TEMUKA DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 5681, 18 June 1908, Page 4

TEMUKA DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Tha monthly meeting of the Tomuk 1 District High School Committee was held on Tuesday, evening. PresentMessrs D. Mclnnes (chairman), It. son, G. Lcvens, G. Thomson, P. Sa inlets’ J. Ito'oko, J. Davis, Dr Orawshuw, and A Watson (hoii. sec.). Correspondence was read and dealt with as follows: From the Board of Education, (D stating that a grant of £5 had been made towards the cost of electing shed at teacher’s residence; (2) that, the Board had decided to grant half cost of the work of raising the windmill and improving the water supply, up to a maximum of £25, he., tb* Board’s sha he is not to exceed £l2 10 The chairman said it had been left to him to see the chairman of the Technical Board of Managers and qom municato with the Board of Education with reference to raising the wind'mill, etc. They had drafted a letter t 0 the Board and the result was the reply just read. I A question was asked who was to pay the balance of the cost. The chairman said he thought the Technical Board would do it. Mr Thomson said he did not think the Board would do it all, although they were prepared to spend a little in improving the surroundings they had agreed to give £3 for the work. The matter was talked over for some time, and it .was decided to leave the matter in the hands of the chairman and Dr Crawshaw. Members expressed their dissatisfaction with the inadequatenass /of the grant for a coal shed at the Teas ter * house. The head master had already spent a lot money on the place, and it was not right to allow him to spend mure. U was o fe r-;-d that the shed is badly needed, a“d it was decided on the motion of Mv Levens also to leave this matter m the hands of the chairman and Dr Crawshaw. FIRST ASSISTANT. The applications for the position of first assistant in 'the secondary department in the Temiika District High School were then dealt with. the Board forwarded three names for consideration, those of two males and one female. One of the males attached a condition to his 'application, which as it nfiected another body the committee could not deal with. The lady was highly qualified, but it was consiherod necessary that the teacher should be a male. . After careful deliberation Dr Grawshaw moved, and Mr Saunders, seconded, that Mr Gilmour, of Glcniivy, he recommended to the Board for . appointment us first assistant, in the secondary department of the Thnuka District High School. —Carried unanimously. BRAD MASTER’S REPORT. The head master’s report was as follows : . i have the honour to present the following report for the past four weeks : Avenu'o attendance —primary 322, secondary 33, total 355 ; number on roll —primary 30S, secondary 30, xou will notice from the above figures, that the average attendance in tin primary department is considerably below the number wo have to maintain (331). This is 'duo to the prevalence of sickness, chiefly influenza and colds. East week was the worst wo have hac for some time, the average .being .only 205 • but it is satisfactory to note that the attendance this wedk hat risen to 325. Colonel Loveday inspected the Cadilt Corps on Tuesday, 9tl: in,.t., and 'spent the aftqrnoon m put ting them through their drill. He ex’pressed himself as highly pleased with the efficiency of the corps, and statue that thev would probably be rtppnci with a miniature rifle range rtithm ih< next few months, On Saturday las the corps attended a battalion panaeh in Timaru, and with the other Soutl Canterbury corps received about 1, 'hours’ instruction in battalion drill. M. McLeod. VISITOR'S’ REPORT. Mr Saunders said Mr Mclnnes ant himself visited the school and fount everything in the school going o. satisfactorily. They noticed thq floor , ijio- in the porch was very thin, am application should be made to the Board to replace it. ■ Coal was ahmos out Mr Saunders also mentioned, tha i the name of last year’s dux had no vet been put on the hepouvs boaixl. ' It was derided on the motion of D Crawshaw that the Board’s attuniioi be drawn to the state of the floor o the porch, and that they be asked 1< have a new one pul in without dejay Seconded by Mr Mctson, and earned. The putting of the name of las year’s dux on the honours board wa left in the hands of the head nmsle - to arrange with Mr Coy. The visitors for next, month are Crawshaw - and Mr Levens. MIDWINTER HOLIDAYS. The subject of midwinter holiday was discussed, and it was decided o: the motion of Messrs Thomson an Levens, that the school close for ih winter holidays from 2(i'th dune t accounts. Accounts amounting to £l3 18/ were passed for payment. 31 r Thomson suggested that h>civ for the gates should bo procured, am that the" janitor bo requested to h« v all the gates locked up every hilLi He had noticed the gates wide open and cows or horses might get in am spoil the ground after they lead gull to so inucli trouble and expense ti level it. , 3lr Saunders mentioned seeing i ' number of children jumping over ih

fences:. '|t wits sutrtri'slfd that the yaps m the fences be repaired with wiw. Thv unrest ion ro the <_"'iles was to. Mr Davis said a notice should lie nainted on the n"w iron fence i" *he effect that anyone-posting 1 "" < "" l ?'" fence will he prosecuted. The n'lW"tioii was considered a »<;od one. and. it was ifeft to .Mr .McL<;<nl to 'have attended to.

ATT!:\'I)AM'|.: I'lil/K.^

|)i- (Ynwslmw bn.iiejld "P * •».. s,ll> - ii-ct. <rf attendance iiri/es. and read tlie following nn;M-r that he 'had nrennred with ivlereiwe to tJie pnhjeei :■ " I h■• Atti'-ndanee IVize System, Its delation (n 111'- .spread of di.-'--as«' in. eleni«'n(i<l'.v

schools*—Prizes for regular and w&& , tual attendance are given in nearly all ■ the elementary sohools of this donun-1 ioiu Somo few education authorities | <:ivc prizes for efficiency and progress, | but a hhjh percentage of attendance is also required, and absence on account j 'of infectious or otherwise, is not taken into account* and therefore discitiaiifies* The advantages and disadvantages of the system may be bnetly summed ue as follows ;—Advantages—•£!) The Government grant 'is earn-

ed by. means of attendance., l'hus money spent in prizes is looked pn as well invested and likely to return great increase in larger gnant obtained : .(.2) the 'children are trained_ in re-

gular .and punctual habits ; .{3j if child ren are absent there is a lo'st o,f sqnuenco in their education. Disadvantages—U) .The 'wrong children often get the prizes. The child who tries and tha brilliant ohild may have tempor-

ary illness, and therefore receive «• reWaiid; whilst the dull and backward and idle child may win ycazly ; L~) 10 many cases the parents, are most keen, they really deserve the reward. the child with neglectful parents has hUtl»

chance, as, it is kept away from school for trivial causes, and .as Ithus not successful; (3) in the more enlightened cities where absence on account of infectious disease is allowed, the prize is a farce a's a prize for regular attendance, a-s a child may be absent tor mouths 'with ringworm or scarlatina, and vet receive a first class reward ior

perhaps a month's, attendance in the yea'r; (4) 'the giving of prizes for attendance demanded by law, when by the 'child's absence parents are liable to be fined, is also an argument against the svstem, although a very trivial one compared wife iaJ)i the risk to individual health, (b) the risk to tie public health. The Risk to Individual Health-Children are sent to school with bilious attacks ; they have

to be 1-jeplt recumbent, and oven then vomit on the Iloor. Tho teachers allow 'them .to remain simply to prevent their losing an attendance. Again, in the case of children suffering from various physical defects, one often hears ,that the parents will have Hieso attended to in the holidays, but how (often do they get attended to. iNo

doubt many parents are over anxious about their children), and Veep t'hem away (from school for the slightest ailment : but if 'done in .good faith -this is much better than sending the child to school, well or ill, im order to obtain a Tirst-class, reward. The. Risk to Public Health—Children sent to school

with the early symptoms of scarlatina measles, etc., sit close -to healthy children, and thus disease is spreiad. 1 thiiV.c all interested in the problem oi health at school will agree that 'the

weight of evidence is against the attendance prize system, and that 'some effort should be made to remedy it. Mr Levens said this was an ok: sore that had Ibcen talked over bej fore. To his mind the race for at j tendance- prizes was not an equal one {between the weak and the stroiv<

child. The. chairman said as Dr Grawsluiv ■ had paiwted out the system had its [ disadvantages as well as i'ts'advan ■ tages. Could the doctor mention air > school where attendance prizes wer< ' not given. Dr ' Crawshaw said Christclmrch anc 1 Auckland. Mr McLood said he believed all tin

schools in Christchurch and Aucldain had ceased to give prizes. It wm found that -the wank of getting i'l> thi entertainments to provide the nvcyncj interfered so much with the sclvou work that it was 'agreed that m prizes bo given. 'Attendance piizii were more necessary before the pre sent education Act came into force Now the Act is so stringent that t child is bound to attend fairly regu lariv. At the same time it rave th children great pleasure to recent- pnz es at Christmas, time, and to keep uj the staff it was necessary to keep m a iirood attendance. Mr. Thomson said lie underwood _ i reti'iiired an attendance of X'A to'main tnio the present staff. ■Mr McLeod said that was so, but i had been below now for four weeks and last wepk it, was only AH. Cold and other complaints had been rife. Dr Crawshaw said he hud made in rpilries and he understood that a fal in attendance caused by epidemics o colds, etc, wou’ld not affect the. stall. 'ldle head master replied that a iation passed lnf*t year provided tha in the, event of the attendance in _■ school falling hdlow the minimum v one quarter through an epidemic c sickness, and they got a doctor's m I idea t<e regarding a number of chin mi, then the attendance would b c( i mled <m the average of the sum quarter in the preceding year.

la reolv t'o Dr Crawshaw the chairman said he always thought thechildwho had a long distance to go to attend school was greatly handicapped, and for his part he would not be sorry to see the system done away with. The .subject was then dropped, and (ho meeting terminated. ■