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6 THE SHEPHERD • AUGUST 2026 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO DANCE & CHORAL Dear students, families and friends of our Greek School, I hope you all had a wonderful summer — full of rest, sunshine, and time with loved ones. As we prepare to welcome the fall sea- son, we are also getting ready to open our doors for another meaningful year of Greek language learning, cultural enrichment, and community connection. We are excited to see familiar faces returning and to welcome new families joining us for the first time. Annual “Meet and Greek” – Sun., Aug. 30th Registration for the new school year will of- ficially open on August 10th. To secure your spot and help us organize classes efficiently, please complete your registration by August 26th. Early registration allows us to finalize class lists, assign teachers, and ensure that every student is placed appropriately. The link will posted on our new website very soon! Registrations Open August 10th Registration for the new school year will of- ficially open on August 10th. To secure your spot and help us organize classes efficiently, please complete your registration by August 26th. Early registration allows us to finalize class lists, assign teachers, and ensure that every student is placed appropriately. The link will posted on our new website very soon! School Year Begins September 1st We are delighted to announce that classes will officially begin on September 1st for all. We look forward to welcoming our students back into the classroom and starting the year with positive energy and enthusiasm. Please note that we will no longer hold any classes on Mondays. This adjustment helps us streamline scheduling, better support teacher availability throughout the week and avoid missing classes due to holidays. Parent Survey for Class Day Preferences All parents with children enrolled in kids’ classes will receive an email with a short day‑of‑preference survey. We know that Fri- days have traditionally been our main teach- ing day; however, due to teacher availability this year, not every class can be scheduled on Friday. We kindly ask for your flexibility and collaboration. When you receive the survey, please let us know which alternative days work for your family. Your responses will help us build a schedule that accommodates as many students as possible while support- ing our teachers. Updated Class Times for Children All children’s classes will now run from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. This year, classes will be held without a mid‑class break. We made this ad- justment for two reasons (i) to help families arrive on time despite afternoon traffic, and (ii) to maintain student focus and increase quality instructional time. We want our stu- dents to get the most out of each lesson, and a continuous class flow supports that goal. Please note that this change does not ap- ply to our Tiny Greeks program, which will continue as usual with a duration of 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Our Elli- nomatheia classes will remain 2 hours long and twice per week, with a short 5‑minute bio break included. If you are interested in enrolling your children to our Ellinomatheia class please contact the director to arrange for a placement test. Adult Classes Our Adult Classes will continue to run for 2 hours, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. As always, the exact time may be adjusted slightly based on class preference. We appreciate your flex- ibility and look forward to another produc- tive year of adult learning. Please note that we will not be offering the Adult Conversa- tional Class this year. GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΓΛΩΣΣΑΣ Hot off the summer panigyri circuit, the St. Spyridon Greek Dance and Choral School is ready to kick off the start of the school year. Classes being on Sunday, August 16th and we are so excited to welcome everyone back and to see some new faces! Join us in the Youth Room after the Divine Liturgy to meet your directors and get information on where and when practices will take place. New members are welcome to try it out for a few weeks before registration. Here is a breakdown of the groups and age ranges: *All times subject to change this fall based on availability and scheduling. Schedule will be up- dated in the weekly church bulletin. Our first fundraiser of the year will be a Greek movie night we are calling Souvlaki and Cinema on Friday, August 21, 2026 . We will show a Greek movie (with subtitles) and offer souvlakia, soda, beer, popcorn and other treats for purchase. Movie tickets are only $5 per person, and the a la carte pricing for beverages and snacks starts at just $5. This will be a great way to bond across generations. To reserve tickets, send a message to stspyridongreekdance@gmail.com See you there! DOORS OPEN 7:30 PM $5 MOVIE TICKET A LA CARTE REFRESHMENTS St. Spyridon Church Hall FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2026 SOUVLAKI AND CINEMA Greek Movie with English Subtitles St. Spyridon Greek Dance & Choral School Presents... Dance and Choral - August 2026 Newsletter ot o the su er panigiri circuit, the St. Spyridon Greek Dance and Choral School is ready to kick off the start f the school year. Classes being on Sunday, August 16 th and we are so excit d to welcome everyone back and to see some ew faces! Join us in the Youth Room after the Divine Liturgy to meet your directors and get information on where nd when practices will take place. New members ar welcom to try it out for a few we s before egistr tion. Here is a breakdown of the groups and age ranges: Group Name Age Range Directors *Tentative Schedule Ta Spyridonakia 4-6 Aspasia Charalampopoulos, Anastasia Terris 12:15 pm-12:45 pm Youth Room Helios 7–12 Sophia Thiros, Tina Perri, Gabriella Livanos 12:45 pm-1:45 pm Youth Room Pelagos 13–18 (High School) Sia Brown, Dimitri Litsas 1:30 pm-3:00 pm Church Hall Parea 18+ (High School Grads+) Maria Terris TBD Church Hall Adult Beginner Classes 18+ (6 Week Course) Sia Brown TBD Youth Room *All times subject to change this fall based on availability and scheduling. Schedule will be updated in the weekly church bulletin. Our first fundrai er of the year will be a Greek movie night e are calling Souvlaki and Cinema on Friday, August 21, 2026. We will show a Gree movie (with subtitl s) and offer souvlakia, soda, be r, popcor and other treats for purchase. Movie tickets are only $5 per person, and the a la carte pricing for bevera es a nd snacks starts at just $5. This wi ll be a great way to bond across generations. To reserve tickets, send a message to stspyridongreekdance@gmail.com ee you there! continues 11