The Cathedral Greek School Handbook

The Greek Education and Culture Program is one of the many ministries offered by the Annunciation Church of Boston, MA. Its aim is not only to teach children of the Greek Diaspora and of non-Greek ancestry Greek as a second or foreign language, but to familiarize them with aspects of the Greek Culture and the Orthodox Faith.

The Cathedral School is located at 162 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA 02445. The school has some of the best facilities that can be found in any Greek school of the area. It has seven classrooms and a large yard in a secluded private area, which is surrounded by trees with plenty of parking.

The Cathedral School offers the following programs:

· Monday & Friday: Grades 1st - 7th (4:00 pm - 6:00 pm)

· Friday program: Grades pre-k - 7th (4:00 pm - 7:00 pm)

· Saturday program: Grades pre-k - 7th (10:00 am - 1:00 pm)

· Beginning Modern Greek: Adult class (Mondays 6:30pm - 8:30pm)

· Saturday dance 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Note: A minimum of 5 students is required to form a class.

The annual registration fees are:
$ 400.00 per student for Annunciation Cathedral stewards
$ 550.00 per student for non-stewards

Registration can take place at any time during the calendar year.

Objectives

The objectives of the school include the following:

· To inspire and sustain student interest in preserving, appreciating and furthering the Greek history, heritage and tradition.

· To provide students with the skills to communicate verbally and in writing, in everyday situations. This will include the ability to express feelings and thoughts, and comprehend a variety of modern Greek texts such as poems, novels, and general interest articles.

· To create a connection between the Greek and American cultures.

· To provide students with a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment where language learning gives them an opportunity to interact with other children of Greek parentage and ancestry. Language and civilization are strictly connected to benefit students with a well-rounded curriculum taught by a qualified team of instructors.

The School Community Expectations

All members of the school community are expected to:

· Embrace the mission of the school.

· Work with school policies for a positive, cordial and effective learning environment.

The Parish Council Educational Committee

The Educational Committee set policies and standards for the school. The committee reports to the Presbyter of the Church and the Parish Board.

Faculty

The school policy is to generally employ teachers for whom Greek is their native language and have a background in teaching Greek as a foreign or second language. Teachers are to guide students in the learning process. They are responsible for planning and implementing the program. Except for emergency situations, teachers should be available for the class sessions of the entire school year as determined and agreed at the beginning of the year.

Homework Policy

Homework is a necessary part of student life. It reinforces skills and content learned in the classroom. Parents/ Guardians are expected to “help” with homework in that they will provide a quiet, well lit area in which the student may work and will check the homework over after it is done to make sure it meets the appropriate expectations. Do not have them do homework 15 minutes before arriving to school. Please provide guidance, not answers. Help them become independent, lifelong learners.

Tell your child how important homework is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires. Watch for signs of failure and frustration. Talk to the teacher. Reward homework completion and progress. If a student misses a class and needs the homework assignment either contact a classmate or a teacher.

It is the teacher’s responsibility:

· to make sure students understand what is expected of them

· that homework assignments are age and grade appropriate

· to acknowledge individual differences among the students when feasible

Evaluation

Evaluating a child’s academic performance in the context of the afternoon language school seeks an alternative to the traditional evaluating procedures. We believe that evaluation must be:

· ongoing and integrated with instruction

· documented as learning takes place

· Must be supportive. It needs to focus on students strengths rather than weaknesses-on what they can do and not what they cannot.

Teachers will evaluate students based on:

· attendance

· conduct and attitudes toward learning

· completion and revision of homework assignments

· tests

· class accomplishments

Family Responsibilities

Please commit to regular attendance because excessive absences or tardiness affect the learning environment negatively. It is important that your child does not miss instructional time. Except when ill or excused, students are expected to attend regularly.

Arrive on time and pick up at the end of the class.

** Please do not bring child to school when ill so other children do not get sick.

Discipline

Students must show respect to the teachers, members of the educational committee and fellow students AT ALL TIMES.

Students are expected to demonstrate responsibility and self-discipline every time they come to school. They should understand the importance of learning and the need for mutual respect in their learning environment.

Students must not create damages to school material or property. If they do, they or family will be financially responsible for the repair.

Students must never use blasphemous or foul language.

Students should not throw any objects, fight or ”play-fight” (wrestle, tacking, kicking and grabbing) in class or in recess.

Students should not go to the restrooms without asking for permission from the teacher.

Students who disrupt the learning environment will be reported and appropriate measures will be taken.

School Programs

All families and students are requested to participate in school programs to support the learning environment and enhance the feeling of community.

Field Trips

The school will periodically organize field trips. Held trips are intended as a means of curriculum enrichment. A lot of work is put in organizing a field trip, so please make every effort your child attends. Remember to turn in permission slips on time.

School Attire

Students are expected to wear comfortable clothes and be clean in appearance when coming to school.

School Directory

The school will prepare a telephone and e-mail directory listing students’ home phone number and address. If you wish your information not to be listed please notify the director as soon as possible. Please inform our parish secretary of any changes in your contact information.

Snacks and Allergies

Students attending 2-hour classes will break approximately 10 minutes and those attending 3-hour classes for 25 minutes. In both cases please provide a very light snack.

A sensitive matter that requires everyone’s attention is food allergies. Inform the school of any allergies your child suffers from. Do not send food that can cause an allergic reaction to another student. We will provide you with a list of items you should never bring to school.

Snow Day Cancellation Policy

In an event of a snow storm the Monday and Friday classes will follow the Boston Public School system. If the Boston schools are closed so are the Greek school classes for that day. For the Saturday classes teachers will call the students by 9:00am.

Drop off and Pick up of Children

All Parents/ Guardians are to pick up children on time from their classroom. Parents and guardians should not wait outside the classrooms or at the lounge area when classes are in session.

No child is permitted to leave the school premises. When a child is brought to school, it is understood that he or she will remain there until pick up after school. We consider this a serious matter while the children are in our care. If you need to pick up your child before school is over, notify the teacher.

Parent – School Communication

A school calendar is produced before the beginning of the school year. The school reserves the right to changes if necessary. In such a case, parents and students will be informed in advance. Announcements and other information will be posted on the bulletin board in the lounge area.

Three parent/teacher conferences are scheduled during the school year. Please make every effort to attend.

Parent/ Teacher conferences can also be arranged to discuss a student’s progress.

Curriculum

Kindergarden

Reading: Following Directions, Recognizing upper and lower cases, Greek letter/ sound associations: consonants and vowels, reading strategies (context and picture clues), phonetic analysis.

Writing: Develop speaking and listening skills, letter formation (upper and lower cases).

Verbal Skills: Simple words and phrases, Greek alphabet (letter recognition, writing and phonetics), word pronunciation, numbers (1-12), colors, animals, body parts, clothing, the house, family members.

Orthodox Faith and Greek Culture: National holidays, children games, songs, poems, plays,

Grade One

Reading: Vocabulary, Comprehension, Phrasing in oral reading, reading strategies (context and picture clues), phonetic analysis and phonics.

Writing: Writing mechanisms, conventional and phonetic spelling, handwriting skills and speaking/ listening skills.

Verbal Skills: Simple words and phrases, Greek alphabet (letter recognition, writing and phonetics), word pronunciation, numbers, colors, animals, body parts, clothing, the house, family members and seasons

Orthodox Faith and Greek Culture: National holidays, children games, songs, poems, plays, pictures and drawings.

Grade Two

Reading: Reading Comprehension, Phonetic and structural analysis of words, fluency, clarity and expression in oral reading.

Writing: Diphthongs, double consonants, articles, nouns, one vs. many verbs, simple sentences and vocabulary (days and months).

Verbal Skills: Simple words and phrases, Greek alphabet (letter recognition, writing and phonetics), simple conversation in Greek, seasons, word pronunciation, numbers, clothing, family members and seasons

Orthodox Faith and Greek Culture: National holidays, children games, songs, poems, plays, pictures and drawings.

Grade Three

Reading: Comprehension strategies, literal, critical, inference skills, vocabulary, decoding strategies and oral reading skills.

Writing: Composition (sentence and paragraph structure)

Oral language (punctuation & capitalization)

Grammar (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and pronouns)

Spelling and vocabulary developments

Letter writing

Verbal Skills: Simple conversation in Greek using verbs, adjective and nouns and greetings.

Orthodox Faith and Greek Culture: National holidays, children games, songs, poems, plays, pictures and drawings.

Grade Four

Reading: Short stories, elements of a story, oral reading skills, verbal and written responses to reading, vocabulary development, shared oral reading.

Writing: Composition – sentence and paragraph structure

Mechanism of writing – capitalization and punctuation

Grammar – nouns, verbs, adjectives and pronouns

Spelling and vocabulary developments

Conjugation of nouns, regular and irregular verbs

Writing main idea of the story

Verbal Skills: Simple conversation in Greek using verbs, adjectives and nouns, everyday dialogue.

Orthodox Faith and Greek Culture: National holidays, songs, poems, plays, dances, geography.

Grade Five

Reading: Vocabulary, comprehension, plot, character and setting analysis, shared oral reading and book reports.

Writing: Composition – sentence and paragraph structure

Grammar – nouns, verbs, adjectives and pronouns, prepositions, punctuations, capitalization, word usage

Spelling and vocabulary developments

Conjugation of nouns, verbs

Writing main idea of the story

Use of Dictionary

Verbal Skills: Simple conversation in Greek using verbs, adjectives and nouns, everyday dialogue and pronunciation.

Orthodox Faith and Greek Culture: National holidays, songs, poems, plays, dances, geography, Mythology, History.

Grade Six

Reading: Vocabulary, comprehension, plot, character and setting analysis, shared oral reading and book reports.

Writing: Composition – sentence and paragraph structure

Grammar – nouns, verbs, adjectives and pronouns, prepositions, punctuations, capitalization, word usage

Spelling and vocabulary developments

Conjugation of nouns, verbs

Writing main idea of the story

Use of Dictionary

Verbal Skills: Simple conversation in Greek using verbs, adjectives and nouns, everyday dialogue and pronunciation.

Orthodox Faith and Greek Culture: National holidays, songs, poems, plays, dances, geography, Mythology, History, The Olympic Games.