USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1910 > Part 9
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At Sanford Street the grammar building has been cut off from the heating system of the large building, new heaters installed, and the entire building ven- tilated. The center building is being heated with the boiler formerly used for the entire plant, and the entire building including halls and recitation rooms is now properly heated and ventilated. The school room in the small building has been venti- lated and is heated from the same boiler as the middle building. While the entire work has cost more than the special appropriation made by the town, we have taken the overdraft, as was agreed at the Town Meeting, from our incidental and repair account.
The Bliss School fence has been built within the ap- propriation.
The Plat School still continues to fall behind the promises of the residents of that section. Only about one-half the number of pupils promised has appeared so only one room in that building is used at present.
We have carefully gone over the needs of the depart- ment and we would recommend an appropriation of $78,400.00 with the receipts of the department and the dog fund to meet the expenses for the year.
On account of the large number of pupils transported from Lona Cut district, so-called, the rapid growth of the town in that direction, and the fact that the few available sites suitable for a school lot are rapidly being taken for building purposes, we would recommend that the town purchase a school lot in that vicinity.
We would also recommend that the town make a start this year towards the erection of a new High
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School building by the purchase of a lot, at least, and if thought best, by preparing plans for the building.
Respectfully submitted,
WALTER J. NEWMAN, Chairman ; ALDRO A. FRENCH, Secretary ; BENJAMIN P. KING, EMILY L. RICHARDSON, FLORENCE B. THEOBALD,
THOMAS G. SADLER,
HAROLD E. SWEET,
REGINALD P. DAKIN,
HARRIET WILMARTH,
School Committee,
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ANNUAL REPORT
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
To the School Committee of the Town of Attleborough :
I submit herewith my sixth annual report as Super- intendent of Schools, it being the twenty-seventh in the series of such reports.
STATISTICS.
I.
Population, census 1910.
16,215
II .- School Census.
Number of boys between five and fifteen 1,388
Number of girls between five and fifteen 1,276
Total
2,664
Number of boys between seven and fourteen
1,072
Number of girls between seven and fourteen. 1,042
Total
2,114
III .- Attendance.
Attendance statistics for the school year from Sep- tember 7, 1909, to June 24, 1910:
Number of different pupils enrolled.
2,506
Average membership
2,213
Average attendance
2,061
Per cent. of attendance.
.93
Table showing average membership and per cent. of attendance since 1899-1900:
Average Membership
Annual Gain
Per cent. of Attendance
1899-1900
1834
188
90
1900-1901
1869
35
92
1901-1902
1948
79
93
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ANNUAL REPORT
1902-1903
2000
52
9I
1903-1904
2045
45
92
1904-1905
2070
25
93
1905-1906
2086
16
92
1906-1907
2109
23
93
1907-1908
2207
98
93
1908-1909
235I
I44
94
1909-1910
2213
-138
93
Fall Term, 1910.
September
2350
97
October
2352
95
November
2343
94
December
.2307
92
Average for fall term. . . 2340
95
The loss of 138 as indicated above was due to the opening of a parochial school in connection with St. Joseph's Church, which took nearly 200 pupils from the public schools. This fall, however, we have practically the same numbers we had before the parochial school was opened, our largest membership being for the month of October, 2352, and our average membership for the fall term being 2340.
IV .- School Buildings.
Number of school buildings. 18
Number of school rooms (High School IO, below High School 61) 7I
Number of school rooms in use. 70
V .- Teachers at Present Employed.
Number of teachers and supervisors. 80 Number of teachers in High School. II
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ANNUAL REPORT
Number of teachers in Grades I-VIII. 59
Number of teachers in kindergarten 2
Number of teachers for individual instruction. 3
Number of special teachers and supervisors 5
VI .- Cost of Tuition.
Valuation of Town of Attleborough,
May 1, 1910 . 288,675.97
$16,896,725.00
Total raised by taxation
Total raised by taxation for support of schools 77,500.00
Total net expenditure for support of all schools, excluding vacation and even- ing schools 78,883.96
Total average cost per pupil, based on aver- age membership 35.65
Average cost of books and supplies per pupil, based on average membership .. 1.57
High School.
Total average cost per pupil, based on average membership $52.49
Average cost of books and supplies per pupil 3.53
Schools Below the High School.
Total average cost per pupil, based on average membership $33.63
Average cost of books and supplies per pupil 1.34
Conditions for doing good work this year as last are ex- cellent. The average number of pupils per room in the center of the town is 40, and in the outlying schools, 30. Four primary rooms were crowded at the beginning of the year, but two were relieved by transferring pupils,
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ANNUAL REPORT
and in the other two the number has been gradually re- duced by pupils leaving school so that at present no room is crowded.
An attempt has been made this year to improve the work of the schools and to increase their efficiency by making a general effort to arouse the pupils to greater self-activity. "The watchwords of modern education are self-activity, self-expression, self-development, self-reli- ance and self-control." To lead pupils to think for themselves, to act for themselves, to judge for them- selves, to set for themselves a high standard of attain- ment, and to decide for themselves whether they have succeeded in attaining to that standard, to rely more up- on themselves and less upon their teachers, to work to the best of their ability and to be satisfied with nothing less than that,-in short, to make the development of the child instead of the acquisition of knowledge the end of education, is the high ideal that we have placed before us.
We can realize this ideal only so far as we are able to create in the pupils a strong, deep, abiding interest in their school work. One' class of eighth grade boys in manual training began work twenty minutes before one o'clock and were sorry to leave at twenty minutes past four, although they could have left at half past two had they so desired. Interest of this kind, that carries the pupils over into intense, earnest effort seems to be want- ing in most branches of school work, and yet, without it, the results fall far short of what they ought to be. To arouse more of this interest and to secure better results through its manifestation in the self-activity of the child is our constant aim this year.
Manual Training.
In October, 1909, the Committee voted to provide manual training for the boys of the eighth grade.
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ANNUAL REPORT
Through a fund raised by some of the ladies of the town several years ago, amounting with interest to $112.52, the necessary equipment was procured and the South Main Street School fitted up for the purpose. The boys from all the eighth grades in town come to this school on Friday for instruction, the lessons being nearly one hour and a half in length. The work was successful from the start. The results as exhibited last June were highly complimented, although the class had worked only six months. This year, with a full year's instruc- tion, results should be better than last year. The boys are intensely interested in the work, some of them be- ginning work in the afternoon thirty or forty minutes before the regular time, and remaining till the last min- ute before leaving.
The next step should be to continue this work in the high school. A canvass of the present eighth grade should be made later in the year, and if a sufficient num- ber of those who will enter the high school desire to con- tinue the work, arrangements should be made for them to do so. Our present school, with some additional equipment, could probably be used for such high school classes. The report of the teacher of manual training suggests a suitable outline for such work.
Sewing.
Not less important than the introduction of manual training for the boys, was the action of the Committee in providing for a teacher of sewing for the girls in grades V, VI, VII, VIII. The work in sewing was begun in 1905, when it was voted to allow one hour a week to be used for sewing in these grades. The teachers took up the new work with great interest and enthusiasm, meet- ing to discuss and outline the work, and continued the work until this fall, when through the help of the trus-
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ANNUAL REPORT
tees of Richardson School Fund, it was possible to pro- vide a special teacher for the subject. The results of the work thus far have been excellent. The girls are as interested in sewing as the boys are in manual training, the work of both being highly appreciated by the parents.
Individual Instruction.
Since April, 1906, we have had in each of our large schools a special teacher for the purpose of helping those pupils who for any reason have difficulty in keeping up with their class. Pupils promoted on trial, pupils absent on account of illness, foreign-born children who have difficulty in understanding the English language, pupils who have not grasped a subject from the explanation given in the class,-all these have been helped by the special teachers. It is impossible to state definitely just how many pupils have been saved from being put back a grade, or how much the standard of the schools has been raised by this instruction, but from such information as I have I believe the work is well worth what it costs. To save a year in the educational life of a child means a great deal for the child, besides being economical for the town.
Out of a total of 1,919 pupils in school last June, ex- cluding the kindergarten and the high school, 209 failed of promotion, and 204 were promoted conditionally. Of those who failed of promotion, there were 183, and of those promoted on trial, 181, in school in September. The following tables show how these pupils were dis- tributed and where the loss in numbers from June to September occurred :
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ANNUAL REPORT
Pupils Not Promoted.
Grade
I II III IV V VI VII VIII Total
Number not pro-
moted from grade
indicated in June 77 37
28
13
23
16
9
6
209
Number repeat-
ing grade in Sep- tember
73
37
21
11
17
11
8
5
183
Not in school in
September 4
0
7
2
6
5
1
1
26
Pupils Promoted On Trial.
Grade
II III IV V VI VII VIII
Total
Number pupils pro-
moted on trial to
grade indicated in June
28
14
33
39
36
24
30
204
Number pupils on
trial in school in
September
21
13
30
35
33
22
27
181
Not in school in
September.
7
1
3
4
3
2
3
23
-
Since September some of those who failed of promo- tion in June have left school, so that we have in school at the present time about 175 pupils, about eight per cent. of our present enrollment in the grades mentioned, who are repeating the work that they had last year. If we consider the cost of educating one pupil at $30 per year, it will be seen that the cost of educating these 175 pupils for one year is $5,250. Consequently, if individual in- struction tends to keep pupils up to grade and serves to prevent them from failing of promotion, it not only raises the standard of the schools, but is economical as well.
The High School.
For the year 1900-1901 the average membership of the high school was 134. For 1909-1910, it was 237. For
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ANNUAL REPORT
the fall term 1910, 270. The seating capacity at present is 287, and next September will probably see every seat taken. Steps should be taken at once to provide in- creased accommodations for the high school in order that the work of the school shall not be curtailed.
I have mentioned in previous reports how the work in drawing is very much hampered owing to lack of a proper room, how the drawing classes are held in the laboratory, how inconvenient laboratory tables are for such work, how much time is spent in getting the work ready at the beginning of the lesson and in putting it away at its close because the science classes must use the room, how some of the classes must return in the afternoon for instruction, and how few pupils in the upper classes are taking this subject. I believe that with proper facilities drawing ought to be and could be made one of the most serviceable subjects in the school, one that could be easily correlated with the industry of the town, and that under favorable conditions would be elected by a very large number of pupils. With the pres- ent arrangement of the course of study, however, this cannot be done. A glance at the principal's report will show how every part of the building is now used for recitation purposes and no room is available as a draw- ing room. The time has come when the high school must have more room or the work in other subjects will suffer as the work in drawing has. The only satisfac- tory way to relieve the situation lies in the erection of a new building and action to that effect cannot long be deferred.
The Plat School.
The moving of the Turner Street School building to the St. Jean Plat was finally accomplished early in the year, and school was opened in one room February 7, 1910.
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ANNUAL REPORT
Only grades I and II were assigned to the school, and the enrollment on opening was 18, nine in each grade. Only eight of these were new pupils, the others being transferred from the Washington School. Pupils in grades III-VIII living on the Plat were continued at the Washington School, as there were not sufficient pupils in grades III and IV to warrant opening the other room, and as a school having more than two grades was not desired. The highest enrollment that the school has had is 23. The present enrollment (January 30, 19II) is 15, the loss being due largely to pupils leaving to attend school elsewhere. From these figures it will apparently be a long time before the second room in the building will be needed.
Evening Schools.
Evening Schools were held at Bank Street, Dodgeville and Hebronville thirty-five nights from October 4 to December 23.
Attendance Statistics :
Bank St. Dodgeville Hebronville
Total
‘Enrollment 192
61
50
303
Average Attendance
91
26
28
145
Per cent. of Attendance to enrollment
47
42
56
48
. Number of Illiterates. 57
6
7
70
I am sorry that so few people visit the evening schools. One would certainly be surprised at the work being done and the results attained. The schools this year were better than ever before and much credit is due the teach- ers for what was accomplished.
To call the attention of employers to the opening of the evening schools, and to invite their co-operation in securing as large an attendance as possible, the letter
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ANNUAL REPORT
below was sent to every employer of labor in town at the beginning of the evening school sessions. In many cases the letter was posted in the shops, and I have no doubt the attendance at the evening schools was largely influenced by it.
October 1, 1910.
To Employers :-
I desire to call your attention to the opening of the Public Evening Schools, Tuesday, October 4, for the usual term of twelve weeks. The evening schools are in session Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at the High School building on Bank Street, and at Dodge- ville and Hebronville. There are classes in all the regu- lar day school subjects, with an opportunity to take bookkeeping and mechanical drawing at the High School. A large number of persons have been benefitted each year through the work of the evening schools, and it is hoped that this year the usual large number will take advantage of the opportunity presented.
In connection with the opening of the evening schools, your attention is also called to some of the laws regard- ing the employment and school attendance of minors. They may be stated briefly as follows : ·
I. No minor under the age of fourteen can be em- ployed in any factory, workshop or mercantile establish- ment.
2. No minor between the ages of fourteen and sixteen can be employed without an Age and Schooling Certifi- cate.
3. While the evening schools are in session, no minor under eighteen can be employed without an Age and Schooling Certificate.
4. Illiterate minors under sixteen must attend day school.
5. Illiterate minors between the ages of sixteen and eighteen must attend evening school. 'An illiterate, as
225
ANNUAL REPORT
defined by law, is one who cannot read and write Eng- lish well enough to be admitted to the fourth grade of the public schools.
6. Employers are required by law to keep on file and to send to the superintendent of schools a complete list of the names of all minors employed by them who are illiterate according to the above definition.
The School Department feels that the amount appro- priated each year to maintain the evening schools is wisely expended, and asks your co-operation and support that the benefits and advantages offered by the schools this year may be enjoyed by as many persons as possible.
Yours respectfully,
LEWIS A. FALES,
Superintendent.
Vacation Schools.
The session of the vacation schools at Dodgeville and Hebronville this year was the most successful that the schools have had. At Dodgeville the attendance was so large that three teachers were necessary; at Hebron- ville two as usual. Each year new kinds of manual work have been introduced, so that now we have sewing, weaving, basketry, raffia, brass-work, etc. While no at- tempt is made to give instruction in the usual school sub- jects, yet work along the lines indicated is certainly of great value to the pupils, and the fact that for six weeks during the summer they spend their forenoons working and playing games under the care and supervision of competent teachers cannot fail to have an uplifting in- fluence in the community. The interest of the pupils is shown by the fact that at Dodgeville the lowest attend- ance for any day was sixty.
226
ANNUAL REPORT
Attendance.
Dodgeville
Hebronville
Total
Enrollment
II2
67
179
Average attendance
71
38
109
Cost.
Teachers' salaries
$246.00
Supplies
73.49
Incidentals
.90
Total
$320.39
Some of the large cities are now maintaining summer high schools and grade schools for the benefit of those pupils who have failed of promotion and who wish to make up work during the summer. Such a school for our high school pupils would, of course, be impossible ; but in consideration of the number of pupils who fail of promotion or are promoted on trial, instruction during the summer in certain subjects for some grades might be desirable.
Transportation.
Our net expenditure for the transportation of pupils this year is $3,043.41. The following table shows how this item of expense has increased in the last five years.
Amount Expended for Transportation.
Total
1905
Barges $1,632.00
Electric Cars $ 625.00
$2,257.00
1906
1,740.00
653.75
2,343.75
1907
1,740.00
680.00
2,420.00
1908
2,085.00
800.00
2,885.00
1909
1,797.00
1,075.00
2,872.00
1910
1,911.00
1,132.41
3,043.4I
Increase since 1905 $279.00
$507.4I
$786.4I
Year
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ANNUAL REPORT
The same number of barges that we had in 1905 cost to-day $279 more. The increase in the cost of transpor- tation by electrics is due primarily to the rapid increase in the number of children in sections where no barge is maintained, or where the barge maintained is not large enough to accommodate the children. The latter is true of the Thacher Street section where seventy pupils are now receiving transportation, thirty by barge and forty by electric cars. From Dodgeville, Hebronville and Briggs Corner the pupils in the seventh and eighth grades are brought to the center of the town. This has been done to avoid crowding the rooms and because it was felt that the pupils would receive a better education in rooms having a single grade in the center of the town, than they could in rooms having three or more grades in the schools near their homes.
As the town grows, provision must be made for the in- creasing number of pupils in the outskirts of the town. The erection of a building on Thacher Street would re- duce the transportation expense over $800, and would re- duce the number of pupils receiving transportation to a few pupils in the upper grades who would be brought to the center schools till the number was sufficiently large to warrant opening a room for them. This would pro- bably be but a short time judging by the rapid growth of this section.
School Savings Bank.
The school savings bank still continues to be a decided success. The following statement shows the condition of the bank since its introduction into the schools in October, 1908 :
Dr.
Deposited from October, 1908, to Jan-
uary 1, 1909. $2,429.00
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ANNUAL REPORT
Deposited from January 1, 1909, to Jan-
uary 1, 1910. . 4,497.85
Deposited from January 1, 1910, to Jan- uary I, 19II. 4,198.25
Total interest received-
October-May, 1909 $37.91
May, 1909-May, 1910 50.45
May, 1910-November, 1910. 20.89
109.25
Total
$11,234.35
Cr.
Transferred to pupils' individual accounts,
October, 1908, to January 1, 1909. $ 644.00
January 1, 1909, to January 1, 1910 4,469.00
January 1, 1910, to January 1, 19II. 4,086.00
Withdrawn 1909 93.II
Withdrawn 1910 101.49
Interest withdrawn 60.96
Total $9,454.56
Balance on deposit January 1, 1911, including interest ($48.29) $1,779.79
Number of individual accounts opened at the bank from
October, 1908, to January 1, 1909. 90
January 1, 1909, to January 1, 1910 407
January 1, 1910, to January 1, 19II. 213
Total number of individual accounts 710
There has been transferred to these 710 accounts a total of $9,199. Many pupils, especially those in the upper grades, after having an account opened for them, deposit money directly at the bank instead of through the school bank, and consequently the number of pupils
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ANNUAL REPORT
in those grades making use of the school bank dimin- ishes. At present the number of pupils depositing in the school bank is 1,226, about fifty-seven per cent. of the total enrollment below the high school. It would seem that the new law allowing thrift to be taught in public schools was being well observed in Attleborough.
Sight and Hearing Tests.
During the fall term the usual examination of pupils for defects in sight and hearing has been made by the teachers. The following table shows the results of these examinations for three years :
1908
1909
1910
Number of pupils enrolled.
225I
2279
2350
Number found defective in eyesight ..
279
329
210
Number found defective in hearing ...
II2
149
104
Number of parents or guardians noti-
fied
299
· 257
274
There is no doubt that a great deal of good is accom- plished by these examinations. Some pitiful cases are revealed, in which the eyes of pupils are so badly affected that they are practically unable to accomplish anything in school, and yet the parents are so poor or so negligent that no relief for the suffering child is obtained. Al- though such cases are rare, yet for the few that we have, some way should be provided so that the education of the child should not be hindered on account of the poverty or neglect of the parent.
Age and Schooling Certificates.
The employment of minors under fourteen years of age is prohibited, (a) during school hours; (b) between 7 p. m. and 6 a. m .; (c) in factories and workshops; (d) in mercantile establishments except on Saturdays. Minors
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ANNUAL REPORT
between the ages of fourteen and sixteen must have an age and schooling certificate, issued only to those who, in the opinion of the school physician, are in sufficiently sound health to perform the proposed work. Minors be .- tween the ages of sixteen and eighteen must have a cer- tificate that they can read and write, or must attend evening school while it is in session. I am glad to say that most of the factories are very willing to comply with the labor laws, failure to observe them being due to ignorance of the laws rather than to deliberate intention to disregard them. This is true also of pupils in the high school who work afternoons in stores and factories, many thinking that because they attend school, no certificate is needed. An attempt has been made to overcome this to some extent by having principals instruct the pupils in the high school and the grammar grades that they need certificates if they wish to work, although they are still attending school.
Age and schooling certificates have been issued dur- ing the year to 255 minors under sixteen, 204 to persons living in town, and 51 to persons living out of town. Since 1904, certificates have been issued as follows :
1904
1905
1 906
I907
1 908
1909
1910
166
I90
292
231
I52
224
255
Gifts
It is always a source of satisfaction that each year the schools receive a number of gifts from those interested in the welfare of the schools. This year we have received gifts as follows :
High School-Two Webster's International Dictionaries,
Richardson School Fund ; specimens of minerals, A. H. Tucker.
Sanford Street School-One case maps, one blackboard globe, Richardson School Fund.
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