January '22 Newsletter

May School Intermediate students and teachers alike were excited for our return to the winter sports program this month!

Intermediate students had the option to participate in either a winter sports variety program or a ski and snowboarding program offered through Ski Santa Fe.

Students who selected the winter sports variety program spent the morning hours participating in “wild reading”—designed to build habits of avid readers. Students built a reading community in which they actively shared about a current book they are reading, as well as highlighted a favorite book from childhood. In the afternoon, students participated in a variety of activities, such as bowling, swimming and ice skating.

Students participating in the ski/snowboarding program received morning lessons at Ski Santa Fe, followed by skiing and snowboarding with chaperones in the afternoon.

In addition to providing May School students with a full day of fun, both of these programs allowed for a number of learning opportunities aimed at building student confidence, resilience, independence and leadership.

May Center is excited to begin a new session of the executive functioning skills course—entitled Catalyst—being taught at The Masters Program. The results from last term’s class were overwhelmingly positive.  Two main areas of growth emerged from the focus group interviews compiled at the end of last term: Students felt  (1) more motivated to do well, and (2) more capable of succeeding. These key areas of growth are consistent with the top survey results of competence and self-management, and are illustrated by the following quotes from student participants:

"[I am] more motivated and if I get something wrong I’m not just giving up immediately I feel like I can keep trying." 

"My usual way of dealing with stress and ignoring the problem is not the smartest option and now I feel it’s a lot easier to do things to alleviate stress to manage my assignments."

Meet Patty Conway!

It’s hard to wrap Patty Conway’s role at May Center into a few words. While her official title is May School’s Front Office Manager, she truly plays a part in supporting all parts of our community.  She is often the first point of contact when families inquire about May School, supports students and families on a daily basis throughout their time at May School and even plays a role when students are transitioning to new schools.

For staff, she is often the “go to” person when there is a need or question. There is no doubt that individuals feel seen, heard and supported when working with Patty.

Here’s what our students have to say:

"She always has time to help you, even if she’s working." - Intermediate student
"I really like Ms. Patty. I visit her all the time." - Early Childhood student
"She helps us when we get hurt."- Elementary student