SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Evening Star, Issue 8808, 25 April 1892, Page 1

SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

The following reports will be submitted at to-night's m2etings of householders:—

FOBI CHALMEBS, This Committee state that the Bible Glass w*a well attended, instruction being given by the ministers of the town between the hours of 9.;-0 and 10 a.m. tffice a week, and the Committee record their gratitude for the services rendered by the clergymen. The Committee desire to express their entire satisfaction with the staff of teachers, who, by their unwearied efforts have placed the school in the first rank bb an educational establishment. The attendance had been well maintained on the whole, though it had been to some extent affected by rations epidemics. The average for the various quarters had been: June, 1891, 536; September, 555; December, 537; March, 576. The number at present on the school roll was 858 boys and 30G girls; tota l , 664. The school again passed * a veiy satisfactory examination at the hands of the board's inspectors in Jane, 1891; and the extra subjects weie also v»ry favorably reported on at the examination held later on in the year. The pupil-teachers and senior pupils of the school were paiticularly successful in the matriculation, teachers' certificates, and Civil Service examinations. During the year Increased attention had been paid to the subject of sewing, and the Committee are hopeful that good result] will follow, and that pirents will find marked improvement in this very important department of education The Committee had again to express their thanks to Dr Drysdale and Messrs Morgan and Stevenson for their handsome donations of LlO, L 6, and L 3 respectively towards the priz? fund. The sohool buildings are, on the whole, in good condition, but the interior is badly in need of distempering, and the portion of the playground not yet asphalted requires attention before the winter sets in, as it becomes very wet and sloppy after rain. The receipts from ail sources for the year were Lll9 16s 2d, and the expenditure Lll3 9s lOd, leaving a credit balance of L 5 6s 4J at the end of March,

MOBNISGTON.

This Committee report as follows:—Curing the first half of the year the Committee kept importuning the Education Board, both personally and by letter, to re-erect two class rooms; aid after repeated efforts they succeeded in getting nearly all the members of the Board to visit the schoolpremiseß. The Board admitted that the school buildings at Mornington were poor, indead, compared with the handsome and substantial structures erected in and around Dunedin, bat deplored the fact that they were without means to undertake any work of a costly nature. They promised that the two rooms which the Committee wished to be le-crectcd should be made watertight, comfortable, atd healthy. The repairs and renovations were duly attended to during the midsummer recesH, and these class rooms are now both warm and comfortable. In the month of September the Committee bad .under consideration the question of establishing a penny savings bank in the school. After duly considering the matter, it was thought advisable to t»ke no action in the meantime. In the first week of June Inspector Goyen examined the Bchool. 573 were presented, of whom 182 were below Standard I. Gf those examined in the standards, there wfre forty-three failures altogether, the percentages of passes being eighty-nine. The average age of the children who passed the First Standard wa3 eight year* six months; and this, or a little lower than thi. R , l:a-i tccu the average ago during the last few yeurt-. The average age for the whole of the Otsgo district last year was ni;e yearß, lhe inspector reported that the oider and ditcipMno and the minner of the children Were very good. Two b<ys won senior scholarships at the Fdacaiion Board's competition examination in December last. The pupil-teachers a ; io pawed their examination with credit, one cf them pasting the Ucivcraity matriculation examination. During the kst quarter of last year the school attendance tufffted very much through the pr< valence of icfluenza, and not only were many if tho children absent for considerable periods, but no less than six cf the teachers were absent from duty for jjerloda varying firm a few diys to tight weeks. It affords the Committee much pleasure to be able to state that the street in front of the school is about to receive the attention of the Borough Council. This street has been used as a quarry for seme years by the Council, to the very great detriment of the school children. At the beginning of the year the Committee ordered a supply of physios apparatus from Auckland, at a cost of L 8 6s id. lhe apparatus is used in the Fifth and Sixth Standards. A few more things are still wanting, the cost of which would be about 15. Last year two concerts, were held. The gross proceeds of the first amounted to LI 7, and of the second Lll 18s 6d; total, L2B 18s 6d. The cost of the prizes and good attendance certificates, and the expenses In connection with the concerts amounted to L2l 19s 5cJ. This left a credit balance of LG 19s Id. A sum of 14s Gi was also received as donations. These moneys balong to what ia called the Committee's special account, the credit balance of which Is now L 6 9i 31. The moneys received quarterly from the Education Board are applied to what is called the Committee's general fund, and are expended In purchasing fuel, making repairs to furniture, fences, etc., and in defraying the cost of cleaning, etc. When the Committee took office the credit balance stood at Ll6 19s sd. The credit balance Is now LlB )9j 41. The total insome for tho year was L 73 3s, and the expecditure'.L7l3s Id. The number of children on the school roll at the present time Is 595. acd the average attendance for the last wet k of March was 553, and for the first week of April 550.

HIGH STfiEET. In presenting their report for the year the Committee have much pleasure in stating that, notwithstanding the many chances which have taken place in the teaching itafr, the work of the eohool has been carried on with good resultß, and the attendance well maintained. The school (as well as the cause of education) sustained a great loss in the death of Mr J. B. Park, who had held the position of headmaster from its establishment. During all this time he served the school with much acceptance, threw his whole soul into his work, and the results have always been eminently successful. The Committee caused the following minute to be recoided and a copy of it sent to Mrs Park: —" That this Committee express their deep regret at the death of Mr Paik, and place on record their appreciation of the ability and zeal with which he performed his duties as head-master of the school duricg the twenty-seven years he held that appointment." The Education Board took the necessary steps to fill Mr Park's place, and on the recommendation of the Committee Mr J. W. Smith, who had held the position cf first assistant for some time, was appointed head-master. The Committee are pleased to be able to report that they see no reason to question the wisdom of their choice, the work of the school under Mr Smith being carried on on the old lines, and. so far as they can judge, with equal success. The

posl% of first assistant was filled by the J promotion of Mr Johnson, whose plaoe asteooajfl fwyrtanthaßbeen takenbyMrTennant, formerly j foi.nh asslatint; aud at a meeting held onr ibc 2 tod April thu Committee recommended fli.- itiiuatkin iNtrrt to appoint Mr James Ktoertson to succeed Mr Tennai t. Mtss Alves, who for some time held lb? position of third assistant, rediguud In September tost, havtne received an aopomtraeiit iu th« Girls High School. Mis* Cameron, who had done good work as fifth assistant, was appointed t > fill the wnncy, thelatter's position being iakon by the sixth assistant, Mlsa Cairns. Mi->a2iimrao,auold pnpilof the school, was appointed to suoceed Miss Cairn?. The attendance for tho year has boon very satisfactory, notwithstanding the prevalence of the Influenza epidemic, the averago for tho jear being 3-'i> boys and 311 girls, giving a total of bidThe acoounta have been passed by the Boaru u auditor, and give tho total receipt as LIU Us sd, with tho expenditure of Lllo 1S» IW, showing (including LIO 17s Si brought; over from last year) a credit balance oi LIJ IX* M. Tho Committee desire to thank tho p .rents ot. pupils and other friouds i.f the school for Hie lib.'i-ftl maauer In which they responded tj the aive.l for fun da for pr'zu. A sunt o: L 22 1"m v.mb received, b«ldi« otveral iV'cial prizes. s?he P-.nay having-) Bauk hn bsen hrgely taken advantage of by the pupils of the pchod. Iu all -11)3 accounts have be<-ii op.n-.ed. Hue amount deposit.*! w L2'-'S 9.5 53, aud tho withdrawals total LC.) 9i-M, h-wiiig a credit cf 1159 03 W. Th.> library cutest..- of 1,240 voUuvje, of which ••uinber seventy new books havo been adJ.-d thUyea*', 'i hebookj art 1 changed weeky, iir.il ar-' e.ig-.'riy sought af to.' by a large proportion of tho pupil-). unarmed for duvius tho year for tho biys iu Standards V., VI., aud VII., and thry will be under the superintendence of th? first and aeo?ud assistants. One of cur pupils (G. Howes) succc >ded In carrying oft a scbolaisuip, he beiug eeuoiulon the list; and tha whjl-« of tho pupilteachers of the Hchijul paisod huccosaful csuniiiitiocs.