Highroad's Winter Camp Brochure

We will be hosting an International Student Winter Camp from January 7 to February 1, 2013.  This is a great opportunity to travel to Canada and participate with students from around the world as they study the English language and experience Canadian culture.  www.highroadacademy.com/Stories.html?

If anyone is interested in an activity for this evening, City Life Church is hosting an Improv Night.  I spoke with the organizer this morning and was told that there will be a lot of English conversation and audience participation, but she felt that even if our students were not able to understand all of the goings on that they would find it entertaining!  7 pm 46641 Chilliwack Central Road.

I hope you are having a great Sunday!

Yesterday we went to beautiful Minter Gardens.  What  a gem of a garden and right here in our very own backyard!

I hope that everyone is having a lovely long weekend!  After such a rainy Spring and start to the summer the sun is much appreciated.

Here are a few things that are happening this weekend that might be of interest to you and your students:

Abbotsford Agrifair - August 2 - 6

The Kilby Museum is hosting Pirate Days on Monday.  This would be a great opportunity to share some of our local history and have a ton of fun!  Check out the Kilby website for more information.

Today we went to the Cultus Lake Waterslides.  What a great way to stay cool on a very hot summer afternoon.  Tomorrow we will go to Harrison Hot Springs and have a picnic on the beach.  Thanks to Glen Johnson, Highroad's chef du jour for making our lunch!  Mr. Neumann wants to hike to the source of the hot springs, we can cool down in the lake and stroll through the village.  I have a feeling that most of us will visit the ice cream shop and the chocolate shop!  Until tomorrow...

We had a great day in Victoria yesterday.  The weather was perfect, not too hot, nor too cold!  The streets were filled with holidaymakers and there was a festive atmosphere in the air.  We started with a tour of the Legislative Assembly, the home of our provincial government.  Our tour guide, Kimberley, did a fabulous job and I know you wouldn't think it from her photo, but she has excellent Japanese language skills.  The students were attentive and showed a lot of interest in what she was saying.

After our tour the students had lunch in the park at the BC Museum and then spent the afternoon exploring the many interesting shops in the city core.

The students had their photo taken with a very personable young man who was dressed up like Amor De Cosmos, who was the second Premier of British Columbia.  In order to have a photo taken the student had to speak to him and say one full English sentence.

Thank you to Miss Cathy and Miss Kristjana for letting us volunteer at the Highroad Children's Centre this afternoon.  The children were taught to make origami swans, pandas, stars and other cool things by our Japanese students.  Two of the students repapered a bulletin board and put a nice border around it and others helped to stuff envelopes with information that will be sent home to HCC parents.  We then played with the children at the playground before going back to class to practice an acapella monologue for our farewell party.  Tonight we will rest up because tomorrow we are meeting at the school at 5:30 am to leave for Victoria.

On Monday we will visit the Highroad Children's Centre in the afternoon to demonstrate the art of origami and to spend some time playing with the children.  Don't forget to bring your origami paper tomorrow!

What a great day we had in Vancouver.  We visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge where we had a guided nature walk and some of the students were allowed to eat wild growing berries.  After that we went to Stanley Park for a lunch break and then we visited Gastown for shopping and then dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

Here we are at the Capilano Park.  The gentleman in the red jacket, on the left, was not part of our group, but he really wanted to be in our photo!

And here we are at Stanley Park.

Well, here we are in the computer lab working on our blogs!  I am looking forward to going to Vancouver tomorrow.  We will visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge, Stanley Park and Gastown.  We will eat dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory.  I think that it will be really delicious!

Don't forget to bring your bathing suit, towel, hat and sunscreen tomorrow.  We are going to Cultus Lake to play mini-golf at Giggle Ridge and to have a swim in the lake!

Wow, did we ever have a fun day!

This afternoon we went to Birchwood Dairy.  Emily gave us a tour of the dairy and then we each had an ice cream cone!  Oishi!

This evening we had a welcome party at the Gwynne Vaughan Park.  It was a lovely evening, lots of good food, fellowship, soccer and frisbee.  Thanks for bringing the potluck dishes and for being gracious about the change of date and venue!

Good morning students!  This afternoon we are going to Birchwood Dairy for a tour of the farm and to sample their fabulous ice cream.  We will leave the school at 1 pm.

Today I met a great group of students from Kasukabe School in Japan.  They are visiting Highroad Academy and our beautiful city of Chilliwack and the surrounding area for 2 1/2 weeks.  Here is a photo of them when we arrived at the school this afternoon.

Don't forget to bring your homework to class tomorrow.  What homework?  Ask your host family!  See you at class at 8:30 am tomorrow.

April 16, 2012

We are in the Narita Airport Waiting to Board our Flight Home - What a fabulous trip!  This will be quick because I will probably have to run to make the plane.

Yesterday we went to church at New Life Christ Church.  Alynne and I met with Megumi and Chiharu, who were summer students at HRA 8 years ago.  Megumi drove for 4 hours to come and see us and she brought her mother, Yoshiko whom I met in Osaka on a previous trip.  These connections can be powerful.  Who knows what will come of our touching someone today.  Megumi is seriously thinking of coming to Canada to attend post secondary school.

 Yoshiko, Chiharu and Megumi

See you all tomorrow! 

April 12, 2012

Cherry Blossom Picnic - Yesterday we celebrated cherry blossom season.  Sarah Imashioya and her youngest daughter, Natsuke, took us to the former Expo 1970 sight which is now a large park.

We ate lunch under a canopy of cherry blossoms, along with hundreds of other people who brought their bento lunches and enjoyed the fabulous weather and the breathtaking scenery.

What a treat!

In the evening we met with Pastors Joel and Kelly Kaylor, who pastor a church here in Osaka.  We were able to share Highroad's story with them and leave them information about our international student programs.

Today we are off to visit KIU, Kyoto International University Academy.

 Alynne and Kit with our new friends from Kyoto International University Academy

Thanks for remembering us in your prayers.  We have had a busy schedule, but are full of energy and ready to take on each new task. 

April 10, 2012

On Our Way To Osaka - This morning we left Yokkaichi for a three train trip to Osaka.  We met with Pastor Nobu and his administrator Caleb at New Life Christ Church and shared about Highroad Academy.  Pastor Nobu is a graduate of Portland Bible College.  I have to give a big shout out to PBC, I have met so many PBC grads here in Japan that are leaders in their churches, Pastors, youth Pastors, worship leaders, a force to be reckoned with!  Way to go PBC grads!  Tomorrow we are going to have a day off!  The first since we arrived in Japan.

         
 When we arrived at New Life Christ Church there was a Mom's Gospel Choir practice in session.  We were able to visit with the ladies and have lunch with them.  I made a video of them on my iPad which everyone thought was really funny!