La Scuola International School is a private, Preschool - Grade 8 independent school in San Francisco soon to be expanding to the Peninsula with the opening of a new Campus in East Palo Alto this Spring. 

The school founded its preschool, La Piccola Scuola Italiana,  in 2002 and has earned awards and accolades for its work with Reggio Children in Italy as a leading example of the Reggio Emilia pedagogy in North America.  In 2012, the school expanded its curriculum through grade 8 and is the only school in San Francisco to offer the International Baccalaureate program for the elementary and middle school years as well as the only school in the world to offer a program that blends Reggio Emilia, the International Baccalaureate and Italian language immersion. 

The mission of the school is to inspire brave learners to shape the future. The school does this by believing steadfastly in children’s innate ability to learn and by challenging them academically, creatively and innovatively in an environment that is intentionally designed to elicit creativity and curiosity from those that work there. 

Its language immersion program helps children to develop cognitive skills as well as empathy and awareness of the world around them. The school’s  multicultural and diverse community esteems different perspectives and experiences and strives to educate the global citizens and leaders of tomorrow.

La Scuola International School is accredited by NAIS, CAIS, WASC and CIS and is one of two  Italian schools recognized by the Italian government in the United States.

We believe our community thrives through diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and realities. Only through a persistent drive to listen and learn from one another, create and promote equitable opportunities and to continue to reflect and evolve will we be able to establish systems which will address the needs of the one and the many.

The Atelierista usually has a background in visual arts (or dance, engineering, science, etc).  The role entails supporting children’s creativity and learning in the 100 languages of children.  The Atelierista will be working with children alone and alongside staff in classrooms and the Atelier, to provide experiences and provocations for the children and to observe and document the learning process in detail.  The Atelierista works to implement the IB Curriculum within the Reggio Emilia philosophy.

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for oversight of atelier space in Early Childhood, and the operation of the Atelier, plus management of digital Atelier.
• Design and develop the Art Curriculum for Early Childhood students including the learning outcomes that maximize creative experiences using a wide variety of media to encourage ideas, exploration and questions and to help children express themselves creatively in as many ways possible.
• Produce display documentation, booklets and films on projects and learning experiences that happen in the classroom
• Support in-house training and resources to faculty on the Reggio Emilia approach to encourage learning through creative expression
• Prepare assessments of students/faculty, attend meetings, conferences and curriculum nights, presents and prepares materials for various events
• Ongoing assessment and documentation of the group dynamic, as well as individual developmental progress toward group and individual goals is required.   
• In addition, effective communication among LA SCUOLA staff and with parents is of central importance: a weekly bulletin (Momenti) describing classroom activities is required for all classes.  The weekly bulletin will also explain why the described activities are chosen and what children are learning through them. 

Responsibilities include:

• Working with students on creative experiences using a wide variety of media to encourage ideas, exploration and questions.
• Helping children express themselves creatively in as many ways possible.
• Teaching new creative skills to staff and children.
• Working with staff to interpret and document children’s work.
• Introducing provocative and intelligent materials into the classroom and occasionally giving training on how to use them.
• Supporting in-house training  and resources to faculty on the Reggio Emilia approach how to provide creative experiences.
• Producing display documentation, booklets and films on projects and learning experiences that happen in the classroom.
• Creating an aesthetic environment in the ateliers and around the school and influencing the aesthetic environment in both campuses
• Collecting images, books, interesting objects, intelligent materials for the atelier.
• Use technology as an extension of the creative process
• Communicating and presenting to others and influencing others regarding all of the above, as required
• Ensuring your own continued professional development, with support as required
• Managing the Digital Atelier with support from other members of staff
• Developing and curating the end of year School Exhibit

 Qualifications

• Requires Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education, Early Childhood Education  or closely related field
• Requires 24 months of teaching experience with Reggio Emilia Approach
• Proficiency in Italian language 
• Background check with DOJ livescan

Position receives excellent benefits, including medical, vision and dental coverage. The school also offers group life insurance, employer-matched retirement, long-term disability insurance and commuter benefits. Other fringe benefits include PTO, paid holidays, daily warm lunch and outstanding professional development.

To be considered for the position, please apply here with a letter of intent, a resume and a minimum of 3 references. More information about our school can be found here https://www.lascuolasf.org/. 

Non-Discrimination Policy

In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at La Scuola will be based on merit, qualifications and abilities. La Scuola does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, marital status, veteran status, physical or mental disability (actual or perceived), medical condition, genetic characteristics, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by state, federal or local law. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including hiring, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, layoff, promotion, transfer and access to benefits and training. If you feel you may have been discriminated against on the basis of sex or would like more information, please contact Dani Sollberger, Director of Administration, by email or 415-558-9006 or by mail at 728 20th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107.