August '21 Newsletter
May School is excited to officially welcome each of our 68 Pre-K through 8th grade students to the 21-22 school year tomorrow! Teachers have spent the last two weeks collaborating with one another and preparing for the beginnings of a year full of growth, connection, and engaged learning. As a kick-off to the school year, students and families were able to visit classrooms, meet teachers, and enjoy time getting to know classmates and fellow families at our Back to School Open House earlier this week. It was apparent at this event that our school community is filled with committed students, parents, and teachers!
May Away is a remote learning option featuring small group, individualized instruction. We currently have families enrolled for all three classes, and families who attended May Away last year have either enrolled at the May School or will be continuing with us in our tutoring program.
May Center tutoring is off to a great start, with over 40 families enrolled to receive learning support both in-person and online.
The May Center continues to offer community outreach programs at various schools in Santa Fe, and this year will be offering tutoring on-site to students attending The Masters Program Charter High School (TMP). We will also be piloting an executive functioning skills class with TMP this fall, working with students to help them develop time management, mindfulness, and deep learning skills.
May Center has created two online courses for the New Mexico Public Education Department that are free and available to all teachers in New Mexico: Structured Literacy and Dyslexia 101, and Effective Literacy Instruction for Adolescent Students. We also partner with CES LEAP Alternative Licensure Program to provide a Dyslexia Specialist pathway for teachers in that program.
Thanks to generous support from the Nickoloff Foundation, May Center offers grant funded literacy professional development in two Santa Fe Public Schools: Aspen Community School and Turquoise Trail Charter School. We partner with Mentoring Kids Works New Mexico for this program to provide high quality literacy tutoring to students using the same Structured Literacy best practices that are being implemented by the classroom teachers.
The Dyslexia Justice League will be hosting a free Virtual Parent Conference for families to learn more about dyslexia and ways to support their learners through advocacy, knowledge, and community. Register here!
May Center is thrilled to welcome Natalie Deibel as our new Director of Operations! Natalie brings more than 15 years of experience in academia, non-profit leadership, behavioral health and homeless services to her operations role. In addition, she served as a police officer for several years in Wisconsin, where she specialized in mental health and sensitive crimes investigations.
Natalie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Medieval & Renaissance Studies, French and Women’s Studies from Washington & Lee University, followed by a Master of Arts degree in History and an M.Phil. in Gender and Race Theory and Early Modern History from George Washington University. She is passionate about volunteering and community service and can also be found reading a good book or hiking in the beautiful outdoors.
We are also happy to announce Jamie Shannon-Owings, MA, LMHC, CALP, will be entering into a new role in our community. She has been a May Center teacher and tutor and is now stepping into the role of our school counselor. Prior to teaching at May Center, Jamie worked as a therapist for children and their families. She most recently acquired her School Counselor’s license from the New Mexico Public Education Department after completing required coursework from Southwestern College. As a school counselor, she will be able to provide classroom, small group, and individual support to students to help them navigate academic, personal, and social challenges.