Catholic Dual-Language Instruction

​

St. Procopius Elementary School is Chicago’s only Catholic dual-language (English/Spanish) school. We offer children (pre-kindergarten through eighth grade) a truly unique experience in a faith-based environment firmly grounded in the Catholic tradition of education. As a dual-language school, instruction at St. Procopius is divided between English and Spanish—with instruction predominantly in Spanish in the early years, and transitioning to an even English/Spanish split by the time students reach third grade. The ultimate goal is that, in addition to fulfilling the requirements of the core curriculum, students will be bilingual and bi-literate when they graduate from 8th grade and enroll in high school.

​

Our method of dual-language instruction at St. Procopius makes use of a two-way immersion program in which there is a suitable mix of students whose primary language is English and whose primary language is Spanish. In this manner, students not only learn from their instructors in traditional ways but are also interacting with each other during lessons and learning academic vocabulary that allows them to build bridges of knowledge between both languages.

 

 

Multicultural Immersion

​

Multicultural immersion is a key component of the educational experience at St. Procopius. We are a racially and ethnically diverse community. We celebrate diversity, and we strive for our students not only to have an appreciation of their own culture but also to develop an understanding of other cultures. This is an idea that we believe is a building block for future success, as well as for the development of meaningful interpersonal communication skills in an increasingly smaller and more diverse world.

 

 

Liberal Education

​

At St. Procopius School, one of our most important responsibilities—along with our dual language instruction—is to provide a traditional liberal education incorporating the fundamentals: Language, Reading, Writing, Science, Math, Social Studies, and the Arts. We believe that it is this core content, rooted in Catholic teaching, that provides the basis for a well-rounded education—one that will acquaint students with the full range of their own potential and allow them to develop the knowledge and open-mindedness necessary for choosing the right path for themselves later in life. Just as importantly, we believe that a sound liberal education contributes to the development of the person, preparing one to be a fully-developed individual as well as a responsible member of a larger community.