THE SCHOOLS FROM WITHIN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1126, 13 May 1911, Page 10

THE SCHOOLS FROM WITHIN.

NEWS AND NOTES.

Tho Maurieevillo West school children are. being trained for a school concert to take place in about three- weeks' time.

The attendance, at Tipapakuku (Hawko's Bay) for tho'last fortnight has Ijcoii very good indeed,' the average being 01. It is liopcd that the attendnnco will remain good right through the winter, and that no- children will liavo to he reported to the. Education Board.

A grant of .C 209 has been approved by the government towards the erection of a school building at Tablelands, Lower Valley.

Arrangements are well under way for tho concert which is to ba given in aid of tho Makotuku School fund;.. The school conimitteo has just been the recipient of a generous donation of six cords of firewood from one of tho residents in tho district, Mrs. J. lloldcn.

The monthly meeting of the Te Pohiie School Committeo was held in the schoolroom on Saturday evening last. The teacher's four-weekly report showed the average attendance to bo 24.8, and the roll number 20. Tho school and grounds were reported to bo in good order. It was decided to purchase- 2(1 pairs of dumbbells o.ud erect" two swings in the playground.

The school concert at Waiata was a very ■successful affair, the general arrangements being very creditable to the committee. Duri'ii" the evening Mr. Aitkcn, (ho head teacher, who is leaving the district, was presented' with a gold-mounted fountain from'his pupils, and a safety razor, from tho-residents.

The removal of tho old Pahiatua School to-the site of the new school at the end of Princes Street has proved a larger undertaking than at first anticipated. An attempt was first made to shift the building complete, but it has now been hauled by a traction engine in three sections.

During the course of the proceedings at Mr. W. C. Buchanan's meeting at Carterton recentlv, a. sieniber of tho audience complained that there was too much education. He stated that a man was compelled to send his children to school every day without excuse, and the children were not given an opportunity of gaining a knowledge of domestic duties. Jlr. Buchanan retorted that education was the best asset a man could have.

Tha Wanganui School Committee has approved the provisions of the Education Act Amendment of last session, regarding compulsory attendance at continuation classes. The committee recommended that liberal provisions be made for exemptions, so that the Technical College Committeewill have full latitude to deal with exceptional cases; it also recommended that if atiall possible, arrangements bo mado for holding classes for girls in the afternoon. ■

In connection with the Hon. J. Carroll's visit to Mastorton .on Monday for . the opening of the school museum and the miniature rifle range, tho following-■ arrangements were made:—Tne Committee, with the Mayor and Mr. A. \Y. Hogg, M.P., will me?t the Acting-Premier at the railway station, and he will be convej-ed to tho residence of the. Mayor to luncheon. At 1.30 Mr. Cnrroll will be driven round the district, and afterwards taken to tho school for the ceremony. After brief addresses by loading townsmen, the Hon. Jlr. Carroll will be called upon' to formally open the sclicol museum, which■will then be thrown open to tho public. The ride range will subsequently be opened, the Minister firing the first shot.

• Tho prevalence of sickness .in. one form 'or another has resulted in the temporary lowering of tho average attendance at Ncwtowii District High School. Great interest is bsin? evinced in tho preparations for exhibition.

The school roll at Hawera continues to increase weekly. At the beginning of the year there- were. 58 children belonging to tho school, but ill is has advanced to 73. The percentage of attendance reaches: 97 per ctnt. some weeks, hence. Mr. Diimon. (tho truant officer) hns>found no cases worthy of his attention. A few articles :havo bten ordered to supplement the chemical cupboard, and great interest is taken :in experiments on tho-o days when the. ground is unsuitable forsworkmg. . .' . ■ ■. ..' Miss Chatwin completed her work at the school, Hawera, on i'riday, Aprii'2B, and Miss Lee from ilanakau, who has boon appointed assistant mistress, : commenced her duties at. the beginning of May. A rain gauge has benn forwarded by tho Education Board, and has been fitted up outside. Measurements on the rainfall are taken with great interest by ■' tho senior pupils.

At Terrace End School, • (Palmerston North), the average attendance has fallen off "alarmingly, owing to au-'epitlemie .of measles, and tho present low attendance threatens, tlii staffing of tlio school. The upper classes are not seriously affected ; it is Hip-lower part of tho schools'"which was dcpUtcd. Several cases of children returning to school after recent al tacks appeared so bad that the headmaster had refused to take them back. Superintendent Warner,, of the Fire has paid an official visit to the school, and reuwlod unfavourably on tho''means of the exit from several rooms.

Jlr. E. Ncwmriti, Jt.T , ., lias written (c the Marton District High. School Committee, advising that he has sent a letter to the Minister for Education, inviting him to visit Jtarton and.inspect tho Ktate school. The average attendance for tho. whole- school is 273.8 out nf 301. If the average of 232 in.the primary department cau be kept' up, tho school will Ijs entitled to another pupil teacher. Last week ilr. Gill, inspector of secondary schools,,:inspected the secondary ('opart-, incut. •-. Tin , cookery, woodwork, and science /classes were at work' for tho greater part of the time, and Mr. Gill expressed himself as generally satisfied with, what he saw.

Two monster school excursions to Masterton,. from North and from South Wairarapa respectively, are being'organised in connection with tho forthcoming festival of tho Musical and Elocutionary Society (states the "Daily Times"), and already the response received to a circular sent to the school teachers and the chairmen of Echcol committees is most encouraging. The support now promised the society guarantees a programme at. once interesting, educational and diverting, and if tho competitions here create anything like the same interest that they do iu other towns every year, the week in July next jn which the festival will take place will bo ()iiito a gala week for ilasterton.

The Wellington Education Board has decided to allow one of its teachers to act as a clerk to a county council at a salary of .£IOO a year. The "Wairarapa Arc" remarks that the board evidently does not realise that if the teacher docs his duty by the council, and receives rates and transacts other business (luring school hours, ho cannot possibly do hi a dniy uy the board. A precedent of a very dangerous character has been established, and oik! which is bound to land the board in serious complications.

Some months ago the ITawke's Bay Board of Education resolved: "That tho Hawke's Boy (Now Zealand) Education Board approves the principle of exchange of teachers between New Zealand, America, and England, and would, favourably consider an application from any of its teachers for leave of absence to enable them to accept temporary employment in any of these countries, and would moreover endeavour to employ a limited number of recommended teachers from tlieso countries." Recently one of tho teachers in tho Ecrvico of tho board, relying upon this, made application for leave of absence for tho purpose of visiting America to obtain temporary employment thero with a view of studying methods of teaching agriculture. Tie was informed m reply that the board regretted to be unable .to comply with the request, for i'ear of creating a precedent!