Additional FAQ

As shared in the first day of school email, we have secured an additional white zone in front of the San Carlos Church on South Van Ness and we will retain our current white zone on Shotwell. For the duration of the 2024-25 school year and project, 18th street will no longer be used as a white zone as it will become a staging area and will be occupied by contractors. Updates to Mission drop-off and pick-up procedures can be found here in detail and you are always welcome to reach out to admink8@lascuolasf.org with any specific questions. We encourage students to arrive and depart from school on foot or via bikes or scooters to further ease the traffic and facilitate smooth drop-off and pick-up operations.

Students will start the 2024-25 school year in the classroom they will be in for the whole school year. Other spaces they use during the school day i.e., art, breakout spaces, recess, and lunch areas, may vary once construction begins and will be communicated in advance to families and students. We know that children are more adaptable than us, and they are resilient and will lead us through the change. The team has worked hard to plan for the least impact on students as possible.

In January 2024, we opened the remodeled gymnasium and auditorium for our students to play basketball and volleyball, enjoy PE classes, and host musical and drama performances. On the second floor, we have remodeled and opened beautiful new ateliers for upper elementary and middle school students and space for faculty and administrative offices. We look forward to welcoming parents and community members to events at San Carlos!

We are exploring local community parks and gardens, private outdoor spaces and indoor garden options and hope to share an update with our community very soon. The team has planned to make the best use of the outdoor space both at St.Charles to ensure students continue to be engaged in outdoor education. We’ve recently set up our first indoor vertical garden! The outdoor garden will become available again a few months after construction of the new building is complete. If you have any contacts in the neighborhood or ideas we always welcome them!

P.E. classes will largely take place in the San Carlos gym. Some of our younger students may also do P.E. activities like dance, yoga, and movement in their own classrooms and, occasionally and weather permitting, P.E. classes will take place at In Chan Kaajal park. Any time students leave the main campus, as is current practice, they are accompanied by at least two adults.

The Build Group will have 3 - 5 individuals on site daily who work closely on the project and will be our main point of reference. These individuals have completed their LiveScan background checks with the school which is a digital fingerprint submission to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Any visitors to campus who will be entering the school building will be checked in through the school’s visitor management system. The construction area will be separate from the school buildings and unless otherwise planned in advance and as part of the learning and supervised by faculty, students will not be in contact with construction workers or third parties.

One modular classroom (which houses two classrooms and has not been used) will be removed right before construction begins . The remaining two modular units, which house three classrooms, will be used on a daily basis for the duration of construction and removed once the new building is in place to allow relocation of our garden/outdoor play space.

• Healthy Materials: Low / No VOC materials, Natural materials , Exposed Structure, Durability
• Energy Efficiency: Solar-ready, All-electric, High-performance Heating & Cooling, Daylight & LED Lighting
• Connection to Nature: Outdoor Terraces, Stormwater Gardens, Native Plantings, Permeable Surfaces 
• Embodied Energy: Construction Waste Diversion, Minimized Excavation, Low-embodied Carbon Concrete, Exposed Structure

• More space and a variety of ateliers (studios focused on science, art, design, music etc), benefiting students and teachers alike by expanding their educational horizons and opportunities to explore
• The capacity to educate more students, increasing the number of future critical thinkers and lifelong learners 
• Increased revenue which creates financial thrivability and provides the funding to grant tuition assistance to a greater number of students, further diversifying our student community and supporting local students and families 
• The ability to beautify more of our local Mission community, bringing added vitality to the neighborhood
• A space that fully matches our Reggio Emilia pedagogy and inquiry based learning

Please reach out to Build Group directly at OutreachLASC@buildgc.com (the school will also be notified) or via phone at 415.562.5875.