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Windham Regional Career Center presents its annual Expo

BRATTLEBORO - The Windham Regional Career Center, 80 Atwood St., will hold its annual expo on Saturday, Feb. 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Attendees can tour the campus and visit all the Center's programs, meet the instructors, attend any of the informative workshops, and see students demonstrating skills they're perfecting in their classes.

This event is an excellent way for prospective students and their families to see the kinds of activities students engage in during class.

There will also be several workshops on the basics of kitchen design, what to do in an emergency, knife skills, wood joinery, and invasive pest management.

A dual enrollment seminar will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. to explain how students can earn college credit while enrolled in the Career Center.

Representatives from regional colleges will also be on hand to answer questions and present upcoming education and training opportunities.

Entera Catering will be selling wood-fired-oven pizzas. Raffle prizes include a flat-screen TV.

For more information, call 802-451-3586.

Rep. Moran to hold office hours in Dover

DOVER - State Rep. John Moran, D-Wardsboro, will once again meet constituents at the Dover Free Library on the second Saturday of the month from now through May to hear concerns and give legislative updates.

This month's meeting will be held Saturday, Feb. 11, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Senior Center hosts Valentine's Day dinner

BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Senior Center and Brattleboro Senior Meals will host a Valentine's Day luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at noon.

Come share the love at the Center with flowers, chocolate, entertainment, and door prizes. The meal will consist of roast turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, butternut squash, and cherry cheesecake.

The cost is a suggested donation of $4 for seniors 60 years of age and older, and $6 for everyone else.

Call the Senior Center at 802-257-7570 for more information.

Snowshoe with your sweetheart at BEEC

WEST BRATTLEBORO - This Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center will host “Sweetheart's Snowshoe: St. Valentine's in the Woods” from 7 to 9 p.m.

Join BEEC naturalists to learn about nature of love, and enjoy chocolate and champagne in BEEC's romantic, rustic barn.

The cost is $10 for members or $15 for non-members. Contact BEEC to register at 802-257-5785.

Tracker offers her woodland secrets at RFPL

BELLOWS FALLS - Join naturalist, forester, and author Lynn Levine for an evening filled with insights and information on our local environment - trees, tales, and tracking - at the Rockingham Free Public Library on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m.

Levine, who lives in East Dummerston, will talk about what she has learned about local wildlife in her 30 years in the woods. She has brought thousands of children and adults into the outdoors to teach them how to read the signs left by animals, from mouse to moose.

The presentation will include Levine's scat collection, skulls, and hands-on-tracking tools.

Well-known in the area for her forestry and tracking expertise, Levine is also a terrific writer. Her most recent book, Snow Secrets, is her first venture into youth literature, while her best-selling guide book Mammal Tracks and Scat: Life Size Tracking Guide, which she co-authored with Martha Mitchell, is a bestseller in its field.

Copies of her books will be available for purchase and signing.

For more information, call the library at 802-463-4270.

BF Woman's Club to meet on Feb. 14

BELLOWS FALLS - Members of the Bellows Falls Woman's Club, federated through the General Federation of Women's Clubs, will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at the United Church of Bellows Falls on School Street, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Rockingham Development Director Francis “Dutch” Walsh will speak about current town projects and plans for future community development.

Also, the winter meeting of the GFWC-VT will take place on Feb. 11 in Rutland. Several local club members plan to attend.

BMH hosts information sessions on navigating health-care system

BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will offer “Navigating the Healthcare System: What You Need to Know” during February.

The three free informational sessions are designed to give both patients and their loved ones information that will help them communicate as effectively as possible with health-care professionals.

Health-care advocate Gary Hilliard of Senior Solutions leads the first session at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13. “Speak Up: Advocating for You and Your Family's Health Care Quality” discusses the do's and don'ts of advocating for oneself and others, including tips on talking to doctors and other providers.

The second session, “Medical Terminology for the Lay Person: What's My Doctor Talking About, Anyway?” will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20.

Participants will receive handouts covering medical terms patients might encounter when meeting with a medical provider. People can ask about their own experiences in a question-and-answer session.

“I Googled It, So It Must Be True?” closes the series at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27. Brooks Memorial Library reference librarian Jeanne Walsh joins BMH medical librarian Jessie Casella and Jeff Harr, coordinator for the BMH Cardio-Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, for a talk on the benefits and perils of online research.

Subjects will include how to recognize reliable sources and research studies, and the presenters will share lists of their favorite resources.

Each session takes place in the BMH Brew Barry Conference Center. People interested in participating should register by calling the BMH Education Line at 802-257-8877.

Grace Cottage Hospital to host sledding party

TOWNSHEND – Grace Cottage Hospital is hoping for a good amount of snow in time for a community sledding party planned for the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Townshend Dam.

The Townshend Dam sledding hill is public, so there is no time limit for sledding, but Grace Cottage will provide free hot chocolate and s'mores for sledders from 1 to 3 p.m.

“Sleds will be available, but bring your own if you can,” event organizers write. “No need to RSVP; just come ready to have fun!”

For information, call 802-365-3649.

Forms now available for Grafton scholarships

GRAFTON - Application forms for the Women's Community Club of Grafton's 2012 Scholarship awards are available beginning Feb. 8 at the Grafton Public Library on Main Street.

Every year since the 1950s, the Women's Community Club has awarded scholarships to Grafton residents wishing to pursue higher education. Last year, it awarded $12,000.

Those wishing further information can contact Karen Hunt at [email protected] or 802-843-2674, or Pat Jeziorski at 802-843-1236.

Deadline for filing the completed application is April 1.

Kindergarten registration begins soon in Brattleboro

BRATTLEBORO - Registration for kindergarten classes for the 2012-13 school year in town schools will take place March 5 to 13.

Any Brattleboro resident with a child who will turn 5 on or before Sept. 1, 2012 should call Early Education Services Coordinator of Kindergarten Registration Sue Dyer at 802-254-3742, ext. 124 to schedule an appointment.

Appointments will be confirmed by mail. Children will not necessarily attend kindergarten at the school where they participate in the registration. School assignments will be made later in the spring.

Anyone wishing an exception to the policy regarding age for entrance may write Dyer at EES, 130 Birge St., Brattleboro, VT 05301 by April 1. In no case will a request for testing for early admission be allowed for a child whose birth date falls more than 60 days after the Sept. 1 date.

Vermont law requires proof of immunization for school enrollment. Children may be exempt from immunization for medical, religious, or moral reasons.

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