The ORT Technology Centre & The 'Levi Yitzchak Schneerson' Ohr Avner School ¹ 144 of Dnepropetrovsk
The Levi Yitzhak Schneerson Day School began its existence in August 1991 as a part of the municipal school No 58 of Dnepropetrovsk. In November of that year, the school became recognized by the state as a separate educational institution and since 1997, it received a license to operate as a specialized school.
With an enrolment of over 500 pupils aged 6-17, the school building has 21 classrooms for general subjects, in addition to special classrooms for computer studies, music and art. The school follows the curriculum established by Ukraine’s Ministry of Education. Additional school programming, developed by the school’s staff, ensures a Jewish ethno-cultural component to their education. Thus, children have the best of two worlds. They study general subjects such as mathematics, science, computers, history, art, music, physical education, as well as Ukrainian, Russian and English languages. The Jewish studies include Jewish tradition, Jewish literature, Modern Hebrew, and the history of Jewish people and Israel. Since 1997, the teaching staff has run a Holocaust course for grade 8-11 pupils developed by history specialists.
The school offers a number of extra-curricular activities, including boys' and girls' choirs, drama and other special projects. The School observes the Jewish calendar. On these and other occasions, the pupils take active part in events arranged by Jewish community.
The Children's organization ‘Chesed-Yeladim’ unites 65 children-volunteers, who contribute their time and energy to take care of 89 elderly people. As well, the primary school renders material and moral support to disabled children through its "Tikva" Club.
The school has been operating the Gan Israel Summer Camp since 1997, which also receives campers from Boston and Haifa. This is not the only way schoolchildren cooperate with Jewish children abroad: tenth-grade pupils also correspond with Boston schoolchildren.
Daily transportation to and from school is provided for the children. The school dining room serves a hearty kosher lunch to all youngsters, as well as additional meals to children whose home situations are more difficult, suggesting they may need additional nutrition.
The whole educational system is aimed at raising children in the Jewish spirit, where they can fully explore their Jewish self-identification.
The ORT Centre was officially opened as part of the ORT “Regeneration 2000” project with the help of generous funding from Russ and Angelica Berrie, Eduardo and Leticia Azar on 22nd September 2000.
It consists of two Information and Communications Technology Laboratories, a Resource Laboratory, a Media Library and Network Centre. At the ORT laboratories, technology subjects are taught to children and adults. ORT serves as an information and technological resource provider for teachers in a wide range of subjects, including Jewish subjects. The Media Library is continually updated. School staff receive full support for their administrative and pedagogical activities.
In the early start of its activities, ORT introduced an experimental technology course in coordination with the regional educational department, despite the fact that the Ukrainian curriculum does not include such a subject.
The school offers its students in-depth training in various technological fields. Some of the more notable courses the ORT Center offers include ROBOLAB and Modern Technologies (modelling, designing and programming for 8th and 9th grades), Advanced Computer Literacy (9th-11th grade) and a Master Class in Computer Science (11th grade), which features web design, programming, computer animation and multimedia presentation. High achievers are encouraged to join a maser class in advanced informatics.
For younger students, ORT has developed introduction courses in Basic Technology (3rd grade) and Basic Computer literacy (5th grade).
Today, ORT activities in this field are highly valued by the city administration. In 2001, the Department of Science and Education, the Jewish community and World ORT entered into an agreement. In which ORT participates in activities provided by the city Department of Science and Education and invites specialists to participate in activities conducted by the center.
The ORT center was invited by the institute of the Department of Education to participate in joint cooperation to develop the Technology course.
ORT - Israeli Cultural Centre in Dniepropetrovsk
Today, the Jewish community of Dniepropetrovsk can enjoy an education system that is highly regarded throughout the city and region, as well as a solid, more direct connection with other Jewish communities around the world. The community in Dniepropetrovsk, particularly the younger generation, can now feel a part of the wider Jewish world – past, present and future.
But in order to maintain its place at the forefront of technology education, ORT continually improve its services to the students and to the community.
The Israeli Cultural Centre was opened in Dniepropetrovsk in June 1992.
Within the framework of the ORT Regeneration 2000 project a decision was taken to reconstruct the computer centre at the ICC in Dniepropetrovsk. Facilities need to be upgraded and improved in line with new developments in technology, study programs need to be updated and new programs.
Opening of the centre was made possible through the fundraising and management efforts of Terry and Jean De Gunzburg. Today, the centre comprises 2 Computer Labs, connected with local network and Internet.
ORT stuff directly benefits the community by conducing vocational courses training courses for the city’s Jewish youth and adult population. The program includes computer literacy courses for beginners and seminars on different applications of Information and communication technologies.
Beit-Chana Women’s Pedagogical Seminary Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine
The Beit-Chana Women's Pedagogical Seminary was established in 1995 in Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine and is the only Jewish post-secondary teacher-training school in the CIS.
The Beit-Chana Seminary currently enrolls 140 students - Jewish girls aged 15-22 coming from various regions of the CIS. The Beit-Chana Seminary gives them an opportunity to receive tuition, quality education, and provides them with full support throughout their 3-4-years training, at no cost.
The Seminary is licensed and accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and enjoys full recognition of the Israeli Ministry of Education. At present the Seminary is working hard to obtain college accreditation, that is, the status of a full undergraduate education institution with the right to award Bachelor degrees.
To date, the Beit-Chana Seminary offers:
- quality pedagogical education with a focus on pre-school teaching, primary-school teaching and primary school music teaching;
- in-depth study of Hebrew and Jewish traditions enhanced by a 14-week long Summer Intensive Jewish Education program at the Orot Israel Academic College, a Beit-Chana prime partner school;
- the opportunity of a full undergraduate education with a dual major in primary school teaching and teaching Hebrew as a foreign language made possible through collaboration with the Crimean State Humanity Studies Institute, Yalta, Crimean Autonomy, Ukraine;
- proficiency in using information technology as a powerful and effective teaching tool and knowledge of the methodology of conducting computer-enhanced classes;
- innovative courses in working with children with special needs, broadening students’ professional scope and instilling in them the new democratic approach to education;
- a high rate of job placement immediately after graduation and methodological support and free in-service training for Beit-Chana alumni in all stages of their career.
The Beit-Chana Women’s Pedagogical Seminary is renowned for academic excellence and for the wide range of the innovative initiatives it has undertaken. Lectures delivered by visiting experts, student research initiatives, supplementary classes, pedagogical conferences including web-casts, excursions and projects are indispensable parts of the educational process at Beit-Chana.
Students undergo extensive teaching practice at Jewish schools under the supervision of qualified teachers.
The Beit-Chana Women’s Pedagogical Seminary is probably the only school in Ukraine ensuring immediate job placement for the graduates at a rate close to 100 percent. The number of job offers awaiting Beit-Chana students usually exceeds the number of job applicants. To date, 180 young professionals have graduated from the seminary. Many have chosen to make aliyah. However, more than 70 graduates work in Jewish educational institutions.
One of the Beit-Chana specialties is the intensive work in the area of the educational information technology.
An accessible model computer classroom at the Special Needs Education Resource Center (ERC) at the Beit-Chana Seminary was opened with the help of generous funding from Terry and Jean De Gunzburg in 2000 as part of the ORT “Regeneration 2000” project.
An in-depth ICT course is being taught to all students throughout the entire term of study and is aimed to develop knowledge and skills enhancing teaching in contemporary schools. All Beit-Chana students annually produce educational software demonstrating high proficiency on a wide range of technologies, in computer graphic design and even programming.
