We often hear from Bixby parents and former students about their experiences. We’d love to hear how you feel about Bixby too! Please e-mail your comments to: office@bixbyschool.org

Missing Bixby

Bixby is an amazing school that gives every child an education specially attuned to their needs. If there is, or ever will be, a perfect school then Bixby is it. Students befriend and bond with the teachers, making learning more enjoyable. There are no stereotypes at Bixby, no bullying, no exclusion. Everyone is welcome there. If I could re-live my elementary years, I would.
Connor Eamon
2011 Bixby Graduate
Seeing Bixby again is like seeing a friend, it's not like a regular place, it's more like something you're friends with.
Philippa
Bixby Graduate 2023

Bixby and Learning to Speak

My classmates and I were early in elementary school, say second grade, when Pat would read to us out of the big yellow book of stories. The book, D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths, offered up fantastical epics fit for our inexhaustibly curiosity. I remember Pat’s precise, pointed diction bringing Perseus and Andromeda to life: this was no anemic reading. Whatever values we derived from legends of bloody heroism, hubris, greed, and revenge, I can’t say. I can say that we, the audience, were held to high standards of English language usage in our white-knuckled, shaky-voiced questions during and after the telling. My friend would raise her hand and ask, let’s say, “Pat, why did Andromeda’s Dad, like, chain her to the rock!?” Pat’s reply was swift: “Do you mean ‘Why did Andromeda’s Dad sort of chain her to the rock…’” My friend would correct herself: “Sorry… Why did Andromeda’s Dad chain her to the rock!?” I recount Pat’s insistence upon appropriate usage, free from likes, ums, and ers, because today far too many of my peers, many very intelligent and highly capable, cannot speak without sprinkling the word “like” into their speech seemingly at random. Pat’s stories taught me both that boastfulness rarely goes unpunished and that fluid, elegant speech is essential if one’s words, like Pat’s, are to have impact.
Austin Shiner
2000 Bixby Graduate – Currently in Singapore working on opening a campus of Yale University there
Bixby students are exceptionally well prepared for the academic challenges of their next educational journey. They are curious, critical thinkers, problem solvers, and conceptual learners
Connor & Associates 2021

My Love Note to Bixby

Our daughter spent preschool through 5th grade here and our son is current student there since preschool. We tried different preschools for each of our children before Bixby and this school is special. We like having indoor year-round swimming classes as part of the curriculum for all grades, risk-building/confidence-building unique outdoor play structures, some mixed-age classes and pair-ups like math and reading buddies, academic rigor with student-centered approach, and the fact that all of the staff and faculty know each child and family. There’s a strong and friendly parent community. We have fun at all of the Bixby events like Fall Fest, Spring Auction, picnics, coffee, etc. My kids have enjoyed both the core classes which include Spanish and electives and have never been bored at Bixby and they find school and learning fun because of Bixby. My son especially counts down the days during breaks when school restarts. Our daughter excelled in 6th grade and still volunteers here.
Bixby Parent
Bixby has embraced my son, Jax. I think of Bixby as a place that sees my whole son – the academic, social, and emotional. The teachers nurture and challenge him, recognizing when he needs a lift and when he needs a push. They provide academic and social guidance and encouragement in both conventional and creative ways. The small class sizes allow teachers and the students themselves to view each child as a unique learner with gifts and opportunities for growth. As a result, I have seen Jax achieve academic success in areas that have been a struggle for him. All the while, he views himself as intelligent and as a capable learner in part because that is the message he receives from his teachers. What a gift for a bright kid who learns in nontraditional ways! I also appreciate the fact that community and respect are cornerstones of the Bixby experience. The emphasis on social and emotional education helps create a safe and supportive learning environment. As important to me, it teaches the whole child while providing additional areas for growth and to shine. Jax’s time at Bixby has been a real gift. Under their tutelage, Jax has grown from a shy little boy to a confident kid. As a parent, I absolutely adore Bixby and wish every child could have this kind of educational experience.
Teresa Tate
Bixby Parent

Starting Kindergarten

I can’t go to bed on the first day of school without saying to you how much I love, strongly endorse, and professionally support Bixby’s kindergarten program. To have no tears on Josie’s first day (other than my own) was such a gift to me as a mom. I attribute the successful separation directly to the dramatic play kitchen and the stuffed kitty – two very clear, personal examples of how kindergarten is a transitional year. There are familiar, age-appropriate pieces of early childhood environments but also enticing new materials and activities (portfolios! special paper just for writing!) that lean into the primary years. You have hit the balance exactly right. Every kindergarten child should have this experience.
Jen Wilger
MA, ECSE, Parent AKA Josie's Mom

The Bixby Approach

You know those schools where your kid sits in the back and is shusshed all day? That is not Bixby. My kids are an active part of their own learning. Each topic/subject is explored through their eyes - not the a stagnate "learning plan". My kids interest in school has exploded at Bixby. Every day they come home excited to tell me what they learned.
Current Parent
From what I have seen, Bixby teachers deeply understand how children learn, without needing to teach to the CSAPs, a metric public schools must rely on to prove their worth. I have found Bixby’s approach to the instruction of math, science and language especially eye opening.
Sue Jung Grant
PhD – College Professor and Bixby Parent

Music (to our Ears)

Many thanks for all your assistance with the “The Living Roots of Music” program. I enjoyed meeting and working with you! Please pass on my thanks to John and Natalie, and to everyone who helped with the program and made it possible for me to visit Bixby School. As I mentioned yesterday, I have performed in thousands of schools and will remember Bixby fondly. It is a remarkable place! Students, teachers & staff were wonderful. I really hope that I’ll be able to return sometime with one of my other programs!
Lauren
Lauren Pelon Musique Company

Bixby Taught Me...

Bixby taught me to be an independent learner and an ethical human being.
Tomas Andrews
The school instilled in me a love and enthusiasm for reading and learning anything and everything!
Abby Jean McClelland
Because of what I learned from Bart, I was ahead in Math when I entered Middle School. I was also better in writing than most kids in my class.
Caitlin Phillips
I still understand Math better than most because of Bart's "snickers" problems.
Alex Goldstone
Bixby life inspired me to pursue a career in teaching. My experiences at the school taught me that learning was a lifelong endeavor.
Kimberly Krell
I learned to not give up on a problem, no matter how impossible it seemed.
Erica Martin
The small classrooms helped me become more outgoing and not afraid to share my opinions.
Rose Fuller
Bixby made such an impact in my life. I have passion for learning. I do assignments to get the most out of them, not for the grade. I think deeply about things, explore them with my mind.
Katherine Peters
I make a living off creative thinking with alternative solutions — just like Bart.
Joel Heath
I particularly like how the staff teaches the kids as individuals instead of requiring them to fit some kind of cookie cutter learning format.
Sean Mason

Happy Parents

We are fortunate to have sent our son to Bixby School. The atmosphere there is structured around the children and their self-determination, happiness, creativity, relationship and upon community building.
Dr. Thomas Groover
Bixby is a highlight of Thatcher's childhood and a highlight of our parenthood.
Alumni Parent
We are so happy that Kathy loves going to school at Bixby. We have peace of mind knowing that she is happy and doing so well at school.
Allen and Sharon Loew
Alumni Parents
Gavin and Meghan’s love of learning and respect for themselves and others are direct results of the Bixby experience.
Carol and Peter Tierney
Former Parents
After attending middle school parent teacher conferences recently, I recognized Bixby’s influence on my daughter even more clearly. Her teachers described a student who is an engaged, an independent thinker, willing to ask questions, and persistent about improvement. What a gift to have developed these skills at her age!
Jonathan Hall
Former Bixby Parent
Thank you for the wonderful education and child care services for all three of my children!
Melody Fuller
Bixby Parent
Bixby is “magical” and my daughter had never been so excited to go to school.
Current
I have been incredibly impressed with how quickly and efficiently Bixby School in Boulder, CO has pivoted to teaching and engaging with their students and parents online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both my 1st grader and pre-schooler are continuing to “see” their teachers and friends online through various engagements throughout the week, and my 1st grader’s work continues in earnest. I would greatly recommend this school to anyone looking for an excellent learning environment for their preschooler – 5th grader.
Orit Manham
Current Bixby Parent
Bixby truly feels like the way an elementary school is meant to be.
Bill & Jessica Sacks
Bixby’s small classes and individualized, student-led approach develop a love of learning in each child. Graduates emerge from Bixby with a strong academic foundation and desire to keep learning, with confidence in themselves and in their academic abilities.
Current Parent
Bixby is an incredible school. The teachers are top-notch educators. They have a wonderful administration that really cares about both the education and social-emotional health of the children. I have had three children attend Bixby and I really can't say enough positive things about this school.
Alumni Parent
Our child is in the preschool and has had a marvelous experience. She's excited to go to school every day, has been learning and growing (including social & emotional), and we are confident she is being nurtured and cared for.
Current Parent