Juan Diego Academy
A Catholic Two-Way Language and Cultural Immersion Program
Holy Rosary Catholic School, Tacoma, is thrilled to announce the launch of its new Two-Way Spanish and English Language Immersion Program. Beginning with the pre-k and kindergarten classes in fall, 2012, Holy Rosary students will learn through a proven program that promotes true bilingualism and biliteracy, grade-level or higher academic achievement, and positive cross-cultural attitudes and behaviors in all students.
A First for Catholic Schools in the Region
Holy Rosary School is the first two-way immersion Catholic school in Washington. This school has built a cutting-edge curriculum upon a centuries-proven foundation unique to Catholic schools — a foundation centered around core objectives that develop the whole child for future success:
- High Academic Achievement
Catholic schools are renowned for academic excellence, with students consistently scoring in the top third on nationally standardized tests. Ninety-nine percent of Catholic school students finish high school and continue their education.
- Strong Faith, Values and Character
Catholic schools provide an academic environment immersed in faith, where religious instruction takes place throughout the curriculum. Students develop a strong sense of character, confidence, self-worth, and a well-formed moral compass.
- Leadership and Cultural Competency
Catholic school provides a safe environment that welcomes and celebrates diversity, embracing ethnic, cultural, religious and economic differences, and in the process, produces the future leaders of our Church and the community at large.
What is Two-Way Immersion?
In dual language education programs, students are taught literacy and academic content in English and a partner language. Holy Rosary School’s two-way immersion program is a distinctive form of dual language education in which balanced numbers of native English speakers and native Spanish speakers are taught together in the classroom. This results in all students developing full literacy in all subjects in both languages!
Advantages of Two-Way Immersion
(From The Center for Applied Lingustics Two-Way Immersion Toolkit)
- Students develop full oral, reading and writing proficiency in two languages, allowing them to see their first language in a comparative perspective, which helps them analyze and refine their language use.
- Students not only achieve at levels that are similar to or higher than those of their peers enrolled in other programs on standardized tests of reading and math in English, they are also able to read and write at grade level in another language.
- Students develop positive attitudes about students of other cultural backgrounds. They tend to show a great deal of diversity in the friendship choices they make, and they ecome comfortable with speaking the second language and interacting with members of other ethnocultural groups. In a very real sense, these students become more self-confident and are better prepared to engage in a global society.
