DUAL LANGUAGE IMMERSION

Dual Language Immersion Program

(beginning with Preschool 4 during the 2024-2025 school year)

(beginning with Kindergarten during the 2025-2026 school year)

Click HERE to Register for the Dual Language Immersion Program.

Partnership with the University of Notre Dame and the Archdiocese of Chicago

The University of Notre Dame has secured a generous grant to help our school grow a Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program. This program will not replace our existing Preschool through 8th grade classrooms. Instead, it will mean adding a dual language classroom, one year at a time, beginning with a PK-4 dual language class next year. Over the course of the next decade, we will grow into 2 classrooms per grade, one a traditional English class and the other a dual language Spanish immersion class.

We are grateful to the University of Notre Dame and the Archdiocese of Chicago for entrusting our school with this unique and exciting opportunity. We will work in close collaboration with faculty and staff from the University of Notre Dame to ensure the success of this program for years to come.

What is the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program?

The DLI program is a form of bilingual education in which students are taught literacy and academic content in Spanish and English. It offers a unique opportunity for students to excel academically and learn a second language. Our DLI program will foster:

bilingualism
bi-literacy
enhanced awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity
high levels of academic achievement through instruction in two languages

What are the benefits of the DLI program for students?

Students develop academic proficiency in Spanish and English.
Studies show that students perform as well as or better than their peers in non-dual language classrooms.
All students develop a positive sense of self and an understanding of other cultures.
Students also develop intercultural and global abilities that prepares them to succeed in today’s increasingly competitive global society.

Language allocation by grade level

Program Development and Timeline

One grade level will be introduced per year beginning with Preschool (4-year-old) during the 2024-2025 school year.

St. Cletus School will still offer a traditional track, where students are taught all core subjects in English. For students in the traditional track, they will receive instruction in Spanish during their weekly Spanish class. Specials classes (Gym, Music, Art and Technology) for both DLI and traditional students will be in English.

Please contact our Dual Language Immersion Coordinator, Frank Ochoa, at fochoa@stcletusparish.com or call the school office at 708.352.4820 (ext. 5) with any questions.

Click HERE to visit our Dual Language Immersion Preschool classroom webpage.

Early Childhood Language Intensive Program

Three-year-old preschool students at St. Cletus are receiving daily Spanish instruction through a program that educators describe as a win-win for students, families, and schools.

The Early Childhood Language Intensive Program (ECLIP) provides 30 minutes of daily instruction, aiming to help students both speak and understand Spanish.

What sets ECLIP apart from many elementary school language programs is that students aren’t just learning Spanish—they’re learning in Spanish. The curriculum, developed by the University of Notre Dame, mirrors topics from their English-language lessons, integrating language skills with common early childhood subjects.

Click HERE to visit the University of Notre Dame’s ECLIP page for additional information.

Click on the image below to read an article about our ECLIP program, featured in the Chicago Catholic.

The Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program and the Early Childhood Language Intensive Program (ECLIP) are made possible through the support and guidance of the ALMA initiative, which is part of ACE at the University of Notre Dame.

For over a decade, the Alliance for Catholic Education’s Catholic School Advantage and English as a New Language programs have collaborated to help Catholic schools recruit, enroll, and serve Latino families, while also preparing educators to ensure that culturally and linguistically diverse students succeed in Catholic schools.

Language