Blue Oak School

Here at Blue Oak School we are adapting to current circumstances. While we work with our faculty, staff, admin, board and parents to create a safe and healthy reopening plan for the fall, we are still accepting applications for the 2020/21 school year. We have moved our admissions and assessment functions online and will easily meet with interested families through video chats. Visit our Blue Oak School Facebook (facebook.com/blueoakschool) page to see examples of our teachers bringing learning to life from a distance. For more information contact our Admissions Director, Meredith Wilson at 707.261.4500 or [email protected]. We hope you all stay well!

Napa Valley’s Only K-8 Independent School

Blue Oak School serves bright and imaginative children from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Our talented teachers, motivated students and engaged parents make our school a distinctive learning environment.

Our talented faculty create experiences for our students that advance their understanding and mastery of new concepts both in and outside of the classroom. Blue Oak School focuses as much on the development of each student’s social and emotional well-being as on his or her academic experience, promoting the interests, skills, and resilience that encourage greater success and a love of learning throughout life.

IN A WORD

We asked our students to describe Blue Oak with only one word. What they did next was both truly surprising and breathtaking.

IN THE MOMENT

Kids With Blue Blocks — Lower school students are rapidly collaborating on a free-form and spontaneous project using blue foam blocks. One mark of a progressive school is the use of unit blocks as an elementary learning tool.

WHAT OUR PARENTS AND ALUMNI SAY

Joseph Celaya – Class of 2013

Blue Oak made it possible for me to maximize my own talents. Through those different avenues, I was able to discover my talents and passions where I excelled and where I needed to do more work. Blue Oak provided that for me. …so I’m eternally grateful for that. -Joseph Celaya – Class of 2013

Children graduate from Blue Oak inspired and confident and in charge of their education. . .

Blue Oak teaches children for the world we will live in during the next 100 years (not the last). Children are engaged, supported and challenged. You have children feeling deeply and thinking critically. We have faculty that sees themselves as collaborators and coaches, not drill sergeants. Children graduate from Blue Oak inspired and confident and in charge of their education.… Read more “Children graduate from Blue Oak inspired and confident and in charge of their education. . .”

Johanthan Frias Gonzales – Class of 2012

To me, Blue Oak was an opportunity to get to a better place. It’s nice to know there are schools and people out there who are looking to help those who are in need. I am very thankful and appreciative to Blue Oak and the entire community for allowing me the chance to show what I can do and help… Read more “Johanthan Frias Gonzales – Class of 2012”

We cannot speak highly enough about our experience and satisfaction with Blue Oak School.

With three kids, our hope for our children is that they develop a passion for life-long learning, are self-assured, creative and overall are just well-rounded individuals. After visiting the school, meeting teachers and talking to students, we knew that Blue Oak would serve as an ideal foundation for our children to grow, gain confidence, learn, and achieve. Blue Oak faculty,… Read more “We cannot speak highly enough about our experience and satisfaction with Blue Oak School.”

Julie Figueroa – Class of 2013

The way I’ve been grateful about Blue Oak is that they really gave me a social skill and I have become a confident person where I am sure of myself and I know how to approach any situation. …Having Blue Oak as an option widens your view. I just want everyone to feel the same way I did. I felt… Read more “Julie Figueroa – Class of 2013”

We are grateful that we found Blue Oak School. . .

We are grateful that we found Blue Oak School for our first grader son, who is thriving academically, socially and emotionally under the nourishing and caring guidance of his teachers. Qualified faculty, small size classrooms, individual attention, mixed-class activities, hands-on learning and integrated curriculum at Blue Oak create a safe and engaging learning environment for children. My son is eager… Read more “We are grateful that we found Blue Oak School. . .”

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First Day of Distance Learning 2020-21
First Day of Distance Learning 2020-21

August 24, 2020

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Julie Inalsingh – Fourth Grade Homeroom

Julie Inalsingh earned her B.S. from Ohio State University. She was part of a unique teacher preparation program that focused on progressive education practices. She received her Master’s degree in special education from San Francisco State University. Julie taught second grade at Blue Oak School from 2007-2011 and also taught...

Steph Shieh – Kindergarten Homeroom

Steph came to Blue Oak School in 2015, where she discovered the joy of working with Kindergarteners in the play-based program. She completed her post-graduate studies in Progressive Education through the Progressive Education Lab and her B.A. in Biological Sciences and Education at Wellesley College, where she graduated magna cum...

Kristina Webster – Seventh and Eighth Grade Math Teacher

Kristina Webster is in her second year at Blue Oak School, and in her 12th year in the teaching profession. She received her undergraduate degree and teaching credential from Sonoma State. She also completed her master's degree in mathematical education from Concordia in Portland. In her spare time, she loves...

Kim Harrington – Kindergarten – Eighth Grade Art

Kim grew up in New Hampshire and earned her design degree from Chamberlayne School of Design in Boston, A.A.S and Bachelor's degree in Humanities from New College, San Francisco. She began her career in education as a preschool and kindergarten teacher in Massachusetts and San Francisco before taking her current...

Melinda Cooke – Eighth Grade Humanities, Seventh Grade Social Studies, High School Readiness

Melinda Cooke was born and raised in the Chicago area. She attended University of Colorado, Boulder, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts and then a Master of Arts in Experiential Education. She also met her husband, Paul Cooke, in Boulder, and they both became outdoor educators and have been...

Paul Cooke – Seventh and Eighth Grade Science

Paul Cooke attended the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he earned a BA in Geography and then a Master of Arts in Experiential Education. He also met his wife, Melinda, in Boulder, and they both became outdoor educators and have been teaching together ever since. He has taught outdoor education...

Sahar Darwish – Second Grade Homeroom

Sahar, Second Grade Homeroom Teacher, is in her sixth year at Blue Oak School and has been teaching for the past 28 years. She began teaching English as a Second Language and Civics at the City Colleges of Chicago. Sahar had the opportunity to design, implement and teach workplace education...

Kim Markovich – Lower School Music Teacher, Mindfulness, After School Program

Kim Markovich, a native Napan, teaches Kindergarten – Fifth Grade music and mindfulness at Blue Oak School. A member of the founding Blue Oak faculty, she holds her Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the University of Northern Colorado and her Master's Degree in Music from West Virginia University. Kim...

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