HELENSVILLE SCHOOL.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 2 May 1918, Page 2

HELENSVILLE SCHOOL.

ANNUAL REPORT AND BALANCE SHEET:

THE following annual report in connection with the Helensville District School was read and adopted at the meeting of householders held on Monday, 22nd April:— Ladies and Gentlemen, —Your Committee has the honour to present to you the following report of receipts and expenditure for the twelve months ending December 31st, 1917 ;— —Receipts— £ s d Bal. in hand Dec. 31, 1916 ... 12 511 Grants for ordinary incidental • purposes 65 12 1 Proceeds from Garden Fete (for formation school tennis court 10 12 11 Refund proceeds Garden Fete and subsidy on same ... 21 5 10 Total 109 16 9 —Expenditure— Cleaning school and outbuildings 27 6 8 Fuel for school use 3 12 6 Lighting and sanitary service 17 6 Repairs 3 6 Improvement of school ground 814 2 Furniture 9 io School stationery 8 5 6 Proceeds of Garden Fete paid over to Education Board for subsidy-earning purposes ... 10 12 11 Printing, advertising and telej phone expenses 13 4 Bank charges and cheque book 15 0 Balance in hand Dec. 31, 1917 47 5 10 Total ... 109 16 9 Thus the balance brought forward at the beginning of this year was— Irn £ S d !To credit of Tennis Court a/c 21 510 „ School Fund a/c 26 0 0 Making a total to credit of 47 5 10 I —Attendance— For the four quarters ending March 31, 1918, the average attendances were: — 200.9, 199.1, 203.7, and 189.9, making an average attendance during the whole period of 198.4. Owing to fluctuations in, population | and more pupils passing out of the school than new pupils coming forward, there has been a slight decrease in the number of children on the roll. The numbers standing at 223 during the March quarter of 1917, and 205 during the March quarter of 1918. —Annual Examination — At the annual examination 194 pupils were presentee, and 169 passed ; that is to say, 87.1 per cent passed their examinations successfully; and it may also be mentioned that of the 18 pupils presented for the sixth standard examination 16 gained certificates of proficiency. —Inspector's Report— As regards the successful manner in which the headmaster and his staff have carried out heir duties, the following extract from the Inspector's Report is of interest:— " The classification of the pupils has been judiciously determined. The schemes of work in operatinn have been compiled with a view to giving the pupils a sound primary eduoation, and they are being interpreted in a manner calculated to develop in the children habits of industry and self-reliance. Throughout the school the work submitted was of good quality, composition and arithmetic being strong features. The manners and general behaviour of the pupils are very good, and they apply themselves to their work with commendable diligence." —Lawn Tennis Court— As you are aware, with a view to providing healthy recreation for the pupils, it was decided to have a lawn tennis court formed in the school ground and for this purpose a garden fete was held, which resulted in the sum of £10 12s Id being raised. The ' Committee obtained a subsidy of £1 per £1 on this amount, and so the sum of £21 5s lOd is available for carrying out the project. Owing to broken weather and difficulty in getting labour, the matter has been somewhat delayed, but a site has been levelled for the court at a cost of £8 14s 7d, and there is a balance of £12 11s 3d in hand for the in-coming committee to expend on the completion of the work.

—Swimming Baths—

Th« formation of a school swimming bath, so that the children might have facilities for learning to swim, has for a long time been in contemplation by the Committee and a great majority' of parents, who are enthusiastic as to the advantages to be derived both from a hygienic and life-saving point of view. Knowing the keen desire that some move should be made in the matter, the Committee issued subscription lists, and held a public meeting in the Star Theatre ' so that the best means of raising funds might be discussed. It was decided at the meeting that a series of entertainments should be held during the coming winter, and the first concert, which was held in the Parakai Hall, was very successful and brought in about £19. On Wednesday, April 24, a concert is to be held in the Lyric Theatre and half the proceeds are to be devoted to the fund. The amount raised in response to the subscription lists issued by the School Committee amounts to £39 3s, and many others have promised to contribnte. So, with more entertainments to follow, and probably a Government subsidy on the full amount obtained, there should soon be sufficient funds to carry out the scheme. It should be mentioned that the Town Board has consented to supply water tree of cost for the baths, and that a generous response has been given to the request for voluntary assistance. Mr J.

bcott Johnson has gone to an immense amount of trouble in preparing plans and ' specifications. Messrs Wilkinson, and Co., in conjunction with Mr Tilby, have delivered, per steam launch, on the bank at Helensville, free of charge, a large quantity of shingle and sand for the concrete work, Mr Bradly organising a party of volunteers to do the loading and unloading. Thanks are also due to Mr T. Johnson and those ladies and gentlemen who organised and carried out the concert at Parakai, and to the many friends who have promised to do all they can towards carrying out the work. ; • —High School— ' 0 During the year the Committee has been twice disappointed in its endeavours to get a High School established in the district. It is provided by law that no" High School shall be opened unless there are at least twenty children holding ' certificates of proficiency or other qualifications for a free place whose parents guarantee that their children^? will attend the High School. The application for a -High School is considered by the New Zealand Education Council that meets sometimes once, sometimes twice in the year, The Minister for Education establishes the High School after consultation with the Council. The application for the establishment of a High School is made in the first place either to the District Board of Education or to the Minister for Education. This Committee prior to July of last year applied to the Board of Education for the establishment of a High School. We procured guarantees from the parents of twenty-two children qualified for free places, and forwarded these together with a guarantee from the parents of an unqualified pupil, to the Board of Education. The Board, however, through the carelessness- of an official, failed to forward these guarantees to the Education Council, forwarding only 17 instead of 22. In consequence the Education Council refused to recommend the opening of the High School. Quite a lengthy correspondence was necessary before the Board ceased to deny that the,error was theirs. The ' Committee then applied direct to the Minister to establish a High School at Helensville, and this time obtained the necessary twenty guarantees. The Education Council met in February, and the Committee's new application came before it. Again the Council refused to recommend the establishment of a High School, on the ground that it did not believe that an average attendance of twenty would result. In this way the district's clear right to have a High School has again been defeated, and this Committee can only think that the refusal is due to a determination on the part of the , Education Department to economise in a penny-wise-and-pound-foolish kind of way. —General— The Auckland Primary School's Committee Association has forwarded to this Committee a series of resolutions embodying recommendations made by the New Zealand Educational Institute and the Auckland Headmasters' Association, urging the- Goverment to extend and improve the present position of National Education, with a request that the Committee give the matter its consideration, and bring it before this present householders' meeting. As, however, the correspondence has only just come to hand, and the Committee has not had an opportunity of consider-, ering the matter, it is suggested that communication be handed over to the incoming committee for its consideration. (Signed) E. Thurlow Field, Chairman, ~ F. R. Eames, Secretary,] Helensville School Committee. Helensvillle, April 22, 1918.