The Chatterbox - St. Nicholas School

November 22, 2010
Volume 3, Issue 2
Special points of
interest:
Vanity Fair 1
Pictures at school 2
December Calendar 3
January Calendar 4
Halloween Day 5
3 rd Grade Is Thankful 6
Good Action Articles 7
Indian Drawings 8
Northridge 100 9
Artwork 10
Gold Club Winners 11
Father Anthony with students in
kindergarten and first grade.
!
!
St. Nicholas School
The Chatterbox
This year, St. Nicholas “Unity in Community” invited families and
friends to come and celebrate the 2010 Gala Dinner Dance Blessing and
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony here at St. Nicholas! It was held on Saturday,
October 23 at 6:30 pm in our newly completed Grande Ballroom. A tasteful
and elegant dinner was served, and dancing went on all night long. We were
so excited to see so many of our parents, friends and families that were able
to join us for this special day. Also, a thank you to all our student volunteers
who did a wonderful job serving Hors D'oeuvres: Abigail Baires, Antonio
Ellorin III, Marissa Hoffman, Eilish Melick, Georgia Perris, Lauren Safady,
Damian Savas, Lauren Siapkas, and William Stasinis.
Our kindergarten and first
grade students joined Father
Anthony in blessing the
dedication of the rose garden to
St. Nicholas School. A plaque
was installed as a remembrance
to all the kindergarten and first
grade students who helped make
our rose garden possible. Thank
you to Mrs. Kontos, Mrs. Leao,
and Mrs. Mormanis, and Mrs.
Samuels who coordinated the
fundraising to purchase the roses
over the last few years.

Page 2 The Chatterbox Volume 3, Issue 2
!!
!
St. Nicholas School
www.stnicholaseducation.com

Page 3 The Chatterbox Volume 3, Issue 2
December 2010
SUN. MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT.
5 6
Liturgy 9:00 am
School
Dismissal @
10:15 am
1
7 8
12 13 14 15
19 20
Field Trip
PS/PK
Big Bob Baker
Marionettes
8:30 am
2 3
Girls Basketball
Banquet
6:30 pm Savalas
9 10
Progress Reports
Mailed
PALS Toy Donations
2:15 pm
Church
16 17
9:00 am Christmas
Program & Bake
Sale (Auditorium)
School dismissed
after Program
No Vespers
21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31
4
11
18

Page 4 The Chatterbox Volume 3, Issue 2
January 2011
SUN. MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT.
2 3
School Resumes
Yearbook
Boosters Sale
Begins!
9 10
Re-Enrollment
Begins
16 17
Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Day
NO SCHOOL
23 24
30 31
Valogram Sale
Begins
4 5
6
9:00 am
Liturgy
Epiphany
Early Dismissal
10:15 am
11 12 13
Grades 2th & 3rd
Getty Museum
Field Trip
18 19 20
OPEN
HOUSE
FOR NEW
STUDENTS
25
26
10:30am &
6:30pm
Savalas Room
7
14
Yearbook Boosters
Sale Ends
Pep Rally
1:15-3:00 pm
In Gym
No vespers
21
27 28
Report Cards
Quarter 2
Mother/Son Night
Ballroom
1
8
15
22
29

Page 5 The Chatterbox Volume 3, Issue 2
Costume winners grades 1-3 : 1 st place Nickolas
Peters (2-2) dressed up as ½ boy ½ girl, 2 nd place
Alexandera Turley (2-1) as Bride from the dead, and 3 rd
place Sean Brode (3-1) dressed up as a zombie.
Costume winners grades 7-8 th : 1st place, Angela
Theodosiou (7-2) as the Claw Joy Machine, 2 nd place, Eilish
Melick (8-1) as a waiter, and 3 rd place went to Jonathan Legg
(7-2) as a nerd and Marika Fox (8-1) as Cinderella
Preschool girls dressed up as their favorite Disney Princess.
Costume Winners grades 4-6th: 1 st place Carmen Matar
(5-1) as a Jewelry box, 2nd place Christina Azzuz (5-1) as
Barbie , 3 rd place JaNasjia Bethke (5-1) as an Owl, and 3 rd
place Dmitri Schuyler-Lynch as a Tornado.
Sophia Perris dressed up as Lucy and Alexandra Pappas as
candy corn.
Samantha Peters (8-1) as Pocahontas
and Sarah Slattery (8-2) dressed up in
Halloween spirit colors.
Christina Farag (8-1) as a guitar and
Brigette Anderson (8-2) as rabbit in Alice
in Wonderland.

Page 6 The Chatterbox Volume 3, Issue 2
By Sean Brode
I am thankful for my food so that I do
not starve. I get to eat at a table. Eating is good
so you can stay alive. I think everything needs
to eat no matter what it is.
I am thankful for food so I can live. If
you do not eat you will die. You can eat to get
strong, but if you do not eat you may not stay
alive. That is what I am thankful for.
By Kassandra Chacon
I am thankful for my family, friends
and nature. I like butterflies also. I am thankful
for my mom and teachers. I am thankful for
food and water. I am also thankful for my
cousins.
I am thankful for these things because
they’re my family. I am thankful for my
friends because they are nice to me. I am
thankful for nature because it is beautiful. I am
thankful for my teachers because they give me
an education. I am thankful for my mom
because she gave birth to me.
By Destinee Trahan
I am thankful for God. I am thankful for him
because he gave us nature, money and friends. He
gave us friends so we do not have to play by
ourselves.
I am thankful for these things because God made
them and I love God.
By Marina Spiropoulos
I am thankful for my friends, the school
and my parents. I am also thankful for my mom,
my dad and for America. I am thankful for food,
water and God. I am thankful for earth, Jesus and
nature. I am thankful for California, my
environment and Pilgrims.
I am thankful for my mom because she
gave birth to me. I am thankful for God because
he created me. I am thankful for food and water
so I can survive. I am thankful for Pilgrims
because they discovered America. I am thankful
for this school because I can learn.
By Iann Mena
I am thankful for God because God
made me alive and if he didn’t make people,
none of us would be alive. I am also grateful
for my house because I have a roof over my
house, and some people don’t even have a
house.
I am also thankful for my parents
because they buy me everything. I am thankful
for my parents because they help me in life and
gave birth to me.
By Ana Atanassov
I am thankful for all my pets and my
family. My pets make my day better. My family
takes care of me.
I can’t live without my family because they
take care of me. I am thankful for my family
because they take care of me and I am thankful of
my pets because they make my life better.

Page 7 The Chatterbox Volume 3, Issue 2
By Alyssa Deobler
On October 11, I interviewed a young 3 rd
grader named Destinee. She just turned 8 years
old on October 10, a day before the interview.
This child loves gymnastics and she told me that
her parents drive her to gymnastics when she
needs to go. I asked her whey her parents drive
her there and she said that her parents care
about her and they support her. She also told me
that her coach helps her a lot to get better.
Destinee recognizes good acts when she sees a
good act because she told me that her mom
packed her a good lunch for school that day. I
asked Destinee whey she thinks her mom packed
her a good lunch and she said, “Because she
loves me”. Destinee has 1 brother and 2 sisters.
Destinee and her siblings don’t fight a lot and
they share. This child likes her teacher, she says
“she’s fun” and she gives the students rewards
when they get the answers right. Destinee also
told me that her classmates are nice to her. Her
best friend, Sophia, gave her a compliment and
they always “have play dates together”. Also, at
recess, Destinee was playing a game and she
caught the ball. She told me that her classmates
were nice to her because everyone congratulated
her. Some good actions that Destinee did herself
for other people are that she shared her markers
with someone who didn’t have any and she drew
a picture for her friend, Helen. She told her that
the drawing made Helen feel very good. Destinee
does know the true mean of goodness. She really
expressed this when I asked what she wanted to
be when she grows up. She told me that she
wants to be a doctor because she saves a lot of
people and she can also recognize when a good
action has occurred.
By William Stasinis
By Nicholas Kavoklis
The child I had the pleasure to
interview clearly understands goodness in her
life. Her favorite color is blue and she enjoys
Halloween. Her favorite part of school is recess
and language. She told me she thinks it is
awesome to learn things you don’t know. Her
favorite way of learning is when her parents
teach her things.
While I was getting to know her I asked
her about her family. She told me her brother
takes the time to play with her and was very
clean when expressing she likes friends. It is
always a good thing to know in a young child’s
life that he or she enjoys their family. At the
beginning of the interview she gave two
examples of good in the world. She understood
that family and learning is good.
One amazing display of her
understanding of goodness was when she told
me about her mom. She told me her mother
was a doctor. Upon hearing this I asked her if
there was anything good about her mom’s
profession. Her words were, “if somebody is
sick, somebody needs to help other people”. I
was shocked this child obviously saw goodness
in the world. She knew one of the most
important rules, helping others is a good thing.
I next asked about her father. She talked
about how he helps her with schoolwork, which
she loves because he makes learning fun.
I can easily say that this child saw light
in her life and in this world. Often it is easier to
see the negative in our daily life more than the
positive. During my interview, I found that this
younger student did recognize goodness.
Today on October 11 th , 2010, I had the privilege of interviewing a girl named Christina. My goal
was to learn about good actions that students witness and experience in their lives. What I learned was
good actions start from within our hearts and end up being kindness and compassion. Even at the age of
eight, like Christina, we can accomplish such worthwhile things.
Christina shared many different interests she had. She loves to dance, draw and read mystery
stories. She hopes to one day be a doctor and help other people. She wants to work and help children. We
may have a future pediatrician right here at St. Nicholas and future children will benefit. Christina’s simple
outlook on what makes her happy was refreshing and entertaining. She is a curious little girl who laughs a
lot. She inspired me by her curiosity, as she asked me as many questions as I needed to ask her.
Christina’s ability to appreciate things other than herself is an example of an act of goodness for all to
witness.
If you ever doubt your faith in people, go see Christina. She will restore it immediately, just by
being herself.

Page 8 The Chatterbox Volume 3, Issue 2
By Shawna Smith
By Michael St. John
By Cory Safady
By Julia Decastro
Kindergarten students have been busy
developing appreciation for school personnel at
different times during this month. They had
visitors come to both classes to tell the children
what they do here at St. Nicholas School.
The students began to understand that
many people work at our school to help make it a
special place. They also realized that everyone
follows rules-rules are important. The children
concluded their social studies unit by making
thank you cards to all who visited (on the left).

Page 9 The Chatterbox Volume 3, Issue 2
St. Nicholas School participated in the
California Shakeout Drill on Thursday,
October 21 to practice our emergency
procedures. The children exited the
classrooms in an efficient orderly fashion and
some even helped in setting up our
Emergency Assembly Area as seen below:
St. Nicholas Day will be celebrated on Monday,
December 6. School will be dismissed at 10:15 am
immediately. Please remember to make arrangements, as
on this day, there will be no daycare. In honor of St.
Nicholas Day, our students demonstrated their generosity
during this season of giving by writing letters to our
soldiers in Afghanistan and by sending them care packages
of needed supplies.
We look forward to seeing you at our
annual, all-school Christmas Extravaganza
directed by Mrs. Barefoot and Mrs. Damato,
which will take place Friday, December 17
at 9:00 a.m. in the Grande Ballroom. We
invite you to join us for a wonderful
program, which is sure to fill the air with
holiday spirit and your heart with holiday
warmth. The Booster Club will also sponsor
a Bake Sale beginning at 8:15 a.m. in the
Savalas Room.
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 9 to be donated to
the P.A.L.S organization sponsored by the
Devonshire Police Department. This
organization helps children whose families
cannot afford Christmas gifts. Girls should
bring toys for girls their own age and boys
should do the same. Join us on Friday,
December 10 at 2:15 p.m. to witness the
procession of all the children carrying their
gifts to lay before the altar for blessings
during Vespers. You will be especially glad
you did!
We’re excited to announce that four of our St.
Nicholas students were awarded with prizes for
winning the art contest that was sponsored by
Northridge 100 and the Northridge East
Neighborhood Council. The contest asked students
how Northridge has changed over the last 100 years,
and what their contributions to its future will be, in
the form of a drawing or essay. Our 1 st place
winners were Nicole Diamond (5-1) for her essay
and one of our past students, Jordan Harris King (1-
1) for her drawing. Both won $100. Second place
winner, Nickolas Peters (1-2), won $75 and 3 rd
place winner, Jude Lopez (K-2), won $50. Be sure
to visit Northridge100.org to see their award
winning work.

Page 10 The Chatterbox Volume 3, Issue 2
Acrylic/Blind Contour Line Drawing
Below are 8 th grade drawings inspired by
Gustav Klimt who was influenced by Early
Christina mosaics in churches in Ravenna
Italy-1903
By Teddy Newton By William Stasinis
By Eilish Melick By Lily Spirtos

Page 10 The Chatterbox Volume 3, Issue 2
Gold Club Winners
October 2010
Class Student
K-1 Yash Maharaj
Mia Metzidis
K-2 Mia Kost
Paris Pappas
1-1 Athena Bacoulis
1-2
Kaitlyn Steinberg
2-1 Alexandera Turley
James Kontos
2-2 No Gold Club
3-1 Jacob Huebsch
Sophia Pineda
4-1 Sophia Kaplanis
Nicole Muzsnai
5-1 JaNasjia Bethke
Nicole Diamond
6-1 Matthew Hoffman
7-1 No Gold Club
7-2 Alexander Dinsmore
Athanasios Kaplanis
8-1
8-2
Blake Berry
Brigette Anderson
Tyler Hagen
Sarah Slattery
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.