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Dear University
Representatives,
Thank you so much for your interest in
our students. We would be delighted to have you visit our campus if you are able to come to Monterrey. Please read this information carefully, and then email me to set up your visit!
Best times to visit our school
We welcome university representatives for our annual college fair (part of the Mexico College Fair Tour held each year in late September or early October), and also at almost any other time of the school year. We appreciate your willingness to come to Monterrey, and offer several possible ways for you to meet with our students if you aren't able to make it to the college fair.
- For most universities, we set up a table in the cafeteria during the high school lunch period. Students are notified through the school newsletter, my announcement board, and via email to come and speak with you at this time.
- In some cases we have universities to offer after-school or evening presentations for students and parents, depending upon the level of student interest.
- In the spring semester (January-May), university representatives may be invited to speak to students in the College Preparation 11 elective course (2 sections, approximately 50 students in total - all interested in applying to universities outside Mexico).
When you are visiting ASFM, we also welcome university representatives to sit in on classes. Please let me know if you are interested in this, and I can speak to teachers to find out which classes might be available for visitors during your time here.
When making arrangements for your visit, please be aware of our school calendar and our middle/high school's rotating bell schedule. I teach College Preparation 11 during periods 4 & 5 (second semester only). The bell schedule is as follows:
- Monday
- Period 4 11:38 AM - 12:36 PM
- HS Lunch 12:36 PM - 1:09 PM
- Period 5 1:14 PM - 2:12 PM
- Dismissal 3:15 PM
- Tuesday
- HS Lunch 12:36 PM - 1:09 PM
- Period 4 1:14 PM - 2:12 PM
- Period 5 2:17 PM - 3:15 PM
- Dismissal 3:15 PM
- Wednesday
- Period 4 & 5 do not meet on Wednesdays
- HS Lunch 12:09 PM - 12:42 PM
- Dismissal 2:48 PM
- Thursday
- Period 4 8:15 AM - 9:13 AM
- Period 5 9:18 AM - 10:16 AM
- HS Lunch 12:36 PM - 1:09 PM
- Dismissal 3:15 PM
- Friday
- Period 4 9:18 AM - 10:16 AM
- Period 5 10:35 AM - 11:33 AM
- No HS Lunch period on Fridays
- Dismissal 1:39 PM
Arriving at the
Airport
The Monterrey
Airport is a modern facility that is quite easy to navigate. If you are arriving from another city in Mexico, you will simply walk to the Domestic Arrivals baggage claim area and exit the airport from there. If you are arriving from another country,
you will need to clear customs upon arrival. Then you will walk through the airport and pick up your
luggage in the International Arrivals baggage claim area. Just before you exit this area, you will be asked to put
your bags through an x-ray machine, and push a button on a “stoplight.” If you receive a green light, you are
free to exit through the sliding doors.
If you get the red light, one of the airport personnel will examine your
luggage and then allow you to proceed through the sliding doors to the exit.
Taxis – from the
airport to the school, or around town
As you exit these sliding
doors you will see, to your right, a taxi counter where you can choose from
several reputable Monterrey taxi companies. These companies have fixed rates for fares to various zones
of the city. Give the
representative the name and address of the hotel at which you are staying, or the address of our school if you are coming here directly, and
they will quote you a price. You can expect your fare to be approximately 250
pesos or 25 US dollars, more or less. You will pay the representative, and he
or she will give you a receipt.
Exit the airport and go to your right – the taxis are waiting near the
end of the terminal. Look for a
car bearing the company name on your receipt. These secure taxis are also
painted different colors – so as not to be confused with the green taxis that
one hails at the side of the road.
I almost always travel with Golden Taxi (my personal preference) when I
leave the airport, but any of the taxi companies inside the airport will
provide you with a safe ride in an air-conditioned car.
If you are coming directly to the
school from the airport, plan for approximately 45 minutes in the taxi. Give the taxi company/driver following address:
American School Foundation of Monterrey
Avenida Morones Prieto, Km 1.5
Santa Catarina
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: There are several schools
with the word “American” in their name, including our own elementary campus
(which is about a 15 minute drive from our middle/high school campus). Therefore it is important that you tell
the driver that you are going to “el Colegio Americano en Avenida Morones
Prieto, cerca del Cañon de la Huasteca,” which means the American School on Avenue Morones Prieto, near Huasteca
Canyon. I recommend having
our address written on a piece of paper that you can simply hand to the
driver. The school is near the end
of Morones Prieto, and nestled just under Huasteca Canyon, a very beautiful
rock formation where many of our students and staff enjoy rock climbing,
biking, camping, and other outdoor adventures.
Just after you pull out from
the airport, your driver may ask if you would like to spend 15 additional pesos
to take the Autopista, a toll road that provides a great short cut. In my opinion, this is well worth the
money as it may shave 15 to 20 minutes off the drive, depending on
traffic. If you decide to use this
toll road, simply hand the driver 15 pesos as you approach the tollbooth. He will give it directly to the person
staffing the booth. Your drive
should be between 20 and 30 minutes depending upon traffic; again the length of
the trip will depend on your arrival time at the airport. I always tip the driver a couple of
bucks (around 20 pesos).
The guards at the main gate
of our school will be expecting you, and will direct you to the main student and visitor
entrance by the big sundial.
Recommended Hotels
The following hotels are all
within about 5 minutes of each other, near a street called Lazaro
Cardenas, in San Pedro Garza Garcia (the suburb where most of our students live). These hotels are
close to two malls: Valle Oriente and Plaza Fiesta San Agustin, both of which
have great shops and theatres (including a “VIP” theater at each mall, with
leather recliners and waiter service).
There are also a number of restaurants within walking distance in
addition to the restaurants in the malls.
This should be a very centr
al location for your stay in Monterrey.
Enjoying the City of Monterrey
Monterrey, the "City of the Mountains," is the third largest city in Mexico and a key industrial center. You might like to visit the Paseo Santa Lucia riverwalk, stroll through the MARCO modern art museum, visit the ALFA Planetarium, go shopping and people watching near the Macro Plaza, or take a nice picnic down to the waterfall at Horsetail Falls. Many people also love to go rock climbing, mountain biking, and hiking at Chipinque national park or in Huasteca Canyon (just 1.5 km down the road from our school).
There are also countless wonderful restaurants to enjoy. Recommended favorites include:
- Any of the restaurants in Grupo Pangea (My favorites are La Catarina - authentic gourmet Mexican cuisine, Pangea, and Bardot - French bistro... these are a bit pricey but worth it!)
- Cabo Grill (in Plaza Las Palmas on Gomez Moren) - Delicious fish tacos and other delights
- Plaza 401 on Calzada del Valle - a variety of restaurants (Kampai sushi, Oriental Wok, Bardot French bistro, Silvano's Italian, Argentinian steak house, El Muelle seafood, Starbucks, plus shopping and more) atop one shopping center with a terrific view of the mountains
If there is anything that I
can do to help make the rest of your stay in Monterrey more pleasant, please
let me know. We are thrilled to
welcome you to our city and we hope that you will enjoy your time here.
Sending materials to
ASFM
You are welcome to ship brochures and other materials in advance of your visit. Please keep in mind that we have an
extensive college library and we would love to have a copy of your materials
for our office. However, we are
also making great efforts to be a “green” campus, so we would appreciate if you
could try not to leave excessive quantities of materials behind after you leave.
Materials can be shipped to:
American
School Foundation of Monterrey
Attention:
Sarah Loring de Garcia
Avenida
Morones Prieto, Km 1.5
Santa
Catarina, Nuevo Leon, MEXICO 66354
Telephone:
(81) 8288-4400
I strongly recommend shipping by UPS, Federal Express or DHL, as the Mexican mail system is unreliable and materials may not reach us in time.
Who will be
hosting you?
Our amazing and talented counseling secretary,
Lorena Reyes, and I will handle the organizational details for your
visit. Also, you are welcomed by our administration:
- Jeff Keller –
Director/Superintendent
- Jeff Farrington – Middle/High
School Principal
- Ana McDonald – High School
Assistant Principal
- David Scott – Assistant
Principal of Curriculum and Instruction
If you have any
questions during the coming weeks, please don’t hesitate to e-mail or call.
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