EDUCATION BOARD.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 31 October 1922, Page 4

EDUCATION BOARD.

THE MONTHLY MEETING.

The Taranaki Education Board met yesterday. Present: Messrs. A. Lees (chairman), P. J. H. White, H. J. Eaves, R. J. Deare, H. Dempsey and F. Sims. Leave of absence was granted to Messrs. S. G. Smith and R. Masters, M.P.s. ■ The architect (Mr. <3. H. Moore), reporting under date October 25, said :— Okaiawa Additions (concrete). —The additional classroom is well on towards completion. The end of this week will see it about completed. Tawhiti Additions (concrete). —A start has been made with the additional classroom similar to Okaiawa, and this work is making good progress. Oeo Additions. —A start has also been made with the additions to this school. Hawera Primary School—Teachers' Rest Room.—l expect to have this work put in hand while we are on the Tawhiti job, and also have some improve, ments made to the ventilation in the mam building and other work attended to. ■Whilst at Okaia,\ya, painting repairs at the residence received attent-iou. The workshop staff have been very busy during the past month. Along with general joinery work they have completed the whole of the sections of the Otaraoa movable school and put them together. The machines and plant are in good order. Mr. ttTC. Johnson reported that he had made 16 visits during September to primary scnools,- mostly to schools where new teachers had taken charge. The work was progressing satisfactorily, most of the .schools beui£ engaged in the preparation of ground for sowing seeds. Regular instruction had been given in the secondary schools. The teachers' classes had been resumed after, the holidays, with a fair attendance. The report continued: "Arrangements were made for the handing royfer to Ngaere sckpol of the Cuthbert Shield on September 9, and the good attend^ ance of parents indicated the fine spirit prevailing at this centre. I would sug_ gest that some rigid check be placed on the tools issued to schools. ' Quite recently cases have come under my notice of where, to very certain knowledge, a supply of tools have been sent, yet when a new teacher arrives, no tool is to be found. :- It would be well if some inventory ,of idols and apparatus were required at a change of teachers. This, I'should think, would be more satisfactory- to both the teacher leaving and the teacher coming. The King Country schools have not bee,n visited for some time, but 1 hope to be able to arrange for visiting th*s part of the district at the end oi November." ; Mr. R. Kyme's report stated xhat-in all 24 primary scnools ---were -visited during September.. - Includeci inrthis i number were the seven schools in the potato-growing competition. Mr: Webster was ta;ken to tnese schools, and, la each, case he gave an address to the children on potato-growing, and demonstrated the different metnods of .planting! • : The teachers' Saturday class in agriculttfre was resumed on September. 16. An examination held before the* holidays showed that the majority of the teachers were doing'very satisfactory He had to- report again, howeVer, continued irregularity^ of'attendance on the part of a few teachers, who seemed. to have a total disregard of the ' fact that the classes were compulsory. The chairman reported that the following relieving appointments had been made since last meeting: — i Manaia, Mr. H. Mason, head teacher ; Pukearuhe, Miss M. K. Spence, sole teacher; Tikorangi, Miss A. Murray, assistant; Auroa, Mrs. W. Finch, head . teacher; Otakeho, Miss E. Surgenor, j assistant; Opua, Mr. I. M. Guild, sole teacher; Matapu, Miss J. Stevenson, , assistant; Awakino, Miss M. E. Hod-^ I der, assistant; Central^ Mrs. E. Richmond, assistant; Awatuna, Miss I. Therkleson, assistant; Bell Block," Miss K. King, head teacher; Bell Block, Miss A..Leslie, assistant; Ngaere, *Mr. <F. J. Cumberworth, head teacher; jKapuni, Miss V. Stiller, assistant; Huij roa, Mrs. A. Butler, assistant; Waitara', Miss L. Laurent, assistant; Hurimoana. Mrs. McCutchan, sole teacher; Pungarehuj Mrs. Dawson, head teacher; i Hawera, Miss O. L. Simmons, assistant; Hawera, Mrs. Newbury., assistant. were ; dealt with as follows: Matemateaonga, application to be made for a movable room for teacher's residence; "Oaoriui, claim, for compensation for school site left, in the hands of Mr. White.. The repors cf the/ teacher's selection committee was adopted. It r«commended the appointment of Mr. Jas Nairn, at present headmaster at Ashhurst, to tue position of headmaster at Manaia, and Mrs. A. E. Brightwell as sole teacher at Pukekura. The position of_'headmaster at Auroa was referred back to the committee, and .that of infant mistress at Okaiaw;; will bo re-advertised. Leave of absence was granted as follows :■ Miss I. Surrey, probationer, Ratapiko; Miss Morecraft, head teacher, Pungarehu; Miss McHardie, assistant, Otakeho^ Miss Dueker, assistant, Pihama; Jvl'iss Long, trainee, Hawera T.H.S.; Mrs. Lawrence, head teacher, Warea; Mr. Gurteis, organising teach- <>»•; Mr. R. Synie, agricultural in structor; Miss Tobin, assistant, Cardiff. In connection with the establishment o£ a district high school at Opunake,. Mr. Dempsey moved that application be made to the department for permission for the headmaster to take secondary work along with the , fifth and sixth, standards, and that an extra assistant be provided. Mr. White seconded. The senior inspector (Mr. J. A. Valentine) favoured the idea, which was a genuine attempt to give secondary education in oiAlying districts where it was not possible to get the necessary guarantee of 20 pupils to attend for two years in order to establish a district high school. The Council of Education had recommended this course, and it could be introduced perhaps in other districts, such as the Ohura. . Mr. F. Sims suggested that.a similar class might be established, in connection with the Matiere School. This was agreed to, and the motion was carried. In connection with the application of the Warea Committee for increased accommodation the senior inspector reported that at the end of the September quarter the roll number was 90 and the average attendance was 74- The total floor space was 79££ square feet, and as the average attendance provided the deciding factor, and as 787 feet of floor space was held to provide room for 79 pupils in average attendance, it did not seem that it was advisable to applv for a grant for increased accommodation.—Adopted. The chairman reported that he had enquired into the question of increased accommodation at the Awakino School. The average attendance had inci'eased to 45, and it was expected 12 more children would shortly be applying for admission. A floor space of 389 square j feet was rnneh too small, and he had therefore instructed -the architect to

-. -.— — ; n prepare plans and make application for additional accommodation. The chairman and Mr. Eaves reported having visited the Hawera, School to enquire into the matter of improve" ments to school grounds. Although a. "great deal of work had been carried out, it would take some time yet htefore* the whole of the proposed improvements were carried out. On the whole the approved plan was being adhered to as closely as possible, though some slight modifications and deviations fromthe original plan had been found necessary as the work proceeded. More asphalting was being done than wasthought necessary at first, and this would be a decided improvement. About two-thirds of the main playing: field had been ploughed up and resown with a fine sole of grass. The commit--tee hoped to complete the levelling and sowing down of the balance of the- , playing field before next winter. They were shown through the various classrooms of the school, some of which were showing signs of overcrowding, i The attendance at: this school had : grown rapidly during the past 12 J ! months. There were now 785 pupils on- • the roll, and on the date of the visit the attendance totalled 735. Applications by both Eltham and Tawhiti School Committees for additional chairs and tables were referred to thearchitect/' The.question of painting the shelter shed at Auroa was referred to the architect. ' The matter of school gates ai> Otakeho was referred to the overseer, "with power to act. i The chairman submitted a report ojr the conference of education boards Md at "Wellington in September. The report was received, and the chairman was accorded a vote of thanks. The action of the Whareroa School" Committee in closing their school for a week owing to an epidemic of chickenpox was approved.—News.