Dear Parents and Students,
Here is the Sunday School Schedule for September 2024:
September 8 - Classes Begin, Agiasmos for new school year; Open House/Pizza Party; Registration Sunday for all youth activities
September 15 Worship and Classes
September 22-No classes, Greek Affair
September 29 Worship and Classes
The calendar for the entire 2023-2024 Sunday School year is posted on the Sunday School website (https://www.ss.st-luke.org) and will also be emailed to all families who register their children for the 2024-2025 school year.
We are very excited to begin the 2024-2025 Sunday School year by welcoming all students and their families to this year’s Sunday School Open House on Sunday, September 8, 2024! After communion, students of all grades should go to the Education Building with their parents and join the class that matches the grade they attend at their regular school:
First Floor:
3 year olds room 103 Lisa Palmieri
Kathy Zarvalas
Pre-K room 101 Faithe Kalisperis
Marinela Tsapournas
Eleventh-Twelfth room 100 Danny Milinkovic
Evan Palmieri
Second Floor:
Kindergarten room 201 Marilena Ristas
First Grade room 205 Thomas Ristas
Nysia Petrakis
Second Grade room 203 Eleni Kornblatt
Third Grade room 202 Sophia Tsakiris
Fourth Grade room 207 Marina Despotopoulou
Fifth Grade room 204 Sophia Milinkovic
Sixth Grade room 200 Carnation Karros
Seventh-Eighth room 206 Arthur Karros
Ninth-Tenth room 209 Peter Pavlis
This year’s Open House will enable the teachers to: meet their new students; connect with you, their families; introduce the curriculum for each grade; and determine the best way to communicate with families and students throughout the coming year. Snacks and activities/games will be available in each room, which are meant to engage both students and parents on the first day of the new Sunday School year, as well as to, hopefully, forge bonds that will last throughout the year. So, parents, please be sure to visit the classrooms of your children’s Sunday School classes on September 8, 2024, before heading downstairs to visit the registration tables of all the St. Luke Youth Ministries AND a pizza party to kick off the year!
Is your child not registered for Sunday School yet? No problem! To register your child or children, please visit the Sunday School table at the Festival of Ministries in the gym on September 8, 2024; OR, click on the following link:
For further information about registration, or general information about the Sunday School program, please contact Jane Kelly, Panayota Kevgas, and Sophia Milinkovic at stlukesundayschool@gmail.com.
Teachers Needed!
Do you enjoy working with kids- of all ages? Would you like to grow further in our Orthodox faith by teaching our young people about it? The Sunday School is looking for primary, assistant, and substitute teachers. We can work with your availability and we also provide the teaching materials. If you are able to provide love, compassion, and support, on top of devotion to the tenets of the Greek Orthodox faith, you’re qualified, and we’d love to hear from you: stlukesundayschool@gmail.com.
FOCUS Back-to-School Backpack Fundraiser
It is with heartfelt gratitude and deep humility that we recognize the immense kindness and generosity of our St. Luke family, enabling us to raise $8,075.00 to provide 323 backpacks to children in the School District of Philadelphia and at the Chester Charter Scholars Academy. We are profoundly indebted to Father Christ for his leadership, support, and promotion of this important community outreach project. The success of our fundraising and the involvement of our St. Luke family were due to his blessed work.
While the backpacks and supply kits purchased from FOCUS for children in Philadelphia were sent directly to their respective Districts, our Sunday School students and their families came together following the Liturgy on Sunday, August 18 for a flash fill event to fill 56 backpacks with supply kits for the third grade classes at CCSA. Our Sunday School students and families were energized by the project and their service was remarkable. We are gratified that our young people had an opportunity to see that the FOCUS Back-to-School Backpack program was about more than just raising money. It was also about service to those of their peers in greatest need. We celebrated the work of our donors and all those present with a pizza party, thanks to Stephanie Carroll, with promises to do this again next year. The backpacks were delivered to CCSA on Monday, August 19.
In that regard, please know that we, as Co-Directors, are constantly brainstorming about new programs, including those about both our faith and service to our community at large, to bring to you and your children throughout the year. We recognize that hands-on work is as important as book learning to a holistic approach to embracing our Orthodox faith. We look forward to your feedback about your children’s Sunday School experience. Please help us to do the best job possible to educate and inspire your children about our faith.
Finally, most of our teachers have been religious educators for many years, and their experiences have demonstrated that the religious education of our youth begins and ends in the home. Please allow our Sunday School team to guide and inspire your family’s religious education efforts at home. We are at your disposal and will be honored to support your family’s spiritual journey in any way possible.
May God bless our students and families with the knowledge of Christ our Savior and grant us all a spiritually uplifting year in Sunday School!
Jane Kelly, Panayota Kevgas, and Sophia Milinkovic, Co- Directors
St. Luke Sunday School