Private Elementary School in Incline Village, Lake Tahoe
A careful balance of structure and freedom characterizes each day in the LTS Kindergarten – grade 5 program. The children benefit from individual opportunities to create and problem-solve with developmentally appropriate instruction and a supportive teaching staff. As academic demands increase, the continuous goal to instill in students the love of learning remains a focus.
Milestones to look forward to: Kindergarteners learn that they can read and write during the school year. They learn to love the process of learning with both math and reading/writing projects. A lot of the kindergarten year is spent exploring what it means to be part of a learning community.
Field Trips: The Kindergarten class visits the Discovery Museum in Reno, the Incline Village fire station and the Fleischmann Planetarium. Kindergarteners have also gone cross country skiing.
What makes Kindergarten at LTS special: Ms. Laurel loves teaching and spending her days with kids. The class has fun, challenges themselves, and celebrates successes small and large!
Milestones to look forward to: In this year, first graders learn to read and write in a variety of genres. They learn to think of themselves as a "student" and feel proud of their academic strengths.
Field Trips: First graders go to the Animal Ark after writing non-fiction reports on animals. They have also gone on different hikes after learning about Native Americans or when writing poetry.
What makes 1st Grade at LTS special: Ms. Christina loves teaching and loves the first grade age group. She wants every kid in her class to feel like she really knows and likes them as individuals, and that she will work hard to make their time together as fun, special, and productive as possible.
Milestones to look forward to: Second grade is an incredible year for kids! Our second graders study multiplication, division, and cursive. They have a special focus on math by using a currency system to earn money to use at the Second Grade class store.
Field Trips: While the field trips may vary each year, the big event for Second Grade is the class campout and school sleepover at the end of the year!
What makes 2nd Grade at LTS special: The Second Grade classroom is a kind, supportive, hard-working, and fun place to learn! Ms. Diana wants to make sure that every child feels cared for and supported to do their best.
Milestones to look forward to: Growth in independence and personal responsibility is a key milestone for third graders. They develop a shift from learning to read to reading to learn, and develop a mastery of multiplication and division.
Field Trips: The third grade science overnight, hiking trails and vistas, and visits to the art museum all support classroom learning while enjoying our amazing area.
What makes 3rd Grade at LTS special: The third grade classroom promotes learning through a supportive, encouraging environment. Students are comfortable taking risks and learning through a variety of modalities. Differentiated work is completed through traditional methods as well as hands-on projects.
Milestones to look forward to: Fourth grade is an exciting year! Students are becoming more independent and are able to engage more fully in their academic process.
Field Trips: Our students take many local trips in fourth grade. Examples include the Reno Art Museum, Reno Philharmonic, UNR Seismic Lab, Spooner Lake, and Sugar Pine Foundation Planting. These trips are designed to take learning outside and to gain deeper understandings of their studies. In the spring, fourth graders go to Coloma Outdoor Discovery School in James Marshall Discovery State Park in California. This trip culminates their studies of the gold rush. Students spend three days and two nights immersed in Gold Rush history.
What makes 4th Grade at LTS special: Room 204 is a cheerful and welcoming space for all learners. Materials are differentiated to support diverse learners and students are given many opportunities for academic choice during the year.
Milestones to look forward to: Fifth grade students are the leaders of the Lower School and as such are expected to set a good example by making positive social and intellectual choices. Fifth graders are encouraged to take on more independence and ownership of their daily learning opportunities across the curriculum by taking learning seriously and politely advocating for themselves when they need some extra support.
Field Trips: Reno Philharmonic, Nevada Museum of Art, snowshoe day trip, local trail work day, camping and white water rafting expedition on the American River.
What makes 5th Grade at LTS special: Fifth grade students enjoy frequent opportunities to work collaboratively and may join any or all of the Lake Tahoe School interscholastic athletic teams.