Category: Lifestyle

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When seniors need a lawyer

An 86-year-old who broke her hip recently was released from rehabilitation. While she was well enough to leave a medical facility, she faced other issues: She could no longer live alone and she’d accumulated expenses that far exceeded her ability to pay them. The senior citizen’s daughter looked for help and found it through Feldman & Feldman, a law firm specializing in, among other areas, elderly law. The firm is working with the woman, the surviving spouse of a wartime veteran, to help her qualify for VA Aid and Attendance benefits. Feldman & Feldman is also providing the area resident with options to qualify her for Florida Medicaid benefits to assist with her care expenses.

“We are also assisting the senior with ensuring her advance directives are up-to-date, so that her daughter may step in and act for her, if necessary,” said Michael Feldman, a partner with the Coral Springs firm.

Feldman is an elder law attorney, a lawyer who specializes in legal problems faced by the elderly andtheir families. Elder law attorneys deal with the “practical and special needs of vulnerable elders and their families, when facing health-related and financial problems,” Feldman said.

He said senior citizens should retain an elder law attorney whenever they face problems related directly to legal problems often faced by the elderly. Elder law’s areas of practice include Medicaid or VA benefits, advance directives, such as durable powers of attorney, healthcare designations and living wills. Elder law also encompasses estate planning and estate administration.

Before hiring an elder law attorney, a person should conduct research by finding out the answers to he following questions:

  • Is the lawyer a member of specialized organizations such as NAELA, AFELA, the Elder Law section of the Florida Bar?
  • How many years has the attorney worked in Elder Law?
  • What specialization and/or board certifications do they have?

Sometimes a person requiring the services of an elder law attorney might contact an ombudsman. Such an individual is “a government employee charged with protecting citizen rights in particular areas of concern,” Feldman said. “Most are attorneys themselves but will refer you to an appropriate private attorney when and if they believe your needs will be best served by engaging private legal counsel.”

According to the web site elderlawanswers.com, under the federal Older Americans Act each state must have an ombudsman program that addresses the complaints of residents who live in nursing homes, board and care homes, and assisted living facilities.

Each statewide program usually comprises several regional or local ombudsman programs which operate within an Area Agency on Aging or other community organization.

 

For help

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Snakes On The Loose!

Living out west in Coral Springs, Heron Bay, Parkland, and Boca Raton brings numerous natural rewards: an amazing panoramic view of the Everglades with beautiful sunsets and incomparable bird watching.

It also means sharing that beauty with wildlife. Bobcats, opossums, raccoons, and deer are valued as our unique natural treasure. Yet according to state wildlife officials, those very species are being wiped out by a singularly hungry snake that doesn’t belong here: the Burmese python. Rabbits and foxes already have shockingly vanished wherever pythons now dominate, say wildlife researchers.

In the 1980’s when pet snakes like pythons grew too large to keep, their owners “set them free” or they released themselves. It’s also believed that many more escaped when recent hurricanes battered South Florida’s pet stores and exotic animal importer warehouses.

Before long, these pesky Southeast Asian natives established themselves in the Everglades National Park, rapidly breeding and expanding their range northward.

Who can forget the unbelievable media images of huge pythons attacking and eating grown alligators, usurping the mighty gator’s place as top predator in the vast River of Grass?

Special hunts for Burmese pythons have proved ineffective because the Glades offer a very similar habitat to their home where they easily hide in high grass.

Now researchers estimate there at least 100,000 of them slithering around in South Florida. Each adult interloper reproduces an average of 30 – and up to 100 – voracious little pythons every year into Florida’s fragile ecosystem. They have gobbled up untold numbers of native animals and probably will never be eradicated, according to scientists who now only hope to keep their numbers in check.

Burmese pythons are non-venomous. Instead, they constrict their prey, literally squeezing the life out of them before slowly swallowing them whole. They are one of the most feared species of snakes because they can grow to more than 20 feet long and weigh 250 pounds. And the fact that they do not fear people, unlike most snakes, makes them that more dangerous.

So what should you do if you encounter a Burmese python in your yard? Your best choice is to just let it be. Most snake attacks are a result of the untrained trying to capture or kill them. Odds are it’s probably just passing through the area anyway. So give it some time and space to do just that

If you have small children or pets that play outside, never leave them unsupervised. To exclude pythons and other snakes, eliminate places for them to breed and hide (remove brush piles, fill in under decks and sheds, plug holes and other openings in the home exterior, keep your grass trimmed).

And always remember: Though you may fear them, most snakes are harmless and they all benefit us by eating unwanted bugs, mice, and rats.

If the python must be removed, call a humane animal control professional or a wildlife rehabilitation center. Report any Burmese python sightings to the Florida Wildlife Commission hotline: 1-888:IVE-GOT1 (1-888-483-4681) or visit Ivegot1.org.

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Florida’s Crazy Laws

by Glenn Swift Jr.

strapless

We all remember the embarrassment, and humiliation, we proud Floridians endured during the 2000 presidential election: butterfly ballots, and hanging chads. Those images are firmly planted in our memory banks. So, let’s be honest. We didn’t look all that great before the nation. Of course, we assured ourselves that all the insanity wasn’t indicative of our robust, cutting-edge state. Well, on closer look, maybe we do need to rethink a few things after all. You see, we have some, let’s say, rather bizarre laws still in effect in our glorious Sunshine State. Here are some examples of what I’m talking about. Just don’t tell your friends up North.

 

They’ll be convinced that we really are nuts!

 

In Florida…

It is illegal to block any well-traveled wagon road.

It is illegal to fart in a public place after 6pm on a Thursday.

It is illegal to skateboard without a license.

Failure to tell your neighbor his house is on fire is illegal.

It is illegal to fish while driving across a bridge.

Sexual relations with a porcupine are strictly prohibited.

It is illegal for an unmarried woman to skydive on Sunday.

When having sex only the missionary position is legal.

Women can be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer. (the salon owner can also be fined for this horrible crime.)

It is illegal to break more than three dishes per day, or chip the edges of more than four cups and/or saucers.

Lap dances must be given at least six feet away from a patron.

You may not kiss your wife’s breasts.

Rats are forbidden to leave a ship docked in Tampa Bay.

Topless walking or running within a 150-foot zone between the beach and the street is prohibited.

In Key West…

It is illegal to spit on a church floor.

Chickens are considered a “protected species.”
In Miami…

It is illegal for a man to wear any kind of strapless gown.

It is illegal to imitate an animal.

The penalty for horse theft is death by hanging.

No person shall operate a bicycle unless it is equipped with a bell or device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance of at least 100 feet; however, No bicycle shall be equipped with, nor shall any person use upon a bicycle, any siren or whistle.

Oral sex is illegal.

In Miami Shores…

Any product manufactured in a Communist country that is sold within its city limits must be clearly marked so as not “to hide its Communist origins.”

In Pensacola…

Citizens may not be caught downtown without at least 10 dollars on their person.

It is illegal to roll a barrel on a street. (Fines go up according to the contents of the barrel.)

A woman can be fined (only after death) for being electrocuted in a bathtub while using self-beautification utensils.

In Sarasota…

It is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit.

If you hit a pedestrian, you are fined $78.

Catching crabs is illegal.

In Tampa…

It is illegal to eat cottage cheese on Sunday after 6pm.

Are these crazy enough for you? For more crazy laws, visit
stupidlaws.com/laws/united-states/florida.

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Driving the Open Road

Life is a highway for female trucker Desiree Wood. This wasn’t always the case, and her dream job wasn’t to be driving a big rig. “I was in a bad situation, and my friend encouraged me to try it,” she said.trucker

Wood reasoned that since her children were grown, and she was single, couple that with her love to travel, this would be a good fit. Her next step was to get her commercial driver’s license, which proved to be quite problematic. The obstacles she encounter took quite a bit to overcome.

Wood discovered that most CDL schools were a scam. At one point she wrote a story that Dan Rather investigated. Rather interviewed her, and the piece, titled “Queen of the Road,” aired. (youtube.com/watch?v=bdi37oFBW5k).

Because of how difficult it was for her while she was training, Wood’s co-founded Real Women in Trucking. The website, realwomenintrucking.com, has information and support for women who are interested in becoming truck drivers. The site also lists CDL schools, both good and bad. It also includes events, news, and a blog.

Woods has been driving for nine years. “I drive a truck both locally and long-haul. This past year I was working with a truck driver staffing agency in Fort Lauderdale that had me working in a number of different driving positions that included Pompano, and Deerfield – where I was living when I became a truck driver-, Boca, and throughout the state. Through them I found a position in Palm Beach County where I could drive both locally and long haul delivering specialty plants that are sold at Home Depot and Lowe’s.”

Woods has three pieces of advice for women who want to become truckers. “First, make sure you are not used to life’s pleasures. You need to learn to rough it. Second, Do thorough research on a school, and be willing to live on small pay. Third, make sure your health is good. Driving is hard on a body,” she said.

A final word to the public, Wood said “When you see us on the road, remember we are your moms and grandmas. We see you driving. Don’t cut us off!”

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Reaching for the Sky

As a young girl, Rachel Martinez considered different career options. She thought about being a doctor or an architect. Then she had the opportunity to take an airplane ride with a program known as Young Eagles through the Experimental Aircraft Association in Homestead.pilot

“I went up in a Cessna. It was my first flight, and I loved it. Then I saw an older Navy plane with an open cockpit. My mom talked to the pilot and he gave me a ride. When we were airborne, he allowed me to fly the plane. It was the best feeling and I fell in love with flying,” she said.

Martinez went to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach where she majored in aeronautical science, and minored in aviation safety. Martinez earned a bachelor of science degree in three and a half years. She earned her pilots license there, and become certified to fly multi-engine aircraft. She completed a training program at American Flyers in Pompano Beach so she could teach people to fly planes.

While Martinez loves flying, she does not consider herself an airplane fanatic. Her family was not involved in aviation. Her mother encouraged her to follow the dream to be a pilot. “I love flying. The views are beautiful and I am at peace when I am flying,” she said. “It is such an adventure to fly.”

Eventually, Martinez would like to get hired by a major airline. If she realizes this dream, Martinez hopes to continue giving flying lessons on a part-time basis. “I enjoy teaching others to fly,” she said. “I want to volunteer with Young Eagles. That would my way of giving back to the aviation community. I would volunteer with the program that I went through.”

For now, Martinez is working on building her flight time hours. She needs 1,000 hours to be considered for an airline position. She also will have to earn her airline transport certificate to work for an airline. Once she has these qualifications, she hopes to get hired by a regional airline, often a first step to getting hired by a larger airline. If an airline offers her a position, the organization will provide her training on flying jet aircraft. Much of this training will take place in a flight simulator.

Martinez is a confident and articulate young woman. She likes to help others, and being a pilot allows her to do so. “I enjoy seeing families and individuals reach their destination. Everyone has a reason to travel whether to see family or to visit a new place,” she said.

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Celebrating Turkey Day on a Castle

by Victoria Landis

castleIf you carve your Thanksgiving turkey in a galvanized tub while wearing cargo shorts and sitting on a stool on a flat castle roof, you might be a unique kind of redneck.

For 16 years, I hosted Thanksgiving dinner, usually for 10 to 12 people. I skew toward a medium-formal setting when I host; placemats, napkins, matching silverware, a table centerpiece, but nothing too Martha Stewart-y. But last year, I needed a break from the two full days of dawn-to-dusk cleaning, prepping, and cooking. So I made my cancellation announcement to the normal invitees, withstood some loud, and withering complaints, then my significant other and I headed south. Since we were lucky enough to be in the Florida Keys, we were invited to partake of the annual feast at the home of an acquaintance of the SO’s.

They were so kind to include us, and we gratefully accepted. I brought a big bottle of Pinot Grigio, and a from-scratch apple pie. We arrived at 3pm, as requested. They lived in an unusual place: A fake medieval castle. Yeppers. Had the notched parapet wall at the top and everything. A souvenir shop occupied the ground floor, and although there was no way to tell from the outside, the second floor had four apartments.

We trudged up the exterior stairs, knocked on the first door, and found 13 other people crammed into a teensy apartment without a table. There was a small living area that barely fit a sofa and side chair. and The television stand was flanked by a miniature kitchen with maybe a total of eight-feet of counter space.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not putting my hosts down for being obviously economically challenged. But imagine our head-scratching, trying to figure out how they planned to feed us. There wasn’t space for each of us to actually sit anywhere. I wondered if their good intentions hadn’t been thought through.

The tiny kitchen had every available inch covered with various foods in the making, ingredients, dirty prep dishes, and booze bottles, since it also functioned as the bar. I opened my Pinot Grigio, poured a generous amount into a red plastic cup, and asked if I could be of any help in the kitchen. She put me to work making the gravy. While busying myself with my task, I asked the hostess, as nonchalantly as I could, how she planned on serving everyone. “We’re eating on the roof,” she said.

That inspired one of her kids to show me said roof. We went outside, up another flight of stairs, and a huge open area of flat concrete appeared. The notched walls were high, so no one would ever suspect parties could happen on top of the souvenir shop. Folding chairs lay against the wall, and three silt-encrusted folding tables sat empty in the middle of the space, but far away from and at odd angles to each other. So, you might ask, why wasn’t anyone from the crammed apartment hanging out up there?

Wind. It was so windy. How to prevent everything from blowing away? I shook my head, shut my mouth (It’s taken years, but I’ve gotten pretty good at that), and went back downstairs.

Our hosts made enough food for half the town. Two turkeys−one oven-roasted and one deep fried−and an enormous ham simmered in a big pot of Coca-Cola. No, I can’t explain that. Three kinds of potatoes, green beans, cornbread, and pasta salad. When it was time to eat, we hauled the food to one of the roof tables. The sooty dirt wasn’t cleaned off of any of them. They weren’t repositioned so the guests might feel like they were dining together. No tablecloths or placemats (they’d have blown away). Paper plates and paper towels were weighted down with rocks.

Our host pulled up a stool and put two galvanized tubs on the concrete floor, each holding a turkey. Using an electric knife, he carved them and placed the meat on platters, also set on the floor. Remember, it’s outside. Loose dirt abounds and it’s windy.

It was a precarious thing, holding a flimsy paper plate flapping in the wind while trying to plop food on it, and keep the plastic wrap or foil covering each dish from becoming airborne. In the end, that effort failed, and all that wasn’t secured did eventually sail off into another person’s backyard celebration.

We ate holding our plates down with one hand. When my SO, seated to my right, had finished his meal, he forgot for a moment and let go of his plate. A gust of wind picked it up and flung it at me. I went home with gravy and potato grease spots all over my shirt.

Thanksgiving is the American holiday. We celebrate it in many ways. There is no right way. Although it’s a ton of work, I am looking forward to my more traditional one again. Indoors.

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November Achievements

ACHIEVEMENTS

Attending the Mayor’s State of the City Address

pccmayor

Attending the Mayor’s State of the City Address were Parkland Chamber of Commerce members Golden Johansson, left, Simeon Brier, Hon. Micahel Udine, Evan Wolk, Will J. Lawler, Kim Kadel Jack Kornreich, Steven Clark, Andrea Jacobs, and Nicole Roman

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Parkland Girl Wins Golf Tourney

kelly

Kelly Shanahan of Parkland won the Tour Championship for Girls 12-14 for the West Palm Beach local tour of US Kids. She will compete in the US Kids State and World Championships next summer in Orlando, and Pinehurst, NC. Kelly is a member of the North Broward Prep Varsity Girls Golf Team as a 7th grader. She will compete this winter at the Publix Doral Tournament in Doral, and in the IMG Junior Honda Classic Tournament at PGA National Golf Resort. Kelly’s dream is to play college golf for a division one school close to home.

 

 

 

 

Comeback Trail 5K rescheduled

Due to Hurricane Matthew, The National Stroke Association rescheduled the Fort Lauderdale Comeback Trail 5K walk/run at Huizenga Plaza to this month. For the new date, call 720-726-5441 or visit https://donate.stroke.org/fort-lauderdale/events/2016-comeback-trail-fort-lauderdale-fl/e67988.

 

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November Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Early Voting in Parkland
The only early voting location in the City of Parkland is the P-REC in Pine Trails Park. For the General Election you will be voting for President, State- and County-level positions, and City of Parkland positions. General Election early voting is at the P-REC November 6th from 9am to 6pm. For information, visit: browardsoe.org.

Parkland Public WiFi Hotspotswifi

The City of Parkland has set-up WiFi hot spots in Pine Trails Park and Terramar Park to enable visitors to the parks the advantage of free Internet access. The hot spots are located in the center of the baseball wheel in both Pine Trails and Terramar parks, and atop the concession stands (in Pine Trails Park the concession stand nearest the baseball fields). The hotspots will be identified as “Parkland Public WiFi.” For more information, visit cityofparkland.org and facebook.com/copfl

Zika Virus Informationzapzika
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Florida Department of Health, and others are monitoring the Zika virus. For information on prevention and links to regularly updated sources, visit the Zika virus page at cityofparkland.org/zika or call 855-622-6735.

Volunteer Parkland
Earn volunteer hours by helping others, or helping the City of Parkland. Gardening, Parks and Recreation events, the Parkland Library, and community events and projects are among the volunteer opportunities available. For information and to apply online visit: cityofparkland.org/volunteer
or call 954-757-4145.

Coral Springs wins award for 37th time

The City of Coral Springs was awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its comprehensive annual financial report. The certificate of achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. This is the 37th consecutive year that the City of Coral Springs has received this distinction.
Service fees go up at Mall

The Coral Springs City Hall in the Mall location has raised its service fees for fingerprinting, passport photos and notary public. Fingerprinting is $15 per card. These services are offered at City Hall in the Mall every Wednesday from noon to 6 p.m., customers must supply their own card. City Hall in the Mall does not offer these services for immigration, name changes, concealed weapons, or alcohol and tobacco licenses.

Additionally, passport photos are $12 for a set of two colored photos. For those needing a notary public, each signature block will be $10. No appointments are necessary for any passport services.

City Hall in the Mall is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10am to 4pm. The office is in Coral Square Mall, 9239 W. Atlantic Blvd.

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OFF TO THE RACES

dog-sled

by Victoria Landis

Humans are competitive about everything, especially sports. We are also quite inventive. So when some of us are no longer willing or capable of exerting ourselves, we find surrogates to compete for us. Who, or what, are those surrogates? Well, in the ‘good’ old days, slaves and prisoners were fodder for such amusements. In modern times, forcing others to run, fight, or die for our entertainment pleasure is, apparently, frowned upon. Sigh. So what’s a rabidly competitive society full of obese couch potatoes supposed to do?

Entrance−stage right−our animal friends. Seems as though they’re game to do anything for us. Some actually know we’re using them to amuse ourselves. Dolphins and elephants come to mind. How about the penguins from Madagascar. But others are thrust into situations that have to be bewildering to them. It’s beyond bewildering to me.

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 04: The field races down the front stretch during the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY – MAY 04: The field races down the front stretch during the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Take, for example, the Crisfield Crab Races in Maryland. Officially called the Crisfield National Hard Crab Derby, it happens annually over Labor Day Weekend. So, sorry to say, if you’re just reading about it now in October, you’ve missed your chance. It’s a crab-themed festival with cooking, rides, crafts, fireworks, beauty queens, a parade, arm wrestling, and racing crabs. A much-needed aside here−somebody please clarify for me just what sort of young woman wants to wear the label Crab Queen? Or Queen of the Crabs? I think even the pushy mothers from Toddlers and Tiaras would have enough sense not to allow their daughters anywhere near such a moniker. That is a title that will follow you for the rest of your life. What if she decided to become an X-rated film star? Her chances would be torpedoed from the get-go.

Back to Crisfield’s celebration of the crustacean. As much as I studied the web page, I did not see colored racing stripes or painted flames of glory on their backs, only boring chalky white numbers. Not very exciting. Although it paints a picture in your head of crabs doing their darnedest to inch along a track, carefully staying in their designated lane, that isn’t at all what happens. The pictures I saw show a multi-lane board all right−but one end was hiked up to an almost 45 degree angle with little ‘starting gates’ at the top. Once the gates open, the crusty critters kind of slide, more than race, down. I for one, am outraged. The good folks in Crisfield could learn a thing or two by paying attention to the other absurd animal races.

There’s hamster racing−in little cars no less−in the UK. It started in 2001, when a hoof and mouth disease put the kibosh on some of England’s horse races. They keep world records and everything. (See? I told you we were inventive . . .) There’s even Professional Hamster Racing now, covered by BBC London, The Sun, and The Daily Mail. Bookmakers take bets on it.snails

There’s races for cows, cockroaches, rabbits, lizards, buffalo, ostriches, snails, sheep, cane toads, camels, and pigs. Yikes!

As much as I would like to enlighten you about all of these wonders, my space is limited. So I will wrap up with what seems to be the biggest misnomer here: Snail Races. The world championships are hosted by our buddies, the Brits. Placed in the center of a 14-inch circle, the first snail to touch the outer circle line wins. In what has to be the most sleep-inducing event in the sports universe, it takes the average snails almost four minutes. Ah, but a snail named Archie in 1995 won it in just two minutes. Those spectators, assuming they had plenty of time for a bathroom break, must have been majorly bummed at missing that finish.

THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR

 

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A HISTORY OF CELEBRATIONS

A HISTORY OF CELEBRATIONS

 by Rabbi Melissa Stollman, Congregation Kol Tikvah

isolated honey with apple for Rosh Hashanah

 

This year, at sundown on Sunday, October 2nd, marks the beginning of the first Jewish High Holy Day, Rosh Hashanah. Jews around the world mark the day by entering a synagogue to hear the shofar blast, as in the days of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem during biblical times. However, during ancient times this holy day did not mark the Jewish New Year, or literally “Head of the Year”, as it fell on the first day of the seventh month. Later this day became the beginning of the calendar year in Jewish tradition.

Shofar - a horn used in jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
Shofar – a horn used in jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

Jews around the world make it a priority to observe Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Worship services, grandiose in style, include a special musical motif, and the ritual of blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn. The mitzvah, or commandment by God, is to hear the shofar blast on Rosh Hashanah. The shofar symbolizes the ram used during the sacrifice of Isaac listed in the Book of Genesis, and is said to be curved or bent to demonstrate Jews’ humility before God.

In addition to being known as Yom Teruah, The Day of the Blasts, Rosh Hashanah is known as Yom Hadin, the Day of Judgment, when all people appear before God. Many congregations during this time change their Torah scroll covers to white, and their clergy wear white robes. This comes from Isaiah 1:18: “Be your sins like crimson, they can turn white as snow.” Rosh Hashanah marks the first day of the 10 Days of Repentance culminating in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These holy days, and the intermittent ten days known as the “Days of Awe”, are the opportunity for Jews to apologize to one another for their misgivings, to forgive others for hurting them intentionally or unintentionally, and to ask forgiveness from God. While Jews can ask forgiveness at any time, this is the time to focus on this task in order to be inscribed for the coming year in the Book of Life. Jews reflect behavior from the past year, and this reflection focuses involves teshuvah, known as repentance, but literally means to return. However, repentance is not enough, one must seek reconciliation with those whom have been wronged during the past year. It is mitzvah, or good deed/commandment, to forgive those who have wronged us, and those who have asked for our forgiveness.

For on this day atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you of all your sins; you shall be clean before God. (Lev 16:30)

The complicated rituals and sacrifices led by the high priest, which took place on Yom Kippur in ancient times, have changed since the Temple’s destruction in Jerusalem. Now atonement is a more personal act of emotional purification through fasting, removing from our lives the wrongdoings we have made. The Torah commands Jews to practice self-denial on this day. The fast begins at sundown on the evening of, or Erev, Yom Kippur with the kindling of the Yom Kippur lights. While fasting, Jews focus their thoughts on the day and remove other distractions.

Yom Kippur is often seen as a somber day, but forgiving others and asking others to be forgiven is an important process. The day is long and tiring, but as the “Gates of Repentance” close at sunset Jews around the world celebrate this important moment with a Havdalah ritual to separate this holy and sacred time from one’s regular everyday life. The fast is broken with the final sounding of the shofar, and a joyous meal commences.

As Jews around the world approach the High Holy Days this year I want to wish you all a Shanah Tovah, a happy new year, and a G’mar Chatimah Tovah, may you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for good.

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Starting off Right: Your Child’s First-Ever Day of School

startingschool

Few children today enter first grade or kindergarten with no prior school experience. The majority have either been enrolled in pre-school or they have attended VPK, the free program that prepares children for kindergarten. These programs help make a child’s first day of real school easier. In times past, kindergarten was often a child’s first experience with school.

There is an old joke about the Jewish mother who prepares her son for his first day of school, saying, “Now, bubeleh, go to school and make me proud. You’re a big boy, bubeleh, and you’re going to learn a lot in school. Oooh—here comes the bus. Give me a kiss, bubeleh, and have a wonderful time.” As the school bus pulled up to the bus stop that afternoon, the mother waited eagerly to hear about her son’s first day in the hallowed halls of education. Giving him a big kiss as he stepped off the bus, the mother said, “So what did you learn on your first day of school, bubeleh?” He replied, “I learned that my name isn’t bubeleh. It’s Irving.”

Funny as that joke is, it does contain a lesson: Make sure your child knows what their real first name is. Although many schools today are lenient about the use of nicknames, there are still some that demand that “Pat” answer to “Patrick” or “Patricia,” as the case may be. At the very least, he or she should be aware of what their true first name is. This is even truer if the nickname doesn’t derive from the first name, as in the case of kids who are used to answering to “Red” or “Shorty.”

Although you may be feeling nervous, wondering if your child will make friends easily, if he or she will be accepted by their peers, and other worries, former elementary school teacher Lenna Buissink urges that you try not to communicate those feelings to your child. Children can sense when their parents are nervous. A child who is facing the first day of school with equanimity can develop stage fright if he or she picks up on the fact that you are nervous about this impending event.

Be sure your child has all the recommended supplies. Don’t let them be the only one without a set of crayons, pencils, or whatever else the school requires.

Remind him or her that entering kindergarten is an important step in growing up—that he or she is a big kid now. Since kids take the growing-up process very seriously, capitalize on that and help them to feel proud of being big enough to go to school.

Buissink advises that if the child is nervous, you should honor that feeling. Don’t belittle or disrespect the child’s feelings by saying, “Don’t be nervous,” or “Don’t be silly. There’s nothing to be nervous about.” Instead, say, “Okay, what are you nervous about? Let’s talk about it.” Encourage your child to open up about his or her concerns, and then calmly and positively respond to them.

Even if your child has gone to pre-school or VPK, he or she may be nervous about attending real school. Don’t assume a child will be at ease because of prior school experience. Maybe he will…but maybe she won’t.

While you don’t want to send your child off to school with a teddy bear or security blanket, if there is a small trinket that is meaningful and comforting and will fit in the backpack, let the child bring it to school.

Buissink also advises that you stress how wonderful the teacher is likely to be, and also suggests trying to find something out about the teacher beforehand, then sharing that information with your child. A tidbit like, “Did you know Ms. Jones has a boy your age?” can strike a spark of kindred feeling in the child that can make all the difference between starting school with butterflies in the stomach or with a feeling of confidence and excited anticipation.

by Cynthia MacGregor

Posted on

Sleep Away Camp – Experiences That Last A Life Time

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The summer before third grade, I was shipped off to Hendersonville, North Carolina, alongside two of my best friends and their 7-year-old younger sisters to attend sleep-away camp for the first time. We entered with expectations exceeding little more than bug bites, sunscreen, various pool activities, and new friendships.
Little did we know that our lives would be changed forever. Despite the fact that my friend’s who-knowshow-dirty younger sister returned to her mother only to tell her, “You forgot to pack me soap!” attending sleepawaycamp that year, as young as we were, taught usincredibly valuable life lessons. “The girls in my cabin that I met when Iwas 8 years old will without a doubt be the girls that serve as the bridesmaids at my wedding,” said Julia Sherman, a junior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who will be returning to Camp Harlem in Pennsylvania this summer to serve as a counselor-in-training. “My camp friends have helped to shape me into who I am today.” Though three years have passed since spending my summers at Camp Blue Star in Hendersonville, I still can’t manage to put into words exactly what it was about camp that captivated me to come back every summer for seven straight years. But somewhere along the way between living in a wooden cabin filled with thirteen other girls without any technology, swarms of nipping mosquitoes, and no parents for hundreds of miles, I found my comfort zone and embraced it.
SLEEPAWAY04-FULL“Sleep-away camp separated me from the values of my household and allowed me to explore my own values,” said Douglas senior Matt Deitsch, who attended Camp Coleman in Georgia for eight years. “It prepared me to take on the real world independently and gave me a strong friend group all around the country.” Sleep-away camp provides children with experiences and lessons that their parents could never otherwise give them. It was when I was at camp, living hundreds of miles away from anything that I had ever known, that I began to explore boundaries, manage my own freedom, learn empathy for others, discover where my interests truly lied, and even tap into my dreams for the future. While a parent’s choice on whether or not to send their 8-year-old child hundreds of miles away for a month is something that many parents seem to question endlessly, worrying that allowing their child such prolonged time away from home would be without value and unwise, I can guarantee that the choice to provide a child with the opportunity to attend sleep-away is one of the greatest gifts ever.
“Without having gone to sleep-away camp, I would never have experienced things like tubing, mud sliding, and hiking — but the greatest thing I experienced that changed my life forever was living with who would later become the most important people in my life,” said Douglas junior Hunter Luboff, who went to Chestnut Lake Camp in Pennsylvania for six years. “I learned how to work together and live with other people.”
Sleep-away camp impels children to try things that they never would at home. I voluntarily hiked up and down a 1,000-foot mountain three times in one month. I learned to build a fire and cook meals over it. I made glitter plaques and led color war chants and tried rock climbing and riflery and white-water rafting. I became an adventurous eater. I grew up, and I found myself among people whose friendships I will maintain for the rest of my life. I showered in spider-infested bathrooms. I drank “bug-juice” religiously.Most important, though, I established myself in a community of people that had existed and stretched long before me — the community of Camp Blue Star, with its generations of color war murals and catchy songs and cabins with endless amounts of names scratched into the wooden rafters; the snaking, foot-worn gravel paths and clanking of metal kitchen cutlery, banging and cheering on dining hall tables, and its magical place in my heart.

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