New Academic Year Excitement at UÖMO

Ulus Jewish Schools has undertaken new programs this year in order to add new accomplishments to its current ones and to expand and improve its projects and connections on the international platform. UÖMO is starting the new academic year with its 13 AP (Advanced Placement) classes, its project works towards becoming an "Eco School", with the increased number of schools participating in the "UÖMO International Schools Project".

In addition, to improve these studies, render the international connections sustainable, and provide the UÖMO students a bigger network around the world, Nancy Sanderson Swartz joined the UÖMO's educational staff as the foreign director. The Education Coordinator Röne Kaspi expressing that UÖMO's new term studies have started at a fast and intense pace, stated:

"Our graduates have gotten into distinguished universities in the United States, Europe, Israel, Canada, and Turkey. The success of our graduates, who have been accepted by distinguished colleges around the world and into the universities of their choice and into the departments of their dreams through the university exam in Turkey, while proving the academic strength of our school, is also increasing its recognition around the world.

One of the developments that greatly excited and made us proud during the summer was our AP (Advanced Placement) Exam results. Our students received high scores from the Calculus AB, BC, Macro-Micro Economy, Government, World History, Computer, Mechanics, Chemistry, etc. classes. They were eligible to receive 'AP with Distinction' and 'AP with Honour' degrees. Thanks to these degrees they will be exempt from these courses in the colleges they were accepted abroad and in the relevant departments they are placed in Turkish universities. AP exam results are also very important criteria in the university application and acceptance process. As one of the few schools in Turkey with AP Exam Center status, we offer AP classes in 13 different fields this year. We are also aiming to help our current students achieve their career goals just like our successful graduates.

There are also new developments in the international schools connections which is one of the strongest aspects of our school. Last year Los Angeles was included in the list of international school projects we had earlier done with schools in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Budapest, Athens, Rome, and Prague. Our students will again go to Los Angeles this year and welcome their friends coming from Los Angeles. Also, Mexico City has been added to our list of schools for mutual visits. A group of our students will go to Mexico City this year. Our goal for this international program, which also includes Montevideo and Johannesburg, is to organize this project that brings together the young people of all these cities, in Istanbul, within three years.

We aim to transform our school into an Eco School and get its international certificate within two years. We are starting to produce our own energy with the solar panels set on the roof of our school. We are all aware of our social responsibilities for a sustainable world. For years we have been studying global warming and its results, burning forests, melting glaciers, drought, and struggling with drought, and trying to build consciousness through the projects we have done with our students. Starting from the 2023-24 academic year, while working on projects through all the grades, we will apply what we have learned to our daily lives. As we work with vertical farming in some grades, in others we will work on waste. At school, we will pay attention to separating waste, paper, energy, and water consumption.

We have started to work with our Foreign Director Nancy Sanderson Swartz who has come from Canada to further strengthen and widen the international bonds, and to be in closer contact with top colleges in the scope of our university network. I am confident that by working with Ms. Nancy we will carry our school's image further, and take productive steps towards becoming a bilingual school, getting better results in international college admissions, and applying for international accreditations.

Nancy Sanderson Swartz also talked about her goals for the new academic year:

"This year, in Ulus Jewish Schools, we are starting the transformation journey to become a student-centered school instead of a teacher-centered one. Our goal is to be accredited by NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges); the world's future-oriented, progressive accreditation organization, approved by the US Department of Education. NEASC's 150-year relationship with Harvard University and the Project Zero program shall introduce our teachers and students to the ever-improving world of artificial intelligence, environmental and climate change crises, to the DIEJ global challenges of diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice, as well as helping prepare them for the "yet unknowns" of the world.

Ulus Jewish Schools is an institution that provides world-class education. My goal is to transform ULUS into a bilingual, student-centered community that will empower students to pursue world-centered functional tasks and projects with passion, through the new opportunities we offer. As the Ulus Academic Staff, we embrace the chances provided by artificial intelligence programs such as Chat GPT. We will guide our students so that they can appreciate these programs and not be overshadowed by their difficulties.

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