Welcome To Orange County Turkish School
We are available anywhere in the USA with our 4-12 age group and adult distant and in-person learning educational classes.
ANNOUNCEMENT!
We regret to learn that fake job postings are being made using our name, OCTAA and OC Turkish School. These postings have no affiliation with our association or our school.
Please do not trust messages from sources other than our official website and social media accounts. Do not share your personal information in response to suspicious messages.
Let's be careful to protect our community.
OCTAA – OC Turkish School
Our Mission and Vision
The Orange County Turkish School is an informal educational and cultural institution developed by OCTAA to serve the Turkish-American community in Orange County. It complements formal education. The School's primary goals are:
To teach the Turkish language (at various levels) to Turkish-American children and adults, as well as all interested community members, emphasizing all communication skills such as speaking, writing, reading, and comprehension.
To inform students about the history, geography, and people of the Turkish nation and Turkey at a level equivalent to elementary/middle school education in Turkey.
To teach the fundamentals of Turkish culture, heritage, music, traditions, and customs.
The achievement of these goals depends on developing a robust curriculum, appointing qualified teachers, garnering community support, and continuous evaluation of the program by the OCTAA Education Committee.
The School aims to teach Turkish as a second language to enhance the language skills of children and adults of Turkish origin, and interested community members. The Turkish School will operate in alignment with the educational principles of a democratic, secular, and progressive society, and the guiding principles of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, taking schools in Turkey as its model. This School will be open to all OCTAA members and the public. The OC Turkish School encourages the development of a Turkish identity in children aged 4-12 and adults, drawing upon the historical, cultural, and ethical experiences of the Turkish people from ancient times to the present. The school curriculum includes a foundation in Turkish history, geography, culture, governance, literature, music, language, theater, and holiday traditions.
Our Teachers
She was born in Izmir and continued her education and professional life here. After graduating from Physics Teaching in 2000, she worked as a Science Teacher between 2000-2018 and as an administrator between 2018-2020 at various private schools. Taking all kinds of training opportunities on continuous learning and creativity is among the professional development goals. In line with this goal, he participated in many national and international competitions and organizations and training, and also worked as an educator in many teachers symposiums. She has degrees in Scientific Project competitions organized by TUBITAK, National Education and Science Olympics. With his coaching team of US-based Destination Imagination Creativity Organizations, taking the championship in different years Turkey many times in America; Science on Stage by choosing one of the delegate teachers at the International Science Festival in the UK, Turkey has proudly represented. She moved to Orange County, California, USA with her husband and two children in December 2020. Since April 2021, she has been working as an Education Coordinator and Science Teacher at Orange County Turkish School.
Özden Soykök Acar
Science Class
After graduating from Orange County School of the Arts, I earned a TEFL certificate and moved to Azerbaijan to teach English. There, I gained experience leading classes of up to 25 middle school students and providing private lessons to students aged 7 to 50. Later, I obtained an RBT certification in California and worked as a Behavioral Therapist for children and young adults with autism. I am currently studying Psychology and minoring in Studio Arts at UC San Diego. I've held a personal art exhibition in Azerbaijan and continue to create artwork inspired by my cultural roots in both Turkey and Azerbaijan. I am extremely passionate about both painting and helping children achieve their goals, and I eagerly look forward to mentoring your child in both art and learning Turkish!
Meltem Buyuran
Art Class
Tuğba Girgin Vanlı graduated from Ankara University's Department of Educational Sciences.
After completing her master's degree in Fine Arts Education in Ankara, she worked as a creative drama teacher in an elementary school.
She also served as a drama leader for schools and non-governmental organizations with children and adults from different age groups at the Contemporary Drama Association.
After moving to the United States, she worked as a kindergarten and preschool teacher.
While her three sons were young, she volunteered as a teacher and education coordinator at the Orange County Turkish School.
She is currently an active volunteer at the Bridge to Türkiye Fund Orange County, CA Giving Circle.
She's very excited to be a part of OCTS and looks forward to reuniting!
Tuğba Vanlı
Turkish Class
Hi, my name is Açalya Heeren. I was born in Turkey in 1972 and graduated from Ankara University with a degree in American Culture and Literature. Before moving to the United States in 2005, I taught English and Turkish in Japan. Although I earned my TEFL teaching certificate, I chose to focus on raising my son full-time.
During the early years of the Orange County Turkish School, I continued my passion for teaching by volunteering for four years as a Turkish teacher in adult classes and providing one-on-one private lessons.
Besides teaching, I hold a second-dan black belt in Taekwondo and taught in that field for several years. I also enjoy freestyle swimming and crocheting.
I'm excited to meet my new students at OCTS!
Açalya Heeren
Adult Class
I am a dedicated Turkish Teacher with over 17 years of experience in Turkish language and literature instruction. I graduated from Selçuk University in 2006 and have since worked in reputable schools in Turkey, helping students develop their Turkish language skills. Throughout my career, I've been passionate about supporting students' personal and academic growth through engaging teaching methods. I've also led several successful TÜBİTAK-supported projects with my students, focusing on creativity and academic achievement.
I believe reading plays a crucial role in a child's development and always encourage my students to cultivate strong reading habits. My teaching approach focuses on improving students' Turkish reading, comprehension, speaking, and writing skills. Since moving to the United States in June 2024, I'm excited to continue my journey by offering Turkish language education to new students. I look forward to helping students discover the beauty of the Turkish language and achieve their learning goals.
Neşe Çora Uruk
Turkish Class
An inspiring educator with a Bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts and over a year of experience in education and childcare. They've completed 18 units in a multiple-subject teaching credential program. Eager to bring a unique perspective to a full-time, creative teaching position where they can support students' academic and personal growth.
Defne Agralı
Theater Class
Ekin Atila was born and raised in Monterey County, where she was always encouraged to express her Turkish heritage through arts and culture by her involvement in the Turkish American Association of California (CalTurks). She is currently an undergraduate student at UC Irvine and aspires to pursue medicine in the future. Throughout her upbringing, she was apart of her local Turkish Community’s folk dance ensemble where she learned and publicly performed folk dances at festivals and cultural events: Delilo Dance form Elazig region, Ata Bari from Artvin region, and Gaziantep and Silifke regional dances. As she grew older, she was able to then pass on what she had learned by training new members of their folk dance group. This has sparked Ekin’s great passion for teaching, and now she wants to share these cultural dances with our students to inspire them to proudly present and express their Turkish cultural heritage!
Ekin Atila
Dance Class
Our Board Members
Arzu Dogan
PRESIDENT
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EDUCATION COORDINATOR
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TREASURER
Contact Us
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Support Us
Our school, whose main goal is to teach the Turkish language and Turkish culture, can reach its activities to a wider audience with your support.
The donations you make to our school will be the most important funding source for teaching the Turkish language and culture, our traditions and customs, our holidays and values, both to Americans and Turkish-Americans. That's why your donations are greatly appreciated.
You can donate any amount to our school by clicking the "Donate" button below. Your donations are tax-deductible.