Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral - the Greek Orthodox ...

Catechetical Program 2013-2014 

Sunday School Parent Handbook 

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral 

Atlanta, Georgia 

Rev. Father Paul A. Kaplanis, Dean 

Rev. Father Christos P. Mars, Presbyter 

Mr. Elias Lampropoulos, Pastoral Assistant 

Susan Marinos, Sunday School Coordinator 

MISSION 

Our mission is to prepare the children of the Annunciation Cathedral 

to become Christ-centered adults. 

PURPOSE 

The purpose of attending Church on Sunday is to worship God at the Divine Liturgy, 

which is celebrated in the Church’s sanctuary. The purpose of the Catechetical Sunday 

School program is to teach the children all aspects of Orthodox life, as well as to 

promote fellowship with their Orthodox peers and Orthodox community. 

GOAL 

The goal of our Catechetical Sunday School program is to nurture in every child a love 

for God and Christ, and to foster an enduring personal communion with the Holy Trinity. 

Students will worship during liturgical services, study the Holy Scripture, practice the 

Holy Commandments, and honor the Church’s Holy Traditions. 

The Divine Liturgy is the heart of Sunday worship. 

Sunday School is an extension of what we see, hear and do in church.

Registration 

All students must register with the Sunday School in order to be assigned to a class. 

Registration process includes updating your family’s information with our database and a 

donation of $20 per family for registration. 

Only the names of students who have registered will appear on the class rosters, attendance 

sheets, and mailing lists. 

Participation in Sunday School special programs will be open only for registered students. 

Non-registered students are welcome to sit in class, but they cannot participate in any special 

programs, nor receive certificates, awards or graduation diplomas. 

Enrollment for the PreK Classes 

In the PreK classes, the primary goal for the children is for the children to interact with other ageappropriate 

children in an Orthodox environment. 

Placement in the Preschool classes is based on age. No exceptions will be made. 

To be eligible for enrollment into the PreK-A class, the child must be 2 (two) years old by 

September 1 st , 2013. 

To be eligible for enrollment into the PreK-B class, the child must be 3 (three) years old by 


To be eligible for enrollment into the PreK-C class, the child must be 4 (four) years old by 


Parents of PreK students cannot stay in the room during instruction time (see “Separation Anxiety”). 

However, we do request that the parents of the PreK –A class sign up to volunteer your time in the classroom 

helping the lead teacher. This will be done on a rotating basis. The sign-up sheet is on the wall outside of the 

classroom. 

Do not send your children to class with toys. 

Separation Anxiety 

We know that some children are not ready to separate from you, especially at the beginning of 

the year. Our teachers are experienced and know how to handle this situation. Please follow any 

requests and directions that the teachers give you. Do not stay in the class unless the teacher asks 

you. Do not peek in the room (by peering through the glass or opening the door), as this upsets not only 

your child but the other children in the class as well.

Instruction Time Students are expected to attend the Divine Liturgy with their 

parents. 

Students should leave the 2 nd Divine Liturgy IMMEDIATELY following the Prayer of 

Thanksgiving. When the priest says, “Let us be attentive. Having partaken of the divine, holy, 

pure, immortal, heavenly, life giving, and awesome Mysteries of Christ, let us worthily give 

thanks to the Lord.”*Please do not send your child to class after Holy Communion. 

ALL Classes will begin when the first bell rings. Dismissal times will be posted on the door at 

the end of the hallways both upstairs and downstairs. 

Class Dismissal Times: PreKA-5 th Grades will have class for 45 minutes. A dismissal bell will 

ring. This dismissal bell is also a reminder that 6 th -12 th grades have another 15 minutes to wrap 

up their lessons/discussions. A second dismissal bell will ring for the upper grades. 

On special days, listed on the calendar, classes will be modified to 30 minutes. 

A parent must come to the classroom door at dismissal to pick up students in grades PreK-A, 

PreK-B, PreK-C and 1 st Grades. 

Classes will begin with group prayer and announcements. Students should be in their rooms and 

ready to participate at the proper time. 

Please do not leave the church premises during instruction time. If your child needs you, we 

must be able to find you. 

Absolutely NO interruptions during class instruction. 

Adults are to remain in the Cathedral during the Divine Liturgy, after the students report to 

their Sunday School classrooms. Following the Divine Liturgy, adults should gather in Carlos Hall 

until time for dismissal. 

Adults must not gather and socialize in the hallways during instruction time; this creates a major 

distraction for students. 

Parents/organization leaders are NOT to go into classroom to make announcements. All 

announcements will be handled by the Catechetical Sunday School Office Staff. 

Attire 

Children/students must be appropriately dressed for both Sunday School and the Divine Liturgy. 

Boys are asked to wear a neat shirt tucked into trousers. 

Girls are asked to wear a blouse with skirt (not mini or skin tight) or a dress (not mini/skin tight). 

The following clothing is NOT appropriate attire for church and our school: 

Mini skirts or dresses (skirts and dresses must come below the tip of fingers when holding arms 

down at side). 

Strapless or spaghetti strap shirts, halter tops, skin-tight clothing (if worn, wear a sweater over 

these types of clothing). 

T-shirts or tops that expose the midriff area of the body. 

Jeans, pants or skirts that expose the midriff area of the body. 

Any clothing containing words and/or images referencing alcohol, drugs, or inappropriate 

language. 

Beach shoes, flip flops, or sneakers

Behavior 

Any behavior issues will be referred to the Sunday School Office and parents will be contacted. 

A Behavior Plan may be implemented if necessary. 

Attendance Policy 

All teachers take attendance. Teachers mark a “P” for present and a “T” for tardy. 

Four (4) tardies will equal one (1) absence. 

Please do not bring sick children to class. 

If student has attended an Orthodox Sunday School class at another Orthodox Church, the 

student must bring a note from that school’s director or priest in order to be marked present 

for that particular Sunday. 

If students attend another Orthodox Church with HOPE, JOY, G.O.Y.A. or the dance group, 

those students will receive credit for having attended Catechetical Sunday School that 

particular Sunday. Credit will be given based on list provided by those youth group advisors. 

Attendance Certificates and Awards 

Only the Catechetical Sunday School Office will give official attendance awards to students. 

* Teachers will give individual certificates and recognition in their classrooms on the last day. 

To receive a certificate at the close of the school year certifying satisfactory completion of a 

Catechetical Sunday School grade, a student must be in attendance at least 50% of the school year 

(16 Sundays) and complete all curriculum requirements for the grade level. 

Two types of exemplary attendance awards will be presented: 

1. Perfect Attendance 

Awarded to students who have attended ALL Catechetical Sunday School classes. 

To be eligible for this award, student cannot have more than 3 (three) tardies. 

2. Excellent Attendance 

Awarded to students who have only ONE absence from class. 

To be eligible for this award, student cannot have more than 5 (five) tardies. 

Special Note to All Parents 

Sunday School is important for our youth. Its purpose is to enrich the lives of our children. Sunday 

School teachers reinforce what has already been taught at home. Many times our children have 

questions about our faith, our beliefs, and Orthodoxy as a whole. The answers to these questions 

should come from the parents first, yet they also come from our clergy and our teachers. 

The role of an Orthodox parent is not only to teach your children at home, but also to bring them to 

Church regularly. Sunday School is an integral part of coming to Church. By attending the Divine 

Liturgy as a family and participating in Sunday School, we enable our children to learn how to live the 

Liturgy in their daily lives. 

Learning about our beliefs, in addition to our customs, is vital to the spiritual growth and balance of all 

Orthodox Christians. Please make every effort to bring your children regularly and on time.

NOTES ON SPIRITUAL EDUCATION IN THE HOME 

prepared by the Right Reverend Bishop Thomas of the Antiochian Church 

• Parents, take the initiative to find out what your children are learning in Church 

School. Build upon the weekly lessons at home with supplemental teaching. 

• Also, build upon the Scripture readings, hymns, and commemorations of Saints 

and feasts that the children encounter in the Divine Services of the Church. 

Explain to your children what the readings and hymns mean and tell them the 

stories of the Saints and feasts commemorated. 

• Educating your children means that you must be educated in the Faith yourself. 

This is the parents’ responsibility. Immerse yourself in the life of the Church. 

Worship and pray in as many of the Divine Services as possible, attend adult 

education classes, read the Holy Scripture, and consult the commentaries and 

sermons on the Scripture by the Holy Fathers. 

• In the home, set up a family altar or icon corner. Read the Scripture readings and 

lives of the Saints daily. Pray together as a family every day, at least in the 

morning and/or evening. 

• Make a big deal of feast days. Take the kids to the Divine Liturgy and enjoy a 

special meal to celebrate the day. 

• Celebrate the Name Day of the children with a celebration. Tell the story of the 

patron Saint’s life and explain how to emulate his or her life as an Orthodox 

Christian. At the family icon corner/altar make sure to have an icon of the 

child’s patron Saint alongside the icons of the parents’ patron Saints. 

• Ask the clergy to visit your home, to bless it, and to explain to the family the 

significance of this event. 

• Encourage the clergy to develop an outreach program involving visitations to 

homes in order to teach families how to practically live the Faith in the home as a 

“domestic church.” 

• Strive to be a holy example within the home, as well as in public, for your 

children to follow.

Internet Resources for Parents 

Online Chapel (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese) 

Daily commemorations (Saints and Feasts) with explanations, Epistle & Gospel readings, 

Church calendar. A Daily Readings Facebook Application is available on the site as well. 

http://goarch.org/chapel/ 

The Prologue from Ohrid by St. Nicholai of Ohrid and Ziča (Serbian Orthodox Western 

America Diocese) 

Daily readings of the lives of the Saints 

http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/prolog.htm 

“Yellow Pages” for Religious Education (2005) 

Available here: http://www.phyllisonest.com/ 

Antiochian Archdiocese Dept. of Christian Education 

http://www.antiochian.org/christianeducation 

Antiochian Archdiocese Youth Department 

http://www.antiochian.org/youth. 

Discover Orthodox Christianity ( Antiochian Archdiocese website) 

http://www.antiochian.org/discoverorthodoxchristianity 

The Orthodox Faith series by Fr. Thomas Hopko (OCA website) 

http://www.oca.org/OCorthfaith.aspSID=2 

These Truths We Hold (St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary website) 

http://www.stots.edu/these_truths_we_hold.html 

Lives of the Saints (Greek Orthodox – Australia) 

http://www.orthodoxchristian.info/pages/main.htm 

Antiochian Gospel Program with Audio 

http://www.antiochian.org/sundaygospelprogram 

Ancient Faith Radio 

http://ancientfaith.com/ 

Orthodox Christian Network 

http://www.myocn.net/5 

Evlogia website (“Learning at Home”) 

http://evlogia.typepad.com/evlogia/learning-at-home/ 

The Ante-Nicene Fathers/Nicene-Post Nicene Fathers series 

(See especially the sermons of St. John Chrysostom on the Holy Gospels and Eusebius’ Church 

History) 

http://www.ccel.org/fathers.html

WHAT YOUR CHILD SHOULD KNOW 

By Anton C. Vrame, PhD, Department of Religious Education Director 

*All of the underlined information is available in detail and can be downloaded from this site: 

http://www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/religioused/resources 

*After you go to the link listed above, click on “What Your Child Should Know” 

A frequent question that the Department receives from teachers and parents is “What should children 

know about their faith by the time they are ‘X’ years old” This question is fueled by a number of 

influences. First, schools have expectations that their students should reach certain milestones at various 

stages in their education. Teachers are expected to prepare their students to meet those points in the 

course of the year, usually because there will be some kind of test. Second, education itself is goal-oriented. 

Educational progress is measured by the acquisition of certain objectives. Teachers and students want to 

know their level of progress. Third, parents want to be able to assist their children in the learning process. 

Knowing the expectations and what the program hopes to accomplish is beneficial. 

The aim of education in the Orthodox Church is “to nurture, instruct, and direct each member of the 

community of faith – the Church – in Christian living, or as Orthodox writers typically call it, the life in 

Christ, so that each person grows ‘in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’ (2 

Peter 3:18) and become ‘a partaker of the divine nature’ (2 Peter 1:4). Alternately stated, the goal of … 

catechesis is for each person to become an icon, a living image of God, a person who lives in continual 

fellowship – communion – with God, reflecting a particular way – the Christ-like way – of knowing and 

living in the world.” (A. Vrame, The Educating Icon, 1999, p. 63). This vision of education involves acquiring 

information but also involves living according to the precepts of that information. 

Thus, an Orthodox Christian ought to be well-informed about the rich content of the Orthodox Tradition. 

Being able to name, to retell, to identify, to list, and more are dimensions of what it means “to know” 

one’s faith. A Church school program should be able to transmit these concepts to its students. But 

“knowing the Faith” also involves being able to appreciate its content, to consider how it influences one’s 

life, to participate in it, and to respond to its call of commitment to faith in Jesus Christ and His Church. 

For example, what is the benefit of reciting the Lord’s Prayer in a classroom setting, and a teacher’s 

assessment that the student has memorized it, without praying the Lord’s Prayer at home and reflecting on 

the words themselves 

The real curriculum for learning the Orthodox Faith is the life of the Church as experienced in a dynamic, 

faith-filled parish. Our education in faith is a lifelong journey. No Church school curriculum can include or 

teach everything. Any series of published textbooks is merely the first step of learning. Even in the best 

series, the authors, editors, and publishers make choices about what they believe most valuable for learners 

to achieve in a certain timeframe. 

What follows -- at the elementary school level -- is the result of reading the existing “Living Our Orthodox 

Faith” textbook series, published by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Religious Education 

between 1989 and 1993, and summarizing the concepts that the textbooks strive to teach. We have tried to 

distill their contents, by grade level, to answer the question, “What should my child learn in grade X”

For middle school / junior high and high school textbooks (published from 1995 - 2011), we have 

provided each text's learning objectives. 

Please note the following: 

New terms and concepts in a text are in bold type. 

At the end of each grade, the Bible stories, lives of saints, and hymns covered by the textbook are 

also listed. It should be noted that Bible stories are frequently summarized in the textbooks to 

present the main point of the lesson or the story as well as to meet the developing reading skills of a 

student. When appropriate, based on reading ability, a student should begin using the Bible directly 

and learning Bible skills. 

You will notice how the concepts become more involved and the number of stories increase as the 

learner progresses. 

You will notice how certain concepts and topics, e.g., the Divine Liturgy, repeat themselves from 

year to year and are presented in new ways based on the theme of the book. The goal of the 

textbook series is not to present all of the information on a single topic in one year, never to return 

to it, but to revisit key topics in an unfolding pattern of discovery for the learner. 

Some items, such as prayers introduced in each unit, are found only in the Teacher’s Guides to the 

books. 

Of course, individual parishes and teachers add material, information, (lives of saints, feast days, Sunday 

scripture readings) and activities, which will add to this list. Finally, the following list assumes that a child 

attends Church school faithfully, has a well-prepared teacher, and a family that is involved in the life of the 

Church, involved in the learning process, and reinforces the concepts at home. 

Elementary School: "Living Our Orthodox Faith" textbook series 

First Grade: Me and My World 

Second Grade: Loving God; 

*we supplement with “Take a Walk Through the Orthodox Church” and “House of God” 

Third Grade: Sharing God’s World 

Fourth Grade: Growing with God 

Fifth Grade: God Calls Us 

Middle School / Junior High 

6 th Grade: Stewardship: Serving in God's World, Facing Up to Peer Pressure, Honesty, 

Knowing Christ; *we use all four of these books for the 6 th Grade Curriculum 

7 th Grade: The Seven Sacraments 

8 th Grade: For to Us a Child Is Born, Journey through Holy Week, Journey through Great 

Lent, Heaven on Earth: The Divine Liturgy, A Lamp to My Feet: Introduction to the Bible, 

Of Your Mystical Supper: The Eucharist; 

High School 

9 th Grade: The Creed 

10 th Grade: Church History 

11 th /12 th Grades: Contemporary Moral Issues 

*We have these books available as resources, but we use other topics. Please see the following pages 

for a list of other books and topics used in our High School classes.

Grade Level Teacher(s) Room Topic/Name of Book 

Preschool 

PreK-A Laura Laszlo 2 The Wonder of It All 

*rotating parent volunteers 

PreK-B Mary Alice George 11 God Loves Us: Living our Orthodox Faith 

Patty Vastakis 

Vivian Syribeys 

PreK-C Alexa Anagnostakis 3 God, My Friends, and Me 

Argie Sirmans 

Lower Elementary 

Kindergarten Kiki Papadimitriou 10 What We See and Do in Church 

Margaret Stewart 

1st Grade Maria Tagalos 4 & 5 Me and My World 

Vickie Costopoulos 

2nd Grade Bethany Tsismanakis 6 & 7 Loving God 

January Stephanopoulos 

*also use "Take a Walk Through the Orthodox Church" & "House of God" 

Upper Elementary 

3rd Grade Paula Marchman Lekas 8 Sharing God's World 

Danielle Halkos 

4th Grade Eleftheria Zaharis 9 Growing with God 

Susan Demos 

5th Grade Greg Koutrelakos 19 God Calls Us 

Middle School 

6th Grade Irene & AJ Williams 18 Facing Up to Peer Pressure, Knowing Christ, 

Stamatia Williams 

Honesty, Stewardship: Serving in God's World 

7th Grade Jerry Odenwelder 17 The Sacraments of the Orthodox Church 

Golfo Odenwelder 

8th Grade Glykeria Hadjisimos 16 Basics of Orthodoxy 

Catherine Zurmeuhl 

High School 

9th Grade Tom Lekas 12 & 13 The Creed 

Kolin Kliossis 

10th Grade Victor Polizos 14 & 15 Presentation on Church History 

Panos Constantinides 

11th Grade & Noula Zaharis 

Kafeneion Contemporary Moral Issues 

12th Grade 

Office: Voula Giannakopoulos & Stacey Sapp 

Fathers On Duty: Chris Demos & Richard Sapp 

Special Program Coordinators 

Breakfast with St. Nick: Victoria Simitses 

Nativity Pageant: Georgia McClure 

Nativity Pageant Costumes- Kiki Papadimitriou 

Lazarus Saturday: Gina Gassert

2013-2014 Annunciation Cathedral Sunday School Family Calendar 

August 18th 

August 25th 

September 1st 

September 8th 

September 15th 

September 22nd 

September 29th 

October 6th 

October 13th 

October 20th 

October 27th 

November 3rd 

November 10th 

November 17th 

November 24th 

December 1st 

December 7th 

December 8th 

December 15th 

December 21st 

December 22nd 

December 29th 

January 5th 

January 12th 

January 19th 

January 26th 

February 2nd 

February 9th 

February 16th 

February 23rd 

February 23rd 

Agiasmo & Meet Your Teachers - classes meet for 20 minutes after Dedication Service in the Cathedral 

regular class schedule 

Labor Day Holiday - classes do not meet 

Parent Open House - *Parents visit each classroom; 6th-12th first 15 minutes, PreK-5th last 15 minutes of class 


All Classes: Teaching Liturgy in the Cathedral - classes meet for 30 minutes 


Atlanta Greek Festival - classes do not meet 




regular class schedule- Group Picture in front of the Cathedral at the end of class 

Archangel Michael/Hierarchical Liturgy ; regular class schedule 



Thanksgiving Holiday - classes do not meet 

Breakfast with St. Nick (Saturday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm) 



Nativity Pageant rehearsal in the Cathedral 9:30-11:00 am 

Nativity Pageant in the Cathedral, immediately following the Divine Liturgy 

Observance of the New Year & St. Basil - classes do not meet 

Blessing of the Waters; ALL students remain in Church; 30 minute classes after Blessing 

Parent Open House - *Parents visit each classroom; 6th-12th first 15 minutes, PreK-5th last 15 minutes of class 


regular class schedule; PreKA, PreKB, PreKC & Kindergarten presentations in Church 

regular class schedule; 1st & 2nd Grade presentations in Church 

Godparent Sunday - regular class schedule; 3rd, 4th & 5th Grade presentations in Church 

regular class schedule; 6th, 7th & 8th Grade presentation in Church 

Meatfare Sunday - regular class schedule; 9th, 10th, 11th & 12th Grade presentation in Church 

Parish Level St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival in the Cathedral, following Sunday School 

March 2nd Cheesefare Sunday - regular class schedule 

March 3rd Clean Monday - first day of Great Lent 

March 7th First Heretismi Service - Teachers & Students in grades K-2 

March 9th Sunday of Orthodoxy - 6th-12th participate in procession; 30 minute classes after procession 

March 14th Second Heretismi Service - Teachers & Students in grades 3-5 

March 16th Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas - regular class schedule 

March 21st Third Heretismi Service - Teachers & Students in grades 6-8 

March 23rd Sunday of the Holy Cross - PreKC-5 participate in procession; 30 minute classes after procession 

March 28th Fourth Heretismi Service - Teachers & Students in grades 9-12 

March 30th Sunday of St. John Climacus - regular class schedule 

April 4th 

April 6th 

April 12th 

April 13th 

April 13th 

April 16th 

April 18th 

April 20th 

April 27th 

May 4th 

May 11th 

May 18th 

Akathistos Hymn - Teachers & Students in ALL grades 

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt - regular class schedule 

Saturday of Lazarus - Group Communion & Making of Palm Crosses; Holy Week Play rehearsal 

Palm Sunday - classes do not meet *8th Grade students participate in the procession as palm bearers 

Holy Week Play presented during Palm Sunday Luncheon 

Holy Wednesday- Services at 3:00 pm & 7:00 pm 

Great Friday- 3:00 pm & 7:00 pm *4th Grade Myrophores (afternoon & evening); 11th/12th Grade Boys (evening) 

Pascha - classes do not meet; AGAPE Service 11:00 am followed by Community Pascha Celebration & Easter Egg Hunt 




Youth Sunday - Graduation & Attendance Recognition in Cathedral - 30 minute classes

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral - the Greek Orthodox ...

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