The South Gibson Star-Times serves the towns of Haubstadt, Owensville and Fort Branch.
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1414478
YOUTH FIRST TODAY Navigating parent-teacher communication MY SO CALLED MILLENNIAL LIFE SPAETZLE DUMPLINGS MEALS IN Monica's MINUTES Share your favorite recipe! www.facebook.com/mealsinminutes Monica's Meals in Minutes PO Box 68, Petersburg 47567 mealsinminutes@pressdispatch.net FACEBOOK MAIL EMAIL By Monica Sinclair October is a few days away and it's usually a month to celebrate all things German. So, I thought it would be fun to do German recipes all through the month. I'm start- ing with one of my favorite items when I go to a German restaurant, spaetzle. I always thought it would be diffi- cult to make this at home, but I found a recipe this week that sounds incredibly easy and I'm ready to give it a try. Enjoy (or genießen)! INGREDIENTS • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten • 1/3 cup 2 % milk • 2 teaspoons salt • 8 cups water • 1 tablespoon butter • Minced fresh parsley, optional DIRECTIONS 1. In a large bowl, stir the flour, eggs, milk and salt un- til smooth (dough will be sticky). In a large saucepan over high heat, bring water to a boil. Pour dough in- to a colander or spaetzle maker coated with cooking spray; place over boiling water. 2. With a wooden spoon, press dough until small piec- es drop into boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes or un- til dumplings are tender and float. Remove with a slotted spoon; toss with butter. If desired, sprinkle with parsley. Source: tasteof home.com To enter the Birthday Club, email your name, ad- dress, phone number and birthdate to birthdayclub@ sgstartimes.com. Only the person's name, town and birth- day will appear in the paper. As an added bonus, one lucky person each month will receive a free prize a free three-month South Gibson Star- Times subscription plus a $25 gift basket from Berry's Pro- duce and Country Market, in Princeton. THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS Ida Bradshaw .................... Owensville ............ 9/29 Kerry Overton ................... Owensville ............ 9/30 David Cloin ....................... Fort Branch ...........10/4 THIS MONTH'S SPONSOR Berry's Produce & Country Market 1415 W. Brumfield, Princeton 812-386-6365 THE CENTER ACTIVITIES The Center for Seniors in Gibson County is open. Cof- fee and donuts are being provided daily at the coffee bar. It is a fellowship, social time for seniors. Hand sanitizer is required for all visitors. Anyone need- ing assistance or a ride can call 812-385 -8818. The current schedule is Bingo for prizes and fun at 9:30 a.m. on Mondays, exercise class at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays, Quilters at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, Bible Study at 10 a.m. and painting class at 1 p.m. on Thursdays (supplies will be provided), exercise at 9 a.m. on Fridays. Meal delivery for those who are homebound from SWIR- CA will continue at this time. To sign up for home deliv- ery, call 812-464-7817. The Center offers a food pantry every second and fourth Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. MENU Tuesday, Sept. 28: Folk music and stories with Kathy Sieble. Fish, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, cornbread, and dessert. Friday, Oct. 1: Manwich on bun, hashbrown casserole, vegetables and dessert. Tuesday, Oct. 5: Vegetable soup, grilled cheese sand- wich and birthday cake. Meals available on-site for seniors 55 and older. Call the Center by noon the day before at 812-385 -2897. Eating dinner early will turn this pandemic around By Stephanie Hayes Columnist I have solved the pandemic! I have not solved the pandemic. Caveat: This solution is for those who have done their part by getting vaccinat- ed and masking. They are trying to live responsibly while chaos continues to rain down like frogs in the Book of Exodus. These people are neither hermits nor are they sharing King Cones with strangers. Sound like you? Read on. Doesn't sound like you? I look forward to your emails. The answer to all our problems lies in the 3 p.m. weekend restaurant meal. We have many more problems, and none are answered. This is a restaurant's slow time, the awkward period between lunch and din- ner. At 2 p.m., the lunch crowd is still clearing out. At 4 p.m., the early birds are trickling in. But 3 p.m. is the unsung hero of the pandemic. Not a real hero at all. I've come to appreciate 3 p.m. din- ner. Not only do I like to sleep late on weekends (and let's be honest, all days), I like to remain in pajamas with coffee and books and episodes of "The Pioneer Woman," in which I concoct romantic fan fiction about the ranch hands. They're not just showing up for chicken-fried steak, if you know what I mean. OK, for those keeping track, I have ac- complished absolutely nothing on this av- erage Saturday. The busy morning schedule places breakfast at about 11 a.m. Noon to 3 p.m. is go-time for errands; work around the house; submitting "The Pioneer Woman" fan fiction to websites. Lunch? I don't know her. It is now 3 p.m. and all I've had are Frosted Flakes and gallons of coffee. I am han- gry. I am Hannibal Lecter. I am ready to eat in a major way. Enter the beautiful blessing of a restau- rant at 3 p.m. There's no squeezing around parties of 10 as they gather for Bubbe's 84th birthday. And yes, ma'am, you may have the best table in the house, because you may have any table in this house. Crucially, 3 p.m. dinner eliminates The Look. You know The Look. It's the one you give your dining companion that says, "does it look too COVIDy here? It might be too COVIDy here." It is often ac- companied by the Teeth Clench and the "Let's Go" Head Wag. At 3 p.m. dinner, you aren't six feet apart from people. You are 60 feet apart. The food comes fast and furious be- cause the kitchen is not overwhelmed. It is easy to get your server's attention because your server is leaning against a nearby wall. Where's the energy, you say? The clanging of plates, the overheard conversations? Yeah, dinner at 7 p.m. is a nice memory, but we have to make sacrifices. So far, the 2020s are not meant for squeezing into booths, swapping lip- sticks in bathrooms or form- ing auxiliary friendships. This is an era for ordering ham- burgers in a venue that sounds like the inside of a drum. Yes, yes. There is one problem with 3 p.m. dinner: 8 p.m., when you will start to creep around the kitchen like an un- hinged hyena looking for snacks. That's fine, because 8 p.m. is the Scrolling Hour, time to check the headlines from the safe- ty of home. You're going to need six bags of Funyuns just to get through the latest lawsuits out of Florida. So, we agree? Dinner at 3 p.m. for the foreseeable future? Not everyone all at once, though. That would defeat the purpose. Please see the attached sign- up sheet to schedule your dinner block. There is no sign-up sheet. Stephanie Hayes is a columnist at the Tampa Bay Times in Florida. Follow her at @ stephhayeswrites on Facebook, @ stephhayes on Twitter or @ stephrhayes on Instagram. By Deena Bodine Youth First, Inc. Research has shown that students are more successful academically when they have support from their parents. Many parents are eager to jump in to help en- sure success in the classroom, but it's im- portant to allow your child to carry some of the responsibilities related to school independently. A parent's level of involvement will al- so vary based upon the age, ability, and personality of their child. Parents may need to be more involved with school for younger children, helping them learn healthy study habits, teaching children how to communicate about their academ- ic needs, and following up with teachers as needed. It can be beneficial to open the lines of communication with the teacher ear- ly, before your child is in need or feeling overwhelmed. Many schools offer par- ent-teacher conferences, scheduled once or twice a year, where progress and con- cerns can be discussed between parents and teachers. These conferences may look different in the time of COVID. Whether you are participating in a face-to-face meeting with your child's teacher or planning to reach out via a phone call or email, there are steps you can take to make the most of this conversation. Before reaching out or meeting with your child's teacher, check in with your student about how they are doing in each subject. Take a moment to review their homework assignments, quizzes, tests, and progress reports to determine their strengths and weaknesses. Discuss any areas of concern with your child and address questions they may have for their teacher. Create a list of questions or concerns that you have to use as a prompt during the meeting, phone call, or as you draft an email. Start the discussion by sharing a few details about your child, maybe an in- terest or a strength. Next, discuss your greatest concerns, keeping in mind that your child's teacher is an instrumental team member in supporting your student and their education. By beginning with your areas of greatest concern, you en- sure that if time becomes an issue, you will have addressed the most pressing needs first. Continue discussing any other areas of need including academic progress, how your child may compare to their peers, interactions with other students both in- side and out of the classroom, or other supports that may help your child be suc- cessful at school. At the end of the conference, discuss a plan for follow up with the teacher to check on progress and any goals estab- lished during your conference. If you find that you have additional questions after the conference, follow up with an email to your child's teacher requesting clari- fication. At the end of the day, remember that you are your child's strongest advocate, but your child's teacher is also an im- portant partner in ensuring your student achieves academic success. Deena Bodine, LCSW, is a Youth First Social Worker at Memorial High School in Vanderburgh County. Youth First, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening youth and families. Youth First provides 78 Mas- ter's level social workers to 105 schools in 12 Indiana counties. Over 60,000 youth and families per year are served by Youth First's school social work and after school programs that prevent substance abuse, promote healthy behaviors, and maximize student success. To learn more about Youth First, visit youthfirstinc.org or call 812- 421-8336. C-1 Tuesday, September 28, 2021 South Gibson Star-Times