Be Sure to Attend Your Child's IPRC Meeting

Last weekend, a mother called and told me that the family had gone to an IPRC meeting in June and now the school asked them for their input in her son's IEP - Individual Education Plan. By law in Ontario, if a student has been identified as exceptional with special needs, an individual education plan should be written up within thirty school days when the student starts a new school year This mother did not know what to do but was smart enough to seek professional help.

I wish I did that and  had gone to all the IPRC meetings for my older son, Er, who was identified as a gifted student way back when he was in Grade Three in a Toronto elementary school.

As a mother with two young children and holding down a full time job, I was very aware of the fact that I needed to save my sick days for my children in case they were sick and I needed to stay at home to look after them. Therefor, I did not take any days off lightly. Even when I was sick, I still dragged myself to work so that I would not be absent too many times.

I regret not attending every one of these annual meeting at our son's school and advocating for him. Some people, including some school personnel told me" You don't have to attend this meeting. Your son is in the gifted program and he is fine. It's a matter of formality that the school has to go through each year."

How wrong was that? I noticed that for a few times  on the report that came back to us about our son's areas to be improved were - social skills and confidence. Had I known as much as I know now, I would definitely have gone and attended the meeting and done the following:

1. Discuss with the school about our son's progress
2. Learn as much as I could about the areas in which our child needed to improve
3. Work with the school to come up with a plan of action to help our son to develop skills and confidence in the areas needed

I wished I had spoken to more people and learn about the importance of attending the annual IPRC meetings for our son.  Regardless of whether a student is gifted or not, an IPRC meeting is an important one where parents can learn, ask questions and give input to the school about their child's program in school.

Don't miss it and make an effort to attend the annual review meeting at your child's school\!

R.T.
Toronto

Fall - The Best Time to Buy a Used Canoe

On Our Way up to Algonquin Park

Fall is a beautiful time of the year in Canada. September is always my favourite month because the weather is not cold, not too hot and the bugs are all gone. With a sweater to keep us from the evening chill, we can sit outside without worrying about being bitten by any mosquitoes.

Beautiful scenery in Algonquin Park anytime of the year!!! The vibrant colours in the fall is something else to behold. .

We took advantage of the changing colour of the trees and drove north to enjoy the tranquility and beauty of autumn.

One of the Algonquin Outfitters

 Another good reason for us going up to Algonquin Park last weekend was to shop for a good quality used canoe.
 
At the end of each summer, many outfitters in Algonquin Park and canoe rental places often try to get rid of their older model canoes to make way for their new inventory.

For those who are looking for a good canoe but don't want to break your bank account like us, autumn is is a good time to look for one.

The Best Time to Buy a Used Canoe is at the end of Summer at One of these Algonquin Outfitters

 We were at one of these places a few weeks ago and almost bought an used canoe. After we took one out to try it, we found that it was too low. So we were back last weekend to look for a better one. This time there was a bigger and better selection.

 We took a canoe out to try and paddled around the lake, The colour of the trees was spectacular! 

When we were out on the lake two weekends ago, the leaves on the trees were dark green all around the lake.

This time, it was a myriad of orange, yellow, pink and red, quite a different feel from merely a fortnight ago.


The best part about this trip - we got a very good quality used canoe at a very affordable price!

The price for a  new quality brand name canoe costs about $2000.00 - $3000.00, a little too steep for us. This time we got ours at a fraction of the cost! 


We loaded the canoe onto the top of our vehicle and the staff at the canoe shop showed us how to secure a canoe properly and safely before transporting it:


1. Make sure the canoe is tied with good quality straps at a v both at the front and rear of the car.

 2.  Tie the canoe securely onto something that's metal, never plastic, under the hood or under the vehicle.

3.  Using good quality ropes, secure the canoe in the middle two sections to ensure the canoe would not move.

We drove home with the canoe on the roof rack and the it hardly moved at all.

Next summer we will take the canoe to our cabin by the lake and  enjoy our ride on the water!



R.T.
Algonquin Park

Canoeing in Algonquin Park,Ontario

Algonquin Park - seen from the Observation Deck - Visitor Centre

Observation Deck

 "Established in 1893, Algonquin was the first provincial park in Canada and the forerunner of Ontario's extensive park system."

 Algonquin Park's natural beauty is awesome!

It was a beautiful day on the second day of the long weekend.

We rented a canoe and paddled along the shore of Lake Opeongo.

 As we canoed on the lake, the vista opened up right in front of our eyes.

 With the cool breezes on our faces, the soothing sound of the water, we felt the freedom at our hands along the gentle shore.  We could go wherever we wanted to go observing the wild life in the water.

We saw herons, cranes resting on rocks and frogs swimming on lily ponds. We inched our way trying to get to them as close as we could without disturbing these creatures.

We saw this little guy and we just sat there and enjoyed its movement.

Algonquin's wild life,  wooded slopes and numerous pristine lakes have long  been the subjects of artists, painters and sculptures.

One of the most famous groups of artists were the Group of Seven whose work depicted the Algonquin scenery.

A 3 Dimensional Display at One of the Museums

We went to Alogonquin Park a few times but each time we could only visit a limited number of places.

This time we had a little more time so we took our time to enjoy some of the museums and galleries located in the park

For those people who don't have a car,  there is actually an express bus service to Ontario's parks. The Parkbus will drop passengers off right at park campgrounds or back country access points where hikers/ campers can rent a canoe and start theri backpacking adventure. The bus service starts in downtown Toronto and takes passengers to Algonquin Park, Killarney Park, Grundy Lake and the Bruce Peninsula. How convenient is that!

For the Park Bus information,  call 1-800-928-7101 or go on their site  PARKBUS.CA for more information.  Make sure you reserve your site for the perfect spot. Happy camping!

A Display Explaining the Beaver Dam

Lots to do and see in the parks!  for instance, in the Algonquin Park Visitors Centre, there were a lot of really interesting and interactive displays explaining topics related to nature and wild life.

We also spent some time in a couple of galleries admiring the work of a few local artists.

We bought a couple of art pieces and had the artist signed them as well!

Portaging a Canoe by Jonathan

We had an amazing and fun day!  We really enjoyed our canoe trip! The best part was when we jumped off the canoe and explored a small island in the middle of the lake.

Unfortunately, by then my camera ran out of battery and I was unable to capture those moments when Jonathan was balancing on a fallen tree log.

We stretched our day and went to an evening show at an outdoor theatre with the history of Algonquin Park played out in a time machine. Lots of songs, movement and  laughter.

Beautiful Fall Colour!

We got back to the Wolf Den at 10p.m. Exhausted, but also rejuvenated from all the physical exercises and fresh air!!

R.T.
Algonquin Park, Ontario
Sept. Labour Day Weekend

A Relaxing Weekend at Wolf Den Retreat, Algonquin Park

Algonquin Park - Ontario's Most Famous Provincial Park with Numerous Pristine Lakes

The first weekend after we were back from Japan, it was the September Labour Day weekend. We never get tired of going to the lake whenever we have the opportunity to do so.

Passing a farmer's field while enroute to the lake

Escaping the city and going to the country is a tradition for Canadians during our long weekends.

We have already made plan to go on a canoeing trip at Algonquin Park a little while ago -  Ontario's most famous provincial park.

My husband and our son wanted to do a really wild canoeing trip, portaging deep into the wood.  However, I just could not bear that kind of primitive existence.

Therefore, I asked them to do something a little more civilized for me. Instead of roughing it this time, portaging everything and sleeping in tents, we checked in the Wolf Den Hostel at Algoquin Park.

Wolf  Den has a spacious kitchen for meal preparation

I discovered the Wolf Den Hostel a few year ago when a girl friend of mine invited me to go on a trip with her.

I fell in love with this place and had been back a couple of times.

Eating Area  at Wolf Den

Instead of staying in a comfortable modern hotel, this time we wanted to introduce a less  more natural setting to our younger son who has been showing more interest in outdoor adventures.

Shower and Washroom Facility

Algonquin Park is about a 3 1/2  hour from Toronto. We left Toronto around 2p.m. As we drove up north on Saturday, the traffic was not too bad.

We got to Huntsville at around 4:30pm and an hour later we checked into Wolf Den, located at right at the doorsteps of the park.

Staying in this cabin for the weekend at Wolf Den, near Algonquin Park

We drove into Algonquin Park, checked out a few places for canoe rental and planned activities for the following day.

We would be staying at Algonquin for the three day long weekend and we looked forward to spending some quality time with our younger son outdoor.

R.T.
Algonquin Park, Ontario
Sept. Labour Day Long Weekend   

Thankful to be Home !

Thank God, we are safe and sound and landed back home in Toronto!!!

Our trip to Japan was indeed an adventurous experience! Reaching to the summit of Mt. Fuji and coming back down was one memorable experience we would never forget .

I Checked out the plants in our garden

My husband and I are both thankful for  completing our climb of Mt. Fuji and descending back to the bottom in the dark on the same day without breaking a bone or having any injury!

It could have turned out to be a very dangerous experience as we had miscalculated the time it took to complete the hike to the summit and the lack of communication for assistance with others.

Home Sweet Home!!!

The joy of coming home safely was indescribable! I headed straight to our garden, checked on the flowers and smelt the roses and flowers blossoming there and joyfully welcoming us home.

Home sweet home!!!

Nothing can compare to the joy, the warm feeling and comfort of being home!


R.T.
Toronto, Canada
Aug, 29, 2013

Staying Overnight and Watching the Sun Rise at Mt. Fuji

We took this picture on the Mt. Fuji Summit

We got up to the summit of Mt. Fuji about three hours later than we had expected. Started  climbing at 10a.m. in the morning, we thought we should summit at 4p.m. at the latest. But that 6 km to the summit was much harder and took much longer than we had anticipated.

We reached the summit at about 7:30-8pm and it was dark already. We could not see anything down below save for the lights that came on in those houses.

Descending Mt. Fuji in the dark

Reaching the top of Mt. Fuji,we were filled with sense of exhilaration ! But the worry of getting back down safely of the mountain in the dark began to overtake us.  We would had preferred staying in a mountain hut for the night and going down at sunrise. We asked if we could stay at the summit hut for the night.



Since we had no reservation. and the place was full, we had no choice but to head down the mountain in the dark.

Mt. Fuji - Seen from the 5th Station at Sun Rise

We attached ourselves to a group of climbers  and among them there was a couple of very experienced Japanese climbers.  There was a climber who could speak English therefore we were able to communicate with the others.

We started making the descend in the dark. It was not easy.  Since we only had regular running shoes on instead of proper hiking boots, my toes were killing me. The pressure from going down put a lot of strain on my toes. My husband was smart enough to walk on his heels instead. ( He told me much later. Now my toes have been bruised and my big toe nail has been  lifted up and will fall off at any time.)

Nonetheless, we were  glad that we were not alone. Our fellow climbers knew where they were going in the dark and they led us safely down to the 5th Station where we started..A few times, I almost fell, but the Japanese climber held my arm and made sure that I was safe at every step. I was very grateful for his assistance.

Watching the Sun Rise on Mt. Fuji - taken  from 5th Station

 I was surprised that there were also climbers climbing at night heading towards us as we descended. Finally after almost three and half hours, we were safe back down at around 11:30pm.. We missed the buses going into town. We also remembered that we had deposited our extra belongings including our passports in the store locker prior to our climbing. We had no choice but stayed on the mountain until the morning so that we could retrieve our backpack.

Though the restaurants and the shop were closed, there was a waiting area and the washrooms were opened. We sat, waited and at times went into the washroom to get warm. It was chilly in the middle of the night on the mountain. Luckily, we could still purchase some hot drinks from the vending machines. M husband and I kept each other company and we watched many young Japanese starting their climb around 2-3 a.m. from the 5th station!

 It was not so bad after all spending the night on the mountain as we got to see the early sunrise on Mt. Fuji.  It was extraordinary! Spectacular scenery indeed!  An unplanned activity for us but we had another pleasant experience.

View from Mt. Fuji , 5th Station at Sun Rise

We caught the bus at 8:30am and thought we boarded the train back to Tokyo. But the train we took reversed back to its original terminal. Not able to transfer to the Tokyo train,  we ended up leaving the train, took a taxi to the nearest bus stop in a small town which enabled us to catch the Tokyo train that we had missed. That was very stressful!
 
By the time we got back to our hotel, it was close to 3pm.  We called our son right away as we were sure that he would be worried about us. Er. was relieved to hear from us and he told us that he called the Canadian Embassy and Mount Fuji as we did not return last night.

Our plane was leaving at 4:20pm. " There was no way you could go back to Canada on time!" - Our host at the inn told us. But we tried anyway and if we missed our flight we would be back at the hotel, we told them.

Got to Narita Airport by 4:30pm, missed our Air Canada flight, as predicted. We reported it to the Air Canada counter. "Would u like to catch the 5:30pm flight to Vancouver"- we were asked by the staff. Absolutely!  With a charge of $100.00, we got on the next flight and were on the 5:30p.m plane back home to Canada.

Praise God!!!

R.T., Japan
Aug. 2013

p.s. A much easier,  direct and fastest way between Tokyo and Mt. Fuji  would be by taking the Highway Express Bus from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo which takes you to the 5 th Station. We regret that we did not take the Express bus back from 5th Station to Tokyo.  Forget about the Japanese Rail train, too many transfers and too confusing!!! We missed our 4:30pm flight back to Canada because of the JP train!

A Last Minute Decision for Climbing to the Top of Mt. Fuji!!!

The Inn Where We Spent the Night at Mt Fuji Area

We got up at around 7a.m., a little leisurely this morning as it would only take us one minute to walk to the train station and catch the bus to Mt. Fuji for our climb.

Though we did not plan to climb Mt. Fuji, but once we had a taste of it yesterday, we decided to take up the challenge.

We were able to find a room without a lot of difficulty at $60.00 a night and stayed overnight at the foot of Mt. Fuji. We look forward to climbing the mountain today.

Beautiful Pruning in a Backyard Close to the Train Station

Last night, we went into town after dinner trying to rent some decent hiking clothes and equipment.

Unfortunately, the rental shop which was a reasonable size did not accept visa cards.

This was what we learned in Japan on this trip - a lot of the merchants refused to take credit cards which left us no choice but to use cash. We were running low on Japanese yens therefore we needed to conserve our cash.

Kawaguchiko Station - Where We Took the Bus to the 5th Station, Mt. Fuji

Instead of renting the necessary clothing and gear, we bought some basic warm clothes and footwear appropriate for climbing in a store that accepted credit cards. That also saved us a bundle of money!


However, we  had a heck of a time last night trying to reach our son and informed him of our unplanned overnight stay at Mt. Fuji. We were supposed to meet him for dinner in Tokyo, but we were in Mt. Fuji instead. Our cell phones did not work in Japan; our computer crashed.

The inn where we stayed last night provided WiFi but we did not have a working computer. Eventually, we managed to send an email to Er. using a guest's computer so that he. would not worry about us.



After a good night sleep and a decent breakfast in the morning at the inn, we caught the bus which took us to the 5th Station on Mt. Fuji.  This time we were ready for the climb. We both had long sleeve warm sweaters, long pants, running shoes and enough food and water to last us for a day.

 We bought the necessity as recommended by the innkeeper such as this Mt. Fuji set. We did not understand why we needed the two plastic bags. But once we got up to the 5th station to begin our climb, the two plastic bags made sense to us.

Mt. Fuji as seen from the 5 th Station

 As soon as the bus dropped us off at the 5th Station of Mt. Fuji, it was around 9:45am. we started hiking right away.

As we started hiking  up the Yosida Trail, we saw many people descending the mountain including a large group of  young Japanese children who were dressed in their full mountain climbing gear,  each with a knapsack on his or her back.

Japanese children descending Mt Fuji as we ascended

Wow! The Japanese kids start their physical training very early.

As an educator I could not help but thought if the schools in Canada would allow young school children undertake this strenuous activity. 

The climb started with small paths like this

I wondered if these children had  finished their hike up to the top already this early in the day or if they hiked up part of the way only.

The trails up to Mt Fuji are divided into ten stations. Most people start their climb at the 5th Station.

The paths to Mt. Fuji got higher and harder and narrower

From 5th Station to the 6 th Station, the trails were reasonable, not too difficult.

We walked on trails paved with small rocks.

The way up Mt. Fuji was well marked with ropes

As we went higher, the trails got steeper and narrower.

For a large part of the trail, it was  well marked with ropes.

As long as we stayed withing the ropes on both side, there was little chance of us getting lost in the daytime.

The distance and time it took to reach the summit was clearly stated along the trail.

From the 5th Station where most climbers start  to the summit, is about 6 Km and it would take about six hours.

Climbing Mt. Fuji is a tradition for Japanese - young and old alike

Since we started at around 10a.m. we expected that we would reach the summit around 4p.m.

Families like this one climbing together

There were many climbers, including families with young children, boys and girls alike climbing together.

The children might be a little slow; there were a lot fo encouragement from their parents, patiently waiting for them to catch up with the adults.

Climbers were all properly attired for the climb, except for a few impulsive tourists like us.

Dad was always there to give a shoulder to ride on

It was not an easy climb, but the children we met on our climb pressed on and  persisted without much complaining or making a big deal out of it.

Eventually, some children got too exhausted or tired, their parents, such as this father here came to the rescue.

One can hire a horse to do the climbing up to a certain height

Or one could try an alternate way to experience the climb up to Mt. Fuji.

There are horses for hire at the 5th Station. Not sure how high the horse could go though.

The rest stations are a welcome sight

All along the trail, there were welcome sights of rest stations.

Beautiful view from the rest station - weather permitting

Putting a Stamp on Climbers' Walking Sticks

About every 800meters, we would see one of these stations and take rest on the benches.














Every rest station provided services such as selling food and drinks, engraving stamps on climbers' walking sticks.

For 200 yens, climbers could get a stamp at each rest station commemorating 
 the distance and their climb.

Clean Washroom Facility on Mt.Fiji

There were ample clean washroom facilities provided  at these resting stations.

 Climbers were reminded to deposit 200 yens into a box every time they used the facility.

But unlike our experience in Paris where there was a washroom officer enforcing the washroom user fee, it was an honour system on Mt. Fiji and most people always tried to respect that.

Climbers can stay the night at some rest stations - reservations highly recommended

Some rest stations even  provided climbers with  places to rest or nap for an hour or so. 

Many climbers were smart enough to split the climb into two days and reserve a place to sleep at one of these rest stations.

 We noticed that there were many people starting the ascend same time as we did. But as the day went by, we saw less and less of them.  By the time we reached the 9th Station, there were very few climbers left.

Parts of the climb to the summit were quite challenging

Looking back we understood that  they were the smart ones who took refuge in one of these rest stations for dinner and for a night of accommodation.

We simply pressed on trying to get to the top.

How we wish we spent the night on the mountain in one of those inns!

Very cloudy sky and unpredictable weather on Mt Fuji

The weather condition was unpredictable.

 One moment was a bright sky and seconds later it was so cloudy that we could hardly see anything down below.

We started with a very nice sunny day but for most our climb that day, unfortunately it was cloudy.

As we went higher, it was more difficult to breath.

By the time to got to the 9th Station, we had to stop, rest and catch our breath after every fifteen steps. The Rest Stations sold oxygen in a can and the prices of these cans were marked higher as the altitude increased.

Almost There!!! Just Past the 9th Station Mark!

Finally at the 9th Station, we bought a can at 1700 yens ( about Can. $17.00) .

 It was supposed to be good for about 40 puffs. My husband and I took turn to take puffs from the oxygen can and it helped me a lot, but did not do so much for him.

My hubby was clearly out of breath and he told me that his heart was pounding very fast.  I noticed him struggling and slowing down a lot.

The Last Marker Bright Enough for Us to Read  Before Reaching the Summit of Mt. Fuji

We saw the sign ahead us that read 400m to Mt. Fiji Summit. I tell you that 400mwas the longest and the most difficult distance we ever hiked, climbed in our lives.

200 M to the Summit of Mt. Fuji! Almost there!!! We were above the clouds!

Our feet were as heavy as lead and we were totally exhausted at the same time unable to breath properly. I was glad that we had that oxygen can with us.

We did get to the summit of Mr. Fuji!!! We were very proud of ourselves!!

A View from the Top of Mt. Fuji in the Evening!

The time was around 7:30p.m and it turned dark already, unable to take a clear picture from the top, but we knew we made it. That was all that matter!!!

R.T.
Mt. Fuji Summit
Aug 29, 2013