The Chatterbox - St. Nicholas School

December 8, 2009
Volume 2, Issue 2
Special points of
interest:
Christmas Blessings 1
Division Champs 2
Saints Sports
Dec. Calendar 3
Jan. Calendar 4
3 rd Grade Essay 5
Cheerleading 6
Library
P.A.L.S Toy Drive
The Pumpkin Patch 7
Halloween Winners
Mother & Son Dance 8
Halloween Festival
Father Daughter Dance
Christmas Bake Sale
St. Nicholas Day
Student Artwork 9
Open House Flyer 10
Gold Club Winners 11
Justin Palmer (5-1)
St. Nicholas School
The Chatterbox
When we think of Christmas, we visualize Christmas trees, bright colored
lights, Santa Claus and wrapped gifts with bows after hours and hours of
shopping. Shopping at this time of year can be a challenge with drivers
rushing around town, struggling to find a parking space, just so they can hurry
into a store and wait in line.
We need to stop and take a quiet moment to remember the wonderful
blessing we received on that first Christmas day, our Lord Jesus Christ. We
also need to take some time to count our own blessings, especially our children
who bless all of our lives everyday. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to
share in their laughter and to watch them grow with us. Have a very Merry
Christmas! Love,
Ms. Kamenos
Join us
for our
Christmas
Program,
“The Spirit of
Christmas”
on Friday,
December 18
at 9:00 a.m.
in the
auditorium

Page 2 The Chatterbox Volume 2, Issue 6
St. Nicholas School
www.stnicholaseducation.com
The Offense
Damian Delgado (right) blocking for
Alex Mikrakis (left).
Jonathan Legg making a
run down the open field
The Girl’s Basketball Team led by Mrs. Bethke, was
undefeated through the regular season and entered the
playoffs in 1 st place. The Girl’s Basketball Team has
won the League championship game 4 times in the past
5 years. This year the girls lost by only 1 point!
Unfortunately, they were missing their starting point
guard Georgia Perris due to an injury. Overall, the girls
did a fantastic job and Mrs. Bethke couldn’t have been
more proud of them!
This year, there were not enough teams from the
other schools in the league to participate competitively
for the Girl’s Softball. Coach Sapon has organized a
Softball Workshop for the girls to polish their skills in
preparation for next year.
!
!
The Boy’s Flag Football Team took the 2009 Division
Championship! Overcoming many challenges including
illnesses, injuries that occurred just prior to the finals, and
playing against a team with many taller players, they were still
able to achieve victory. Many of the 5 th and 6 th graders
stepped up into key roles and made this year a tremendous
success. As Mr. Sapon always says, “Character wins
championships!” and our team certainly showed their character
this season. Congratulations boys!
The Defense
Part of our defensive “iron wall” (from left
to right) Jeffrey Palmer, William Stasinis,
Athansios Kaplanis and Gerard Matar.
Mina Tawfick preparing
to hold the line.
As for our 2009-2010 Boy’s Basketball team, we want to
congratulate team members: John Alex (8), Matthew
Aguilar (8), Blake Berry (7), Theo Duron (5), Michael
Gorgy (6), Gerard Matar (8), Michael Messiha (8), Jonathan
Miller (7), Alex Mikrakis (8), Jeffrey Palmer (7), and
sibling Justin Palmer (5-1). Alright boys, let’s rock!

Page 3 The Chatterbox Volume 2, Issue 2
December 2009
SUN. MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT.
1
3:00 pm Boy’s
Basketball game
@ Home
6 7 8 9
2
2 nd & 3rd grade
Field Trip to Disney
Studios
3 4 5
10 11
Progress Reports
Mailed
PALS Toy Donations
2:15 pm Vespers
3:00 pm Boy’s
Basketball game @
Home
13 14 15 16 17 18
9:00 am Christmas
Program & Bake
Sale (Auditorium)
20 21
27 28
CHRISTMAS
VACATION
BEGINS
School dismissed
after program
No vespers
22 23 24 25 26
29 30 31
12
19

Page 4 The Chatterbox Volume 2, Issue 2
January 2010
SUN. MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT.
3 4
School Resumes
Yearbook
Boosters Sale
Begins
10 11
Re-Enrollment
Begins
17 18
Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Day
NO SCHOOL
5 6
12 13
24 25 26
3: 30 pm Boy’s
Basketball @
Home
31
Liturgy Epiphany
Early Dismissal
10:15 am
3: 30 pm Boy’s Basketball
@ Home
19 20 21
27
Noon Dismissal –
PS -5
Parent Conferences Grades
6-7
5:30 pm (Auditorium)
Middle School –
No School
7
Cheerleading
Auditions!
1
14 15
OPEN HOUSE FOR
NEW STUDENTS
10:30am &
6:30pm
Savalas Room
28 29
8
Cheerleading
Auditions!
Mother/Son Night
(Ballroom)
3:30 pm Boy’s
basketball at home
Pep Rally @ 1:15pm
In Gym
22
3:30 pm Boy’s
Basketball at home
Report Cards
Quarter 2
Boys basketball at
home 3:30 pm
2
9
16
23
30

Page 5 The Chatterbox Volume 2, Issue 2
By Nicole Muzsnai
I like Thanksgiving because you are going to be
thankful for anything you want. Another reason is when
the Pilgrims came. I love Thanksgiving. Do you love
Thanksgiving? One more thing is that you don’t have
school. This is what Thanksgiving is about.
I am thankful for my food, water and family. I am
thankful because some people don’t have those things.
I celebrate Thanksgiving by people coming to my
house. I also eat turkey. Sometimes I go to my
Grandma’s house. I think Thanksgiving is a good
day. Do you think it is nice too?
By Nicolas Nasarallah
Thanksgiving is because the Pilgrims started a
feast. They did it with lots of people. They had a lot of
food.
I am thankful for everything. I am thankful for
my family and everything my mom and dad buys me. I
am thankful for every toy that a person buys all my food
and me.
I spend my Thanksgiving at my grandmother’s
house. We eat pit, chicken and a special salad that my
grandmother makes. It is very good. We have a great
time
By Keaton Daily
By Anthony Ethansios
By Marina Milicevic
I love Thanksgiving. I like it because I
get to be with my family. On Thanksgiving
you get to have a special dinner. You get to
have turkey with stuffing and it is good.
I’m thankful for my family. I’m thankful
for them because some people don’t have
families. I’m also thankful for food. I’m
thankful for it because people don’t have
food either.
I spend Thanksgiving by going to San
Diego where my grandma and grandpa live.
We have a party there. It’s a lot of fun.
Thanksgiving is so much fun.
Thanksgiving is a holiday. You spend time with your family.
You have a big feast. You eat turkey and you give thanks.
I am thankful for my family because they are nice. They play
with me and they buy me toys. They love me and they feed me.
I spend Thanksgiving with my family. We eat turkey, people
come over and we have a feast. We get to play games and it is
fun.
Thanksgiving is a when the Pilgrims had a feast.
The Pilgrims met the Indians. They helped each other
by growing vegetables.
I am thankful for my toys. I have had them for a
long time. They are fun to play with. They are so
special. I love them.
I spend Thanksgiving at home. I have guests over
and I watch TV and play. We say a prayer then we eat.

Page 6 The Chatterbox Volume 2, Issue 2
St. Nicholas School Spirit Day is
on its way! Students in Kindergarten
through 8 th grade may participate in
the cheerleading auditions. The teams
chosen will perform at our annual Pep
Rally Friday, January 15 at 1:30 pm.
The auditions will be held on
Thursday and Friday, January 7 th and
8 th . Get your teams organized and
submit your sign up sheet by
Thursday, December 17.
Our annual toy drive is always a success by any measure,
both for those who give and those who receive. A new,
unwrapped toy (valued at $10) should be brought to school on
Thursday, December 10 to be donated to the P.A.L.S.
organization supported by the Devonshire Police Department.
This organization helps children whose families cannot afford
to buy them Christmas gifts. Girls should bring toys for girls
their own age and boys should do the same. Join us on
Friday, December 11 at 2:15 p.m. to witness the procession of
all the children carrying their gifts to lie before the altar for
blessings during Vespers. You will be especially glad you
did!
As most of you know, November 14 th was the one year
anniversary of our home being devastated by fire. Even
though this has been a trying time in our lives, we have been
able to purchase a new home and have begun the process of
rebuilding our lives. We would like to take this opportunity to
thank everyone again for the support and prayers we received.
We are very grateful for the St. Nicholas family. May God
bless you the way you have blessed us.
God Bless,
The Trahan Family
Anthony, Jennifer & Destinee
The furniture has been delivered, the room has been
painted, and the carpet has been installed. We are in
the final stages of completing the electrical work and
setting up the computers. We greatly appreciate the
time Lori Stevens and Cathy Gharib have volunteered
to begin organizing the books and preparing them to be
catalogued.
We have already been blessed with many brand new
books from the many families who have already
donated books to our library. As the Christmas season
is upon us, remember to donate a book in the name of
your child. Books donated will have a bookplate in the
front cover to remember your sons and daughters, long
after they graduate.
The Trahan Family 2008

Page 7 The Chatterbox Volume 2, Issue 2
The winners of our Halloween
Costume Contest were: Constantine
Pappas (1-1) as a Memo Board, Sophia
Kaplanis (3-1) as Mona Lisa, Nick
Andrews (3-1) as Tin Man, Christina
Azzuz (4-1) as a Bubble Bath,
Alexandra Pappas (5-1) as Jelly Belly,
Angela Theodosiou (6-1) as the Queen
of Pop, Georgia Perris (7-1) as Pebbles,
Marika Fox (7-2) as Princess Lea, and
lastly Alessandro Defonte Weiss (8-1) as
the Joker. Great costumes boys and
girls! Can’t wait to see what you come
up with next year!
The Pumpkiin Pattch
Our students in preschool
through 1 st grade couldn’t have
been happier on their field trip
to the Pumpkin Patch. They got
to carve out pumpkins into scary
and silly faces. They learned
about how animals help the
environment and how seeds
grow into vegetables. They
even took some fun pictures in
cutout characters. The children
didn’t want to leave because of
all the fun they were having! It’s
good to know this is a yearly
trip for our wonderful children.

Page 8 The Chatterbox Volume 2, Issue 2
Let’s get ready for our Mother & Son Dance
on January 8, 2010! The theme of the Boosters
sponsored event will be in the style of the 50’s,
where mother and son can dress to impress. The
evening will include with a dinner, dancing,
games, photos and lots of prizes! Save the date
because this is an event you won’t want to miss.
Hope to see you all there!
We rounded up all cowboys and their cowgirl
daughters for a fun spaghetti western evening on
November 20, 2009. There was dancing, dinner,
photographs and, most importantly, special
father/daughter time! Dads: your little girls are
growing up fast….it was great to see you spend some
fun, quality time with them and make some special
memories together! Plan to come for next year! We
also wanted to give a big thank you to Ms. Cashen and
Mrs. Xilas for working hard on this event. We
couldn’t have done it without you!
A big hearty thank you from Carrie St. John to
Lysa Schuyler and Tina Maglaris for co-chairing the
Halloween Festival! The Fair was such a great success
due to the hard work and enthusiasm both shared.
Lysa Schuyler greatly appreciated the many parents
who donated baked goods, worked the game booths,
and distributed lunches. A special thank you goes to
Jackie Pappas who stepped in and took charge with a
big smile on her face! Thank you to George and Raul
for setting up and tearing down. Thank you also,
Sally Weilage, for stepping in as our last minute
photographer!
The following parent volunteers played a big part
in making this year’s Halloween Festival a huge
success: Peter Andrews, Georgia Bacoulis, Sheryl
Berry, Vanessa Collins, Tegist Demissie, Adrienne,
Sean and Josh Fein, Tony Guidi, Greg and Robin
Kavoklis, Tina Maglaris, Maria Matar, Hanna Messiah,
Consuelo Quinten, Millie Siapkas, Sheila Smith, Alec
St. John, Carrie St. John, Lori Stevens, Marcelle
Wahba, Renee Wasylyn.
CHRISTMAS BAKE SALE
It’s that time of year again! Lots of yummies
will be sold at our annual Christmas Bake Sale to be held
on the evening of December 18 th – the same evening as
the Christmas Program. Bring your hungry tummies and
plan to buy lots of delicious baked goods!
ST. NICHOLAS DAY
A very special surprise was planned
for all students to celebrate St.
Nicholas Day courtesy of the St.
Nicholas Booster Club. Each student
received a special St. Nicholas
bookmark, candy and a description of
the saint’s life and works. Thank you,
Boosters, for your thoughtfulness!

Page 9 The Chatterbox Volume 2, Issue 2
By Mina Tawfick (8-1)
By Andrew Cristescu (8-1)
By Theodore Cristescu (8-1)
The drawings on the left are known as “Regionalism”, which are school
landscapes of St. Nicholas drawn by our 8 th graders in Mrs. Duschinsky’s
class. They used Gouache and acrylic, blind contour line drawing skills. The
Ancient Greek Vase paintings on the right were created by 6 th graders,
inspired by red and black figure pottery. For these, blind contour line drawing,
stencil painting, and acrylic brush painting were used.
By Genean Jue (6-1)
By Michael Gorgy (6-2)
By Chantal Wahba (8-1)
By Irene Boyias (6-2)
By Marina Elkess (6-2)
By Nicholas
Khachatourians (6-1)

Page 10 The Chatterbox Volume 2, Issue 2
Thursday, January 21
10:30 am and 6:30 pm
www.stnicholaseducation.com
Refer a friend and earn $250 per family
enrolled as credit toward tuition..
9501 Ballboa Bllvd.. Nortthriidge,, CA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have a friend bring this to the school office or to our Open House.
New Student Name: _________________________________________________________
Grade_______ in Oct. of _____________ Birth Date: ____________________________
Parent Name: ______________________________________________________
Home Phone: _____________________ Cell Phone: _______________________
Referred By: ______________________
(818) 886-6751

Page 11 The Chatterbox Volume 2, Issue 2
Gold Club Winners
October 09’
Class Student
K-1 Jana Palmer
Christiana Chrysiliou
K-2 Athena Bacoulis
1-1 Markella Savas
1-2 Virginia
Khachatourians
Nickolas Peters
2-1 Melodie Shousha
3-1 Nicholas Andrews
Sophia Kaplanis
Marina Milicevic
4-1 Dean Abughazale
5-1 Caitlyn Chadwick
6-1 Jasmine Elkess
Anthony Fam
Athanasios Kaplanis
6-2 Marina Elkess
Mia Kezios
Angel Wahbi
7-1 Alyssa Deobler
Georgia Perris
7-2 William Stasinis
8-1 Alex Mikrakis
November 09’
Class Student
K-1 Nikola Milicevic
Giselle Nunez
K-2 Madison Teopaco
1-1 Marina Chrysiliou
Constantine Pappas
1-2 Daniella Hanna
2-1 Jacob Huebsch
3-1 Nicholas Andrews
Anthony Ethnasios
Dominick Milkie
Athena Rethis
4-1 Sophia Placencio
5-1 Sabrina Azzuz
6-1 Anthony Fam
Athanasios Kaplanis
Nicholas
Khachatourians
Stephanie Younan
7-1 Georgia Perris
Lily Marie Spirtos
7-2 Marissa Hoffman
Samantha Pascual
Lauren Safady
8-1 Michael Messiha
If you have any questions or comments regarding anything written in The
Chatterbox, please use the following email address: info@stnicholaseducation.com.
It would be greatly appreciated if you could send us any pictures you take at the
various school events. You can put them on a disc and drop them off at the office or
email them. We use photos for our yearbook, our Chatterbox, our church bulletin (The
Wonder Worker), as well as for our archives.