EDUCATION BOARD MEETS

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1934, Page 13

EDUCATION BOARD MEETS

TARANAKI SCHOOLS WORK SEVERAL APPOINTMENTS MADE. MARRIED TEACHERS’ RESIDENCES. The first meeting of the newly-elected Taranaki Education Board was held at New Plymouth yesterday, when there were present Messrs. J. A. Valentine (in the chair), J. McAllister, T. J. Griffin and J. C. Barclay. Apologies were received from Messrs. S. G. Smith, M.P., W. B. Glasgow and W. H. Jones and) Dr. W. M. Thomson who were unavoidably absent. Following the election jof Mr. S. G. Smith as chairman and Mr. J. A. Valentine as deputy-chairman, the following committees were appointed for the term: Finance and building, Messrs. Smith, Jones, Barclay and Glasgow; teachers’ selection, Messrs. Valentine, Griffin, McAllister and Dr. Thomson. Mr. Valentine congratulated Mr. Griffin on his election to the board and said that his experience would be of great value. Mr. Griffin replied, thanking members for their welcome. In response to urgent representations by the board regarding the necessity of a new school at Pungarehu, a letter was received from the Education Department stating that the matter was now classed by the department as first in relative urgency and the application would shortly be considered. Replying to complaints by the board that moveable cottages erected in the Taranaki district were unsuitable for the accommodation of married teachers the department said it had never been intended that the rooms should be used as such. They were intended as sleeping accommodation for single teachers to meet a difficulty experienced by some in obtaining suitable board and residence. In the case of the Mangatupoto teacher instanced by the board the department was prepared to approve of the payment of a' full house allowance provided the teacher did not occupy the cottage. BOARD MAKES APPOINTMENTS. The following appointments were made: Headmaster, Mokau, Mr. W. D. Sykes; assistant, Inglewood, Miss Q. Gemhoefer; assistant, Toko, Mrs. V. M. Whitaker; assistant,, Waiau, Miss ( E. Fleming. Applications from the Mokau and Douglas school committees for residences for teachers were considered by the board. In the case of Mokau it was decided that as an unmarried teacher had been appointed to the school, the time was not opportune for the forwarding of the application to the department. The request from Douglas, however, will be passed on. A similar application by the Mangatupoto committee was deferred for consideration at the next meeting of the board. The chairman reported that the following relieving appointments had been made during the month: Mr. A. C. .Walker, sole teacher, Opua; Mr. B. E. Mason, head teacher, Whangamomona; Mr. C. Galbraith, Stratford, Miss R. Rawle, Westown, Miss A. Bell, Tikorangi, Miss E. J. Wells, Fitzroy, assistant teachers. Resignations were received from the following: Mrs. M. Marchant, sole teacher, Rowan; Miss A. C. Nicholson, assistant, Inglewood; Miss A. A. Simpson, assistant, Waitara; Miss M. E. Griffin, assistant, Eltham; Mr. H. H. Gorringe, relieving temporary, West End. The attendance officer, Mr. G. Pascoe, reported that for the nine weeks ending August 13 he had sent out 4i irregular attendance notices and had visited the following 13 schools: Newall, Otakeho, Tataraimaka, Hurford, Tarurutangi, Huinga, Waitara, Kaponga, Matapu, Normanby, Tokora, Omata, Kina. Attendance, owing to much sickness, had been poor in most schools. AGRICULTURAL WORK IN SCHOOLS The report of the agricultural instructor, Mr. D. Mackay, stated that in the primary schools instructors had been engaged on regular visits to schools. Instruction was practically confined to indoor experimental work and in most of the schools visited satisfactory progress was being made. For the next six weeks work would centre on the dairy science course which was taught to correlate with calf-rearing work. In forestry opportunity had been taken to stimulate interest in Arbor Day. Mr. D. MacPherson, Conservator of State Forests, had given two days to the inspection of plantations in South Taranaki and assisted at Arbor Day functions at Mokoia, Ohangai, Ararata, Makaka, Riverlea and Manaia schools. Stocks of trees in school nurseries were being disposed of and preparations were being made for earlier sowings' of the tree seeds which the children themselves had saved. In the clubs interest was very keen

at all schools visited and large entries were again anticipated. At a well attended meeting held at Marco school. } the club movement had been inaugurated in the Whangamomona district and with its inception now in the Wanganui River schools, every district in the board’s area had an opportunity of participating. A meeting of teachers and others interested in bee-keeping in schools had been held and matters of organisation, scheme of work and certificate, were discussed. Mr. H. D. Maxwell maintained his keen .interest in the movement and visited most of the schools concerned. Visits had been paid to schools in the territories of all three by Mr. G. V. Wild, inspector of technical schools. Mr. C. L. Gillies, lecturer in agriculture at Auckland Training College had been visiting the secondary departments of district high schools, his mission being chiefly to advise on the liberalisation <?f . courses, more particularly for pupils in non-acadefnic courses. MANUAL AND COOKERY WORK. Manual and cookery work at all centres was making good headway. Attendance had been rather broken on account of epidemics, but the normal working of centres had not been seriously impaired. Conveyance functioned satisfactorily and the behaviour of pupils had occasioned no complaint. Mr. Renyard, inspector of technical schools, had been visiting various centres. Buildings at Hawera, Waitara and Stratford were in need of painting. Small repairs necessary had been referred to the architect. Benches and vices at the New Plymouth centre were in such a state as to make the efficient working of the centre a difficult matter. Some help should be sought from the department regarding replacement. The architect, Mr. C. H. Moore, reported that good progress was being made with the erection of the new school at Inglewood. The committee had made arrangements to put on a large number of relief workers to improve the school grounds. It was necessary, however, to have the new site properly surveyed. On the east boundary there were a number of sections adjoining the school property and there was no defined boundary owing to the winding creek that runs between. The additions to the Puniho school y would be finished ready for occupation L when the school resumed. The holif days were taken earlier to enable the X work to proceed.

As instructed he had given the matter of the proposed replacement of the original school building at Fitzroy (consisting of four rooms) careful, consideration. FITZROY SCHOOL BUILDING. The Fitzroy type of school building was considered suitable 40 to 50 years ago. The structure was not in a serious state of deterioration from the outside appearance, but there was a considerable amount of worm throughout. He stressed the unsuitability of three rooms for modern requirements. The two outside rooms on the east and west at 32ft 6in by 20ft. These were too long and narrow for proper teaching purposes. The western wing had practically no sun. The pupils faced the two windows in the north wall and these had to be kept closed and heavily frosted. There was no access from the east to the west wing without going through the middle room and if a corridor were partitioned off it would reduce floor space. The remaining room was erected in 1919 and, was a good room of the standard type. The whole building did not lend itself to remodelling. He had gone into the question of replacing temporary classrooms at Ohura, and recommended that both of the detached classrooms be replaced by a permanent structure. One of these buildings came from the Public Works Department and was of a very temporary nature and unsuitable for a classroom. The other room was originally erected at Okahukura when the tunnelling works were in progress there about 20 years ago. Subsequently it was removed to Matiere and then to Ohura. The building was not suitable as a permanent classroom. He suggested for the board’s consideration the erection of a detached building of two rooms of the board’s fresh-air type. REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE. Reporting on repair works and maintenance, Mr. Moore stated: Auroa.—The balance of the painting work at both school and residence was completed; Newall—The general renovation of the residence and school painting was well on towards completion and the removal of the shelter shed to another.site would also receive attention; Vogeltown residence—The work of general renovation including drainage connection to the borough sewerage, high pressure range and hot water installation, new bath, sink, etc., was well on towards completion. Moturoa.—The sewerage connection had to be carried out at this school. Mata.—This school was visited in connection with general repairs and attention was drawn to other matters. It appears that the present committee require to know the position in regard to the hall on the school site and the revenue from part of the school site leased. He suggested that a committee of the hoard should be set up to meet the school committee. Mokau.—The state of the shelter shed is not an bad as the .secretary points out, but t certainly requires repairs. The board should supply material and arrange for the committee to get the labour done locally. A separate shelter shed for the girts should be erected. Omata. —Cement was supplied to the committee and v/orkers have made a good job of the concrete •//<

The Jjoard decided to grant £l5 towards the cost of work to be done on the frontage fence of the school tennis cour' at Mokoia,

Advice was received from the Director of Education that no subsidies for purchase of pianos for schools would be granted for some considerable time. On the recommendation of the finance and building committee it was decided to refer to the senior inspector for a report on the position of rationed teachers at the Tairrra school.. The architect will report on the question of heating.