SCHOOL YEAR REVIEWED

Taranaki Daily News, 7 May 1930, Page 7

SCHOOL YEAR REVIEWED

ELECTION OF COMMITTEES lower mangorei. r PROTEST over residence. Fifteen householders attended the annual meeting of householders of Lower Mangorei consolidated school, Mr. F. Robinson, chairman of the old committee presiding. : There were nine nominations for the position of five members of the committee. Those elected were: Messrs. F. Robinson (chairman), L. Deighton (secretary and treasurer), W. G. Simons, G. Bennett and G. Mace.

The chairman, in his annual report, referred to the continued progress and success of the school. The grounds were becoming one of the beauty spots of the district, due to the care and attention paid to them by Mr. Goldsbury, assisted 'by the , children. During the year a punga-work fence and bicycle shed had been erected. Like other schools, they • were not burdened with capitation money, £35, in his opinion, being altogether inadequate for the upkeep and maintenance of the school. The thanks of the committee, therefore, were due to the many friends who had assisted by their attendance at the fortnightly dances and euchre parties, the whole of the proceeds from which had been expended for the benefit of the children. The committee’s one regret was that it had not been able to make any progress in regard to a school residence, which was undoubtedly long overdue. The committee meetings had been well attended, and in conclusion he thanked litis colleagues for their hearty co-op-eration during the year. Mr. M. G. Goldsbury, headmaster, reported that the roll number was nowonly 59, the lowest since March, 1928. Of these 59 pupils S 3 were in the senior classes and 26 in the junior,’ so that under present' conditions the 'outlook for : the . future was not promising. ; After making reference to changes in the staff, Mr. Goldsbury went on to say that a satisfactory standard of work had been maintained in the school, and he was

'also' able to report a very successful year so far as the outside activities of tho school were concerned. With West

jEnd school, they held the A. and P. Association’s potato-growing shield, they were also first among North Taranaki School's for the Cuthbert Shield, and won most of the prizes for the cow and calf-judging competitions. In athletics they again led the country schools and retained the Furrie Cup. Thanks to Mr| Bennett’s kindness in allowing the use of a swimming his property, quite a number of junior pupils had learned to swim. A stamp collection card system for the encouragement of thrift was widely discussed and recommended to the notice of parents and school children, Mr. Goldsbury (headmaster) giving assurance that the teachers were prepared to work' the scheme if the parents adopted it.

■ j The proposal of Sir Thomas Sidey that the summer vacation be altered to Feb- ■ ruary and March was also very fully dealt with. The opinion was that the difficulties of applying the scheme to fit . in with the school work were greater - than any tangible benefit to be derived : from it.

Much disappointment was expressed that the Education Department had not made any grant for a school residence. The' following resolution was carried ' unanimously: “That this meeting of ' Lower Mangorei householders expresses regret at the continued delay in the ’ erection of a school residence, and again ' urges the Education Board and the mem--4 her of Parliament for the district to , do all in their power to secure a residence 'in the' near future. OAKURA SCHOOL MEETING/ BALLOT FOR COMMITTEE. ■- > /The attendance of 11 at the householders’ meeting on Monday evening was - the largest for some years. The chair- • man, Mr. C. J. Harris, read the annual report, which showed a very satisfactory . state of affairs during the year, both in . school. work and in improvements of various kinds in the playground. The balance-sheet, showing a credit balance of over £23 from the capita- . tion allowance account, and of over £l4 .in the picnic account, was read and adopted. The headmaster’s report for the year went to prove that attendance was regular, reaching the gratifying mark of 05 per cent. Application had been ,made •to the board for additional window . space and a more suitable partition between the upper and lower divisions. On , Monday morning Messrs. White arid . Dempsey, board members, accompanied .by the architect, paid a visit to the school and decided that instead of making renovations to such an old building ’application be made to the Education Department, Wellington/ for a grant for ft new school of a more up-to-date type. • Needless to say, such a decision was welcomed by the committee, teachers and children, who. have been working under • very unsatisfactory conditions for some time. All eligible persons at the meeting were nominated for the committee for the ensuing year, and as a result of a ballot the following were declared elected: Messrs. Harris, Morris, Bell, Mace and Penwarden. NO QUORUM AT CARRINGTON ROAD. ■ Only four householders were present at the Carrington Road school on Monday evening for the election of the school committee for the ensuing year, and the meeting lapsed. THE MANGATOKI MEETING. » • There was only a poor attendance at the Mangatoki school for the annual householders’ meeting. Mr. J. P. Marx was re-elected chairman and secretary, ftnd Mr. E. Colson, treasurer. The new committee is: Messrs. J. P. Marx, E. Colson, C. Carlson, G. L. Taylor and B. H. Parker.

■ The balance brought forward wag £47 5a 3d. The capitation grants were £5O, subsidies £B, collections for prizes £l5 12s Cd, total receipts £124 2s od. Expenditure included cleaning £l4 15s, fuel And lighting £4, school prizes £l4 Gs sd, general expenses £2l 17s 7d, repairs and : improvements £3l 15s 3d, books and stationery £IJ Is 7d, and cash and in the bank'. £2G Os lid. ■ > :

The chairman in presenting tho re-

port stated that the committee considered tho cre< t of £2G 6s lid satisfactory, but it had to be noted that the requirements of the school necessitated the expenditure of £2O 18s 4d in excess of the year’s revenue. It would thus be seen that the amount provided by capitation was inadequate to maintain the school and its surroundings in proper order. If this work was to be done in a satisfactory manner recourse would have to be made to raise the necessary funds by local c"ort. Every opportunity should be taken to urge on the Education Board tho growing necessity for increased capitation, at least sufficient to cover the ordinary requirements of the school. The attendance at the school showed a further falling off, the present roll numbering 69 as against 81 last year. The educational progress of the school had been good and the standard well maintained. Parents’ thanks were due to the headmaster and staff for the good results obtained. The annual school picnic at New Plymouth had been entirely successful. The school took part in the Fltham musical competitions during the winter and was successful in three classes. The committee extended congratulations to the children and teachers on these results.

Apart from’ the .ordinary requirements of the school which had the committee's attention, a considerable amount of expenditure had been necessary, for renewals and repairs. The school buildings were now in fair order but it had to bo remembered the school was an old one and the upkeep in consequence more costly. Regret was expressed that the annual meetings were not better attended by parents, who were satisfied apparently to leave the work and worry to the faithful few. 1 L MOKOIA COMMITTEE ACTIVE. Mr. I. G.. Smeaton presided over a fair attendance of householders at Mokoia. . . The chairman gave a brief outline of work done during the year by the committee. Several working bees had been held, the com itteemen being assisted by some of. the residents. He thanked all who had in any way assisted and the ladies for refreshments supplied- at the breaking-up ceremony and school concerts. • A credit. balance of £7 12s Id was shown on the year’s working, and in view of the number of improvements carried out this was considered very satisfactory. Votes of thanks to the old committee and to the teacher jvere passed. The following were elected the committee for the ensuing year; Messrs. I. G. Smeaton, E. Johnston, J. Gould (re-elected), D. Richardson and W. J. Marsh, At a subsequent meeting Mr. Richardson was elected chairman and Mr. Marsh secretary. Notice has been received' that members of the Education Board will visit tho school on Thursday at 11.30 a.m. NO COMMITTEE AT OEO. Mr. Ross presided over an attendance of 14 householders at Oeo. The retiring committee did not seek re-election and as none of the parents present would consent to nomination, there was no committee elected. ELECTIONS IN OTHER DISTRICTS, Pembroke Road.—Messrs. R, A. Belcher (chairman), G. Kernsley (secretary). E. Baker, W. Frank and C. Walker. Makaka. —-Messrs. A. F. Cuff (chairman), R. Hartley, R. Maindonald, A.’ Butwell and J. Granville. Finnerty Road.—Messrs. A, Styles (chairman and secretary), J. Kilbride, A. Gray, C. Schneller and L. Taylor (reelected) . To Roti. —Messrs. M. Condon (chairman), P. Clement (secretary), C. Bloor, S. Bluett and W. Mortlock. Kapuni.—Messrs. A. Simons, J. Bickford, Forbes, Harrison, A. Playle, J. Mitchell (chairman) and E. W. Allen (secretary). ELEVEN ATTEND AT URENUI. FORMER COMMITTEE RE-ELECTED. Eleven householders attended the annual meeting at Urenui on Monday night. The chairman of the old committee, Mr. L. Rattenbury, presided, and after the annual reports had been discussed the old committee was re-elected unopposed. , ’ The committee’s annual report and balance-sheet showed that last year was started with a credit balance in the bank of £4 155., to which was added £34 14s. (capitation < grants), which makes a total of £39 9s. Against that were £22 16s. Bd. cleaning, £7 3s. 4d. repairs, £7 2s. 3d. stationery, etc., 12s. sundries, making a total of £37 14s. 3d., leaving a credit balance in the general account of £1 15s. 3d. The special account started with a credit balance of £9 3s. Gd., and was added to by £5 7s. (dance), £lO 4s. lOd. (mart), £7 10s. (school concert), £2O 17s. 9d. (subsi-. dios’)7 making a total of ’£s3 35.-Id. Against that were £9 13s. Bd. (prizes and picnic), £l6 os. (school library), £4 (Roto rolls), £lO (concrete “fall-ing-in” area), making a total of £42 os. Gd., leaving a credit of £ll 2s. 7d. These figures, of course, aw up to February 8 last. ANNUAL REPORT. The report stated: “Last year was a particularly busy one in regard to the school, and entailed a very heavy expenditure. There is still a great deaf to be done by the incoming committee, but more funds will have to be raised before very much can be accomplished. We have recently applied for a subsidy on a Waverley Pictorial Dictionary, of 11 volumes, for tho school, which has been granted; this will absorb practically the whole of the balance in the special account. “At the time of our last annual meeting Mr. Bicheno had just commenced his duties as headmaster, and during the 12 months he has brought th? school well up to an efficient state, the report received from the inspectors being most satisfactory, and giving ample evidence of the great improvement made in the’ children during tho year. Necessarily, it has meant very hard work on his part, and also the children’s, and it is gratifying that such excellent results have been obtained. Miss Ovendon resigned her position as assistant teacher at the beginning of September, and we were most fortunate in getting Miss Elliott appointed in her stead. During her period hero Miss Elliott has been a great help to Mr. Bicheno, nothing being too much trouble to her; consequently, she is a firm favourite with her pupils. “Owing, to the large number, on the roll and the school being in -a backward

state, it was very hard for Mr. Bicheno and Miss Elliott to do justice to the pupils, so tho committee applied to the board for a probationary assistant, and Miss Quin, was appointed. Thus the pressure was relieved and the result should bo better for both pupils and teachers. “The committee is under a, deep debt of gratitude to the Taranaki Education Board for tho way they have always met us in our many requests during the year, also to the headmaster and his staff for the amount of hard work they are doing for the benefit of our children." HEADMASTER'S REPORT.. The headmaster’s annual report was as follows: — “For the past month the roll has remained at 81 and the average slightly over 73. Tho school attendance has therefore made a net increase of 13 pupils for the year. “During the year there has been much ‘visible’ progress, besides considerable progress which cannot be measured in statistical terms, and will be apparent only in the post-school lives of the pupils. Among the ‘visible’ signs’ of progress may be included a concrete assembly space, a school library trebled in size, school floors lowered to the ordinary floor level, the school and outbuildings repainted (both inside and outside in the case school), straggling trees topped, and hedges trimmed, school garden re-established, and a successful potato experiment carried out, sufficient tables and chairs for the infants to be accommodated in comfort, two Roto rolls to save blackboard space, children's blackboard space doubled, and the school entrance. improved by the erection of the War Memorial Monu 7 ment just within its gates. In addition to this we have received commendation from the board’s inspectors and agricultural. instructor for the school work attempted. ' : ' • ' “One of the matters which gives us much satisfaction is the progress made in school games, and the improved tone that these have induced.” Mr. Rattenbury called for nominations for a committee, five being .the necessary number. On the motion of Mr. S. Managh, seconded by Mrs. W. Scott, the old committee, consisting of Messrs. L. Rattenbury, R. Andrews, G. Loveridge, F. D| Des Forges and Rex Bramald, were all re-elected unopposed. At a subsequent meeting Mr. Rattenbury was re-elected chairman and Mr. Andrews secretary and treasurer, PIHAMA EDUCATIONAL VIEWS. AGRICULTURAL BIAS WANTED. The Pihama householders’ meeting attracted a very poor attendance. Mr, J. S. Tosland (chairman) read tho report and balance-sheet, which showed careful and efficient working during the year, made possible by the harmony existing between the headmaster (Mr. Jolly) and the committee. Regret was expressed that Mr. J. Conaglen declined nomination for membership of the committee. The committee appointed was: Mr. J. Tosland (chairman), A. Allen (secretary), J. . Butler, J. Faulkner and Wm. Cooke.

After a long debate the following motion was passed: “That this meeting of householders is emphatically of the opinion that the present educational system requires a comprehensive and economic overhaul. We feel that the

school age should be raised to 15 years and wherever possible children should have at least on® year at a secondary school, but at no extra coat to country parents. Owing to the tendency of the majority who pass through a secondary school despising farming aa an occupation we consider that the dignity and necessity of manual labour should be taught and all education should have an agricultural bias.”