Samuel Bissell Elementary School

Bissell elem. has aa very caring staff.When you enter the building you can feel the warmness! They are also very serious about the students education. Each child is treated as an individual. The children there are wonderful as well :)
—Submitted by a parent

An amazing School with Staff that really cares about the students and their education. Major improvements with new Principal!
—Submitted by a parent

I see HUGE improvements over last year - just proves it begins at the top and trickles down! My child has been at Bissell for 2 years. Mrs. Johnson, the new principal on many occasions has gone out of her way to make my child feel special and important. Its nice to have a principal who is visible and approachable - what a refreshing change! Overall, the teachers have been wonderful. You can tell they truly care about each child. My child requires extra help in some subjects and the teachers have been very proactive getting extra help before my child falls so far behind that catching up is impossible. I can see consistent technology updates in the classrooms, the school is kept very clean and the play ground area is nice. We have lots of friends who live in neighboring school systems and after hearing horror stories from them, I think we have it really good in Twinsburg! There is no perfect school, teacher or student - but we are very lucky we live a nice community!
—Submitted by a parent

Overall, I am very pleased with Bissell. My child has a looping teacher & she has definitely challanged him with extra work & books above his reading level. The extra school work keeps him busy & focused in class which in turn keeps him from getting bored & into trouble. My child has come home with a few choice words he has picked up on the playground but that will happen anywhere. I'm just grateful that my child is comfortable enough to tell me what he hears & who said it so I can report it to the teachers for them to correct the issue.
—Submitted by a parent

Our son is in his second year at Bissell and we love it! The new Principal and her focus on Respect has only added to the positive culture in this building. Our son is receiving a quality education, participates in the student counsel, and will make a bitter sweet move to a new building next year. Kudos to Bissell as being another of the excellent schools in the Twinsburg District!
—Submitted by a parent

We have two third graders and a graduate of Bissell. Of the 6 teachers that they have had, 5 of them have been exemplary and one has been good. I think that is a great record. I really like the new principal at Dodge and the school works hard to push the students while at the same time, building their self esteem. We have been very happy so far in Wilcox, Bissell and Dodge and are happy with our choice to send our kids to public schools in Twinsburg.
—Submitted by a parent

We love Bissell. I had a daughter go through Bissell a few yaers ago and did not feel this way however the new Principal this year has totally changed the atmosphere! All of the teachers are great! My 2nd daughter is in Bissell now and is flourishing.
—Submitted by a parent

We are absolutely thrilled with Bissell! As a parent who seriously considered home educating our children, I must admit that Bissell has exceeded our expectations in education and leadership! The strong commitment to support individual student's needs and enrich every child's experience while there is clearly evident. We are looking forward to our next couple of years here!
—Submitted by a parent

The 2011 school year is off to a great start at Bissell! A new principal with fresh ideas who is genuinely interested in her students and staff is HUGE. The teachers are friendly, motivated and excited to teach. I am very happy with my daughters 2nd grade year so far. She is being challenged academically and loves going to school.
—Submitted by a parent

Could not wait any longer for the district to improve. Very glad to see the school system start to re-org. The teachers were great but did not have a voice and the parent involvement is also great. As a parent its our job to protect our kids and give them the best, that being said we just moved one city south. Still close enough to see our friends but far enough to change schools. Its going to be a great year, finally. Good bye Bissell and thank goodness ______ finally retired.
—Submitted by a parent

Reading the reviews about how their kid was not bullied is great but however that does not mean it doesn't happen! It does happen and happens more than you think and for a school as big as Bissell you can not tell me it doesn't. The principal is no longer there and Thank Goodness for that..she did nothing when it did happen. She was a main issue with Bissell and dismissed the kids that were bullying. Twinsburg is under a bit of re-org right now an by getting a new principal for Bissell and Dodge is fantastic and with a new superintendent you are on your way. That still does not mean you don't have bullies... you do and just because your kid was on student council doesn't make Twinsburg a great school.

I am very happy with Bissell! My son loves school...he is on the student government, was picked student of the month by his teacher and staff. He received a certificate from the board of education and got to shake all their hands, he was really proud and we were proud of him. I am very involved at the school. I help in his classroom every week and I am a member of PTO. ( Do I think all teachers need parents helpers NO...I am a part time teacher and I do not need parent helpers...sometimes parents are their for all the wrong reasons.) As for the Bullying issue...I have never heard my son say anything about this ( he has some of the most amazing friends and I have became great friends with a lot of the parents...I couldn't ask for more)...and all the times I'm their I have never heard any of this. We moved to Twinsburg 3 years ago because of the great schools. I am very pleased and my son is doing great in school . Keep up the great Work Twinsburg!!! Go tigers Go!
—Submitted by a parent

I have been very disappointed in Bissell so far. Our experience with Wilcox was fantastic, however, the same attention to detail and passion for the kids lacks at this school. This is not new to anyone who has been in the Twinsburg area for a while. It is common for the parents of the kids on the teams I coach to negatively discuss Bissell. We are in the process of moving due to the poor response from the school district in an issue of school bullying and the disturbingly bad attitude of our bus driver. Academically, our son is not being pushed.
—Submitted by a parent

Where do I begin...our 2nd grader has come up many times telling us how many kids drop 'F' bombs to teachers, flip off other students, push and bully others etc. We have gone to the Principal several times to discuss and she 'chuckles and laughs' then tries to cover up by saying 'kids will be kids'. At 7 and 8 years old, I agree but she at the extreme of her students and not even try to educate kids that is wrong? We just sold our house and moving out of Twinsburg, 10 miles away to a better school district.
—Submitted by a parent

I feel that when my son attended Wilcox, he showed a sign of greater self esteem. He really worked hard and applied himself. And was rewarded accordingly. At Bissell he feels as though he is treated 'differently'. I had a parent teacher conference and his teacher wanted to point out more of the issues in my neighborhood, than focus on my sons weaknesses or areas of need for improvement. She simply blamed his home environment, when in actuality my son is extremely unhappy with his teachers negative attitude. HE wants to go back to Wilcox! He cried more at this school and doesnt want to go, the teacher blames it on his attachment to me. his mother! Please... seperation anxiety ending in kindergarten! My son is CLEARLY unhappy!!!
—Submitted by a parent

they are doing a terrific job of educating my 2 grandsons. One has a disability, and they work with him to enhance his learning ability.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended Bissell also for the 2008-2009 school year. After coming over from Garfield hts schools, she had to work very hard to get caught up to speed. Her teacher and staff were very supportive and ensured she got the extra study time needed. I dont know were the previous writers kids were going to school prior to Twinsburg, but there is a lot of contempt from 1 year of investigation.
—Submitted by a parent

We relocated and our children attended Bissell for the 2008-2009 school year. We were not happy with Bissell nor Twinsburg schools and we did not see our children learn as much as they had from previous schools they attended. We were not pleased. In addition, the school is crowded and parents are rarely invited for classroom / holiday events because the parking is so limited. Having come from a school district with 'new' schools, plenty of parking, and parent invited for classroom events...Bissell seems outdated and crowded. Twinsburg needs should revisit how they divide students between buildings (only 2nd & 3rd in the same building?) and think about building new schools. We have been very disappointed.
—Submitted by a parent