Successful Book Launch for Grade 7 Author at the Canadian International School

Grade 7 student, Eli Ramraj, launched the first novel in The Elrolian Hunter trilogy series.  To celebrate this tremendous accomplishment Eli’s book, Black Amber, was launched at a gala event held at the Canadian International School on 10 April 2014. Black Amber is a fantasy–adventure novel that takes place in a futuristic location over one thousand metres above earth, and is inspired by Eli’s love of animals and how the actions of humans affect them.

Eli read excerpts from his novel to parents, teachers and fellow students, and shared stories about his incredible journey to become a published author. The evening was enjoyed by all in the school community, who attended in strong numbers to support this amazing student achievement. Says Keith Bland, Middle School Principal, “What impressed me are his insights into people. He said at one stage that even when he is on the bus, he is writing and watching and looking. He obviously has a writer’s mentality because he’s observing people and situations, and using them as a store of opportunities to write.”

A big congratulations to Eli on this inspiring achievement. We look forward to reading Black Aqua, the next book in The Elrolian Hunter trilogy.

Mother’s Day – Do’s and Don’ts during Pregnancy

Contributed by Specialist Dental Group®

A lot of mothers don’t realize the importance of regular dental check-ups, or how it affects their own and their babies’ health.

What happens if you have a toothache during your pregnancy? We answer some of the frequent concerns we hear from mothers:

• Is it safe to see the dentist during my pregnancy?
  Preventive dental cleanings are highly recommended for mothers-to-be. This is to prevent oral infections such as gum disease which has been associated with pre-term low birth weight babies. Ideally, you should schedule a dental visit before you are planning to conceive.
• How do I maintain oral health when brushing my teeth causes gag reflex?
  For women going through nausea during first trimester, rinsing your mouth with water helps to flush out food particles and prevents the acids in your vomit from attacking your teeth. Brush your teeth an hour later.
• Will dental X-rays affect my baby’s health?

According to the American College of Radiology, no single diagnostic x-ray has a radiation dose significant enough to cause adverse effects in a developing embryo or fetus. However, you can choose to postpone taking X-rays until the after your baby is born.

Instead of worrying about oral issues throughout your pregnancy, schedule an appointment to visit your dentist and enjoy a well-rested journey to motherhood. Visit www.specialistdentalgroup.com.

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Specialist Dental Group® is a corporate sponsor of the Canadian Association of Singapore (CAS). CAS members enjoy a special rate for dental services. For details, send an enquiry via www.specialistdentalgroup.com or call 6733 7883

Family house building trip to Cambodia (22-27 March 2014)

 By Geraldine van Dijk

It started in November 2013, when I read in the Canadian International School’s WAG (Week at a Glance) that CIS families could participate in a family house building trip to Cambodia.

The info evening organized by the teacher in charge, Lennan MacDonald, convinced me to join with my 2 boys.

The joining group had to raise money to fund the building of at least 10 houses. Since the houses were $1100 each to build, one of the parents came up with the brilliant idea to have a weekly bake sale at the Tanglin Trust School during netball training.

And it took off… every week we had families selling the baked goodies, coffee, tea and cold drinks.  Every week, our funds accumulated. In the mean time there were collections of clothes and stationary and we each took 10kg per head extra to Cambodia.

Tickets and hotel were booked well in advance of the trip to make sure we were all in the same hotel in Phom Penh’s “the Plantation” and in total, there were 37 adults and 31 children. 

Day 1.  Visit to the NHCC - New Hope for Cambodian Children.  Orphans are 80% HIV infected!  The individual care, accommodation, love, education, medication and support they receive, felt overwhelmingly warm and we only saw happy children.

We joined them for a home cooked lunch and although the weather was piping hot, the CIS boys played soccer with the orphan boys, while the girls danced together.  It was here we donated our 700kg of clothes!

Day 2. We started the day with a briefing on the upcoming house-building day at Tabitha.  Janne Ritskes has committed her life to Cambodia since her first visit in the 90’s and now runs Tabitha Cambodia.

Our next stop was the PIO school (People Improvement Organization) – which is better known as ‘the school built on the dump’.  It started with 1 teacher and 1 classroom built next to a landfill site and now provides education to 2000 children who used to roam the landfill sites to find stuff to sell or eat. We donated our old school uniforms and stationary and teachers and children greeted us enthusiastically and showed us around.

Day 3. At 7:30am we began the 2-hour drive to our house building project. The homes are on stilts and the foundation and roofs are already built. Our job was to hammer the floors in and place the tin walls. The weather was hot and humid, but it felt so unbelievably good to do something for these people who have so little.

The children were very engaged, enthusiastic, open minded and helpful and at the end of the day we presented a beautifully quilted blanket from Tabitha to every family.

The whole trip was overpowering, overwhelming and emotional.  We met amazing people who have started these wonderful projects to help the Cambodian people.

Thank you CIS for organizing this journey!

Puerto Galera and its Sub-Aquatic Critters

By Terry Booth / Photos by Charlene Kwan

The channel between Puerto Galera and Verde Island, known internationally as the Verde Island Passage, is “the center of the world’s marine biodiversity” according to American scientists – making Puerto Galera’s underwater world a favorite amongst dive enthusiasts. Puerto Galera’s natural landscapes both above and under water are its foremost assets with many beaches and coves, named and unnamed; mountains and forests, waterfalls and rivers. Puerto Galera Bay is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the entire planet.

With spectacular dive sites very close to shore, and with Puerto Galera being just 3 to 4 hours away from Manila, it makes for an easy weekend getaway.

We opted for Sabang as our port of choice. A popular destination that facilitates diving in the nearby sites, with a variety of options catering for all skill levels and sub-aquatic interests. Whether you are after a wreck littered with critters, black volcanic sands home to marine oddities or fast drift dives out in the blue - you can take your pick.

We delighted in finding a healthy array of delights such as nudi branches, orangutan crabs, ornate ghost pipefish, seahorses, leaf scorpion fish, snake eels, cuttlefish, shrimps and turtles. The undoubted highlight though was being transfixed by a coconut
octopus ‘moving house’ as he scurried across the sea bed, each tentacle loaded with an unimaginable amount of clam shells as he searched for a suitable new location for his new dwelling.

Thank you Puerto Galera, we shall return!