Our Program Goals are the Four Pillars of Achievement

Strong Catholic Values
Prayer, education, service to others
   Biliteracy
Understanding, speaking, reading and writing in Spanish and English
Academic Excellence Multitask, adjust quickly to change, maintain focus, and develop creativity

Cultural Awareness
Accept, value, and respect other cultures

How much classroom instruction is in Spanish or English?
Starting at the preschool level, classroom instruction will be 90% Spanish and 10% English.  This will change by 10% annually.

Will my student learn the same content being taught in other grade level classrooms?
Yes. We will be teaching to the same diocesan standards that all Bishop Heelan Catholic Schools use.  The difference is that these standards will be taught mostly in Spanish in the younger grade levels.  Teachers will be using many strategies to assure students are understanding the content and reaching their standards goals.  

What does an ideal dual language classroom look like?
The ideal classroom ratio of students is 50% native English speakers and 50% native Spanish speakers.  This creates a classroom environment where both languages are well represented and supported. All dual language teachers are bilingual and students are with the same teacher the entire school year.

Which grade levels are included?

Preschool and kindergarten enrollment is open for this fall, 2019-2020 school year.

• Each year one grade will be added to our program until the Dual Language  Academy has grades preschool through fifth grade.
• As students move on to middle and high school, the Dual Language Academy Pillars of Achievement will be supported.