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St. Mary LEAP scores show impact of COVID, superintendent says

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 1:05pm

This item came Thursday morning from St. Mary Superintendent Dr. Teresa Bagwell:

Schools received LEAP 2025 test score data and graduation rates that overwhelmingly reflect the impact that a lengthy school closure had on students’ academic growth, while graduation rates continued a steady increase. Overall, LEAP “Mastery+” percentage scores declined for the total student population at a rate of 7% with fluctuations exhibited according to a specific school, content area, or subgroup. Declines in LEAP performance were of profound concern when schools closed in March 2020 and then reopened in a delayed start in September with many students learning remotely in a hybrid schedule or fully online.

The Louisiana Department of Education noted the significant differences in performance levels between students learning in-person compared to those learning virtually in a separate press release. In St. Mary Parish, approximately 30% of students began the 2020-21 school year as virtual only. Many of these students returned to campus during the school year, with less than 3% ending the year in a virtual learning setting.

In addition to the delayed start of the 2020-2021 school year, students across the state faced intermittent disruptions to daily attendance due to weather events, quarantines of close contacts to COVID-19, and other factors. St. Mary Parish students were able to attend on campus beginning September 28th but still faced interruptions throughout the year for those reasons.

For the first time, student scores on the ELPT (English Language Proficiency Test), the assessment administered to students whose primary language is not English, were included in school accountability data. St. Mary Parish students outperformed the state in the percent of students scoring Progressing (71% compared to 68%) and Proficient (9% compared to 8%).

The state’s score release also included graduation data for the Class of 2020. St. Mary Parish’s graduation rate increased to 95.6% compared to the state’s rate of 84%. Additionally, the percentage of students earning Advanced or Basic industry-based credentials grew from 80.8% to 92.1%. St. Mary Parish students outperformed the state (51.6%) in this measure of accountability.

Clearly, any level of decline in academic performance rates by a school or content area is of serious concern. School and district leaders have begun employing adjustments in daily schedules to offer time within the school day for evidence-based interventions and acceleration of learning. Students also have the opportunity to receive afterschool tutoring services that align to their specific area of academic need. The most important factor in lessening the impacts of educational disruptions is providing students with daily on-campus instruction that encompasses standards-aligned lessons with appropriate measures of learning standard mastery.

In reviewing the score release, Superintendent Dr. Teresa Bagwell commended students on their perseverance in attending school each day and striving to fully comprehend the skills and content presented: “Teachers empathize with the circumstances students faced during the pandemic and are committed to enhancing daily learning opportunities in order to lead them on a path to academic success. Our school system has invested in prescribed resources, technology, and other sup-ports to guide students on a path that will prepare them to graduate on time and pursue a career of their choosing. Principals and teachers are steadfast in their belief that all students have the capability of measur-able academic growth, and they strive each day to lead and inspire them in realizing their potential. We are looking forward to beginning a new school year on August 6th with a renewed focus and analysis of LEAP 2025 results to strengthen an exceptional education for the students of St. Mary.”

Norwood in pool for Olympic relay race

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 11:28am

Team USA will begin preliminary competition Friday in the men’s 4x400-meter relay at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, with the finals set for Saturday.
Morgan City High alum Vernon Norwood is a candidate in the USA’s 4x400-meter relay.
The preliminary round will be run at 6:25 a.m. local time Friday, while the finals will be held at 7:50 a.m. Saturday locally.
Norwood already has won a bronze medal in the Olympic Games as he anchored the United States’ mixed 4x400-meter relay to a third-place finish.

Here are local COVID developments

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 11:24am

Staff Report

Here are local developments in the COVID-19 pandemic:
Festival
Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival organizers are monitoring the COVID situation, festival Director Hailee Thomas said Wednesday. For now, plans are to carry on with the Labor Day weekend event in Morgan City.
The festival was canceled last year because of COVID.
School
Both the St. Mary Parish public school system and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, of which Central Catholic is a part, are telling parents that they will adhere to Gov. John Bel Edwards statewide mask mandate for people 5 and over in indoor public spaces.
Students will also be required to wear masks on buses.
The diocese said masks may be required outdoors when social distancing isn’t possible.
Masks are recommended for younger students in early childhood education programs.
Numbers
Another 55 new COVID cases were reported Wednesday in St. Mary Parish by the Louisiana Office of Public Health. The number of COVID fatalities rose by four to 151, and is likely to rise by at least two more after six east St. Mary COVID deaths were reported Sunday-Tuesday to the office of Coroner Eric Melancon.
The OPH reported 4,778 new cases and 44 deaths statewide Wednesday. COVID hospitalizations were up 135 to 2,247, the highest level of the pandemic.
Seventy of 83 ICU beds were in use Wednesday in Department of Health Region 3, which covers the area from St. Mary to St. John the Baptist parishes.
Ochsner
Ochsner Health System hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi reported 821 COVID patients as of Tuesday, up 20 from Monday.
In the Bayou Region, which includes Ochsner St. Mary, hospitalizations were down by nine to 83.
Ochsner executives and physicians are seeing what they call a “concerning and significant” increase in COVID test positives among children.
The positivity rate among those 19 and younger was over 23% last week, up from less than 11% in early July.
Eleven young people in that age group were in Ochsner hospitals for COVID treatment Wednesday, up from seven Friday.
The average age of pediatric COVID patients last month was 12. In June, the average age was 16.

Hospital board looks for the right message to encourage vaccinations

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 11:21am

BILL DECKER

bdecker@daily-review.com

Members of the local hospital board kicked around ideas for messaging Wednesday night. The message is “get vaccinated.”
Along the way, members of the St. Mary Hospital Service District No. 2 board expressed frustration with the recent and steep rise in COVID-19 cases, the parish’s low vaccination rate and what they feel is social media misinformation about the coronavirus.
“It’s pretty tough to take, personally,” said Dr. William Cefalu, who chairs the board and practices at Ochsner St. Mary, the hospital owned by the board and operated by Ochsner Health System.
“When you run the engine at the red line long enough, it gets to be more than you can take.”
That engine has been repeatedly revved up by COVID surges in spring and summer 2020, the winter resurgence and now the rapidly spreading Delta COVID variant, which struck just as the most restrictive mitigation measures had faded away.
Now St. Mary, identified early last month as a Delta hot spot, has a rising number of COVID cases and a vaccination rate of 30.5%, below the state rate of about 42% and far below the 70% national rate.
Board members Heath Hoffpauir, Gary Stansbury, Kendra Thomas and Donald Stephens joined Cefalu in talking about ways to reach out through local TV, radio, this newspaper, social media and billboards, and exploring the idea of presenting information in Spanish and Vietnamese to reach those minority populations.
Meanwhile, Cefalu said, Ochsner St. Mary in Morgan City is running short on the ability to staff an adequate number of beds.
The hospital’s normal in-patient census would be about 20 people, Cefalu said. Occasionally, the number of patients would rise to 35.
“Now it’s twice that …,” Cefalu said.
“When they come in [with no COVID], it’s like a unicorn. Somebody came in with pneumonia and I was like ‘whoa.’ That’s the first time in a month.”
Acquiring nurses, especially nurses, is becoming difficult, he said. On top of the normal retirements and departures, there’s burnout from the long pandemic and the feeling that the latest wave could have been prevented, all in an environment in which the health care providers risk getting sick themselves.
“Everything is going against trying to provide the support staff and the doctors, really,” Cefalu said. “We’re on the brink of practicing medicine like a Third World country.”
After the meeting, Cefalu talked about why patients tell him they don’t want to get vaccinated.
“I’ve heard about everything,” he said.
Some people are worried about the speed with which COVID vaccines were developed. But no corners were cut, Cefalu said. He believes the evidence shows the vaccines are safe.
And “there’s a lot of distrust of government at the federal level,” Cefalu said.
A conversation between doctor and patient will usually persuade the patient to get vaccinated, he said. But that’s a 15 minute talk that the doctor may not have time for.
The Delta variant is “a monster,” Cefalu said during the meeting. “It’s a juggernaut. If you’re not vaccinated, you’re going to catch it. If you’re vaccinated, you might get it anyway.”
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter have been assuring people that despite a relatively small number of break-through COVID cases — about 10% of new cases being reported by the Louisiana Office of Public Health are among vaccinated people — COVID vaccinations still offer the best protection against getting seriously ill or dying from the disease.

John Flores: Doctoral student the ways of wood ducks and whistlers

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 11:17am

By JOHN FLORES

Recently, a co-worker from Houma mentioned how many black-bellied whistling-ducks he had been seeing around his subdivision. I had to agree with him. From Sabine Pass near Lake Charles all the way to Pearl River along the Mississippi State line, there are literally thousands of this species of duck hanging out across Louisiana.
During the winter, large flocks of these whistling ducks hang out in the greater New Orleans area in places like Lafreniere and Audubon parks, as well as across the Mississippi River in Westwego, where there is a ready-made food source and safe refuge around grain elevators.
Black bellies can also be a real nuisance in urban areas. Locals complain about how noisy they are, how they defecate on buildings and even knock over bird feeders.
Essentially, for the past 20 to 30 years the black-bellied whistling-duck has been expanding its range further and further north from Mexico and south Texas, where now they appear to be firmly established as year round residents in Louisiana. Oddly enough, there has been very little scientific information published on this particular duck.
Recently, I reported a story about an ongoing study titled, “Regional Examination of the Contribution of Nest Boxes to Wood Duck Recruitment in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic United States” that Louisiana was participating in.
Dylan Bakner, a PhD student with the LSU AgCenter for the past two years, has been working on this particular wood duck study, where one of the “Anticipated Outcomes” according to the project synopsis, is to gain new information on the nesting ecology of black-bellied whistling-ducks, which may open avenues of applied scientific inquiry relevant to the management of cavity-nesting species in Louisiana.
Bakner, who is originally from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, and did his undergraduate studies at Penn State University, said, “We don’t know anything about these guys. There has not been a single study done in the southeastern United States focusing on black-bellied whistling-ducks. All of the studies that have been done regarding breeding whistling ducks took place on the northern end of their breeding range in the 60s and 70s, which was southern Texas.”
One of the things Bakner says he’s been focusing on the past two years and starting to get into are questions like, just how much overlap is there in the wood duck and black-bellied whistling-duck breeding season? How many wood ducks are nesting, while black-bellied whistling-ducks are starting to nest? And, what’s the overlap between the two?
Bakner said, “What I found from last year’s 2020 data was if you plot out and consider nest initiation date, which is the first day that a nest is started — the first day that a wood duck lays one egg in the nest box — and the first day a black-bellied whistling-duck lays one egg in the nest box, there is a 93-day period of overlap, where wood ducks are initiating nests and black-bellied whistling-ducks are initiating nests.”
What is the impact or significance of this overlap? According to Bakner, there is a lot of mixed clutches between wood ducks and black-bellied whistling-ducks.
“I have whistling ducks hatching out wood duck eggs, as well as their own and I have wood ducks hatching out whistling duck eggs. So, it goes both ways,” Bakner said.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries maintains approximately 1,750 wood duck nest boxes on its Wildlife Management Areas, with a goal of reaching 2,000. Of those WMA nest boxes, for his study, Bakner manages 310.
What the 2020 data has shown so far is, of all the wood duck eggs observed hatched, 13% of the hatched eggs came from a mixed clutch nest containing both wood duck and black-bellied whistling-duck eggs.
By contrast, of all the black-bellied whistling-duck eggs observed hatched in 2020, 32 percent of the hatched eggs came from a mixed clutch nest containing both wood duck and black-bellied whistling-duck eggs.
Bakner says the data is important in understanding how the overlap may influence productivity or help each species. Therefore, he struggles a little bit with the word parasitism.
He wonders if black-bellied whistling-ducks actually target a wood duck nest or simply was the box vacant at the time. Moreover, did the wood duck possibly start laying eggs in the box and while it was laying its clutch, a whistling duck started laying, where whoever finishes laying first incubates the nest.
Essentially, Bakner is plowing a lot of new ground as he studies the ecology of black-bellied whistling-ducks as part of the wood duck nest box study.
The multistate regional wood duck nest box study will continue through 2022 and its outcome reported once all the data is collected and evaluated.
Bakner says he frequently gets asked, “How’s your PhD going?”
To which he replies, “It’s, well … I am overwhelmed by the amount of opportunity, but it’s a good problem to have.”

Governor: Consider vaccine mandates after final FDA approval

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 11:10am

WILLIAM PATRICK, The Center Square

Gov. John Bel Edwards laid a foundation for mandatory COVID-19 vaccines across large sections of Louisiana on Wednesday during a virtual town hall discussion.
Louisiana has the highest coronavirus cases per capita of any state in the country and has experienced record hospitalizations this week. Edwards addressed related concerns in a question-answer format with Advocate and Times-Picayune Editor Peter Kovacs. The questions were selected from reader submissions.
When asked whether vaccinations will be required for state employees, Edwards outlined a process for requiring vaccines at state agencies and Louisiana school systems.
“That’s not under consideration unless or until the FDA grants licensure to one or more of the COVID vaccines,” Edwards said, adding, “I think that’s going to happen relatively soon, perhaps by Labor Day.”
Edwards continued: “The COVID vaccine would then work just like other vaccines that are currently mandatory. There are a number of them that are on a schedule that the [Louisiana] Department of Health requires whether it’s K-12, higher education and so forth, subject to whatever opt-out provisions are in current law.
“It would be my expectation that once full authorization or licensure is granted that the vaccines will be added to the list and work just like the current measles, mumps, rubella,” he said.
COVID-19 vaccines currently fall under emergency-use authorizations. In a dispute with Louisiana State University over an attempted student vaccine mandate, Attorney General Jeff Landry said emergency-use authorization products require “the option to accept or refuse administration of the product.”
Edwards did not concede the point during the town hall but reiterated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would green-light COVID-19 vaccine mandates at LSU, state and local government agencies and other public employers.
Edwards further embraced private sector vaccine mandates and said non-governmental employers are within their rights to require workers to get vaccinated.
“There is a difference between private employers and state employers. While I am not saying public entities that are requiring vaccinations are acting unconstitutionally, what we know is that the Constitution is not implicated when a private employer does it,” he said.
Edwards praised the Our Lady of the Lake hospital in Baton Rouge, the flagship hospital for one of Louisiana’s largest private health care chains. The facility announced Tuesday all employees must be vaccinated in the coming months or face termination.
“If you look at the timeline for their employees to come into compliance ... it’ll happen about the same time as full licensure is granted,” Edwards said.

Morgan City bowling scores

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 11:08am

HE’S & SHE’S LEAGUE
Week 12 (July 30)
.......................................W L
Late Comers,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,29½ 18½
Split Happens ................28½ 19½
Swole Patrol....................27 21
The Outlaws...................25 23
White Claw......................25 23
L&G Lumber...................23 25
Bearded & Babe.............23 25
Steelwood Lanes...........20½ 27½
Not Yet ..........................19½ 28½
All in The Family..............17 31
Individual high scores: Rick Sartwell 205, 226, 216 games, (647) series; Robert Rotolo 223, 245; Jonathan Spinella 224, 228; Zach Stewart 215, 221; Adam Adams 215, 204; Tamara Aucoin 214, 214; Kirk Trahan 211, 202; Mark Corbin 223; Gage Hirschmann 219; Jayson Hidalgo 211; David Spinella 203; and Chris Mayon 203.
PETROLEUM LEAGUE
Week 5 (July 21)
................................................W L
Steelwood Lanes....................13 7
1st Resp. Heat/Cool...............13 7
That’s How we Roll................13 7
Allen’s TV Cable....................11 9
Chabill’s..................................11 9
Satchel of Richards.................11 9
M. C. Paint & Body..................10 10
Conrad Industries....................9 11
Antebellum Renov...................6 14
Bye.........................................3 17
Weekly high scores: Anthony Falgout Jr. 214, 201, 255; Mark Corbin 224, 245; Jon Reynaud 216, 235; Wally Arcemont 241, 207; Miles Suire 225, 207; Mike Kapp 277; Jerry Pillaro 229; Lawrence Simoneaux 227; Larry Ackman 213; Josh Mayon 212; Eric Cortez 203; and Alberto Bochas 201.
Week 6 (July 28)
.............................................W L
That’s How we Roll..............17 7
Steelwood Lanes.................17 7
Satchel of Richards.............15 9
1st Resp. Heat/Cool............13 11
MC Paint & Body.................13 11
Allen’s TV Cable..................12 12
Conrad Industries................11 13
Chabill’s...............................11 13
Antebellum Renov ...............8 16
Bye ......................................3 21
Weekly high scores: Kenny Keton 211, 247, 256 games, (714) series; Bobby Rotolo 247, 224, 225, (696); Joey Boudreaux 221, 226, 222; Anthony Falgout Jr. 210, 232, 225; Mark Kleimann 213, 217, 227; Tamara Aucoin 238, 255; Adam Adams 225, 219; Larry Ackman 224, 206; Brett Keton 217, 208; Jason Pye 212, 206; Lawrence Simoneaux 220; Patrick Thibodeaux 216; Jon Reynaud 208; Alberto Bochas 203; and Mark Corbin 202.
GUYS & DOLLS LEAGUE
Week 4 (July 22)
........................................W L
Naughty But Nice...........13 3
3rd Baptist Church..........11 5
Boss...............................11 5
Hensgens Bros...............10 6
Bach ................................9 7
Johnny’s Wrecker.............8 8
Thibodaux’s Finest II ......6 10
Hustler’s .........................6 10
SNAFU............................3 13
Bye .................................0 16
Weekly high scores: (male) Eric Morrison 236, 258, 235, (729); Kenny Keton 224, 289, 228, (714); Mark Corbin 235, 213, 215; Adam Adams 267, 212; Bubba Colwart 259, 217; David Boudreaux 208, 255; Patrick Thibodeaux 202, 237; Jerry Colwart Jr. 215, 236; Devin Hidalgo 221, 224; Anthony Falgout Jr. 204, 204; Johnny Lirette 234; Kelvin Smith 222; Henry Vidos 209; Hunter Boudreaux 207; and Ken Keton Sr. 204; and (female) Gretchen Corbin 258, (620); Shana Morrison 202; and Jennifer Moore 201.
Week 5 (July 29)
.....................................W L
Boss.............................14 6
Hensgens Bros............13 7
3rd Baptist Church .....12 8
Johnny’s Wrecker.......12 8
Naughty But Nice........11 9
Thibodaux’s Finest II .10 10
Bach’s.........................10 10
Hustler’s..................... 9 11
SNAFU........................6 14
Bye .............................0 0
Weekly high scores: (male) David Boudreaux 234, 220, 236 games, (690); Dustin Fuselier 203, 258, 232; Adam Adams 200, 238, 236; Anthony Falgout Jr. 210, 203, 222; Schaun Reed 241, 236; Bubba Colwart 238, 239; Murray Hebert 233, 247; Eric Morrison 225, 255; Patrick Thibodeaux 211, 247; Kelvin Smith 213, 207; Johnny Lirette 201, 200; Kenny Keton 225; Mark Hebert 222; Gerald Wiese 209; Devin Hidalgo 209; Calvin Allemand 204; and Willie Rack 201.

Cleco: Program can help with rent and utilities

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 10:57am

Cleco Power customers who need assistance paying utility bills can still apply for funds from the U.S. Treasury Emergency Rental & Utility Assistance Program being administered by the state of Louisiana.
The state program, which launched in March of this year, helps renters and landlords experiencing homelessness or housing instability due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program was expanded in May to include utility assistance for renters.
“Funds are still available for those facing financial hardship, so customers who are renting and need help with their housing and utility bills should apply,” said Ron Smith, director of customer experience. “This is a significant benefit to our customers because the program covers past due and current utility bills. The timing also is good, as energy usage tends to be higher during the hot summer months.”
How does the
program works?
—The State of Louisiana is administering the program in 57 parishes, and the program covers past due rent, future rent payments, utility costs and some late fees dating back as far as April 1, 2020.
—Seven parishes chose to apply for and receive direct allocations from the U.S. Treasury and are administering their own program. Residents in Caddo, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafayette, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes must apply directly with the governing authority in their parish.
—Both renters and landlords are eligible to apply for assistance. In most cases, rental assistance will be paid directly to the landlord and utility assistance will be paid directly to the utility provider.
Who’s eligible?
—Residents who are struggling to pay rent and utilities due to COVID-19.
—Residents who have past due rent notices or past due utility bills.
—Residents whose household income does not exceed 80 percent of the area median income limit for the parish.

Morgan City police radio logs for Aug. 3-4

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 10:53am

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the Police Department at 985-380-4605.
Tuesday, Aug. 3
12:18 a.m. 1000 block of Maple Street; Juvenile problem.
12:59 a.m. 200 block of Trevino Street; Assist Berwick.
9:26 a.m. 1400 block of Sandra Street; Theft.
10:08 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Stand by.
10:17 a.m. 2000 block of Federal Avenue ; Animal complaint.
11:48 a.m. 200 block of Pecos Street; Complaint.
12:16 p.m. Shannon Street and Federal Avenue area ; Complaint.
1:14 p.m. Eastbound before Martin Luther King area; Debris.
1:25 p.m. Greenwood Overpass area; Debris.
1:48 p.m. 500 block of Egle Street; Assistance.
1:53 p.m. 2400 block of Tiger Drive; Complaint.
1:56 p.m. 700 block of Terrebonne Street; Complaint.
3:47 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Alarm.
4:25 p.m. 7400 block of La. 182; 911 hang up call.
5:37 p.m. La. 182/U.S. 90 Junction; Accident.
6:16 p.m. Louisiana and Fifth streets; Frequent patrols.
8:24 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Complaint.
8:27 p.m. 400 block of Industrial Road; Alarm.
9:47 p.m. 500 block of Aucoin Street; Assistance.
11:57 p.m. 500 block of Bowman Street; Loud noise.
Wednesday, Aug. 4
12:16 a.m. 800 block of Youngs Road; Suspicious activity.
3:19 a.m. Maple and Onstead streets; Suspicious activity.

Pies are good use of seasonal fruit

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 8:48am

Pie is delicious any time of year, but especially when seasonal fruits are included in the recipe.
According to Peggy Brusseau, author of “The Contented Vegan” (Head of Zeus), fresh blueberries help to make a memorable pie, especially when paired with apple, which brings sweetness and a contrast in texture.
Home chefs can use Brusseau’s recipe for “Blueberry Apple Pie” to create their own delicious dessert.
This recipe is designed for those who adhere to a vegan diet, but bakers can substitute a traditional pie crust if desired.

BLUEBERRY AND APPLE PIE
1 quantity Vegan Shortcrust Pastry (see below)
2 medium apples
2¼ pounds fresh blueberries
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
(alternative: Use 1 Tbsp. oat bran instead of flour)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 11¼ inch pie dish with half of the pastry, and prepare the top crust.
Peel, core and slice the apples. Spread apple slices over the bottom of the pastry base. Tip the blueberries into the pie dish, and spread evenly to cover the apples.
Mix together sugar and flour in a small bowl, and sprinkle mixture evenly over the berries.
Position prepared top crust over the pie, seal together the edges of the pastry and pierce the top crust with a fork or knife.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp.
Cool and serve.
Makes 1 large pie

VEGAN SHORTCRUST PASTRY
Makes top and bottom pie crust
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
2¾ ounces coconut oil
1/3 cup fine cornmeal
Measure flour into a large bowl. Add coconut oil and ‘cut’ it into the flour, using a fork or table knife, to create an even texture throughout. Add cornmeal, working it in the same way to create an even texture.
Add ½ cup ice cold water, and quickly work it into the dough with fingertips. Shape dough into a ball, cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, and up to 24 hours.
Remove pastry from the refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes before use, and bring to room temperature. Lightly flour your work surface and a rolling pin. Keep a little extra flour to one side, to use as needed.
Divide dough into two equal pieces, and knead one portion on the work surface to ensure an even consistency. Roll out the pastry into a round or rectangle, as required, to a thickness of ¼ inch.
Lift pastry into the pie dish and press into place, trimming off any excess. Roll remaining pastry in the same way, to make the top crust, or to line a second pie dish.