SCHOOL COMMITTEE

Hokitika Guardian, 24 May 1932, Page 2

SCHOOL COMMITTEE

HOKITIKA DISTRICT HIGH USES FOR NEW GROUNDS.

The Hokitika District'. High . School Committee met. last evening when thoire wore." present: Messrs ;A'r.- O. Armstrong (chairman), E. Chesterman, J. J. Breeze, Jum\, A. McDougall, W. H. Shannon, H. W. R. Sweney, R. -1. Redder, W. H. Shannon, J. Conning, and W E. Richards.

The Education Board wrote recasting particulars of work® required to the school. Tho matter wa® referred to the chairman and secretary. ■ . 'l’lie School Committees’ Association wrote forwarding a copy of its 'annual report. , , ,' Nurse James reported that a total of 707 operations had been . attended to at the Holcitika clinic. Nurse Pitt reported 567 operations at Jlokitika | and Ross. _ The chairman considered that it was time for the Committee to ascegs the amount of the contributions from the schools receiving the benefit of the clinic. „ , Mr Richards said that if they were in need they might enforce the recommendation of the School Committees’ Associaton to levy a charge o 2 S Gd per child treated with u maximum of 5s a family. However, they were not in that position yet, The cliuirman : I think we should B et• gome definite time for the payment of the annual oimtnlmtiona, Tho matter wa® left in the hands of tho chairman, secretary, and. the treasurer .(Mr Sweney) to report at - the next meeting. ' ■ Accounts totalling £22 wpre pegged *• for payment. Mr Sweney brought up the question of the school admission age. ■ _ The rector (Mr .J. L. Meuzies),. said the position was still clouded, and the ~ Boards had not received definite ins' , 9 truction on the subject. f. The Rector reported" that,.. :in tip lit secondary department, the roll npm- | her at the beginning of the year was ; 94, and at the end of last term IQ6; the average attendance, being .101. ? There was a roll of 338 ip the primary department at,' the beginning of tjw T year as against 343 at the end of i/hp | term, the avenge attendance being i 320. During the term the school had | l Ja d “a bad run” with chickempox £ which had affected . the. attendance •of U. the primary school children. Miss I. Kennedy and ■Miss..’Wild would cjmf tinue on the staff during the present term. He requested, that the usual term honours list be foregone for somer thing a. little more substantial. at the | end of the year, embodying the results of the three examinations., this " might take tile place of the prizes, the practice of. giving which had been, discontinued. the Rector referred to -'the ' School’* • activities i» rugby and basketball tins season. Regarding the ■ list, - the chairman said he would not like .to. see a departure from the system kc it gave the children a lot of, encouragement. " •*•••' Mr Breeze : It cause® a lot of disappointment, too. • The Rector’s report was qdopted. . The Rector also referred •to that .» section of land the right® of which had been placed under the School’s , tv control. ‘‘The time has come,” he ■§ said, “when this Committee should do something before some other body h steps in. Covetous eyes have been ‘east ii’-f on this ground, and we should -see that 1 we retain the rights. Suggestions Mi were put forward at the annual rneeting as to uses to which this area might be put, and X think the suggestions were good. In more favourable times a good dead more could, have

been done, but our main concern is ' v ‘ to see that it doe-a not step from us.I would welcome it as a sports area, but the suggestions at the annual ' meeting were of more importance. Mn- ; Richards said the Committee should do - something with the giound a« that was the condition upon which it had been placed under its jurisdiction. The chairman said they might have the area drained and fenced by relief work, and the matter was referred to Mr Chesterman. The latter considered four men would 'to sufficient. The Hector said that actually he had no definite proposal for the present year, ’but suggested that the matter be left to himself in the event of suitable 'presenting it-, •self, hie request being acceded to, Messrs Richards and Shannon were appointed a visiting committee for the month.