Sunday School

7th and 8th Grades

Saint Paul was the chosen vessel of Christ, the glory of the Church, the apostle of the nations, and the teacher of the world. St. Paul's feast day is June 29. St. Peter and Paul share the same feast day.

 

 

Teachers: Mike Kallas and Stephanie Navrides
We have chosen St. Paul as the patron saint of our classroom.
Paul was the chosen vessel of Christ, the glory of the Church, the apostle of the nations, and the teacher of the world. St. Paul's feast day is June 29. St. Peter and Paul share the same feast day.

 

 

What Each STUDENT Should Know

An Orthodox Christian should 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.

By the end of the 8th grade, the students are expected to:

   Review: 

  • Make the sign of the cross
  • Venerate an icon
  • Know their class Patron Saint
  • Deliver the Pascha greeting and response (Christ Is Risen, Truly He is Risen) to recite the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed and Jesus Prayer, and to deliver the Christmas greeting (CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!)
  • Know the St. Spyridon hymn and the seven sacraments - obligatory and nonobligatory
Our Weekly Routine includes
  • Starting each class by reciting the Trisagion Prayer and the Prayer after Communion. We expect that after much repetion these common Orthodox prayers will become second nature to our students.
This year we plan to work through two units.
In the first part of the year we will cover "Facing Up to Peer Pressure."
After the Christmas holidays, we will start a unit on "Knowing Christ."
Both units are designed to focus on the importance and consequences of choices for middle schoolers in light of their Orthodox faith. Additional class activities are designed to encourage student participation on the concepts of the lesson. We encourage all to share their thoughts and ideas, and actively participate in discussions.

Stop by our classroom any time! On your way home from church, ask your child what they talked about at Sunday School.


2012 Oratorical Festival Topics for Grades 7-9