TOKOMAIRIRO GRAMMAR SCHOOL.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 182, 4 January 1878, Page 5

TOKOMAIRIRO GRAMMAR SCHOOL.

In consequence of this school having ■ 3"u3t,examirie4,by;.Mij?etrie* Government 1 inspector, it, was resolved'to postpone the 1 " usual public examination and awarding of- | prizes .till-, after; the Christmas holidays, I .which/;commen,ced: on Friday, December j 21. A-nuinber- of. me)nbers,of,ilie School i ■Committee' and- yisitors presents and Mr Henry Clark, Chairmaii of the mittee,' presided y^ classes was over, the following /recitatio/nsV were given : — J,ames.31 < 01yni ) oht/' f Oscky ; the Dog 6f r Sanda/*" ; David ;: :'Lister,- 5 ' r ". The" Minstrel Boy ;7\ A.nnie;-In'glisj # The >best that I -can ;". r Mary Corson, AS Burial! of Sir' John" Moore ;"/M.'ary M'Clyinont and Olivia Albert, i'rFrom.ilhdia ;" Annabella-. , Scott, .. f f..The. : -May Queen.. ;'. • ,!Sarah Ferguson,-. ' [The Arab ,to/;his,. Steecf ;' ? 'w; Malcolm!;' "'Tlife- SpMii^H r 'Cliani'pldii f«:,Wargaret tli^r jN^alkej:,;,^ ' ( The Spanish "".Champibn ;" '\ Wiililim v 'FleV ming, .''Hqrathis Cocles ;-" :Janm_:f.Fergn-: sonfj<<,'Edinbur^ Ferguson, HP^i^'s^ainentior^ Maggie':GTb^s^Tii^ ,Aimie,Mf GilL//" Bxmie f 6lHh^;/aplid*_ysl "7 -••-.-^..yyyTHE^ECT > Q Mr .^VTalcolm sji.id--l h;iye^tM;h^ /on th a/work of fthMprammW' '^clipoi -f or -/the v - ses - ■-. sidri which closes /tbAdky,;;; :"Frqrn;"n{any^a^es;tihe ; ; . 3 attendance has r^"fh'6Sn,:- so great |a^ Hast, three years ;p_ai*ticulari|/^^^ :{t£^%t]s{^^ "'sfiicft*hfo4ras

ot the' classes ;.'but'itis; : _i6p;e^ntliiit^ under: the new 'Education*: Act r there;-. iwiir;be--h<K .i-eafebn vyhy such should have i'tb berreeofde'd'/"''- lvregj.ila,rity, is not only detriniehtal;:. r tb those 'wjin 'iire irregular, ...but it ; prevents others. ''". who'<*»*.' punctuality" is all that cartibe^ desired, from ad-., .vancibg in tlieir studies')*- especially 'when tj^^ aiv lijany in a class .who areahseht for lengthen^.'!:' pfi-iods. : The school.ch'ses.with an iittehd-iiiceof.' 247. |i.nd tho number .present at all during t,h.- ! session has been 3 19. .z-'y.-y.

.:: This year has also witnessed several chsinn-ei in ,tbfi teaching staff. At the mid-winter "holidays, ;Miss'.T. Cooke, who for three years aud a-haif -had conducted the Infant Department >vith c;r6at success, severed her connection with the school, haying received an appointment in "(Jhristchurch: Through the courtesy of Mr Fitzgerald, rector of the Normal School, Dunedin, Miss M. MLnrcn. formerly out; of our pupil teachers, but now a .student of the Normal seminary, was permitted to absent herself ' from her, studies to discharge the -duties of matron until a successor was ap- • ]ipinted. Fortunately the School Committee was; enabled to prevent a .prolonged vacancy by securintfthe services ohMiss N. Vouri-gvbf-Qiie'en?-t.>wn, a certificated teacher from Scotland, who had arrived in this Colony a few months previously. About, the same time. Mr Wild, the second assistant,, resigned, and Miss M-. Ritchie, a lady of some experience under the "Nationi! Board of- Education in Ireland, was .: appointed. „So many changes are far from being d^sirAKle; -let the teachers who are selected be evjr so able, as it.is some time before ihey and their pupils can -niideistund one another thorough Iv, and^ that .feeling between both parties be engendered tliat is necessary to success. I .bavei however, .every reason to suppose that thY present matron arid second, assistant will perform ;th'eir work;in a .satisfactory manner, and ;trusfc : :.that:sqine:. time .wiU elanse before it be fouiid necessary to.'obtaiii • successors. :

It is with much pleasure that I record an increasing desire ou tbe part of the majority-of tbe pupils to make progress in theii* studies. I havo observed throughout the: whole'i school more zeal and closer attention to the work proscribed for home-lessons— without.".. whicli: the>teach.ii!<i can nover produce good results.' . It isa ijrbat t'aliacv for parents and guarrliau.s to suppose that their responsibility ia removed when they send the children to school, without seeing thafciiriim diate and pei-sonal contact at home with the school wbrkjis ])i*operly attenderl to. ' Ido not hesitate' to affirm that more red advancement is : iria<le when juipils are found carefully arid earnestly facing the various little difficulties' tliey have "to encounter in preparing their tasks during the quiet hours of the evening at thf ir .own homes, tban when much dependence is placed upon jbiie' instruction of the teacher, in the. school. Parunts should _ never foi get 'that" the' teacher's real office is lo direct thb iriirids ofthe" pupils into proper channels, and that progrpss in study mainly depends upoti tlie child's own efforts. . '

. It is much to he regretted that I have not been able to attend to music and drawing as formerly.. My work has been so great that I hav<? found it necessary to begin the labour of the da'v ab an earlier hour than usual • but I have every reason to hope that both subjects will be resumed after the holidays, and 1 trust parents will excusi tne if I find it necessary to call the; older pupils to school half-an -hour sooner than at present, to enable us to spend at least one hour per week at music and two at drawing. The latter especially ought to he attended, to' .in all schools where it ■can be taught, and the former is found to "enliven the pupils during the school hours, refine the feeding, and give additional z^st for school work.

The cadet corps which' wa* formod last year in connection with the school continues to make good progress in drill ; and I trust that another year will sue us provided with the proper appliances to enable the hoys to go through a regular course of gymnastic exercises. Part of the funds voted by Parliament under the Education A.ct is intended to be applied to this purpose, and I hope the School Committee will make application for a grant for tho samo as soon as possible, as it is agreed upon hy all educational authorities that no school can bo considered completely equipped where sucn is waiting. ;

During this session more attention lias been paid ;in the Industrial Department to plain sewing, knitting, mending and darning than heretofore.. At the .commencement of the year it was announced that no one would he allowed to do any fancy work. until some proficiency in tlie more important branches was attained to. Every girl should know, how .to.cub out/ work hefore loavingi school, for unless 'such knowledge is then obtained it is almost certain that the majority will not acquire it in after life. I hope to make arrangements with the matron for a complete course .of lesson;- for the moro advanced pupils next year ; and to encourage them in the work, I will give a prize to the gid who will in the presence of lady judges cut out some piece of work in the "best style on next exhibition day.

The people of ißallarat, intend to '. hold, a Juvenile Industrial Exhibition in that, town near the; beginning of the year, and have invited 'aid from all parts of New Zealand. T observe that seyeral gentlemen in ])unedin have thrown therhselv/es henrtily into '-. the work, that the Colony /may -'be represented there,- and several schools intend-to forward exhibits';, but I regret to say that the school' will- not be in a position to forward. 'anything owing to-' the /want. of infoi-hia-tion on our part as regards the nature of tbe.exhibition..' lt was only on /Monday last tliat I received various circulars .and. printed .instructions from J.-L; Gillie^,- .Esq.ywith, whom' 1 had a conversation with on the previous Saturday;although I, understand that our civic authorities have- for .several months been- advised on- .'the, matter.;'/ '.-Had-.th.e/ matron;, knnwii in time we would, also have done what .we .could,; but at so late a part of. the session ithyas found 1 impossible tp get any article ready; that might .be/deemed worthy of a:.place, among tlVerest^- /,./;:.-.;.. •' - /In 'addition. to.;the; worlc. required for the Standards^ fhe ■ piapils'/haye, during -bhjs session. been eiigaged.ns foll6ws*Vf- ;.: -„;,.;,- ' ' '. '/ ;-'. am brown's /oLASS.yMihDM/'riTyisioN.v

English.— Cbmpo'siti_ii : ' : 'aijd---£riidy_is"'of sentences ;, said acritionl study of ''Gray's -E'egy." " -Tohn Gilpin, ''aud, the . f f Task;", as 'far r as line 288. .-.-..• -. .- ; %;,;. , ,. t . ... 7 „" "' ...""" Algebra. —-/ Class IV. Torlhuii lev's' 'eleraen tary algebra lip to' simple equations (inclusive). " Class 2: The same up. to -greatest; .common". measure,',, and easy simple equations. : '■;' Euclid. — Book I. to proposition XX. -*--'■• Latin.— PrincijiiaL-itina. Parts Land 11., 18. French. —Ah n's Course I. and 11. to exercise XIX , 'and De-Fiva's-Grammaire dea Grammah-es.-to exercise XX. ■ •' • ■■-.:■ = ;.-■ -..-. UPPER UIV7.STON; OF SCHOOL. -■'.'■' '■ : - ; English.'—^Composition and paraphrasing, with, a careful study ,of "'" M ill bri's ■' " 'Par a'dis'e -' Lost,"---'B6bk-T.,! and/playof" Julius Gajsar .",,;-.; :; ; : f-, .. ; /.Gflogrnphy.— Anderson's,-, general ( , geography, and Hughes' physical' geography.'' -''"'' : : ''• ' j Algebra.- Class I*. Toclhuut'er's elementary algebra,, to 200 of the miscellaneous examples. , Clifss 2 : Same work to quadratic equations (inclusive). ' ':Azl\ A-rS Z A~--y. : . Euclid.— Class 1 ,:. Books I', to VL (inclusive)', with deductions:' ; . Class 2.1 Books;'!. to/IV"; (in-, elusive), with deductions. Clnss 3,:., f , Books. L, IL, and-Lfl: to pro position ''XVdLL/.witlri easy -S rzZZ.I Ai. zz-Ai -y zA-'-yy ;... . . Trigonometry. — Class 1 : " Cblehso, "Part X 4 (most of work). Class .2 : Colenso, Part L, to par<e 55 ; also, solution of triangles. "/- ■- ----- y r „

. Latin.— Class 1 :-' Grammar ; Principia Latina, .Part IV., Virgil's iEneid, Books 1.,- I i.,.ni., ' i.and I.iV.'jr-ah'd a>fe/yij3ion of J. : ihe /first/t\^q books of Caesar's Gallic Wars y Class 2.':., Grammar; Principia Latina. , Part" IV/.Vo'-psfgfß..l5 l »-*n?a.rt 'I. to page. 9s ; ; Cassar, Book I. , Cla^^.^i^Wßbt ,by Mr Brown. Class 4 ; ''Pi-incipia'_-a"tin^ , /'Part ! -l.* t to the numerals. . .; .■ y-iV'j.yff «';:,.-, ;

Congratulatory. f .ad,dresses L-^.ere// :< then< , giyen ,by Revs. RpnaiHs6n?^ > the Chairman, and/Mi\ P. „Cim^^ !y Mr R^- R. Jonesi/iri name of {the scholars,/; : presenteol- Mr. Malcolm? wi^h'.- a' ; ;ip'u^e/ : of; ;soyereigns/^ i Apud/. applafo^ : < ///..MrVlaalbjb^Vhaving^ ac^owie^g^'jtliSj - CQiirplime^ / ;Mrv^pheS ; ne:^ - /present^ ■ 'sp;ecial/%otetM^^ |hjga^i|^p|g^^^^_^^|