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WORK OF KINDERGARTENS
The annual meeting.of the Wellington Freo. Kindergartens was held in tho Taranaki Sfreot School last evening. Tho Mayor, Mr, J. P. Luke, at tho request of the-president, Mrs. Gill, presided. In tho course of a brief speech the Mayor congratulated Mrs. Gill and the executivo of tho association upon tho present satisfactory position that was held by this body. Ho greatly appreciated and admired their work. If tho community would expend some of its energies upon building up such conditions as would remove poverty, distress, and industrial unrest, much of tha work of the kindergartens nnd other organisations would bo unnecessary. What wo had to do was .to make it possible for all parts of the ,lo'..sbaTq in; tho advantages of education—the poor as well as .tlio rich. The community as a whole needed to realise more keenly tho responsibility that rested upon it.' If we wero to get hap-, pier conditions tho handicaps that rested upon cortain sections of tho community had to b.o removed. On behalf of the city he thanked Mm. Gill, tho executivo, And tho teachers for the work they wero doing. The annual report' was read by tlm lion.' secretary, 'Mrs.'' S; EicKelbaum, and •was as follows I—-.
"In tho report o£ 1918 the council of ( tho Wellington Freo Kindergarten Association drew- attention to tho fact that 'i site for a new building had beon acquired and paid for. But owing to tho increased cc3t of building material, it was founjl impossible to undertake tho erection of a new school. After looking at a good many properties in tho district, ono, was at last, heard of at a very reasonable price, "ond'in a most favourable position, consisting of four 'buildingstwo private houses, one shop, and a factory. Tho late Mr. Atkins, a good friend to the association, baring been consulted, it was shown that tho factory, with o. few alterations, could be transformed into what would provido for somo tinio to como a very satisfactory kindergarten for chijdren-downstairs, and rooms .for tho training of students upstairs, so it was decided to purchase the property for ■£2460. Of this sum.,£7so has beon paid, and a mortgage raised on'the wholo of the property of ,£1700.. The rents; of tho three smaller buildings will bo sufficient to pay tho interest on-the mortgage, but a.big effort will have-bo bo mado before very long to enlist the sympathies of the public of Wellington to unable tho mprtgotfe to be lifted. Also tho council cannot see their way to carry on- tho work effectively without mi increased revenue, therefore there, is. immediate need for'at least .£2OOO.
. ."In September, an exhibition of kindergarten; work was held in the Masonic Hall. This aroused much interest among the general public, and wa? .in every way a success.
. "Tho local committees have again justified their existence both in regard to their own schools and tho interest taken in the central kindergarten' in Taranaki Street. They havo helped in every way to gather money for the Taranaki Street purchase, and have also materially. assisted the kindergartens in their own districts.
"During the year one of our teachers was married, haother lias left to bo married. Four students have at the beginning of 1919 jronc to good positions iii other towns, showing -that' there are openings for kindergarteners as .soon' as they have'finished their training and received their certificates. This year the salaries of directors and assistants havo been raised by a 6um of moro than ,£IOO. 1 We aro depending, on tho public to help iw to pay_our.'teachers a living wage. Tho (Work w'necessary, and the more it-is. knn-ni the more it is approved. '.. "Tho council .express' their thanks to ;the-Finance Committee,•-Mr. Atkins, Mrs/ Grady, Mrs. .Toseph and Mr. Triu?er'(for a beautiful doll's house),' Mr. Nicol for storaee, the Kellow Automatic 1 Bakery, and the parents for many Rifts. Sneciiil thanks are also due to Mr. Ballinger, as ■ without his kind offer of monetary help..tho alterations to tho new kindergarten would have - been impossible; tn Mr. Longmore, through' whom tho purchase of the Taranaki Street property was made, for his kindness in presenting to tho council'a cheque for the full amount of his commission, viz;, ,£4O; and to Messrs. Perry, Gill, and Linklator for' a generous rebate on the legal expenses connected with the transfer. Miss Helyer also,deserves special mention, as she spent much time and trouble in looking for new premises for tho kindergarten. The council again express their anpreof the work of tho principal; Miss Rilev, and also of tho directors arid students." .
Riley's (the report was as follows:— V _ "In Brisbane eacln kindergarten has a creche, attached, and jthe 6110 association manages both. We are almost the., only city in tho world. th--\t. has not a' proparly supervised' and equi'pned nlaycround. In Sydney the.Citv Council is. I believe,' responsible for the ' staffing, equipping and keeping in order of eight or more playgrounds. Most people' in'tho Dominion have seen what .Auckland is doing. We' have 'the land—who will follow tho example of that generous Aucklander and at least give' us some equipment?. The staff of the Defence stores gavo us an excellent'start with ,£11; wo want .£IOO more at least to lay out our grounds.' • '
"We have organised our Mothers' Club at Tnranaki Street,. and meet onco a month at present, nnd hare had most successful meetings, the' mothers responding well. \Ve. want a li.brary, and would be glad, of cheerful, suitablo books, if anyone can spare one or more. Wo are indebted this year to .Mr, Hall, of tho Automatic Bakeries, who, in his leisuro hours not only cuts the-bread for rusks .for two kindergartens, but bakes and sees to the delivory-of the same.
"Successful students this year were:— Kathleen Thomas,- at present at Hurworth School, Wangamii; Rachel Withy,' at St. Mary's School, Hawera; NancyScott, at present at homo in Cambridge: Kathleen Cornish,.'w,llo was appointed by council as special assistant at Wellington South. Although the kindergarten* were closed daring the epidemic; our directors- nnd students took their - part among the many voluntary workers,' either helping privately or in the centres, or at the KoLburn lioslri. j\ kindergarten college was onco callcd 'ail old maid's factory.' If the statement has ever been true of us, we havo at least broken the record this year. In September Miss Rena Herzog was married. In February Miss Florence D'Oylv resigned because sho is going to Englanil and will be married, and live there. Mi.ss D'Qyly has been a director for over eight years Lastly, Miss Edna -Morris is' about to leave ,for Suva to take 1 over a position which has been successfully held by one of our graduates, Miss Tabuteau, who has come home to bo married."
- The balance-sheet showed an expenditure amounting to. ,£1059 Is. 10d., .of which salaries totalled .£741 10s. -Id,, and receipts 9s. 2d. Of this latter amount 15s. 9d. was received, in donations, and -JCIS9 7s. Gd. as Government subsidy.
The report and balancn-shcet were adopted. Votes of thanks to the chair, to Mrs. Gill, and the staff wero .proposed and unanimously adopted.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 207, 27 May 1919, Page 2
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1,189TRAINING THE FUTURE CITIZEN Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 207, 27 May 1919, Page 2
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