SCHOOL COMMITTEE

Te Aroha News, Volume XLI, Issue 6602, 21 May 1925, Page 5

SCHOOL COMMITTEE

ORDINARY MEETING The monthly hneeting of the Te ~ Aroha District High School Committee was held last evening. Present: Messrs W. E. Smith (chairman), N. J. Ray, J. Ritchie, H. Grason, E. V. Fitzpatrick, E. A. Bruce and A. L. Macdonald. An apology for absence was received from the Rev. R. L. Connolly. The chairman welcomed the new members and hoped they would pull together as well as the last committee had done. The headmaster’s report stated that during the three weeks the school had been open nearly 80 pupils had been admitted, 35 to the primary and 15 to the secondary department, the remainder to the six standards. The number of pupils on the roll was: Primary 349, average attendance 316; secondary 40, average attendance 35; total number on roll 389, average attendance 351. The matter of laying out the new school site was discussed at length. The chairman explained the position of the work already done in this connection by the previous committee, stating that it had been decided to have the levels taken with a view to securing a working plan from a landscape gardener. A Mr Robins, of Auckland, had been approached and he was prepared to submit a plan for the layout of the whole section for a ' fee of about £4O.

Mr Fitzpatrick advocated the planting of shelter trees with as little delay as possible. " - ■' Mr Ritchie asked if it was not possible to have the plan prepared at once in order to get to work this season. /

The chairman said that Mr Robins had stated that the plan would take considerable jtime and the work could not be started until November at the earliest.

Mr Bruce suggested that the secretary" get in touch with the surveyor and push the work forward. He also said that the committee were familiar with the land, and that it particularly lends itself to the work of the landscape gardener. It was on the main „road and should be made as attractive as possible. They must admit that members of, the committee had not the necessary knowledge of landscape gardening to make a success of an undertaking such as this, and it would be best to employ a man who was conversant with the work. The chairman said it would be wise . to endorse the action of the old com- * mitt Ge.

In answer to Mr -Ritchie the chairman stated that the plan had not actually been ordered. Mr Ritchie then moved and Mr Fitzpatrick seconded that the committee ask Mr Robins to draw up a plan of the work to be done. —Carried. The Education Board wrote intimating that as the schools had been closed so long through the epidemic there would be no holidays in May and only one week in August, from the 15th to the 22nd. The headmaster (Mr A. L. Burton) asked for a more liberal supply of stationery than had been allowed formerly. A vote of £5 was granted. Mr Macdonald called attention to a mistake in the troy weight table in an exercise book being sold to school children. It was decided to call the attention of the headmaster to this matter. Messrs E. A. Bruce, H. Grason and J. Ritchie were appointed the visiting cpmmittee. The appointment of Mr E. V. Fitzpatrick as treasurer was confirmed. Mr Schofield was appointed school cleaner; conditions of contract were left in the hands of the visiting committee. Accounts totalling £4 11 were pasV sed for payment. s £ The headmaster drew the attention of the committee to the deplorable state of the school buildings. ■ , r -p The matter created considerable discussion, and it was decided to urge the Department to make a start with the new building at an early date. In the meantime the matter of necessary repair work was left in the hands of the visiting committee to investibate and report to the next meeting.