SCHOOL COMMITTEE REPORTS.

Evening Star, Issue 14040, 22 April 1909, Page 3

SCHOOL COMMITTEE REPORTS.

The following are the principal clauses 3f the reports to be submitted to the annual meeting of householders:— ALBANY STREET. The year under, review has been'one of great success in all matters contributing to the welfare of the school. When the school opened in May under the charge of Mr Jas. Rennie, 8.A., B.Sc, who had been appointed to fill the important position of head master, it was only natural that a good deal of interest should be aroused and that any change of management in an educational institution that had gained a reputation like that of the Albany Street School should be critically watched by all interested in its welfare. It is gratifying to be able to report that in the past year s work of the school the opinions formed by your Committee as to Mr Rennie's special fitness for the position have been fully realised. Despite the many changes that have taken place in the personnel of the staff, the.year has been one of the most successful in*the history of the school. Early in the year Mr John Nicolson, on being appointed head master of the ' Maheno ■ ~T QO his resignation. Mr Nicoi, '• Tl * l ?{s -a teacher with rare natural end, disciplinarian of the Erst rank, a man who. knew how to be firm and yet to be kind, '" o by his tact and sxcellent methods of . parting instruction ?ained the esteem and. food-will of all his scholars. Miss Maxwi. :, who .\id proved herself a kind and efficient and nar staking mistress, whose genial influence had affected the tone of the whole school, also resigned on being selected as mistress of the Training College. We regret exceedingly the loss of two such valuable teachers from our staff. At the same time, we fully realise that their past services entitled them to some recognition, and we heartily congratulate them oi. their •vwjdeserved promotion. Albany Sh-.vt School continues to hold the premhr noMti.-.;; for attendance among the schools of Otago. The number of pupils on she ro 1 ! el rresent is 735, while the average attendance for last quarter was 678. The number of children, on the roll of the infant room ;.t the beginning of the year exceeded 300. This is an important matter, as a attendance in the higher classes is therebv assured for many years to come. 'l'h«re are at present 192 depositors in the penny savings '.Tnk, who have to their credit the su . m of ,oi 6 12s 9d - Parents and teachers alike dv ell to encourage a spirit of thrift in our young people. In connection with the annual break-up and distribution of prizes, we desire to thank all those r,ho contributed to the prize fund; also Mr Grindley and Mr Duke for medals presented, and Mr Jas. Allen, M.P., and the Rev. W. Hay for the interest sho-vr. in the work of the school and for the interssting addresses delivered by them. The Bible classes conducted by Mr D. Wright are still well supported "by parents and scholars. The attendance last year was very satisfactory, and the hlerest well maintained. Mr Rennie's voluntary assistance at these classes is heartily appreciated. The cadet corps continues to maintain its high efficiency under Mr M'T.aren. Lieutenant-colonel Loveday, at his inspection of the corps at the end of last jear, expressed himself as highly pleased 'with the appearance of the cadets and the man-ner-in which they executed the military movements. He awarded the corps -very high efficiency marks. The school cricket club have again been successful in winning the _ junior banner presented by the Otago Cricket Association. The team wen all their matches- r the interest of the boys m the game . - # th 6 attention of Mr M Laren to this branch of athletics are worthy of commendation. For many years past the annual meeting of householders has been considered a fitting opportunity to iomplain about the school building and grounds. This year you will be pleased to learn such complaints are entirely: xunneeessawy, as the members of the Board have given special attention to; the requirements ttM&ie school. At the request of your Com©tttee> the chairman of the Board (the |Tdm T, Fergus), Mr W. Scott, and Mr Ja* Rodger (architect) visited the school and l be a result of their report three new bnthouaea in brick, constructed on the latest Bcienfcifio sanitary principle, have been erected, while the whole of the Wmid has been levelled and asphalted. Sna interior of several pf the rooms has ton thoroughly renovated, and certain bther and necessary repairs iuive been efficiently carried out. As ! h e Work required to be done was beyond the resources of your Committee to deal with, we have to thank the Board for the valuable improvements they have inadit and the generous way they" met WJ. In the matter. The members of your Committee have during their term of office regularly Tinted the school, and so kept la-touch, with all the school's requirements iJurmg all our visits we have been well received by the teachers, who recognise ttoat our solo desire is to promote the welfare of the scholars and advance the interest of the school. - ■-

PORT CHALMERS DISTRICT luJ/H. The school attendance was: June ariei—primaiy roll 419, average 379; . Msry roll 16, avorage 13. September quar-ter-primary roll 400, average 356; secondary roll 19, average 16. December quarter -primary roll 400, average 358; secondary roll 21, average 18. March quarter-pri-mary roll 409, average 371; .secondary roll 23, average 22. The ministers of the town ipd the officer of the Salvation Armv continue to conduct Bible classes, m6st of which are well attended. Messrs J MXachlan and J. Mill were appointed to represent this Committee on the Association Ine examination m July was conducted bv Inspectors Fitzgerald and Bossence. and the result was satisfactory. The Committee have to again thank the numerous tnends well-wishers, and old pupils who subscribe so liberally to our prize fund. lour Committee, after inspecting the rector s residence, came to the conclusion that it required thorough renovating and approached the Board on the matter. wh»n they aecided to carry out their suggestion, and this has been done. Our new rector, Air It. F. Booth, took up his duties at the beginning of the year, and so far he has ?iyen entire satisfaction, and no doubt, as time goes on, he will further prove his ability in this position. During the vear five pupils sat for the junior Civil Service anamination, when all passed, one with credit. One pupil gained a senior Education Board scholarship, and one a junior Education Board scholarship. In the Navy League essay competition Miss W. Aitkeii Was top for Otago. The jumble sale proved a success, and resulted in a net profit of about £64. The asphalting of the new playground was undertaken during the vacation, the lowest tender being £9l 17s sd. The completion of this has proved a great boon to the school. The woodwork class has been steadily carried on throughout the year by Mr. Gray, and the pupils have received 'a valuable training in habits of exactitude and neatness, whilst at the same time they have been familiarised with the use of tools. The cookerv class, under Miss Orkney, has been continued during : he year. The girls take a great interest in this branch of their work, and arc most successful in it. The teacher regrets that this year her class is the smallest she nas ever had. only nine girls on the roll at present. This vear the Committee again considered it advisable to merge the school Picnic with the combined works' picnic, and a pleasant day was spent at Waitati bv T^ r LfTl dm 1 ble portion of th e pupils. The School Band still continues to do *ood 1P? f °r the physical exercise ™C, the marching of the " P«P ils - The numbers are, however, falling off, and it ™hlT CeSSa ! 7 t0 make »•» effort to inS «? e «? Ur £ PT S and the inter est in the Forward from last year was £4 Is 4d. . The

receipts during the year amounted to £253 12s ;7d; and the "expenditure to £2OO 2s 6d, leaving us with a . balance in tne.bank'of £33 10s id.

.ARTHUR? STREET. :The. Committee have much pleasure in reporting that the work of the school has been earned on in a very satisfactory manner during the past year. As usual, there have been several changes in the staff!; Miss Helen >T. Barclay having tendered her resignation, Miss Flora L. Hopcraft was appointed to the position of junior assistant. Mr R. J. Barrett, having been appointed nead master of the Oamaru North School, resigned his position as first assistant, and Mr Thomas Begg (head master of tte Enfield School) has been appointed to the position. Mr Begg will enter on his duties,,on the Ist May. The Committee desire to place on record their appreciation of the work done by Mr Bar- - I 'e£t £ t f vrm S n, "s long connection with the school, extending over a period of seventeen years. The annual examinations were held in June, and your Committee are pleased to say that the results were such as to enable them to congratulate the head master and the stall. It is also highly satisfactory to note that so many of the scholarships fell to the pupils attending the school, for which the thanks are due to the head master and his staff. The annual break-up was held on the 17th December when the children were addressed' by. the > ~ \/ faclennan and Messrs j F Arnold M.P., W J. Morrell, M.A., and \V. J Hastie. The weather was perfect for the occasion and a large number of the parents and friends of the sehoo were present, the hall being crowded -\li A. Jshgo pressed on this occasion and in doing so took farewell of the parents and scholars of the school, a, owiifg to a change . nthe hool di b a ...ehg,b e for re-election on the' Committee Mi Shgo has been connected with the school for something like,thirty years, and during tins time he has taken the keenest n erest m_ its welfare, and his efforts in this direction have contributed lately to its success He will be greatly misled by every member of the Committee, as well as by the head master and stall' r!nd the scnolars: For some time past the Committee had had under consideration * m q, T t 1 0n ° f hnM ' m S ante-room" at the back of the Gymnasium Hall in order to provide more convenience for Mios,. who might hire the hall, and the wart of these rooms had been felt for a long time Ihe lady mends of the school and the teachers worked consistently the whole of lest winter, and a most successful bazaar «as held in the hall on the 11th and 12th February. The results exceeded the expectations of the most sanguine, a profit of over £l4O being added to g the Commkteel building fund. The Committee desire to thank all those ladies and gentlemen who so generously contributed towards the success of the bazaar. After this happy result the Committee at once decided to proceed Wl th the proposed additions to the hall Tenders were called for, and that of -Messrs G. Simpson and Co. was accepted, lhe contract was signed, and the work put [ in hand at once, and the additional rooms are now nearly completed. The Arthur Street School Old Boys' Gymnasium Club I+P 11 u , classes in the hall during the whole of the winter, and so did the I Girls Gymnastic Club. Both these clubs are again on the point of starting Mr •Duncan Wright still continues his" Bible class on Friday afternoons, and the Committee are pleased to report that the attendance is most satisfactory, and the class is much appreciated by the parents of the children. The thanks of the Committee and parents are due to him for his good work. In conclusion, the Committee desire to heartily thank the householders, parents of the children, and other friends of the school for the liberal support accorded to them in providing funds for the prizes and other matters. KENSTNGToiT The inspectors' examination and report were very satisfactory, eight proficiency and two competency certificates being obtained m Standard VI. The inspectors' I report stated that the order and discipline of the school are very good, and that the rooms are clean and tidy. In May Mrs Ruston presented the school with an'attendance banner, which is keenly competed for by the different classes, with the result that the attendance has improved. The annual concert in aid of the prize and picnic fund was held in the South Dunedm Town Hall on November 17. The items given by the pupils showed careful training on the part of the teachers, and were greatly appreciated by the large audience. The success of the concert was greatly due to Mr H. Butcher, the organiser. The annual break-up and presentation of prizes took place on December i 18. _ lhe annual picnic was held at Wai-ta-ti on February 20, and proved a great success. The school football team were again successful in winning the O.R.F.U t schools championship banner for the third year in succession, the 'accompanying medals, being presented on April 5. f)u * mg the recess the Education Board erected new sanitary conveniences, and renovated the janitor's residence. The Committee are well satisfied with the way the janitor has carried out his duties during the year and wish to thank parents and friends for their liberal support. The total roll number on March 31 was 217; average, 201 • highest attendance on any one day, 212. '