About Us
Salk At A Glance
The Salk Elementary School mission is to teach all children to solve problems, understand and cooperate with others, and to become lifelong learners contributing to the community as effective leaders.
A family school
Parents are always welcome in our building because we know their role is vital in the academic development for our students. To engage parents with their students' learning, we offer multiple parent events throughout the school year, such as Fall Festival, bingo nights, and school picnics. For our annual Polar Express Literacy Night, every child meets Santa and receives a free book, cup of hot chocolate and a cookie. In January, we host a Chit Chat and Chili Night, which provides parents with testing tips and ways to help students increase their reading level. We are thankful for community partners such as Kingdom Reign Ministries and Parkview Baptist Church who make these programs possible for our students.
Arts Opportunities
At Salk, we offer multiple enrichments in the arts for our scholars. Each year, our students participate in the annual All-District Elementary Music Festival at the Performing Arts Center for Education with 300 students from the district. Through this program, students learn music throughout the school year, rehearse at an all-day field trip with other Tulsa schools, and perform the same evening for family members. In addition, you may see artwork from our students on display at the nearby McDonald's. This valuable community partner supports our students in many ways, including donating tablets for our reading challenges.
Invested in the community
Salk is a focal point of our neighborhood with a long history of stability and veteran instructors. The average teaching experience in our school is 19 years and have taught at Salk for an average of 9 years. This results in an engaged student body participating in everything from the Tulsa Public Schools Chess Tournament to Read Across America Week.
Health and wellness
Salk Elementary has been an Oklahoma Healthy Safe School from the State Department of Education for two years. We are very proud of our physical education program, as we participate in the International Walk to School Day and the Zoo Run each year to encourage our students to stay active. We also host an annual Salk Super Kids Day. These events are a great way for parents to bond with their kids.
History
The school was named for Dr. Jonas Salk in 1964. Dr. Salk discovered the first effective polio vaccine, and is revered by the scientific community for his lifelong commitment to virus research.
Dr. Salk was a genuinely caring and compassionate soul whose legacy can be seen every day by the actions of Tulsa residents. Interesting to note, it is highly unusual to name a school after a living person and that speaks to Salk’s exceptional character. Even though Dr. Salk had no known ties to Oklahoma, simple kindness and generosity of spirit were core values of his that can still be passed along to each generation. Salk wrote a letter to his namesake school which is still on file. It read in part, “I hope all the hopes and aspirations for your school materialize and bring fulfillment to all associated with its development.”
The nation’s first mass vaccination of children against polio was in 1954. There were nearly one hundred cases of polio in Tulsa County in that same year, but by the time Salk Elementary opened its doors there were no cases reported. Jonas Salk’s miraculous vaccine saved countless children’s lives.
Leadership
Traci Thomas, Principal
My name is Traci Thomas and I am starting my 5th year as principal at Salk Elementary. I came to Salk in 2016 after serving as the principal at Westside Elementary in Claremore. I had also served as the assistant principal at Westside for two years prior to starting the principalship. I spent 15 years in the classroom teaching in the Chelsea, Inola, and Claremore Sequoyah school districts. While in the classroom, I taught 1st grade, 2nd grade, 5th grade , 6th grade, and elementary PE. I also coached middle school softball and basketball.
I have been married to my husband, Brett, for 25 years and we still reside in Claremore. He is also in education and is currently a coach and assistant athletic director at Rogers High School. We have 2 daughters, Mackenzie, 22, and Maddox, 16.
I am very proud to be the building leader at Salk. We have a wonderful staff that is dedicated to our students. We have great students and supportive families. I am very proud to be a Salk Eagle.
Sandi Morrow, Assistant Principal
My name is Sandi Morrow, and I have been in education in Oklahoma for ten years and eight of those have been with Tulsa Public Schools. I spent most of my teaching years as an early childhood teacher but have also taught 1st and 3rd grades. I have also been a Language Arts Specialist for Kindergarten through 5th grades. Prior to teaching in Oklahoma, I spent six years teaching English in Japan in public schools and ten years coaching and managing gymnastics teams in Texas.
I am originally from Tulsa and a graduate from Edison High School. I am married to my husband, David, who is pursuing a food truck business. I have a stepson, Chris, 20, and son, Aedan, 10.
I am excited to join the Salk team and work with a group of great teachers and staff. I look forward to a terrific school year.
Traci Thomas
Principal
thomatr@tulsaschools.org
Sandi Morrow
Assistant Principal
morrosa@tulsaschools.org