Hilltown Community Center, 9 Russell Road in Huntington, is the site for a free GED class series offering childcare. (WNG File Photo)
HILLTOWNS – The Southern Hilltown Adult Education Center (SHAEC) is teaming up with the Hilltown Community Health Center to provide free on-site childcare for a new GED/ HiSET English Language Arts: Reading comprehension and writing class series. The classes, which are open to residents of Middlefield, Huntington, Chester, and Russell, begin on Wednesday, March 7, 10 a.m. until noon at the Hilltown Social Services building, 9 Russell Road, in Huntington. Classes will continue on the first three Wednesdays of March, April, and May (March 7, 14, 21, April 4, 11, 18, and May 2, 9, 16, 10 a.m. to noon).
Classes will help participants improve their English language Arts skills as they prepare to take the HiSet High School Equivalency reading, writing, and Language Arts subtests. The series will be taught by veteran teacher and reading specialist Michelle Burke Birrell, M.Ed. A graduate of UMass Amherst with a bachelor’s of science in Speech/Audiology, and a master’s in Education from Westfield State University, Burke Birrell is also the founder of Damon Academic Consulting of Berkshire County (www.DamonConsult.org).
Preregistration is required, as well as the number of children who will be in childcare. To register call 413-685-1052 with contact information, or email [email protected]
Another new free workshop series, which is open to everyone, “Personality & Relational Prosperity: An Empathic Approach,” is being offered through SHAEC on Fridays, March 2, 16, and 30. 6:00-8:00pm, at the Village Enterprise Center, 26 Main St, in Chester. This three-class series is designed to introduce the Myers Briggs personality type as a lens to explore individual personality and communication preferences within the context of interpersonal relationships.
Workshop facilitator Maya Greene uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (or MBTI®) in conjunction with expertise in interpersonal communication skills to help people improve all of their relationships. Understanding personality preferences allows people to analyze the ways in which they interact with others—as well as how they perceive how others interact with them – and how to adjust communication accordingly to get the best possible results.
Greene is a certified Myers-Briggs and Associate Professor of Communications at Columbia-Greene Community College, in Hudson, NY. She has also started a consultation business focusing on the interplay between personality and interpersonal relationships. More information may be found on her website: www.relationalself.com. To register for this free class, call SHAEC at 413-685-1052, and leave a message with your contact information, or email [email protected].
Kay and Erin Judge, mother daughter duo of Blue Sky Wellness in Middlefield. (Photo submitted)
Another SHAEC class that is open to all is “Essential Oils for Special Populations,” which is being offered on Thursday March 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Middlefield Senior Center, 169 Skyline Trail, Middlefield.
The class/ workshop will be led by Kay Judge, a Clinical Aroma therapist. Class participants will learn how to incorporate the use of essential oils into a complementary adjunct approach to support individual wellness goals. Special attention will be given to discussing precautions that must be considered when using essential oils for instance, for children, pets, people with chronic conditions such as asthma and high blood pressure and when taking certain medications. Attendees will have the opportunity to create foam soap or a customized oil blend in a roller bottle to take home.
A materials fee of $15 will be collected. Judge is certified through Heart of Herbs Herbal School. She offers consultations and can create a custom Essential oil blend for you through her business Blue Skye Wellness (blueskyewellness.com) in Middlefield.
Preregistration is suggested, as space is limited to the first 20 to sign up for these very popular classes. To preregister, call SHAEC at 413-685-1052 or email [email protected] with name, phone number, and town of residence.
For a full list of class offerings, go to SHAEC.org.
