The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo, TAMIU College of Ed Host Puerto Educativo for Children, Families Saturday

The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo has teamed up with members of Texas A&M International University’s College of Education Professional Opportunities Supporting Scholarly Engagement (POSSE) team to host fun, educational events at the shopping center. On the inaugural International Day of Education (24 January 2019), they will officially launch a response to the call to action from the United Nations to provide inclusive and quality education for ALL children this day and every day.

TAMIU’s College of Education POSSE Learning Ambassadors will be teaching and engaging with children at The Outlet Shoppes of Laredo Education Port/Puerto Educativo. They invite pre-primary through grade 3 students and their families to participate in English or Spanish.

Beginning Saturday, January 26 at 2 p.m. and in upcoming months, students will be invited to engage in educational activities such as creating autobiographies and stories of self, writing biographies of historical figures and cultural innovators, pen-pal activities with children from communities near and far away, and self-portraits in words and images. While the students will take their materials home with them, their creations will be displayed electronically at the shopping center and online. 

According to Dr. Tonya Huber, TAMIU professor of Education, “The teaching-learning engagement should be one of interdependent reciprocity -- more ‘we’ than ‘me’ actions. TAMIU undergraduate and graduate teacher candidates and teachers learn with the students they are teaching in quality learning experiences. When family members are included, such teaching-learning experiences have even greater impact.”

Lorena P. Cestou, a recent M.S. in Bilingual Education graduate of TAMIU, will serve as the coordinator of the POSSE Learning Ambassadors. Cestou not only has experience teaching in local classrooms, but has been team leader of education for children in learning programs in the plantations of the Dominican Republic, an orphanage in India, and at a local detainee processing center. Professor Huber commended Cestou’s passion and commitment to the United Nation’s goal of lifelong learning for all. 

This partnership between TAMIU’s College of Education and The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo is called BEATS, an acronym for Business, Education, Activity, Theater, and Science.

"This community engagement collaboration allows young learners and their families to have a University experience in the safe and stimulating surrounds of The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo," said Dr. James O’Meara, dean of  TAMIU’s College of Education.

“This is an ongoing partnership with TAMIU,” said Dan Davilla, General Manager of The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo, “Our mission with TAMIU is to promote the continuous educational growth on both sides of the border to provide for betterment in physical activity, numeracy, and literacy.  The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo is situated in a perfect location to offer this community service to both sides of the border.”

About The Outlet Shoppes

The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo is a 358,000-square foot, two-level outlet shopping center on the banks of the majestic Rio Grande river in downtown Laredo, TX. The center boasts nationally renowned designer stores, including Michael Kors, Vera Bradley, Brooks Brothers, Under Armour, Calvin Klein, and a two-level Nike Factory Clearance Store. There is a multi-level food hall that offers national and local favorites; other food offerings include Johnny Rockets, Stone & Stein, Cinnabon, Chick-fil-A, and Auntie Anne’s. 

For more information, visit www.theoutletshoppesatlaredo.com, or contact Erica M. Contreras (956) 625-5353 or at laredomkt@horizongroup.com.

For more about TAMIU College of Education degrees and programs, visit https://www.tamiu.edu/coedu/,  email coeinformation@tamiu.edu, call 956.326.2420 or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, Suite 429.

The Spring Semester 2019 at TAMIU begins Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. Online registration is underway at tamiu.edu. University office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

For TAMIU information, contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services, email prmis@tamiu.edu, or visit the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268.