the library, its services, and how it fills a need in the community and how June's Measure L affects its future.

This year, Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) is celebrating its 40th year of serving the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding communities. In my three years working at LTCC, it is clear to me that the college is here in this beautiful location because a group of dedicated people had a vision of higher education in Tahoe, and the determination to make sure it happened. We are now at a crossroads due to changes in funding, community college priorities, and statutes.

Location

The Friends of the SLT Library present "Astronomy for Everyone: Size & Scale of the Universe", an exciting family program for all ages about the universe, from the very small to the very large. This program will be help on May 6 at 6 pm at the SLT Library on Rufus Allen Blvd.

With an out of this world slide presentation followed by a question and answer sessions for inquiring minds.

Location

John Cocores had forgotten about submitting photos to an online casting call hosted by Microsoft. That is, until this week when the computer software giant contacted him about using his photos for the background on computers as well as wallpaper that can be purchased by users.

Discover new ways to advertise at TahoeChamber’s Media Mixer on February
27 at The Landing Resort and Spa at 5:30pm. This special mixer will include exclusive members-­‐only advertising packages for print, television
and radio from TahoeChamber’s media partners.

In a community where the economy and weather affect jobs and business levels, perhaps no better indicator is the number of South Lake Tahoe school students who are dependent on the free or reduced cost school lunch program.

Currently, 61.8% of all students are on these programs in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, ranging from a high of 81.3% of the students at Tahoe Valley Elementary to a low of 19.3% at the Environmental Science Magnet School.

A ban on single use plastic bags goes into effect in the city limits of South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, January 15, 2014.

Local grocery stores have been preparing for the new ordinance which was voted on by the City Council on October 15, 2013.

Network television meteorologists from around the country will head to South Lake Tahoe for a leading national weather conference January 8-11, 2014 and two of the sessions are open to the public.

Tahoe South's Annual Operation Sierra Storm Meteorologist's Conference features leading scientists and experts discussing newsworthy topics and trends.

Are you, or do you know, a high school student that is interested in learning more about science? Would you like to add a great experience onto your college resume while having a great time?

High school students interested in science can apply for the Youth Science Institute (YSI) program by January 10th, 2014. This afterschool program is offered on Wednesday evenings from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences in Incline Village beginning January 22nd and running through May, 2014.

Benjamin Wade and Christian DeLeon were hired as the new LTCC soccer coaches at Tuesday night's Lake Tahoe Community College Board meeting. Both coaches will head up the newly established intercollegiate soccer program at the college. Wade will be the men's head coach and DeLeon the women's.

Justin, Lauren and their crew invite you to stop by for drinks and a sampling of their specialty pizzas on Wed, Nov. 6th from 4-6pm for their one-year anniversary ribbon cutting. Justin & Lauren Gresh met in Laguna Beach and were married a few years later. They had an idea of what they wanted their life to look like together. They wanted to own and operate a small business where they could incorporate their love of the outdoors, bicycling, community and great NY style pizza, all in one.

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.

The Sugar Pine Foundation's goal is to save the Sugar Pine and White Pine trees from blister rust in Lake Tahoe by educating and and involving the community in hands-on forest stewardship.

The group has several opportunities this fall to help save the trees by planting seedling in areas around the lake. 850 seedlings have already been planted this fall and more will be planted at the following events: