ANNUAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 577, 24 January 1882, Page 3

ANNUAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS.

AKAROA

This meeting was sparsely attended, only about a dozen being present. Mr Adams, Mayor of Akaroa, was voted to the chair. The Rev. 11. Stocker then read the annual report, running as follows :— •' Your Committee herewith furni&h a statement of accounts lor the past year, audited by Mr W. Jacobson, showing a credit balance of £7 7s Id. Of this amount, the sum of £4 2s Gd is credited to the Prize Fund, and £3 4s 7d to tbe Incidental Fund. It has been usual to award the prizes after an examination held at the close of the year, but the Committee this year awarded them from the Inspector's report. Prizes were given of the value of £5 8s 6d. The average attendance for the quarter ending December 31 &t, 1880, was 106. for the quarter ending March 31st, 1881, 101; June 30th, 84; September 30th, 76 ; December 31st, 76. The decrease in tbe attendance is partly owing to the fact that children under five years of age are no longer allowed to be included in the attendance return. There have been two changes in the staff of teachers. Miss Thomas (mistress) resigned, and was succeeded by Miss Buxton, and pupil-teacher B. Missen resigned, and was succeeded by B. PenHngton. The school was inspected on September 19, and the Inspector's report was very unsatisfactory. The Education Board wrote to the Committee as follows :—'l am directed to call the attention of the Committee to the very unsatisfactory character of the report, and to the necessity of taking prompt and effective measures to bring about an improvement in the condition of the school.' The Inspector suggested certain alterations in the manner of working the school, and as these have been carried out, tbe Committee trusts that the next examination will be more satisfactory. The Committee requested that the school should be examined in six months after the last examination, and to this the Board consented. It is now the duty of the police to report all children between the ages of 7 and 13 who are not attending school, and the Committee hope tiiat the police will do their duty, and so cause an improvement in the attendance. A school cannct obtain a good report in which the attendance sums up as follows. The school was opened 444 times. Of children who attended over 400 times there were 21 ; between 350 and 400 times, 14 ; between 300 and 350 times, 16 ; between 222 and 300 times (that is children attending one half the time or a little more), 24 ; and there are 35 children now attending the school who are not attending one half tbe number of times j that the school is open. During the past year a new fence has been put up, the closets have been closed in, the gymnastic apparatus repaired and painted, the fence in front of the master's house.moved back and a new oven supplied for tbe master's house, the pump in the school ground has been removed to a more convenient position, and a portion of the play ground been levelled and improved. Tho committee has held 17 meetings, and tbe attendance of the members as been as follows:— Sims, 16 ; Stocker, 15 ; Kissel, 15 ; Bruce, 14; Westenra, 13; McGregor, 9; Kedge, 9." Mr Meech moved, and Mr W. Henning seconded, that the report be approved and adopted. Mr Henning asked if the sum carried forward from the prize fund had to ho spent on prizes. Mr Stocker said that it was carried forward separately to be spent cither for prizes or for a treat for the children. The rcsohition was then put and carried. Mr Jacobson moved and Mr Meecb !:tconded a hearty vote of thanks to tiie retiring Chairman and committee. In t doing so, the actions and attendance of [ Ihe late members were highly commended.

The election of the committee for the ensuing year waa then proceeded with,

tho follow-in-? gentlemen being elected, viz., Messrs Stocker, McGregor, Henning, Sims, Bruce, PenHngton, and Westenra. A vote of thanks to the Mayor for occupying the chair terminated the meetinff* At a meeting of the committee b'-ld subsequently, the Rev. li. Stocker was elected chairman.

Our mounted messenger went to the Duvauchelle's Bay. Robinson's Bay, and German Bay Schools last night, to obtain the report of the annual meetings, to b ■ published at the earliest possible date, for the benefit of the public.

At Duvauchelle's'Bay he got the following note to bring-—"School meeting not till 8.30. No use messenger waiting, as we are not sure there will be any attendance, as all are busy grass-seeding." At Robiuson's Bay our messenger found Messrs Whitfield and S. Curry. They rang the school bell twice, but no one else appearing tbe messenger left that locality also and proceeded to German Bay, where he found Messrs Jollie, Chappell, Hammond, W. Curry and A. Jones. They told him that the meeting would not probably be over for five hours, and it was no use his waiting at all. Such is tho result of endeavoring to obtain early news in certain parts of the Peninsula. However, wo hope to get the reports of the majority of the meetings by next Friday.