Berkeley Turkish School

The mission of the Berkeley Turkish School is to inspire the children of the Turkish American community and aid in their ability to understand, speak, read, and write Turkish. In addition, the students learn about their cultural heritage through creative play, songs, traditions, geography, history, and literature. Our intent is to create an environment where our school enhances our students' self-confidence and provides a setting that encourages forming of new friendships with other Turkish speaking children. We are a volunteer based non profit public charity and expect parents to be actively involved and volunteer their time during the weekend classes. ABOUT OUR CURRICULUM Our approach to early childhood education is based on student engagement in well-integrated activities which encourage children to feel a sense of belonging to their community. We believe that schooling should not be an isolated activity, but rather a hollistic one that helps chidlren thrive in their local communities, and the community is engaged with and invested in their success. We believe in the importance of creative play along with close collaboration between teachers and parents so that we can provide each child a setting that allows them to evolve and make sense of the world at their own pace in their own way. When forming our curriculum for the year we have been inspired by a variety of educational approaches. Together with our experienced teaching team, we have put together an exciting program for the 2017-2018 academic year. Our program is built around the theme of a journey through Turkey which celebrates the cultural diversity and richness of each geographical region. Each month, we will focus on a specific region through creative play, music, storytelling, reading, math, art, science, games, and creative movemement. During snack time, we experience our culture by enjoying Turkish food catered and sometimes brought by our families. This also allows a setting where our community connects and great friendships are born. By the time academic year is complete our students will have experienced all of Turkey's regions and their diverse cultures through fun and interactive activities while developing Turkish language skills. During the course of the year, we also celebrate two Turkish National holidays through two festivals; The Republic Day as well as National Children's Day.