Questions such as the following drove discussions around Anne Arundel County: 

• What are the challenges and obstacles that negatively affect our students’ engagement and achievement most significantly and why?
• Are we analyzing our data and listening closely to learn about all of our students when we seek to understand our learners’ social-emotional and academic struggles?
• How do cultural differences, language challenges, transportation difficulties, health problems, and frequent family relocation (mobility) serve as obstacles to school success for our students?
• What resources and supports are available within AACPS and across our county to support students and families in need?  How do we help our families receive the supports they need?

When walking through Mayo Elementary School, the warm atmosphere is visible in the smiles and hugs from both staff and students. Our 2018-2019 climate survey results indicated that the vast majority of our stakeholders view the culture at Mayo Elementary School as being mostly positive. Adults within the building demonstrate a high level of respect towards one another; and adults and students have positive relationships, too. In fact, over 95% of our students believe that their teachers care about them. Many families in the community also report having a high level of trust for the school. 

Our commitment to supporting all of our students is also apparent in the hard work and dedication of our staff. Our teachers and staff give their all to teach, to nurture, and to inspire our students to be their best. Moreover, our teachers and staff also give of their personal time to attend evening school events, providing instructional tips for parents and interacting with our families on a more personal level. Lastly, we enjoy a very low teacher turnover rate at Mayo Elementary, with the majority of our teachers and staff remaining at our school for most of their career. As a staff, we both celebrate and support one another; and we believe that the culture of our school is very important.

We have worked hard over the past couple of years to focus on our “Kindness Initiative”. We have also adopted the Second Step Program to support social-emotional learning for our youth; and we continue to support our families in need with the Backpack Buddy program.  This year we hosted our very own Mallard Run and we raised over $44,000 towards the purchase of new playground facilities to support our community in this adventure. We are #Mayo Strong!

At Mayo Elementary, we believe that the social-emotional well being of all students and staff is vital. We honor students who actively participated with the Second Step program with biweekly recognitions on the WMAYO morning announcements, placement of their certificates and artifacts in the school showcase, and lunch with the principal. We also reward our students’ positive behavior with “Mayo Duck Bucks”. In addition, Fitness Fridays, Very Important Mallards, and Thankful Thursdays (for staff recognition) are also done on a weekly or bi weekly basis. 

We feel very fortunate to have a generous and supportive parent community. We have a wonderful volunteer program; and our dynamic Parent Teacher Organization hosts Bingo Nights, Duck Wars, Diversity assemblies, and great PTO meetings. We recently collaborated with our parent community to bring onboard a “Little Lending Library” for our school community. Parent volunteers are abundant and welcomed. 

In addition, Mayo Elementary has also developed collaborations with many community partners, including: 

• Citi Serve 
• Mayo Methodist United Church 
• Old Stein Inn 
• Caring for Canines 
• Edgewater Library 
• Chick-Fil-A