South Washington County Schools Community Education

Want to earn income using your talents from the comfort of your home? Explore voiceovers! Discover current trends, opportunities, and tools you need to find success in this growing remote working industry. Read a real script and receive coaching from your instructor, a professional voice actor, to improve your delivery. One-time, 90 minute, one-on-one, video-chat class! Learn more: http://www.voicesforall.com/ooo Upon registration you will be contacted by VFA to schedule your class for a day and time of your convenience.

The Community Band of South Washington County has been going strong for over 25 years! All ages and instruments are welcome. Expand your talents and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow musicians—all while sharing music with appreciative local audiences. Join anytime!

A photograph tells the story of our adventures and our lives and allows us to share those stories. How well your photographs tell that story depends on how well you understand the basic elements of photography and composition. Learn about rules of composition, the exposure triangle, metering, semiautomatic and manual shooting modes and more. Please bring your digital (DSLR) camera with a fully charged battery, camera manual, pen, and notebook. No “point & shoot” cameras please.

Learn about the plumbing system in your home. A must for every home owner, those in charge of home maintenance or others just wanting a better understanding of the components and how they fit together. Get a close up of fixtures and fittings to understand how they work and how they fail. Save money by doing minor maintenance and repairs and knowing when to call in the professionals.

Learn how to navigate multi-dog household dynamics, common pitfalls, helpful behaviors and resources to turn the chaos into community. If you haven't yet gotten a second dog, you'll also learn how to successfully introduce a new dog or puppy to resident dog(s). We cover topics including: Will dogs really “work it out on their own?” Leadership & Decoding Canine Body Language (when, where and how to step in) What are realistic expectations for multi-dog households Puppies and older dogs; how to establish a healthy relationship that grows - Beds, Tugs, and Bones Oh My! (Resource Guarding) Safe and healthy “group” activities Providing for your individual dogs needs Recommended resources and Q & A

Enjoy a winter night under the moon and stars with a relaxing snowshoe hike. Get an intro to the basics of snowshoeing, learn about some nocturnal animals that might be spotted on the hike, and discover the beauty of winter ecology at Carpenter Nature Center. After the hike, warm up by the fire and enjoy some fresh popcorn and hot cider. Snowshoes are provided, or bring your own. No discounts. (At least 6 inches of snowcover is needed to use snowshoes.)

For genealogy newbies or those who have a good understanding of their family tree, this course will change the way you search for ancestors online. The amount of family records on FamilySearch and Ancestry.com can easily overwhelm users. You will learn how to utilize both websites for efficient and easy family research. You will leave this course with a new understanding of online genealogy and plenty of new tricks to put to use! (Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop to follow along as we dive into the secrets of these two popular genealogy websites).

Take the mystery and fear out of dealing with basic home electrical problems. Learn how electricity comes into and flows around your home. It's a must for every home owner. See what repairs you can do and when to call a professional. You can save hundreds of dollars on repairs.

Are you living with your furry friend in an apartment, townhome, or condo? Explore how to utilize the advantages of small-scale living while minimizing common behaviors such as barking, housetraining, resource guarding, and separation anxiety! Keep your dog and your neighbors happy when living on a smaller scale. This class is for humans only; please leave your furry friend at home.

Receive tips and tactics to help give you that edge in being selected for your next step in your career. Learn how to show that you are the best candidate for the position that you are applying for. Understand what should and what should not be placed on your resume so that you showcase your skills and talents in order to land the interview.

Added by popular demand for students who have either previously taken Level 1 or are comfortable with their cameras and are eager to continue expanding their knowledge. Learn more about metering, exposure and composition. Explore your camera’s auto modes and understand when you might use them. Learn about focus modes and how to use them. Most importantly, you will have time for valuable hands-on in-class experience. Please bring your digital SLR (DSLR) camera with a fully charged battery, camera manual, pen and notebook. No point & shoot cameras. Handouts will be handed out in class on the first day. Please bring them to class with you.

Trees and shrubs are an investment that can improve the beauty of your home landscape, but require pruning and regular maintenance for a long life. Understanding tree growth habits, we will show why, how and when you can do corrective pruning as well as techniques to care for and prune shade trees, evergreens and fruit trees. Shrubs can often get too large, crowd sidewalks and make your yard look unkempt. Learn techniques for pruning and rejuvenating shrubs to help show off the beauty of your home. If you have not received this link before noon, please call 651-425-6600. We are confident that you will enjoy the same quality experience from the comfort of home!

Would you like to grow strawberries, blueberries or other fruit in your own backyard? Learn how easy it is to select fruit varieties appropriate for Minnesota; to plant, prune, and maintain the plants for health and maximum yield; and to control insects and disease to ensure a fruitful crop. We will discuss strawberries and raspberries in detail, as well as, blueberries, apples, cherries, plums and honeyberries. Handouts and a Zoom link will be delivered to you via email the day before class. We are confident that you will enjoy the same quality experience from the comfort of home!

Learn the basics of vegetable gardening to successfully grow fresh produce. Practical, simple advice on where to begin: what defines a good location, the right size garden bed, soil preparation, deciding what to plant, buying seeds or transplants, how & when to plant, best time to harvest and much more. Using University of Minnesota research-based information and the instructor’s many years of successes and failures, this class will get you excited to grow and harvest your own vegetables. Handouts and a Zoom link will be delivered to you via email the day before the class. We are confident that you will enjoy the same quality experience from the comfort of home!

To bring out the best in you in front of a future employer, there are important things to do and not to do during an interview. Learn how to navigate difficult questions, prepare well so you demonstrate confidence, and tips for spotting good places of employment vs bad. Consider questions you should ask; things that show red flags and green flags; as well as how to negotiate things like wages, vacation time, and more. Discover what you should and should not say, involuntary habits to try and avoid and how to make yourself more comfortable-looking in a high stress situation.

Blueberries are such a carefree shrub that it's a wonder more people don't grow them. They are long-lived and generally free of disease and insect problems. Learn how to easily provide the acidic soil that blueberries love. You will also learn about site requirements, soil preparation, cultivars for our climate, buying plants, pruning, and seasonal protection from birds, rabbits and winter temperatures. Handouts and a Zoom link will be delivered to you via email the day before the class. We are confident that you will enjoy the same quality experience from the comfort of home!

Plan now to be ready to compost yard waste! Composting is a microbial process that converts plant material such as grass clippings and leaves to a more usable organic soil amendment or mulch. Many homeowners are finding it convenient and economical to compost leaves and grass clippings in their own backyards. Learn how to build and maintain a compost pile including troubleshooting tips as well as how to use the completed compost in your yard or garden. Handouts and a Zoom link will be delivered to you via email the day before the class.

If you want to learn how to create beautiful, healthy, and colorful container gardens, this discussion class is for you! Professional photographer and gardener, Michelle Mero Riedel, will help you discover fast growing, vigorous, nursery-quality plants with season long color. She’ll intersperse her discussions with image after image of beautiful combinations that are easily created. A detailed color handout of each container design recipe is provided and there’s plenty of time for questions. This is the perfect antidote to a long winter. Ask your favorite garden buddy to join you for this online discussion class and you can share the excitement and fun as you begin to plan your summer containers! This class is being held online and interactive through Zoom. You can choose to enable your camera and audio, or just view the live content. The Zoom link will be sent after enrollment and before class.

You'll learn how easy it is to grow your own vegetables, including tips on site selection, soil preparation, fertilizer, garden design and layout. You'll learn why when you plant makes a difference. We’ll discuss the essentials of disease, pest and weed control techniques, composting, the best time to harvest and how to extend the growing season. Handouts and a Zoom link will be delivered to you via email the day before the class. We are confident that you will enjoy the same quality experience from the comfort of home!

Are you living with your furry friend in an apartment, townhome, or condo? Explore how to utilize the advantages of small-scale living while minimizing common behaviors such as barking, housetraining, resource guarding, and separation anxiety! Keep your dog and your neighbors happy when living on a smaller scale. This class is for humans only; please leave your furry friend at home.