2020 September
One of the highlights during this month was Dylan getting this Cherry Mobile Magnum 10 tablet from the City of Manila, thru Mayor Isko Moreno.I started this blog as an alternative to talking to my mom who died so suddenly. It has evolved since then as an online journal for my family's adventures and misadventures - our travels, our dining out, our entertainment and so much more! Feel free to leave your reactions :)
COVID-19 Chronicles: September is Dylan's preparation time for his Online Classes
Covid-19 Chronicles: Metro Manila is now under General Community Quarantine (GCQ)
01 -30 June 2020
It is now June. We're into our 3rd month of Quarantine/Lockdown in Metro Manila. The GCQ downgrading meant that restrictions were eased up even though there were still plenty of confirmed cases in the region. People have to work. Businesses have to open. Everyone has to find a working balance to survive.
However, despite all these difficulties, we had to stay happy. We had to stay calm and collected for our peace of mind :)
Dylan's Year-End Party in School
10 December 2019
Today was Dylan's Year-End Party. At first, we weren't sure if we were able to attend because we had to think about Patrick's state at home. But, for the same reason that we made time for Dana, we also needed to make time for Dylan.
So, we headed to his school for their Year-End party. Dylan had fun! There were fun games, delicious food and amazing prizes. :)
It was worth making time for him and see him socializing and enjoying himself with his classmates :)
Legarda Elementary School's 97th Founding Anniversary
Over the course of a few weeks, Dylan, his classmates and the rest of the school have been busy preparing for the 97th Founding Anniversary of the Legarda Elementary School.
This is Dylan's first social gathering with his new classmates since his teacher resigned and I'm certainly proud of him for adjusting well and participating fully with their dance routine.
2019 National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week (NDPR) activities at Legarda Elementary School
It's that time of the year when the students of the SPED department are in the spotlight. It's the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week at Legarda Elementary School and everyone - students, teachers and parents got busy with preparations and participation.
Opening and closing ceremonies were held at the auditorium while various other activities were held in respective classrooms.
Check out what Dylan's class was up to!
Dylan's Recognition Day AY 2018-2019
It's that time of the year again! It may be a cliche but time really flies and you end up being surprised because, here it is, one year of studies have just ended and summer vacation is just around the corner.
For Dylan, today marked his Recognition Day and he's excited about going up the stage and getting his medals. :)
Celebrating Dylan's birthday in school
You know how they say that your children's teachers are their 2nd parents? It's true in Dylan's case.
They prepared these decorations for him despite the hectic schedule that everyone was in because the school decided to advance their Recognition Day and there was hardly any time for detailed preparations.
So, Dylan, Happy Birthday and you're so lucky to have Teachers like T. Ressie, T. Joyce and T. Sitti who have taken care of you this year :)
Celebrating Family Day at the Kids' Respective Schools
This February, the kids were busy with their respective celebrations of Family Day in their schools.
The highlight of Dana's Family Day is their award-winning performance of their Hip Hop Dance number.
Dylan's class had a lot of activities so you'll see a lot of pictures of those :)
Still, all of it was good fun! :)
2018 National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week
Actually, the NDPR week was originally scheduled for July 17-23. Unfortunately, the Philippines was beseiged by typhoons and strong southwest monsoon rains which led to the suspension of classes during most of this week.
They were only able to do their Arts and Crafts activity on Thursday and the rest of the activities were scheduled today. Dylan spent the past couple of days practicing with his other SPED schoolmates for a dance routine they were scheduled to perform for everyone. :)
The NDPR week is meant to spread awareness about the different disabilities, like Autism, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability among others and to help people understand that "We are Different, But Not Less".
Attending Augustine's Birthday in Shakey's Espana
It's always a treat being invited to a friend's birthday and Dylan was pretty excited to meet up with his classmates again.
The invitation was given last March when there were still classes and we immediately put the date in our calendar so we wouldn't forget.
The kids had a great time and they can't wait to see each other again when school starts. Happy Birthday Augustine! :)
Dylan's Recognition Day, 2018
We have reached that time of the year when school year 2017-2018 ends. It's March 23 and today is Dylan's Recognition Day.
We have to commend their teachers for pushing the schedule for today. Their Recognition Day was originally scheduled in April, after Holy Week. Despite the short notice, they were able to pull off a worthy Recognition Day for the kids!
Dylan's Birthday in School
This is actually the first time that Dylan is celebrating his birthday in school. He was really looking forward to it and was actually crossing off dates in the calendar in anticipation.
In the end, it was a busy, tiring day for everyone but despite it, everyone was happy and well-fed :)
Newly-painted chairs and tables for Dylan's classroom
What a way to greet the first of December (the official start of the Christmas season) by donating our time to Dylan's classrooms continuing renovations. Today, we focused on fixing the tables and chairs and then painting them. We also installed a "gate/fence" at the door so that the door can be left open but the kids can't easily run outside. It was tiring but very fulfilling! Thanks to everyone who helped!
Dylan's Foundation Day participation in school
This is another first for Dylan education-wise. Today, he celebrated the school's 95th Year Anniversary together with his classmates, schoolmates, teachers and staff. They prepared a dance routine and performed it as part of the school's Foundation Day Celebration.
As any parent with a child on the autism spectrum, events like these mark milestones to be remembered. It's special because it shows your child's progress in dealing with crowds. It shows how your child copes with a specific routine (like dancing) and ability to follow directions. It tests your child's patience while waiting for his turn. Dylan exceeded all of these today and I'm so proud of him!
Dylan's class is a beneficiary of a former preschool's educational materials and furnishings
A great big Thank You to Mommy Myles, Daddy Jovy and Sir Ramil of Books for a Cause for granting us the privilege of receiving much-needed educational materials and furnishings from your former preschool. We are in awe of your generosity and your kindness will go a long way because all this will help so many generations of Special Education/Autism students. Thank You !
Dylan helps with his class' room renovations
What I've learned now that Dylan is in public school is that if you want something done for the class, you have to do it yourself. Today, my co-parents and I banded together to put up bulletin boards and Teacher's whiteboard and constructed stacking shelves for Dylan's class. Dylan was very excited to be part of a project like this and it taught him the value of working hard and appreciating the end result.
NDPR Finale: Sports Festival!
The theme today is Speed because today is the last day of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation celebration at Dylan's school! Their final activity is a Sports Festival and all Special Education classes are participating. That is why Dylan is wearing a "The Flash" shirt while I"m wearing a Ferrari shirt LOL
Assembly time was at 0730 and yep, even though it's a bit early for Dylan, we were both up and full of energy at this time of the morning haha
There were a number of sports activities that each class can participate in. Parents and teachers had prepared several loot bags for the kids who participate and special prizes for those who win in friendly competition with other classes.
Dylan participated in all 7 activities though it's too bad I failed to take pictures or videos of some of them because I was busy assisting and cheering him on haha
Dylan's class is Munting Aklatan #95 thanks to Books for a Cause
Today, Dylan's class became Munting Aklatan #95. We were fortunate to be the beneficiaries of books for Dylan's Autism class courtesy of Sir Ramil Sumangil from the Books for a Cause advocacy.
Books for a Cause receives any and all books (and even toys) and in turn donates these to people who need them. Thank you for our books!! :)
Opening of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week at Dylan's school
Today is the opening of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation week at Dylan's school. All Special Education classes came together to participate in the opening ceremonies. Dylan isn't averse to attending large gatherings and is actually pretty stable when it comes to social events so I wasn't worried. He was actually pretty excited to participate when he found out that they were supposed to dance in front of everyone.
It was truly an enriching experience for both Dylan and me because we got to see and interact with other Special Kids and Teens and we marvel at their capacity and determination for learning! Kudos to the kids! Thank you to to their teachers and parents for their patience and support. The future looks bright for all of us!
Dylan is back in school!
Last June 05, classes in public schools began nationwide. It was Dylan's first day back to school after awhile and I was apprehensive because it was also the first time that we will be part of the public school system. Private SPED (Special Education) schools are pretty expensive so we considered ourselves fortunate that there was a public school which has a Special Education department near us. We didn't have to shell out any money for tuition. Still, we felt a bit of a culture shock as we continually adjusted with our new environment.