Two Way Immersion

At Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School, everyone is learning a second language. Students are empowered to share their language, which enhances the immersion experience and breaks down cultural barriers.

We are pleased to offer a Spanish-English Two Way Immersion Program for grades preschool – 6. We work in partnership with Boston College and the TWIN CS (Two Way Immersion Network for Catholic Schools). Our program is an 90/10% Two Way Immersion Model in which students learn content in more Spanish in earlier grades and increase instruction in English with each consecutive grade until they reach 50% in English. We have bilingual, self-contained classrooms and our staff teaches their homeroom class in both languages depending on the content. Beginning in kindergarten, students learn to read in both English and Spanish. We enhance the curriculum with cultural studies and authentic texts from Spanish-speaking countries. Our program is regularly evaluated and teachers receive continual, high-quality professional development in language instruction with the support of an experienced mentor.

Program objectives: 

  1. Serve as an authentically bilingual preschool-8th grade school through academics, activities and events.
  2. Prepare students for high school by incorporating best practices, project based learning and high academic expectations.
  3. Produce bilingual, biliterate and culturally aware students who can effectively communicate in a global world.

We are thrilled to partner with the TWIN CS Network. Click HERE for more information on the benefits of Two Way Immersion Programs such as:

  • Language proficiency in both English and Spanish for all students
  • Improved communication ability
  • Enhanced listening skills
  • Exceed performance standards of solo language learners
  • Increased problem solving skills
  • Greater cultural appreciation
  • More prepared for global culture and market

Articles and Research on Dual Language and Two Way Immersion Programs:

“Educationally, it results in excellent outcomes for the students. It also promotes the common good because two-way immersion inherently encourages friendship across cultural boundaries.”

“More English during the day does NOT lead to higher levels of English proficiency or achievement.”

“Two new studies demonstrate that multilingual exposure improves not only children’s cognitive skills but also their social abilities.”

“Dual language learning has been found to be the only method of second language acquisition to facilitate the full closure of the achievement gap between English learners and English speakers in primary and secondary education.”

“To be truly bilingual and biliterate, schools need to be a part of the equation in raising a bilingual child.”