The Chair’s Corner

From the desk of our Directora In Centro Infantil San Pablo we place a great deal of importance on our

children knowing their traditions and participating in them. In the

month of November we celebrated Dias de los Muertos (Day of the

Dead) and prepared an altar (ofrenda) honoring both Carol Ross and

William Dickson. The children learned that the building of this altar

was based symbolically on Creole reli-

gious beliefs. The construction of this

altar or ofrenda consists of placing plat-

forms upon which are placed floral and

food offerings that pay tribute to the

family ancestors, to the newly deceased

or illustrious personages. Later in the

month we took part in the Festival of La

Calaca (skull) parade with both teachers

and children in their costumes. It is very

important that, knowing their traditions,

our children can choose the path they

will follow.

As I reflect upon my first year as Chair of the Board, I realize how truly

fortunate I am to be a part of this wonderful school. It is very gratifying

to be involved in something that is so life-changing for these young

people. Because of the support of so many this school has grown to

what it is today, and with your continued support we will continue to

enrich the lives of these children and those to come. I look forward to

being a part of this continued growth along with all of you. I wish all

of you a joyous holiday season and a very prosperous New Year.

Fall—2012

Volume 1, Issue 2

Centro Infantil San Pablo

Inside this issue: Introducing a

Board Member

2

Sponsorship

Program . . . . .

2

Looking back on

the last months

3

About us . . . . . 4

The Holidays are

upon us . . .

4

Newsletter

Upcoming Events

December 16 - Pastorela

December 18 - Posada

Christmas Vacation -

December 19 thru January 6th, 2013

Page 2 Centro Infantil San Pablo

Meet the members of our Board

We are thrilled that our sponsorship program has been so well received. To

date we have twenty children sponsored—13 three year olds and 7 four year

olds. Our goal is to have all sixty students sponsored by 2014. The annual

income from this program would then meet approximately half or better of

our annual budget. Our new Coordinator has this to say about the program:

“Just imagine that you come from one of the poorest families in one of the

most socially and economically challenged neighborhoods located here in

San Miguel where many houses lack electricity and running water. Your parents struggle to

find work in this difficult economy. You may live in a

home with or without a father, with your grandparents, an

aunt or two, and who knows how many siblings and cous-

ins! Then, just down the road, is a three year pre-school

which accepts you and your life changes; you learn how to

get on with the other children in your class; you get a hot,

nutritional meal every day; you are taught your letters,

numbers, and how to read. You are exposed to English, to

music, to art. Now you are five, and you learn about

computers. What an oasis in a poor child’s life! ”. If you would like to sponsor a child,

please email Christine Eyre at cispsma@aol.com .

We want you to get to know our Board members and so we begin with an interview with

our new Sponsorship Coordinator, Christine Eyre. She was born in England and lived

most of her life in and around London. In addition, she has spent several years in Spain

and the United States. Christine started work in England as an Executive Secretary. She

took four years off to earn a degree in Business Managements at California State Univer-

sity, Long Beach and returned to office management in England, adding computer man-

agement and training to her skills before taking a teaching qualification at Guildford

University, England. In 1999 she returned to Long Beach to achieve her ambition of earn-

ing a degree in Mathematics. Somehow, five years ago she found herself in San Miguel de

Allende and loves living here. Christine is an active member of St Paul’s Church, a Vice

President and Clinic Director of the Lions Club and now her love of education has led her

to join our board. We welcome her enthusiasm as well as her organizational skills and her

“can do” attitude.

Our Sponsorship Program Children are

the world’s

most valuable

resource and

its best hope

for the future.

J. F. Kennedy

Volume 1, Issue 2

A look back at the events of the past few months

Page 3

Mothers making tamales for the

children following parents Story hour

Parents and children at Art Exhibit of

paintings by 5 year olds

Face painting for Dias de los Muertos

Enjoying pancakes at Rotary Pancake

Fair

Zeus visits the school

Information booth at first Carrera Brutal

(Clockwise from top)

220 North Zapata Hwy., Suite 11

Laredo, Texas 78043

Centro Infantil San Pablo, Inc.

The Holidays are upon us

Www.

Centroinfantilsanpablo.org

Centro Infantil is a not-for-profit pre-school (three, four

and five year olds) providing a high quality education to

youngsters from the poorest parts of San Miguel that pre-

pares them for entering first grade. In addition to the

academic education they are taught life-skills, given den-

tal and eye exams, and taken on field trips in and around

San Miguel de Allende.

We are very proud of the achievement of our students.

They consistently score above average and outstanding on

standardized tests as given by the Department of Educa-

tion of Guanajuato.

Because our children come from low-income families,

Centro Infantil is free. Therefore, we depend solely on

donations, local fund raising events and our “Sponsor a

Child” program.

Donations may be U.S. tax deductible.

For further information go to our web page or check us

out on Facebook.

The children at Centro Infantil have had a very fun-filled and exciting year - they celebrated

spring with a parade for Primavera; they honored their mothers on Mother’s Day and their

fathers on Father’s Day; the five year olds graduated and moved on to first grade; our stu-

dents participated in Summer camp with the St. Peter’s Church Youth group; a new teacher

joined the faculty in August to teach the three-year old class and so much more.

And now, we are about to celebrate Christmas, the best season of the year here in Mexico.

No where else in the world do so many traditions exist to celebrate it—from asking for room

at the inn, to remembering the road Mary and Joseph took to Bethlehem, to piñatas, and the

“pastorelas”! Our children have their own Pastorela the Sunday before Christmas vacation

and on the last day of school they celebrate with their own re-enactment of Mary and Joseph

looking for a room at the inn—a Posada. The children break open star-shaped piñatas to

obtain the candy and fruit hidden inside. Gifts for the children are given out at both celebra-

tions and the traditional tamales are served following the Posada.

Look for the photos of these celebrations on our facebook page and in the next newsletter.