SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1753, 21 June 1888, Page 2

SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

' tbmuka! The monthly meeting of the Temuka School Committee was held on Tuesday evening last. Present—Messrs J. T. M. Hayhurst (Chairman), J. Blyth, E. Brown, A. R. Allan, Jus. Winning, and A.M. Clark. MINUTES. Tho minutes of the last meeting ware read and confirmed. THE STATE. A letter was read from the Board of Education, dated B'h June; in reply to letter from the Committee requesting the appointment of Miss Wills as pupil toach-r, net Mr Ackroyd resigned, stating that in case the average attendance ’ at ’ the school warranted it Miss Wills would be appointed, but pointing out , that the school had already an exceptional staid ; also stating, that in the first quar.qr ot the year, through a doorcase in the Mr Acktoyd had been put on half p»y, and that a paragraph marked in an an enclosed letter re the number of pupils taking secondary subjects, which bad never hitherto been made! applicable to Temuka, would be brought before the Board for further elucidation. The Chairman Stated that eo receipt of thelette.r ho wrote to the Board, asking whether they would pay the salary due to Miss Wills for the lime she, had been engaged iu teaching at the request of the Committee, i r i

On the 12th June- the Secretary to the Board wrote stating, that under ordinary circumstances Mb's WHls would receive pay only from the dale of her appointment by'the Board,-but os the school average at the - end of this quarter will probably show a fat ing off the nppointmeni. of Miss Wills will bs postponed sine die, and the Board would probably sanction payment of salary to her oni the time she had bien at work. Should the' average fall the Committee would not only not be to the services of Miss Wills, but in the terrai of. the Inspectors recommendation' the Com•nittea will' bo liable to have their next junior pupil teacher put on half pay. A long conversation ensued, it being held by nnrnbera that the 'Board should have app doted Miss Wills when the Commiitoe applied that she should be appointed, as 'tho av-rage 1 attendance at the school for the quarter ended March fnly ent tied the school to her services,, The I’. iird weie not acting'fairly" to the tcho d, a' d Were over-riding their ragulalalioi gn m iking.the appointment dependent on 'ho prospective average. It was consido'ed that the paragraph referring to the imraVr qf pupils taking the spoooda'y subjects referred solely to the Waimate school, and it would not.be fair to make it apply to Tomiika without notice*

it wa? proposed by Mr Brown, seconded by Mr Blyth, nod carried—“ That the Secretary write to tba Boir-i, explaining t'iat the Committee desire to point out that Miss Wills sbou'd have been appointed at last meeting of the Board on the average of the quarter ended 31 at March, and not on the prospective average for quarter ending 30th June.’' At a later period of the meeting Mr Clark said that as the bead master was responsib'e for the whole school be thought it would be well that hi© should be asked for a report »s to the efficiency ?of the teachers under him. > I, The Charman said ■ that the Bead Master should have done so when he was asked for an explanation after the last examination.

Mr B'ytb thought if he had any fault to find with tbe teachers under’him the Committee should know it.

Mr Brown said the Inspector ought t » know, after an examination of the school, whether any of the teachers were weak. Mr Clark thought as they had the recommending of the teachers they should go a little further and ask the Hoad Mister for a report on his subordinates.' They could do what they liked £ with Master should not ba held responsible for a bcbool of the dimensions of the Termika one without having an opportunity of saying something about his assistants. He (Mr Clark) did not know that there was a fault, but he thought the Head Master ought to report now or be holdblameable at the end of the year. Mr Winning thought the auggea'ido a very good and most important one, After a little further discussion, Mr Clark moved, Mr Winning seconded, .and it wan carried/ That the Head Master be requested to report by letter on the efficiency of the subordinate teachsrs before next meeting.” ; . WET DAYS, : A circular was read from the Board of Education, stating that the school must ba kept open on wet days, no mattsr bow small the attendance.— It was decided to forward tbe circular to the Head: Master. SEWING. A question in reference to the work brought by one ipl the children for the sewing class was, then considered. The mother of a’ child ‘ objected to being dicta'ed tQ as to the sort of work* the child should 'take. It was., pointed' out that the school regulations fixed’ tbs c ass of sewing work to be done by each Standard, and a child was not allow d to do any class of work. The subject (sawing) was a class one, and if the child did not pass in it, no matter how good she w'is in other subjects, she would bo counted a failure. The child in question was in the third standard, yet she was given work suitable for the sec on • standard. It wss agreed that tbe teachers must see that the school regulations woe adhered to, and the matter was left in the bands of the Chairman to report at next meeting. IRHEGVIiAIt ATTENDANCE. ! The police reported t'iat they had served the notic 8 on the parents of children who w re ntte iding irregularly. Two letters were ’eceiv<'f in reply. In one it vra- staled tli.it die child complained of had been sent ngu ar y t.a »chool, and had been severe y pquisiud tor (ruintiug, He was nqw attending regularly. Io the othw it was staled that the children had not the Mcessary hoots, and clothes.—. I

After considering this esse it wes decided —“That the Secretary write to the parent, stating that the child must attend on the day the school rs-opens after the mid-winter holidays, or a summons will be issued.”: ■ master's REFOBT, ■ ‘ The Head Master’s report was; read as follows: “ 1 hare the honor to submit tb«; fol* lowing report for ’ the month of May ;iv Average weekly r011—80y5,185.7; gftU; 155.2; total, 341. Average attendance— Boys, 141.4 ; girls, 119'4total, • 260.8' Highest attendance—Boys, 150; girls, 128; total, 278. T beg’to enclose 7s 64, balance, of stationery fees for current .• quarter. As the date of the pupil teachers’ examination io South 'Canterbnry always determines "the'date of our mid-winter vacation, I bag to remind yon that the examination begin on Tuesday, 26th mat. 1 also beg to apply for one gross of pen holders.—l have, etc., “W. Bk?abs.” It was decided to procure the school requisites asked for. ■.

, HOUHATS. .r ; Proposed by Mr Brown, seconded' by Mr Blyth, and.csrried-^-“ l Th%t the school break up for mid-winter holidays on Friday, 22nd mat., and re-open on Tuesday, 10ih July.” ,

VISITOR. Mr Brown reported that 'he Usd visited : the school and found everything progressing fwyonibty. . . r r Mr Winning said rwhari; he’ was np at the school a few days before f he noticed that soma of the boards of tlie floor in tho lavatory were aiill wet. Mr Brown said that after the pipes were repaired he had requested that the flooring should be kept up for a. few days to see that a there, was no leakage. When the boards', were; put down' he was sure there was no leakage. | Mr Blyth was appointed visitor for the month. » } • I i '. ' ACCOUNTS. " I The Chairman .suggested that the * janitor’ssccount should .in future be . brought before the. Committee with the . o'her accounts sod pasted. He thought that would be better than the system now existing. ' Mr Winning and Mr A: M. Clark concurred, and after a ■ short discussion a motion to that effect was moved by Mr Winoiug, seconded by Mr. Clark, and carried.' ... . t ... f . An account for £l7* 6d was pass"d for payment. The meeting then terminated with a vote of thanks to the<Chairmap. BELFIELD/ The mouthly meeting of the Be'fiald School Committee was held in-the schoolroom on Jnne 16 h.' ’ Prosetit—Messrs E. Griffiths (Chairman), Ford, Newport, and Greenaway. ; Tho minutes of (he . previous meeting were read and confirmed. ‘ }> The Chairman laid on the liable a paper which he had received - from containing a statement of ' the amounts expended on school ■ buildings since the. coming into operation .of the Education. Act, .1887, and requested each member to read it for trirhself <<■ ' ! ' 1 Correspondence w ie resdas'follows ; . From the Board of Education, re keep- ' ing school open on wet days. From the Board- of -.Education, fre the.very; irregular attendance', and requesting an explanation-..—The Chair‘man sail’there had nekrlyalways been *4 difficulty in 7 keeping up the average attendance of the school, and it wes high time some .one Ishould }be made w public example of. 1 He would suggest that, unless the attendance I greatly improved within - the next week or two, the Committee should .summons some seven of eight who' hadnegUcted to cause their children to attend school as they should do.—-To this' the -Committee unanimously agreed,' and the Chairman was directed to strictly to this decision; vi;•

The Inspector's report vaa nad, and 1 ; considered rery unsatisfactory. v . Tha teacher’s report for the, paat month, was read, which showed that the attend* , aace w»« very bad’, and gate the names of several who needed looking up. Some complaints were made, about the children being kept in' school too late in the afternoon, and, after some con* sideration, the Committee decided that from, the. present time,. to, the Ist .of August next tbe school close at'3 o’clock ; also that one week’s holiday,-be given for midwinter, namely, last west' in June, the school to reopen bn July 2nd. The Chairman reported having visited the school on the 15th, lost;, -and foand everything satisfactory. There were 39 children |n attendance on that occasion, but on some fine days the nuiqber did not amount to 20. ’ 1 V Mr was appointed; visiior for the ensuing month, and the meeting then terminated. ... , >rr f r SOUTH .ORARI.; The moathly meeting of I the South Orari School Committee wa« held on Monday, June 18th. Present—Mesars J. C. Binskin (Chairman), Batty, Bates, Behrens, Collie, Coles, and McLeod. The minutes of the last ordinary and special inerting were rtad and confirmed. A lettsp was read; fr 6 Constable Willoughby, informing the Committee that be had delivered the notices sent to him under the compulsory clauses of the Education...Act,’ v .. A! circular was rectiveAfirom tbe Board of EducatipnVe attendance, pp wet days. —To be banded to the head teacher. . ThelDßpector’s half*ySMlj f sport was read; which showed-that ‘the'ickool had made good, .progress, during tbs lime Master J. McLssd bad charge of it, and it was .considered very satisfactory, with the exception of that portion referring to the irregular attendance.—it was resolved that the Chai mao write to. the Board, and explain that on account of tbe.change in teachers some of the parents, would note send their children to school;' and thatt notices under the compulsory > c suns ofjr the Act had been sent to them. Also, that since Mr J. A, Fitzgerald had taken charge of tbe ichbol the average attendance had risen to 50, and the roll number to 66; ’ s

The master's report was read, and considered very ''He vriiditfl Jo know wind holiday* were generally given for winter. ' fla also asked ,l|« the Committee's approv'd of Ids. idrtjiitg the Fchoolhousa to a married.coup,.*.—it was decided to close the sc'iool at noon on Friday, Jiune 220 d, uni reop.n oh AJwVy, Jl'ily 9 li. It was r#«oljred that ti e.Committee ara, wiJJiog for the teacher

to let the’bdUw'tb a^reepectii) 4 ® tenant; the teacher to be responsible for keeping ths house in repair during the time be , reoeivee rent for It. , Tenders for charwoman were opened as follow-Mr* J. Johnson, £8 per annum; Mrs W. Hide, £7 IQs (accepted). Ihe vintorreported that, one p«ee of glsse was broken and two others cracked.,—lt waft decided to ask the-teacher to try and findlbut who broke the windows, and: that the Chairman get them repsired. . The final arrangements' were made tor • the 1 concert and 'dance’ on Friday. A good' programme is being, prepared, and, •honld the . weather be favorable, there ought to be a crowded bouse. It wae decided to admit school children for sixpence