Melissa holds a Associates of Science. Melissa has experience working in early childhood education (ECE) and was a classroom teacher for two years. Meslissa previously worked as an executive as Macy's department store and oversaw operations at two locations in Southern California. Meslissa's family were active members at their Orthodox Church in California and she recently located to Washignton state with her family.
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Sunday School
The goal of our Sunday School program is to introduce the children to some of the fundamental teachings of the Orthodox church and to bring them closer to God. The lessons are developed for the children to grow in knowledge of, and to devlope an appreciation for, the rich traditions of our Greek Orthodox faith. Each lesson presents the teachings of the Greek Orthodox Church in an age appropriate way that focuses on short lessons that use child friendly langauge and fun reinforcing activities such as story time, songs, and arts and crafts. Lesson topics include but are not limited to: the Bible, prayer, religious holidays, Feasts of the Church, the Saints, service projects, and the Sacraments. Sunday school is a year around program with rolling admissions. Sunday School meets every Sunday after Holy Communion.
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Teaching Staff
Melissa Wayne AS Teacher |
Johanna Cotter M.S. Teaching Assistant Johanna holds a Masters in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Johanna is a Navy veteran who served four years as military police. Johanna's background includes work as a research scientist studying birds, human cells, and disease. Johanna currently works in insurance. |
Curriculum: Living Our Orthodox Faith
Preschool: God Loves Us
This is a teacher's guide with reproducible handouts for your students. Love, which children so freely give and so naturally expect, is the basis for this program. Here are the materials a teacher needs to build an effective, customized program for this age group.
Kindergarten: Happy with God
God's love is the source of joy, the main theme of this program designed for kindergarten age children. Aspects of worship and stories from scripture highlight specific examples of and reasons for joy centered on Christ.
First Grade: Me and My World
The focus of this program is on Creation as God's gift. In discovering the world, the child understands that the family, friends, church schoolall come from God. Through depictions of the daily experiences of God's world, the child comes to realize that God is real, loving, and caring.
Second Grade: Loving God
This program concentrates on the theme of _Loving God. Through the example of men and women of the Bible, and of our Saints, children begin to understand right, wrong and forgiveness in the light of God?s love. They also learn the importance not only of loving God unconditionally, but also of respecting other people, of taking care of the environment, of doing good in His Name.
Third Grade: Sharing God's World
Currently unavailable.
Fourth Grade: Growing with God
A program devoted to helping children learn how to use and appreciate the Bible. Also introduces examples of living the sacramental lifeattending services, fasting, praying, observing feast days, helping others, learning about the saints and the Church of Christ. After this program, children love the Bible, and know how to refer to it in times of doubt and fear. Contains words to hymns and songs.
Fifth Grade: God Calls Us
Unit 1, God Calls Us to Faith, covers the first eight centuries of the Old Testament story of the Hebrew people. It begins with Abraham?s great test of faith and ends with Moses and the establishment of the covenant that God made with the Israelites on Mt. Sinai. The Ten Commandments showed the Israelites how to serve and love God and one another. The overall purpose of this unit on the faith responses of the Old Covenant people is to help students understand why Christians speak of Jesus as having established a New Covenant. (We also call it a New Testament.) Through Christ, God continues to choose a people and to call them to holiness and faith.
Unit 2, _God Calls Us to Holiness, covers the twelve centuries of the Old Testament story after the Exodus from Egypt until the period just before the birth of Christ. It begins with Joshua?s leadership of the Israelites in Canaan after the Exodus, followed by the leadership of the Judges, Kings and Prophets, and the rebuilding of Solomon?s Temple. Whenever the Israelites would forget their bond with God, He sent prophets to call them back to who they werea people chosen and loved by God. The overall purpose of this unit is to introduce God?s Holy Spirit at work in the Jewish leaders of the Old Testament, just as the Holy Spirit today works in the life of the Church and individual Christians who seek God?s guidance and power.
Unit 3, _God Calls Us to His Kingdom, is an overview of Jesus Christ?s life and ministry, through the stories and perspectives of the All-Holy Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist, St. Luke, St. Mark, St. Matthew, and St. John. It begins with the pivotal role of Mary, the one whose response to God allowed her to become the Theotokosthe God-Bearer and Mother of Our Lord. Next, it presents Jesus as the one who calls us to the Kingdom of God by showing us how God acts and telling us what God wills for us. These lessons center on Christ as preacher, teacher, all-powerful healer, merciful judge, and loving redeemer. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been reconciled with God. This is the Good News of the Gospels (Evangelion). The overall purpose of this unit is to show that through Christ we know the life, the forgiveness, and the love of God, and share in the life of God in His Kingdom.
Unit 4, _God Calls Us to His Church, covers the founding of the Church and the first five centuries of the New Testament era. It begins with the work of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and that of St. Philip the Deacon. Next, it moves to the exceptional response to the call of the Church by monks and nuns, illustrated by the life of St. Anthony the Great. It ends with the contributions of three great fathers and teachers of the Church: St. Athanasios the Great, St. Basil the Great, and St. Gregory the Theologian. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils worked through _the big questions and explained the Christian Faith for the generations to come. The overall purpose of this unit is to show the power of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of the apostles, monastics, and fathers in order to establish and maintain the Church, which was founded on Pentecost though the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Unit 5, _God Calls Us to Share His Word, goes in-depth with St. Paul as he evangelizes through his travels and epistles. It begins with the martyrdom of St. Stephen, which St. Paul witnessed and encouraged. From the road to Damascus to prison in Rome, Lessons 1_4 follow the Acts of the Apostles. Next, Lesson 5 shows how St. Paul?s letters advance the Gospel by showing us what it means to be a Christian and how to live accordingly. Lesson 6 concludes the unit with a look at several Orthodox doctrines that form the backbone of St. Paul?s theology. The purpose of this unit is two-fold: It demonstrates how Paul and the other Apostles spread the Gospel and taught the Christian way of life in the Churches they established in the Mediterranean and beyond. But the legacy of St. Paul and the Apostles is more than these Churches. To this day, their lettersand the Gospels that were recorded laterare our guiding Holy Scripture.
Middle and High School Materials
The Department of Religious Education has embarked on a new line of resources for teaching junior high and high school students. Called "zines" (from magazine), each one explores one topic of the Orthodox Christian Faith in easy-to-read bites of information and accompanying images, with many interactive elements, such as questions for reflection or things to look up in the Bible.
This is a teacher's guide with reproducible handouts for your students. Love, which children so freely give and so naturally expect, is the basis for this program. Here are the materials a teacher needs to build an effective, customized program for this age group.
Kindergarten: Happy with God
God's love is the source of joy, the main theme of this program designed for kindergarten age children. Aspects of worship and stories from scripture highlight specific examples of and reasons for joy centered on Christ.
First Grade: Me and My World
The focus of this program is on Creation as God's gift. In discovering the world, the child understands that the family, friends, church schoolall come from God. Through depictions of the daily experiences of God's world, the child comes to realize that God is real, loving, and caring.
Second Grade: Loving God
This program concentrates on the theme of _Loving God. Through the example of men and women of the Bible, and of our Saints, children begin to understand right, wrong and forgiveness in the light of God?s love. They also learn the importance not only of loving God unconditionally, but also of respecting other people, of taking care of the environment, of doing good in His Name.
Third Grade: Sharing God's World
Currently unavailable.
Fourth Grade: Growing with God
A program devoted to helping children learn how to use and appreciate the Bible. Also introduces examples of living the sacramental lifeattending services, fasting, praying, observing feast days, helping others, learning about the saints and the Church of Christ. After this program, children love the Bible, and know how to refer to it in times of doubt and fear. Contains words to hymns and songs.
Fifth Grade: God Calls Us
Unit 1, God Calls Us to Faith, covers the first eight centuries of the Old Testament story of the Hebrew people. It begins with Abraham?s great test of faith and ends with Moses and the establishment of the covenant that God made with the Israelites on Mt. Sinai. The Ten Commandments showed the Israelites how to serve and love God and one another. The overall purpose of this unit on the faith responses of the Old Covenant people is to help students understand why Christians speak of Jesus as having established a New Covenant. (We also call it a New Testament.) Through Christ, God continues to choose a people and to call them to holiness and faith.
Unit 2, _God Calls Us to Holiness, covers the twelve centuries of the Old Testament story after the Exodus from Egypt until the period just before the birth of Christ. It begins with Joshua?s leadership of the Israelites in Canaan after the Exodus, followed by the leadership of the Judges, Kings and Prophets, and the rebuilding of Solomon?s Temple. Whenever the Israelites would forget their bond with God, He sent prophets to call them back to who they werea people chosen and loved by God. The overall purpose of this unit is to introduce God?s Holy Spirit at work in the Jewish leaders of the Old Testament, just as the Holy Spirit today works in the life of the Church and individual Christians who seek God?s guidance and power.
Unit 3, _God Calls Us to His Kingdom, is an overview of Jesus Christ?s life and ministry, through the stories and perspectives of the All-Holy Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist, St. Luke, St. Mark, St. Matthew, and St. John. It begins with the pivotal role of Mary, the one whose response to God allowed her to become the Theotokosthe God-Bearer and Mother of Our Lord. Next, it presents Jesus as the one who calls us to the Kingdom of God by showing us how God acts and telling us what God wills for us. These lessons center on Christ as preacher, teacher, all-powerful healer, merciful judge, and loving redeemer. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been reconciled with God. This is the Good News of the Gospels (Evangelion). The overall purpose of this unit is to show that through Christ we know the life, the forgiveness, and the love of God, and share in the life of God in His Kingdom.
Unit 4, _God Calls Us to His Church, covers the founding of the Church and the first five centuries of the New Testament era. It begins with the work of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and that of St. Philip the Deacon. Next, it moves to the exceptional response to the call of the Church by monks and nuns, illustrated by the life of St. Anthony the Great. It ends with the contributions of three great fathers and teachers of the Church: St. Athanasios the Great, St. Basil the Great, and St. Gregory the Theologian. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils worked through _the big questions and explained the Christian Faith for the generations to come. The overall purpose of this unit is to show the power of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of the apostles, monastics, and fathers in order to establish and maintain the Church, which was founded on Pentecost though the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Unit 5, _God Calls Us to Share His Word, goes in-depth with St. Paul as he evangelizes through his travels and epistles. It begins with the martyrdom of St. Stephen, which St. Paul witnessed and encouraged. From the road to Damascus to prison in Rome, Lessons 1_4 follow the Acts of the Apostles. Next, Lesson 5 shows how St. Paul?s letters advance the Gospel by showing us what it means to be a Christian and how to live accordingly. Lesson 6 concludes the unit with a look at several Orthodox doctrines that form the backbone of St. Paul?s theology. The purpose of this unit is two-fold: It demonstrates how Paul and the other Apostles spread the Gospel and taught the Christian way of life in the Churches they established in the Mediterranean and beyond. But the legacy of St. Paul and the Apostles is more than these Churches. To this day, their lettersand the Gospels that were recorded laterare our guiding Holy Scripture.
Middle and High School Materials
The Department of Religious Education has embarked on a new line of resources for teaching junior high and high school students. Called "zines" (from magazine), each one explores one topic of the Orthodox Christian Faith in easy-to-read bites of information and accompanying images, with many interactive elements, such as questions for reflection or things to look up in the Bible.
