About Salmon Bay School

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Located in Ballard, Salmon Bay School is an alternative K-8 Seattle Public School, created when Coho Elementary and New Options Middle School merged in 1999. With the overarching mission of building small learning communities to connect every child, Salmon Bay’s talented faculty and administration have re-imagined primary and middle school educational structures. With multi-age classes, fully integrated special education, and blocked time, Salmon Bay’s program builds relationships between teachers and students, and between students and students. Specialists in the arts, physical education, library and literacy enhance the strong core of academics with an integrated curriculum developed in an environment that emphasizes teamwork.

Salmon Bay is a school where teachers know their students, and students feel connected to their teachers and to each other. It’s a place where everybody is on a first name basis.

School Organization: An Integrated Team Approach

Our elementary school is K-5, with one half-day kindergarten class, one K-1 multi-age class, two looping 1st grade or 2nd grade classes, one 2-3 multi-age class, two looping 3rd grade or 4th grade classes, and two 4-5 multi-age classes. We also have an I.E.P. (Special Education) teacher, P.E. teacher, a literacy specialist, a librarian, and art and music specialists whom students work with each week. Elementary teachers work within a Primary Team (K, 1, 2) or an Intermediate Team (3, 4, 5).

Our middle school is organized into teams as well. Sixth graders have homeroom and unit classes (integrated social studies, language arts, science) with one of five sixth grade teachers. Seventh and eighth graders are on one of two 7-8 teams. Each student has the same homeroom teacher for two years, and rotates among the other three teachers on that team for unit classes (integrated social studies, language arts, science). Students having I.E.P.‘s are fully integrated into the regular class schedule. 7-8 team curriculum is on a two-year cycle. Each student has a daily math class. Middle school students also choose from among electives that include world language, art, music, ham radio, and student government.

Elementary Teams

Primary Team

The primary team is made up of five classroom teachers, a P.E. teacher, our I.E.P. specialist, our literacy specialist, and our arts teachers. Classes are multi-age or single-grade. Our classrooms are: one half-day kindergarten, one all-day K-1, one 1st grade, one 2nd grade, and one 2-3.

Intermediate Team

The intermediate team includes four classroom teachers, a P.E. Teacher, our I.E.P. specialist, our literacy specialist, and our arts teachers. There is one 3rd grade, one 4th grade and two 4-5 multi-age classes.

Middle-school Teams

6th Grade Team

Five Homeroom teachers allow for smaller Homerooms in this transition year. Students rotate through four unit classes. Students also have a math class and PE daily, as well as an elective (one per semester).

7th-8th Grade Teams

Students remain with the same Homeroom teacher for 7th and 8th grades. During Homeroom, students do a variety of literacy-based activities ranging from silent reading, literature studies, lessons on writing skills, journal entries and class meetings. Homeroom is also the place that planning occurs for various outside activities such as camp and service learning. 8th graders complete a year-long research project on a topic of their choice, and present it to their Homeroom class in June.

Unit classes are one quarter long and are typically based on a science or social studies topic, with reading and language arts skills integrated into the curriculum. Students take one social studies unit and one science unit each quarter, rotating through the different team teachers. Many unit classes include individual or group projects as part of the assessment process. Our social studies classes function on a two-year cycle: one year students study world history and geography, the second year they study U.S. history and geography and Pacific Northwest history.

Jay’s 7-8 team includes Anna Flory, Michael Fardella, Connie Gold, Devin Gurley, and, of course, Jay (Joseph) Sasnett. While each teachers focuses his or her units of instruction on specific areas of content (Jay and Anna’s units focus on social studies, history, and geography; Connie and Michael’s units focus on science topics), we also work together as a team to integrate our teaching across subject areas.

Melanie’s 7-8 team includes Melanie Shelton, Lisa Kelleher, Anne Dahlin, Victoria Park, and Annie Woitach. Melanie and Lisa’s unit classes focus on integrated science, while Anne and Victoria’s classes emphasize social studies, history, and geography.