SCHOOL COMMITTEE

Putaruru Press, Volume XXI, Issue 1238, 10 July 1947, Page 4

SCHOOL COMMITTEE

JULY MEETING Thera was a full attendance of members at the July meeting of the Putaruru School Committee, held on Monday evening, those present being Messrs. A. C. Anderson (chairman), E. I. Henshaw (secretary), T. L. Pearce, R. Dunn, A. J. Lennox, A. King, J. Martin, Mesdames K. Putt and E. Jones, and the headmaster, Mr. T. H. Sissons. School Caretaker The secretary reported l that he had an applicant for the position of caretaker for the schools. The matter was left in the hands of the chairman and secretary to finalise. Infant Block Mr. G. F. Sim, M.P., forwarded a letter received by him from the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, in which he stated that the Auckland Education Board had been authorised to proceed with the preparation of working drawings and specifications for a three-roomed infant block for Putaruru. New School Site The necessity for a new primary school site was stressed in a letter from the committee to the board. It wag pointed out that the committee felt that no further buildings should’ be erected on the present primary site for the following, reasons': (I) Further buildings would greatly restrict the children’s already inadequate playing area; (2) the entrance to the school premises is now on the busiest street comer and intersection, constituting a potential danger to a large number of small children, half of whom have to negotiate an open- railway crossing as well; (3) the site now situated in the centre of the business area is far too valuable for continued! use as a primary school, and without doubt in the very near future will net accommodate the children of the district. : Tho committee recommended that the proposed three-roomed infant block should be erected o'n a new sits of sufficient area (say,'six to 10 acres) to allow for expansion, and) eventually the complete removal' the primary school to this site. In raply, the secretary of the Education Board advised that the architect would visit Putaruru at an early date with a view to investigating the matter. The archietet, Mr. Miller, paid a visit to Putaruru recently and, with a number of committee members, inspected, several sites. The most suitable was a site belonging to Mr. Clothier. Mr. Anderson pointed out that this had already beon acquired- by the Housing Department fer a block •of State houses. After some further discussion it was decidad- to meet on Saturday morning soon" and see if any other suitable site could be found. Headmaster’s Report The headmaster reported that the school rolls now stood at primary 405, secondary 134. Mr. K. S. Whyte had been l appointed as relieving assistant to the school. (Many of the children used the school banking scheme, and he would like to see more do so, as it wag an excellent thrift schema Mr. Sis-son-g stated that it was just over a year since he had arrived at Putaruru, and he thanked the committee for the assistance and- cooperation they had given him over that period. He had found it a pleasure to work with them.