St. Pius is an inter-dependent community of faculty, staff, students, and their families who form part of the educational ministry of the Church in Atlanta. In teaching foreign languages we extend this ministry so as to educate students to be prepared to communicate successfully in a global society that requires both linguistic competence and cultural awareness. We believe that foreign language study fosters in students an understanding and appreciation of other people’s cultures and ways of thinking.

We believe in the total development of every person. At St. Pius X, students of all ability levels have the opportunity to achieve proficiency in the various language skills. Students of modern languages are afforded the opportunity to use the target language effectively in a range of situations. Students of Latin can gain insight into the deep structure of language through the analysis of Latin grammar and syntax, which provides them a greater understanding of the basic structure of language in general.

1. Communication: Students of all ability levels should have the opportunity to acquire proficiency in the use of any or all the language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), whether the communication takes place face to face or across centuries through the reading of literature.
2. Cultures: Through a study of the cultural contexts in which the language occurs, students will gain insight into the thought patterns and the social institutions of others.
3. Connections: The study of foreign languages will aid in the development of critical thinking skills.  Multilingual students will gain access to a wider variety of new sources of information than would otherwise be available to them.
4. Comparisons: Students will learn how language reflects certain value systems associated with particular behavior patterns in their own culture as well as those of the target culture. In addition, students will come to understand how languages operate as communication systems by comparing their own language with the target language.
5. Community: Students will acquire a means for obtaining an international education.  They will learn to adapt to varied environments and to recognize the values of other communities.

Students whose native language is French or Spanish will not be allowed to enroll in beginning level foreign language courses in their native language. A student is considered a native speaker if one of the following is true:

1. The foreign language is a common means of communication within the family.
2. The student has lived and studied in the foreign country (including military bases) for at least three consecutive years within the last five years, and the student exhibits native or near native fluency.