Mission Campus Development

The new building project is being paid for through a combination of philanthropic donations from our community and financing. La Scuola’s Board of Directors and internal team are, and have been, hard at work securing funding. The sooner that we are able to raise funds, and the more that we raise, ensures the earliest possible start to construction. Fundraising for the project will continue through construction until we have reached our goal. Tuition is not used to fund this project, or for any other capital expenditures.

As shared in the first day of school email with our parent community, 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 Street. 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. 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.

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 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!

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.

Our October-start timeline grants us the excellent opportunity to use our yard, garden, and deck during August and September, the sunny weeks in San Francisco, our summer! Once construction begins, outdoor space will be reduced to allow a safe distance from construction. Lunch will likely be moved into the classrooms and into the Extended Care area depending on age group.. Recess schedules will be staggered to accommodate smaller groups of students outdoors throughout the day whether at St. Charles, San Carlos or nearby In Chan Kaajal Park.

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 Hall 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.

One modular classroom (which houses two classrooms) 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.

Security is on site daily while students and staff are present in addition to the nightly patrol. Oscar starts early each day to ensure we are ready to start that day. We have put new routines in place to ensure students are well-chaperoned and monitored as they move between St. Charles and San Carlos. Faculty and staff are trained regularly in de-escalation practices, field trip safety and protocol
and we will continue our regular safety checks and drills starting in September, a long-time school practice that we continue to adapt and improve.

La Scuola continues active collaboration with city agencies, neighborhood groups, and other local schools focused on continued improvement to street conditions and safety in the Mission District. Your voice matters, so please continue to write to local agencies and your district supervisor as needed.

Our General Contractor, Build Group, has over 17 years of experience in the city of San Francisco and has worked with many local schools. They are committed to serving local communities and along all the construction phases will prioritize the safety and well-being of the La Scuola community. They are proud to have a stellar safety rating and have selected the team members for this project.

Mitigation measures are required by the city of San Francisco and will be shared in advance with the La Scuola Community to address things like soil movement, air quality, sound, and general impact of the project. Environmental engineers will be assigned and a system put in place to measure air quality due to construction that alerts the team if it should ever go above the established threshold. La Scuola has also done this before on the Dogpatch campus and is familiar with best practices and protocol and how to be vigilant at all times.

Fortunately, minimal demolition is involved, as we were able to demolish the convent building during pandemic closure, and therefore remediation and soil excavation has been reduced to a minimum. Build Group has provided a detailed timeline of the construction, highlighting dust, noise, or vibration peaks and faculty will plan accordingly to minimize the impact on the learning environment.

In addition the chosen foundation approach is based on installed drilled foundation elements, which will significantly reduce noise compared to driven deep foundation piles and peers.