School Overview
Our Mission and Philosophy
Alvarado is more than a school; it is a community. We are a school of languages, a school of arts, a school of cultures and social justice. Our mission is to reach and teach the heart and soul of the child through a fertile language experience, math, the arts and sciences. 
We believe community, equity and the transformative power of a challenging education help our students reach their potential. Alvarado offers a quality General Education as well as an award-winning Spanish Immersion program. A resident artist works curriculum into painting and clay projects created in our art room; a science instructor leads the children through experiments in our science lab. We also focus on the social and emotional growth of our students, celebrating our ethnic differences while sharing our Cougar pride.
Academic Program
Our teachers follow the curriculum established by the San Francisco Unified School District. This curriculum is based on Houghton-Mifflin-Lectura for Language Arts, Harcourt Brace for Mathematics, Macmillan for Social Studies, and Foss for Science.
Teachers meet state guidelines for instructional minutes for each core subject area, including 30 minutes of English Language Development. Additionally, Alvarado has purchased and implemented a Junior Great Books Program, which explores a rich selection of literature through shared inquiry and writing activities for all students.
Faculty and Staff
We are extremely fortunate to have an enthusiastic, energetic, and committed group of professionals working at Alvarado. Click here to see a personal statement and bio from our Principal, Robert Broecker.
Parental Involvement
Without our parents, Alvarado would not be the school it is. We expect and encourage families to be involved in the classroom, on field trips, at events or behind the scenes.
Our school has two governing bodies: a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and a School Site Council (SSC). Parents are elected to serve with teachers and staff on the Site Council, and this body decides how money from the district will be spent, among other duties.
Then ten PTA committees sustain and support our arts program, science lab, gardens and academic needs like literacy and technology. The English Language Acquisition Committee (ELAC) is comprised of Spanish-speaking parents and addresses the needs of families learning English.
The Kindergarten Experience
Kindergarteners are gently introduced to the wider school, which, at more than 500 students, can be intimidating.
Each of our four kindergarten classrooms has its own bathroom and drinking fountain, and the students have recess with their grade only.
Every day, each class splits into four groups that rotate through Listening, Reading/Phonics, and Writing and Art centers. Teachers work with small groups of students when student teachers or parent volunteers are available to help other students. We have a program called Book Buddies, which pairs fifth graders with kindergarteners for a once-a-week reading session together. Additionally, kindergarteners (and first graders) take home a bag of books each week and are expected to “review” the books by drawing pictures in an enclosed folder.
Once a week the children rotate through each other’s classrooms, introducing them to other teachers and other students while playing games. The many opportunities to socialize with children of different classrooms in a structured way helps our newest students feel at home.
