SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING.

Shannon News, 17 November 1925, Page 3

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING.

.The above meeting was held in the schoolroom on Thursday evening. ■Present:—Messrs R. L. Tippler .(chairman), .Burns, Blackwood, Lankshear, ■Brown, Roberts and Watkins (secretary) and the headmaster (Mr White). An apology lor absence was received irom Mr Phillips, CORRESPONDENCE. From Secretary, Wellington Education Board, stating that for the comfort of the teacher the Board has agreed to provide in the course of the alterations an extension of the washhouse for a storeroom. Messrs Wilkinson and -Hyde wrote to the effect that they will be screening on Friday, November. 20th, the super scenic masterpiece, “Glorious New Zealand,” which is the work of the New Zealand Government Publicity Department-, to which the Director of Education has authorised the attendance of school children, and tliat the time spent by the children at- the theatre will count as for a geography lesson. The price of admission for children to the matinee will he 6d, teachers in charge of children being admitted free.—Left)in the' hands of the headmaster. VISITING COMMITTEE’S REPORT. Messrs Tippler and Blackwodd reporting on their visit to the school and grounds, stated they hud "found several windows broken, and they had instructed Mr Thompson to repair them. The merry go.round requires painting and they recommended this should be done before the dry weather sets in.. They had inspected room occupied by St." 111, and had found it to be unhealthy. The floor is too close to the ground, the roof leaks, the wood work Is badly worm eaten and the room haS a very musty smell. This room has been already condemned by the Board’s experts, but so-far they had done nothing to., remedy it. They" urged that the • Committee take tlie matter up and have* it attended to. The main school requires painting both inside and out. In regard to the school resi-

dence they found that it has not been * built according t-o - the original plan. It has been made smaller and one bedroom has ..(been absolutely spoilt by leaving the old range fireplace - in. They suggested that the present large gate be removed on to the main road and open on to- the girls’ playground, and thus give a hack entrance to the school and save "traffic over the asphalt. The trees have all been cut and help to make -.-the grounds drier and healthier for tbe children. Fifteen cords of firewood were procured from the trees. This wood requires to he placed "uuer cover. They were greatly impressed since .their last" visit with the manner in which the children are re-

sponding to the headmaster. There Is a marked improvement and the staff are 1 giving of their best. , They, consider the playing area „to be too small and would recommend that more ground be purchased. They understood that if the Conknittee can find, one-third of. the purchase money the Board will find the remainder. A plan and the price of a piece of land adjoining would be submitted to the committee for ..consideration,' .Ploughing'has'been done by’Master H. 'Tippler and the potatoes sown by the children are beginning to show up—The report avus received. Dealing with the question of purchasing more land -to increase. the playing area, the piece under view would give them a square section and would make the present ground better , for drainage purposes. The pieces under offer, one avus just under fwo acres and tlie other tAvo-fifths of an acre and the price asked AV'as £‘3oo and £BO respectively. It Avas pointed out/that the Committee had to look to the future in this matter; The committee agreed the suggestion Avas alright, hut Avere of opinion the price asked was too high and it.-was resolved that the chairman. interview the agent, and point this out. It-Avas decided to have the merry-go-round and any of the playing apparatus that needed it, painted as opportunity permits,. It Avas resolved to approach the Department urging' the necessity of rebuilding the room 'Occupied by Standard 111. and point out that tlie room was unhealthy and compared with the rest of the school was a disgrage. It was also decided to" invite the Health Officer to make an inspection' and report to' the Board, and that the Department’s doctor, .on her next visit be shown the room.

GENERAL. . The chairman, reported that during lbe month members of the Tokomaru School Committee had visited the school, their main object having been to inspect the playing apparatus, Mr Atkins, a member of the Board, and Mr Powell, the Board’s clerk of works, had visited the school and were''met by Messrs Tippler and Bhickwood and the headmaster (Mr White) when an inspection was made of the school, grounds and - residence and some new works were discussed, Mr Brown moved that d small committee be set up toi fix up the portion of grqiuid in the front corner of the school ready for tar-sealing.—Carried and the chairman and Messrs Blackwood and Brown were appointed. Application to be made to have the fences, erected around the school residence. . In view of new W.C.’s having to be built Mr Blackwood recommended 'that it be brought under the notice of the Board, the advisability of the construction of a septic tank to - serve the s.chool and master’s residence.—Agreed to. The Piano Committee (the chairmail and Messrs Roberts and Wat-

kins) reported "having visited Wellington and after inspecting several pianos, they had purchased a “Doherty” for £BS, Avhich they considered would he "a good serviceable piano.—The. committee’s action was endorsed and they Avere accorded a vote o.f thanks % for the trouble they had taken . Mr Burns drew attention to the unsatisfactory fastenings and cords ui the windows, the former having rusted and these he thought Avas responsible for the breaking of several of the windows.—lt was decided to have them nit tended to. y The medal was received- from the Chamber of Commerce, which has been donated by that, body to the dux of the sehe.nl last. year... The medal will be presented to the winner at a fund oh Ur be • held at a later date.—The Chamber was accorded a vote of thanks. On behalf of tlie donors and committee the chairman handed ov’er the care of the new pianojo Mr White and in accepting same ,the latter ihanked the committee for the zeal they had put into, the matter, and it gave him great pleasure the way they helped, the school along as a body and he could truly say they wve're a “live committee” arid he could assure tbe mhe Avi 11 take tlie best care of the piano and he felt sure it Avould be. put to a profitable use. HEADMASTER’S REBOOT. The headmaster (Mr White) reported as follows:—The arrangement of conveying the children to and from school from Buckley road by Hotchen and Watts bus was not working satisfactorily. Tbe children were alAvavs late reaching school, and it was 4.30 p.m. before they returned home, and only half the children from that locality were using it. He had approached Mr Baird to see if he could make an arrangement to Avork it in with is other runs. He asked that the Committee approach the Council re gravelling the front of the school. The attendance for the past four weeks had been 311, 346, 347, 340, the present number on the roll being 372, with an average attendance of 345. He said there had been a fair amount of sickness, mostly colds, resulting in .a number of the little ones being kept home, thus pulling tbe average down.