Thanks to our incredible community, during the March 22, 2025 Auction Gala we raised an outstanding $400K dedicated to the Lycée Cantine Project!

Fresh, Healthy, and Culturally Inspired Meals for Every Student

The 2024-2025 Fund for the Future was focused on PHASE 1 of the Lycée Cantine project. This initiative is to provide all students at all our campuses with access to fresh, healthy, and culturally inspired meals available for purchase. So we can celebrate French and International gastronomy. 

What we envision

• Scratch-cooked meals: Offer daily delivery of nutritious and diverse meals to all three campuses, emphasizing fresh, whole ingredients.
• Cooking classes: Teach students to cook and inspire a love for healthy, diverse foods.
• A Chef-in-Residence program: Collaborate with chefs to inspire students and enrich the Cantine experience.
• Local food industry partnerships: Work with producers and culinary experts to enhance the quality, appeal, and sustainability of meals while providing benefits for students, the community, and the environment.

What it takes

At the heart of this initiative is a professional-grade scratch-kitchen at our Ashbury campus.

• Design, plans, & permitting
• Modern equipment 
• Refrigeration, storage, wash stations  
• A dedicated delivery system
• A skilled chef and their staff

This scratch-kitchen will allow us to prepare meals from locally sourced ingredients - including fruit, vegetables, legumes, meat, and fish – that are fresh and flavorful, as well as affordable.

Financial goal

The total cost of the Lycée Cantine project is estimated between $800,000 and $1 million. 

• 2025 Fund for the Future: Raised $400,000 to build the professional grade kitchen
• 2026 Fund for the Future: Raise $400,000
  • launch and run the program until it is self-sustaining. 

With your support only, we can reach these milestones. 

With this accomplishment, the LFSF Sustainable Development Program will empower every LFSF student to understand how our actions affect our environment, with a clear sense of how we can make a positive impact.

To this end, the LFSF continues to create, develop, and disseminate a sustainable development curriculum in the classroom and throughout its institutional practices with a school-wide sustainability plan.

We believe students need to see the LFSF as a role model institution for addressing sustainability issues by visibly demonstrating solutions. To this effect, the sustainability committees composed of students, faculty, staff, and parents have identified and are implementing Green Projects across campuses, grade levels and classrooms:

• We are converting to LED lighting with sensors in all campus classrooms: 

Impact: optimizing lighting with a dual focus on health and energy efficiency to lead to a more conducive and sustainable learning environment, benefiting the well-being of occupants and the school's operational efficiency with saving at a minimum 82% of power.

• We have solar paneled aquaponics aquarium

Impact: a visual and hands on sustainable and self contained ecosystem

• We have water cisterns

Impact: reducing water consumption, alleviating strain on local water sources, and serving as an educational tool for students to learn about water conservation.

• We have greenwalls

Impact: improving indoor air quality, reducing noise levels, and creating a more pleasant and calming atmosphere

• We are improving the Sausalito Garden

• We  have Class, Group, and Club on going projects

  • Partnerships with Matter of Trust, Ridwell, SF Environment, Zero Waste from Marin 

  • Stationary Bike to generate energy

  • Sample Solar panels

  • Plants in all classrooms

  • We have secured Green Certifications such as Labellisation EFE3D (établissements français de l'étranger en démarche de développement durable) and California Green Ribbon.

    • The EFE3D (Établissement Français à l'Étranger en Démarche de Développement Durable) is an AEFE (Agency for French Education Abroad) program that promotes sustainable development in French schools globally. It aims to integrate sustainability into school culture, operations, and education, encouraging eco-friendly practices, student education on sustainability, and community involvement in sustainability initiatives.
      
      The LFSF was awarded the Level 3 EFE3D label, the highest recognition within this program. Congratulations to the students, teachers, staff, and parents for this outstanding achievement!

Ultimately, the LFSF aims to improve our ability to empower students at all grade levels over the course of their education as empathic and informed citizens who act on solutions big and small to address sustainable development.

Research references:

Byers, T., Imms, W., & Hartnell-Young, E. (2018). Comparative analysis of the impact of traditional versus innovative learning environments on student attitudes and learning outcomes. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 58, 167–177.

Byers, T., Mahat, M., Liu, K., Knock, A., & Imms, W. (2018). A systematic review of the effects of learning environments on student learning outcomes. Innovative Learning Environments & Teacher Change.

Hardiman, M., & Denckla, M. B. (2012). The brain-targeted teaching model for 21st-century schools. Corwin.

Sakiz, G., Pape, S. J., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2012). Does perceived teacher affective support matter for middle school students in mathematics classrooms? Journal of School Psychology, 50(2), 235–255.

Immordino-Yang, M. H., & Damasio, A. (2007). We feel, therefore we learn: The relevance of affective and social neuroscience to education. Mind, Brain, and Education, 1(1), 3–10.

FUND FOR FUTURE 2020-21 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

2020 set us back, but sometimes one step back allows for two steps forward. The LFSF recognizes that achieving Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) requires constant and consistent efforts because “change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”  - Martin Luther King. 

This is why the LFSF Board of Trustees set out to actively make DEIJ a priority and make them the pillars of our school's culture. We aim to dismantle inequality on a systemic and systematic level.

Research shows, and we know in our hearts, that greater DEIJ is critical to children being happier, open-minded, respectful, empathetic, and more curious and successful in their lives. It helps them build confidence and adaptability in their ever-changing environment and prepares them to realize their potential and positively impact their world. 

Accomplishing this tenet of the LFSF Mission is a true gift that we wish to offer to all of our students, our school, and our community.  

Fund for the Future is a live auction fundraiser that takes place during the gala. It funds a specific project with the goal of providing long-term improvements to existing or new programs.

Strength lies in differences, not in similarities’ - Stephen R. Covey

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are at the heart of the LFSF Mission, where future generations are empowered through a multilingual and multicultural education that emphasizes intellectual curiosity, critical thinking,  integrity and compassion to make meaningful contributions to our increasingly globalized world.  

The LFSF believes that living together is better when we understand and value our differences, treat each other equitably, and everyone has a seat at the table.  The National French Education curriculum and Social-Emotional programs like Madame Pacifique and Living Together; events like Diversity Week; or student training such as the Student Diversity and Leadership Conference, all build DEI into the daily life of our school.

Yet, the LFSF recognizes that achieving DEI requires constant and consistent efforts because “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”  - Martin Luther King. 

This is why the Board of Trustees has chosen to set the promotion of DEI as a Strategic goal for the next five years. We will, therefore, deepen our commitment to embed and sustain DEI in our students’ learning experience at LFSF. 

With your help the 2020 Fund for the Future will: 

• Integrate DEI into the curriculum across all grades and campuses; 

• Fund more frequent training for all staff, students, and parents; 

• Create new partnerships with organizations focused on these topics; 

• Support campus initiatives to incorporate DEI into their daily activities.

As research shows and as we know in our hearts, greater DEI is critical to our children being happier, more curious, open-minded, respectful and empathetic, and more successful and effective in their careers and lives. It helps them build confidence and adaptability in their ever-changing environment and prepares them to realize their potential and positively impact their world. Accomplishing this tenet of the LFSF Mission is a true gift that we wish to offer to all our students, our school, and our community.

• Sustain. We provide students, teachers, and staff the opportunity to work on collaborative projects, with a purpose, as all learn and improve hard skills in our Innovation Lab. Our students have had access to coding and entrepreneurship projects where they have proven themselves. Guided by our Innovation Lab Coordinator, we seek to update our iLab with tech materials and continue participating in workshops and competitions.
• Expand. We develop the Design Thinking process to encompass social emotional learning, through continued involvement in experiential learning activities. This, to help students develop their soft skills such as self-awareness, self management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.

• Our teachers and staff attending workshops, the LFSF hosting specialists in social emotional learning and following up with support materials and resources.
• Physically improving classroom spaces where students empathize, define, ideate, explore, and test their creativity as social, emotional, and naturally curious beings.

This school year Fund for the Future is going to enhance our Sports Enrichment Programs.

Sports and games enhance children's mental and physical growth as well as strengthen their social assets. Sports are all about discipline, responsibility, self-confidence, accountability, and teamwork.

On the Ashbury and Sausalito campuses, each class level will follow a specific program:

ASHBURY

• PS - MS | Biking – Mindfulness - Swimming
• GS | Swimming -  Circus Acrosport 
• 1^st  Gr. | Swimming - Judo – Racket Sports  
• 2^nd Gr. | Swimming - Judo - Climbing - Dance 
• 3^rd Gr. | Nautical Activities - Dance
• 4^th Gr. | Nautical activities - Tchouk Ball 
• 5^th Gr. | Circus – Biking - Rollerblading 
• Resurfacing of the play yard and tracing courts. 

SAUSALITO

• PS – MS – GS | Biking  
• ^st Gr. |  Tennis - Mini Golf
• 2^nd Gr. |  Kite - Climbing  
• 3^rd Gr. | Sailing - Kayaking  
• 4^th Gr. | Rowing - Rollerblading  
• 5^th Gr. | Mountain Biking - Ping-Pong 

ORTEGA

• Climbing Wall 
• CIF: Membership and participation in the California Interscholastic Federation which  governs interscholastic athletics, promoting equity, quality, character and academic development.
   

Two of the priorities of the AEFE's sports policy are the APPN (outdoor physical activities) and membership in sports leagues. Climbing is part of the APPN and is becoming a priority.

Climbing is a vector for the development of logical, psychological and physical abilities. It allows work on projection in space, anticipation, decision-making, confidence in oneself and in one's partner, responsibility, commitment while safe, flexibility and coordination while providing adrenaline.

DONATE to the Fund for the future

In 2016 the Fund for the Future focused on strengthening our outstanding cultural program by emphasizing performing arts. Theater, Dance, Music, Circus, Choir, TLF- Théâtre du Lycée Français de San Francisco renovation! Performing arts inspire children to express their creativity.

CELEBRATE PERFORMING ARTS netted over $214,000! DONATE NOW!

$100,000 DEDICATED TO LYCÉE FRANÇAIS DE SAN FRANCISCO THEATER :

It is a fantastic tool for our students and our community. It will benefit from re-upholstering, sound and lighting upgrades, wing separators, a new technical booth, and is on track to host a ciné club with a new projector and screen.

THE MUSIC ROOMS

at the three campuses are receiving enhanced equipment such as instruments, ipads and headphones, music stands, stack chairs with tablets and sound/playback equipment.

ARTISTIC PERFORMANCES OF STUDENTS FROM PRE-K TO 12TH GRADE

will benefit from additional music, dance, and theater programs, from cinema class options for all grades, to circus arts activities and on-site theater workshops.

THE LOWER CAMPUSES WILL BENEFIT FROM A COMBINATION OF INFRASTRUCTURAL CHANGES

to ameliorate current performance spaces, including curtain separations, set material, new stage platforms and a mobile sound system. They will also receive mobile theatre sets with additional costumes, portable props and set material to enhance classroom-based performances.

Did you know the FACTS?

A 10 year National Study conducted by Stanford University found that children involved in highly effective performing arts programs were:

• 400% more likely to win academic awards and be on the honor roll.
• 800% more likely to receive a community service award.
• 400 % more likely to score higher than peers on the SAT's
• 400% more likely to participate in a science or math fair.