STJOEP_Semester1_Class_Descriptions_updated7-2-26.xlsx

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1	St. John the Evangelist Orthodox Education Program (STJOEP)
2	Semester I Course Catalog • 2026–2027
3	#	CLASS NAME	GRADE LEVEL	DESCRIPTION
4	1	Pre-Kindergarten Classes	3-4 year olds	Preschool classes will include Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Sign Language, Nature Study/Science, and Physical Education. Throughout the year, we will also incorporate a variety of Orthodox children’s books connected to the liturgical calendar, feast days, and the lives of the saints.
5	2	Catechesis of the Good Shepherd	PreK-3rd	Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori-based Orthodox formation program for children. It seeks to create and facilitate a sacred, hands-on space called an atrium, in which both the children and their catechists can hear, ponder, and celebrate the most essential mysteries of the Christian faith as revealed in the Scriptures and the Liturgy. The atrium is a space where the child develops his/her relationship with God, a relationship which already exists. In this class we will also be learning about many of the saints of the Church and incorporating lessons on the feasts and liturgical seasons.
6	3	Music	K-2	The purpose of this class is to engage the children in the joys of sound and movement as we learn games that emphasize rhythm and melody, and proper deportment within a group of singers. We will also learn some cherished hymns of the Church.
7	4	Physical Education	K-2	Yoke of God Alone is an Orthodox Christian physical education program that develops strength, endurance, coordination, and healthy habits while teaching children that caring for our bodies is an act of gratitude to God. Each class begins with prayer, Jesus Prayer breathing, and gentle stretching before progressing into age-appropriate games, strength exercises, obstacle courses, relays, and cooperative challenges. Every lesson is centered on an Orthodox virtue, saint, or feast, helping students connect physical discipline with spiritual growth. Children practice perseverance inspired by the martyrs, self-control through balance and coordination exercises, joyful teamwork through cooperative games, and endurance through progressively challenging activities. Rather than competition alone, the emphasis is on encouraging one another, showing kindness, and developing confidence in a Christ-centered environment. Activities may include: Balance and coordination challenges, Bodyweight strength exercises, Agility courses, Relay races, Team-building games, Nature movement and outdoor exploration, Functional fitness, Breathing and stretching, Scripture memory through movement, Virtue-based fitness challenges. Every class concludes with reflection, prayer, and encouragement to practice healthy habits and Christian virtues throughout the week.
8	5	Speaking with Confidence & Faith Orthodox Speech, Theater & Public Speaking	3-5th	This engaging, faith-centered class introduces students to the foundations of public speaking, creative drama, and confident communication through the lens of the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith. Each week, students will build confidence through theater games, improvisation, movement, voice exercises, tongue twisters, storytelling, and age-appropriate acting activities. They will learn clear speech, proper posture and projection, basic stage directions, theater vocabulary, and presentation skills they can use in church, school, and everyday life. Students will also explore the lives of beloved Orthodox saints through dramatic monologues, Scripture, and storytelling, encouraging growth in virtues such as courage, humility, kindness, perseverance, and love for Christ. This class emphasizes that speaking is more than performing—it is a gift that can be used to encourage others, share the truth, participate in the life of the Church, and glorify God. The semester will conclude with a special Nativity presentation in December, where students will share what they have learned through recitations, dramatic readings, and selected scenes for their families and school community. No previous theater or public speaking experience is necessary—just a willingness to learn, participate, and have fun in a supportive, Christ-centered environment.
9	6	Orthodox STEM Lab	K-5th	Orthodox STEM Lab is a hands-on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics class rooted in the Orthodox Christian understanding that all creation reveals the wisdom, order, and glory of God. Each lesson begins with prayer, Scripture, and the life of a saint, connecting scientific exploration with the virtues and feasts of the Church calendar. Students investigate God’s creation through exciting experiments, engineering challenges, cooking science, nature studies, gardening, chemistry, physics, biology, and creative building projects. Lessons encourage observation, problem-solving, teamwork, and stewardship while cultivating wonder for God’s world. Throughout the semester, students create practical projects that can be shared with their families or prepared for the co-op’s annual Nativity Market, introducing basic entrepreneurship, craftsmanship, and service to others. Topics may include: Chemistry and kitchen science, Engineering and simple machines, Botany and gardening, Ecology and stewardship, Physics of light, motion, and force, Geology and archaeology, Food science and nutrition, Nature journaling and scientific observation, Woodworking and simple construction, Seasonal Orthodox crafts and market projects, Students leave each class with a completed project or experiment, a science notebook entry, and a take-home family activity to continue learning together.
10	7	Art	K-12th	This year the art class topics will be based on the history of Orthodoxy in America. With art presentations and projects, we will travel down the West Coast and through time, from St. Brendan and St. Herman to St. Innocent and St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. The children will get to experiment with a wide variety of media and types of art, among which would be collages, black and white graphics, gouache or tempera, and watercolors.
11		Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW)	3rd-5th	This course uses the Adventures in Writing and Fix-Its curricula from the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Combining writing and grammar will get us part-way through these books, however utilizing them together will provide the students with a growing ability to write and understand how our language works. There will be practice work for the students to complete at home. While I will use the short literature examples provided with the curriculum, I will supplement these with small, simple paragraphs from Orthodox literature when I can find suitable sources for this age group.
12	8	Church HIstory/Lives of Saints	3rd-12th	This course will guide students through the foundational periods, events, and themes of Church history by studying the lives of the saints within their historical and geographical contexts. Students will create a personal Book of Saints, incorporating timelines, maps, key historical developments, and reflections on the witness of holy men and women throughout the life of the Church. Each semester, students will complete a research report on a saint of their choice, deepening their understanding of the Orthodox faith. Through written work, mapping, discussion, and presentations, students will strengthen their research and communication skills while encountering Church history not merely as a sequence of events, but as the living witness of sanctity across time and place.
13	9	Music	3rd-5th	This class will intentionally focus on the beauty and tradition of Orthodox music while helping students develop the foundational skills of singing together. Students will practice proper vocal technique, listening, blending, and singing as one voice, while also beginning to learn the basics of reading musical notation.
14		Music	6-12th	This year we will focus on the role of the choir in the Divine Liturgy. The students will be an actual choir, initally singing in unison, learning the different parts of the service and how to sing them appropriately. I intend to have them come into the kliros to help sing the service as their abilities and focus allow. While singing is a joyous and fun activity, singing the Divine Liturgy brings us together with the Heavenly Host, a serious, yet also joyous, endeavor.
15	10	Spanish	3rd-12th	Learn the most commonly used vocabulary and grammar forms of Spanish! Let’s improve our reading, writing, speaking and listening by taking notes, playing games, and working together with our friends to solve problems. The vocabulary themes will be chosen to suit the age/background of the students, but common topics include greetings, introductions, describing yourself, and discussing the immediate world around us. We will sometimes engage in cultural experiences to discover the music, food, dance and other aspects of Spanish speaking countries.
16	11	Speaking with Confidence & Faith Orthodox Speech, Theater & Public Speaking	6-12th	This engaging, faith-centered class introduces students to the foundations of public speaking, creative drama, and confident communication through the lens of the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith. Each week, students will build confidence through theater games, improvisation, movement, voice exercises, tongue twisters, storytelling, and age-appropriate acting activities. They will learn clear speech, proper posture and projection, basic stage directions, theater vocabulary, and presentation skills they can use in church, school, and everyday life. Students will also explore the lives of beloved Orthodox saints through dramatic monologues, Scripture, and storytelling, encouraging growth in virtues such as courage, humility, kindness, perseverance, and love for Christ. This class emphasizes that speaking is more than performing—it is a gift that can be used to encourage others, share the truth, participate in the life of the Church, and glorify God. The semester will conclude with a special Nativity presentation in December, where students will share what they have learned through recitations, dramatic readings, and selected scenes for their families and school community. No previous theater or public speaking experience is necessary—just a willingness to learn, participate, and have fun in a supportive, Christ-centered environment.
17	12	Cooking and Hospitality	6-12th	Step into the rich culinary traditions of the Orthodox Christian world as we discover how faith, family, and food have been woven together for centuries. In this hands-on cooking and baking class, students will prepare traditional recipes inspired by Orthodox feast days, regional customs, and the timeless practice of hospitality. Together we’ll explore breads, pastries, soups, desserts, and family recipes from Orthodox cultures including Greek, Slavic, Romanian, and other historic Christian traditions.As the semester progresses, we’ll transition into the Nativity Fast, learning how to prepare beautiful, nourishing fasting meals that families can enjoy together. Students will gain practical kitchen skills while discovering how fasting cuisine can be simple, flavorful, and deeply satisfying. Each class will include:Hands-on cooking or baking, Essential kitchen techniques and, food preparation skills, The history and tradition behind each recipe, Stories of Orthodox saints, feast days, and regional customs, Discussions on hospitality, stewardship, and serving others through food, Recipes to take home and recreate with family, Whether we’re baking a traditional St. Basil’s bread, preparing koliva, learning the story behind a beloved feast-day dessert, or creating nourishing fasting meals, students will experience how the Orthodox kitchen has long been a place of prayer, generosity, remembrance, and joyful celebration.No previous cooking experience is necessary—just a willingness to learn, serve, and share around the table.
18	13	Lost Tools of Writing Pre-course	Middle School	This course serves as preparation for the higher level LTW 1 class. We use the arts and story to engage the students’ imaginations and observation skills as we work on writing at an introductory level of LTW. There will be some practice work for the students to complete at home. The students will grow in their ability to attend through the arts. Prayer requires our attention, and a good student develops their ability to attend through their studies, which aids them in prayer.
19	14	Lost Tools of Writing Level 1 with Literature	High School	The Lost Tools of Writing teaches the art of rhetoric through practicing three of the five canons of classical rhetoric: invention, arrangement, and elocution (we leave off memorization and oration, although students can present their completed essays in class). This course teaches the art of thinking: exploring resources for information and ideas, arranging our ideas in a logical, persuasive form, and expressing them beautifully. This second year of LTW 1 will deepen the students’ understanding of the tools they first used in year 1. Paired with the Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis (additional literature to be chosen), we will explore the themes of the books while writing our essays. There will be weekly writing and reading assignments with submission dates. In everything we read, we look for the good, the true, and the beautiful. As Orthodox Christians, we look for God everywhere, and I choose literature where He may be found. The tools help us to discover these and express our ideas with clarity and beauty.
20	15	Yearbook Club	8th-12th	Students work together to create the annual TreeRing yearbook while documenting and preserving the life of our Orthodox Christian co-op. Members coordinate with families, teachers, and volunteers to collect photos, stories, and memories throughout the school year. As a collaborative project, students encourage participation across the co-op, create and support community traditions and activities, and work together to capture, design, and build the yearbook. Along the way, students develop leadership, communication, project coordination, digital organization, light photography, and storytelling skills while creating a lasting record of co-op life. A laptop or desktop computer with reliable internet access, webcam, and microphone is required for online meetings and collaboration.
21	16	Individual Tutoring	Varies	Individual tutoring is offered for students who need additional support in reading, especially those with learning differences or reading difficulties. Instruction is provided by a trained tutor using the Barton Reading & Spelling System, a structured, evidence-based program designed to strengthen phonemic awareness, decoding, spelling, fluency, and confidence. Writing and math tutoring are available as well.
22	17	After Co-op Sports (add'l fee)	K–2 and 3rd–10th	The Orthodox Sports Academy provides students with a Christ-centered introduction to athletics in a supportive and encouraging environment. Designed as an after-school enrichment program, the academy develops athletic skills while emphasizing humility, perseverance, teamwork, and respect for others. Students learn the fundamentals of a variety of individual and team sports through structured practices, skill-building stations, conditioning, and friendly scrimmages. Coaches encourage athletes to glorify God through diligence, sportsmanship, and service, recognizing that true success is measured not only by performance but also by Christ-like character Sports instruction may include:, Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, Track and field fundamentals, Throwing and catching skills, Agility and speed training, Endurance conditioning, Cooperative team games, Outdoor adventure challenges, Seasonal sports and field days, Throughout the year, athletes set personal goals, celebrate improvement, and encourage one another as members of a supportive Orthodox community. The program promotes lifelong fitness while helping children grow in discipline, confidence, and love for God and neighbor.
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