New Kindergarten For Mairehau Opened

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28821, 16 February 1959, Page 2

New Kindergarten For Mairehau Opened

For 40 little people who squatted cross-legged on a mat to sing, tucked their dolls to bed or pretended to be shopkeepers, Friday morning was just like any other day at the new Mairehau free kindergarten—a session of learning the playway. But for the eight women on the kindergarten committee, who made it all possible, Friday was a time of last-minute planning and thought for detail before a big event—the official opening by the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr G. Manning). This up-to-date kindergarten at 23 Ferguson avenue has a roll of 80 children. Forty attend in the mornings and the same number in the afternoons, under the direction of Miss Jean Fuller, assisted by Miss Noeline Ingram and a kindergarten teacher student, Miss Jenifer Noonan. Modern Design Well equipped, the school is of modern design on a quarter-acre section, which is to be laid down in lawns. The building is sited to catch all available sunshine. The tiny chairs and low tables are of tubular steel, the walls are painted in soft pastel shades. Lemon, turquoise blue and grey are the colours which merge into a pleasing background of the two main rooms of the kindergarten, where there is a delightfull dolls’ comer and a shop well stocked with the display packets of chocolate, shoe-polish tins, porridge packets and replicas of the kind of goods they see at home or in the family grocer shop. Centre Of Interest The centre of interest, at present the shop, is changed every month to bring a greater awareness to the children of what is happening in the community. Next month it may be an autumn set, to emphasise a change in seasons. The staff room at the kindergarten has tea rose walls, greytoned furniture and a grey and lemon patterned carpet, the gift of a manufacturer. The colour scheme of the trim kitchen is grey, green and white. Between the two locker rooms, where hats.

coats and towels are kept, is the toilet block. Four small lavatories are separated by brightly painted partitions and nearby are the five little washbasins with mirrors behind them. Cost Of Project Mrs A. Gribble, president of the Mairehau kindergarten committee, said that the new building had cost £5OOO, two-thirds of which had been met by a Government subsidy. The committee raised funds for their share of the cost by taking stalls to agricultural and pastoral shows, by selling cakes in the district and by conducting jumble sales.

The committee opened its kindergarten at first in the Aldred Methodist Hall at the corner of Nancy avenue and Knowles street, in February, 1956. The ultimate aim of every committee within the Christchurch Free Kindergarten Association, however, is to have its own building, and spurred on by enthusiasm and hard work on the part of members the Mairehau committee was able to open its. new building for classes last term.

At the Mayoral opening, the president of the Christchurch Free Kindergarten Association (Mrs A. F. Johnson) presided. Other speakers included Mr N. G. Pickering, M.P, Miss R. Wilkie, principal of the Christchurch Kindergarten Training College, and Mrs A. Gribble, president of the Mairehau kindergarten committee. Country Girls’ Clubs’ Sports Day The Christchurch district committee of County Girls’ Clubs held its sports day at Southbridge on Saturday. Eight of the nine clubs participated, with about 60 girls competing in tennis, swimming and athletics. The winners of the tennis doubles were Rosemary Boyce and Shirley Heslop, with Jennifer Long and Beverley Stewart second. The Ellesmere club provided morning and afternoon tea. The total points were: Ellesmere, 63} points, 1; Ashburton, 23, 2; Sheffield, 14J. 3. A shield was presented to Ellesmere by the representative of the East Federation of Women’s Institutes.