USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1928 > Part 11
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Text Books and Supplies
Mrs. Holbrook Mr. Nerney
Dr. Dakin
Buildings
Mr. Finberg
Mr. Richardson Mr. Nerney
Finance
Mr. Thayer
Mr. Lamb Dr. Dakin
Regular meetings, first and third Mondays of each month at 7:30 o'clock P. M.
Bills are paid on the fifteenth of each month.
All bills to be acted on must be submitted in duplicate, and be in the hands of the clerk of the committee, Superintendent's office, on the Sat- urday preceding the meeting.
147
ANNUAL REPORT
Superintendent of Schools LEWIS A. FALES
Office, Sanford Street School. Telephone 12 Residence, 22 Mechanic Street. Telephone 22
The Superintendent's office is open on school days from 8:30 to 5:00; Saturday, 9:00 to 12:00. The Superintendent's office hours on school days are from 8:30 to 9:00; 4:00 to 5:00 Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 7:00 to 8:00 Monday evening.
Superintendent's Secretary
Alice I. Wetherell, Telephone 1235-J
32 Sanford Street
Clerks
Anna B. Perry 79 North Main Street . 61 Hebron Avenue
Hilda R. LaPalme
School Physician
Dr. Jesse W. Battershall, Telephone 284.
18 North Main Street
School Nurse
Mrs. Anna Bradford, Telephone 1526.W. 71 George Street Office hours, Sanford Street School. 4 to 4:30 on school days. Lin- coln School, 1:00 to 3:00 on Friday.
Attendance Officer
Charles T. Crossman .. .32 Benefit Street
Telephones: Home, 670-M. Office, 670-R.
Office hours on school days: 8:45 to 9:30 A. M. daily at the Office of the Superintendent.
School Calendar
Fall Term. Thursday, September 6, 1928 to December 21, 1928
Winter Term. . Wednesday, January 2, 1929 to February 15, 1929 Spring Term .. February 25, 1929 to April 12, 1929 April 22, 1929 to Wednesday, June 26, 1929 Summer Term
School Sessions
High School-One session, from 8:15 to 1:40, with a recess of fifteen minutes.
Bank Street-One session, from 8:15 to 1:15.
Briggs Corner-8:45 A. M. to 2:20 P. M. with a noon intermission from 11:30 to 12:05.
Lincoln and South Attleboro-8:45 to 11:45 and 1:00 to 3:00.
Grammar and Primary Schools-Morning session from 9:00 to 11:45. Afternoon sessions from 1:30 to 3:45, from March 1 to November 1; 1:15 to 3:30 from November 1 to March 1. Grade I closes fifteen minutes earlier than the other grades.
148
ANNUAL REPORT
No School Signals Adopted March 5, 1928
Four Double Strokes on the Fire Alarm 2-2-2-2.
7:15 A. M .- Postponement of the opening of the High and Bank Street Schools till 9 o'clock.
8:00 A. M .- No session for the High and Bank Street Schools for the day, and no morning session for any other school.
8:15 A. M .- No morning session for Grades 1, 2 and 3. Afternoon ses- sion for all grades unless the signal is repeated at 12:15 or 12:30.
11:15 A. M .- One session. Grades 1, 2 and 3 will close for the day at 12 M. All higher grades then in session except the High and Bank Street Schools, will close for the day at 1:00 P. M.
12:15 P. M .- No afternoon session for all grades below the High School.
12:30 P. M .- No afternoon session for Grades 1, 2 or 3.
6:50 P. M .- No session for evening schools.
The signal will be given at 8:00 A. M. and 12:15 P. M. only in very severe weather.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
GENERAL STATEMENT
Gross Cost of Schools
$352,029.91
Received from State:
Reimbursement Teachers' Salaries
$29,606.30
Reimbursement Americanization
505.73
Reimbursement Tuition and Transportation of State Wards
156.31
Reimbursement Continuation School.
4,586.87
Received Tuition Continuation School
11.78
Received Tuition.
1,061.00
Received Smith-Hughes Fund and Interest ..
737.36
Received for Use of High School Hall. 60.00
Received Cash.
763.44
Net Receipts
$37,488.79
Net Cost of Schools to City
$314,541.12
RECEIPTS
Appropriation
$351,800.00
Smith-Hughes Fund (June, 1928) . 737.36
$352,537.36
149
ANNUAL REPORT
EXPENDITURES
General Control
General Account
High School
Elementary School
Total
Clerks.
$3,651.92
$3,651.92
Telephones.
91.39
$47.14
$462.02
$600.55
Census Enumerator ..
250.00
250.00
Office Expenses. . .
206.65
206.65
Superintendence
Superintendent.
$4,000.00
$4,000.00
Attendance Officer
and Custodian of Buildings.
1,500.00
1,500.00
Office Expenses.
391.13
391.13
Expenses Out of Town
77.20
77.20
Automobiles
700.00
700.00
Instruction
Teachers
$64,195.20
$175,994.38
$240,189.58
Supervisors
2,865.00
5,195.00
8,060.00
Books.
1,410.10
3,534.37
4,944.47
Supplies
2,066.58
4,394.28
6,460.86
Cooking
312.31
179.09
491.40
Manual
Training.
455.74
473.63
929.37
Sewing .
10.38
22.29
32.67
Operating School Plant
Janitors
$3,489.73
$17,778.45
$21,268.18
Fuel.
859.22
10,324.01
11,183.23
Water.
103.15
691.57
794.72
Janitors' Supplies
157.61
718.35
875.96
Lights-Gas.
86.67
86.67
Lights-Electricity ..
610.39
656.51
1,266.90
Power
221.40
138.00
359.40
Towels
33.25
248.32
281.57
Maintaining School Plant
Maintenance.
$1,803.03
$10,303.57
$12,106.60
Auxiliary Agencies
Health.
$75.00
$2,922.50
$2,997.50
Transportation.
1,197.61
9,846.63
11,044.24
Miscellaneous
Tuition .
$125.00
$370.15
$495.15
Graduations
117.15
149.11
266.26
Sundries
22.00
167.26
189.26
Express
6.04
48.69
54.73
Insurance
1,515.60
1,584.52
3,100.12
$10,868.29
$81,698.63
$246,289.37
$338,856.29
150
ANNUAL REPORT
Evening School
Teachers' Salaries ...
$2,082.25
Books and Supplies.
75.20
Janitors
213.00
Lights.
112.95
Sundries
72.83
$2.556.26
Vacation School
Teachers
$468.00
Supplies.
130.81
Equipment.
92.31
$691.12
Continuation School
Salaries.
$8,947.21
Maintenance.
979.03
$9,926.24
Total Expenditures. . .
$352,029.91
Balance.
$507.45
SUMMARY OF EXPENDITURES
General Control
School Committee
$4,709.12
Superintendence.
6,668.33
Instruction .
261,108.35
Operating School Plant.
36,116.63
Maintaining School Plant.
12,106.69
Auxiliary Agencies
14,041.71
Miscellaneous.
4,105.52
Evening School.
2,556.26
Vacation School.
691.12
Continuation School.
9,926.24
$352.029.91
Balance
$507.45
SPECIAL APPROPRIATION LINCOLN SCHOOL Receipts
Balance of Appropriation from 1927.
$932.23
Expenditures
American Seating Company.
$50.00
Anchor Post Company.
320.00
Atherton Furniture Company
11.70
Andrew Dutton Company.
289.49
George W. Ellis
49.88
Lewis A. Fales.
3.28
Fine's.
10.24
William F. Flynn & Son.
21.34
J. L. Hammett Company
24.00
A. S. Ingraham Company.
33.28
C. S. Jackson.
10.75
N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. Company .
1.86
Olof Pearson
88.80
S. H. Roberts
8.00
$922.62
Balance $9.67
151
ANNUAL REPORT
Report of the Superintendent of Schools
To the School Committee of Attleboro:
I present herewith my twenty-fourth annual report, it being the forty fourth in the series of Superintendent's Reports. The attendance statistics are for the school year from September, 1927 to June, 1928. The financial report is for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1928.
STATISTICS I-Population
Population, Census 1920 19,731
Population, Estimated. 24,664
II-School Census, October, 1928
Number of Children Between the Ages of 5 and 7 871
Number of Children Between the Ages of 7 and 14.
2,724
Number of Children Between the Ages of 14 and 16. 688
4,283
III-Attendance, September, 1927 to June, 1928
Total Number of Different Pupils Enrolled.
4,036
Average Daily Membership.
3,877
Average Daily Attendance
3,681
Per Cent. of Attendance.
95
TABLE showing the average membership and per cent. of attendance for the last ten years:
Average Membership
Gain Over Previous Year
Per Cent. of Attend- ance
1918-1919
2,962
80
93
1919-1920
3,234
272
92
1920-1921
3,499
265
94
1921-1922
3,623
124
94
1922-1923
3,544
Loss -79
95
1923 1924.
3,692
148
94
1924-1925.
3,782
90
95
1925-1926.
3,791
9
94
1926-1927.
3,860
69
95
1927-192S.
3,877
17
95
Gain in Ten Years-995.
Attendance for the Fall Term-1928
Average Membership
September
3,968
October.
3.977
November
3,957
December
3,904
152
ANNUAL REPORT
SCHOOL BUILDINGS
Number of School Buildings.
26
Number of Classrooms, (High, 25; Grades, 103) . 128
Number of Rooms in Use 125
TEACHERS
Number of Teachers and Supervisors 158
Number of Teachers in High School.
34
Number of Teachers in Grades I-VIII. 105
Number of Teachers in Kindergartens.
4
Number of Teachers for Individual Instruction. 3
Number of Special Teachers. 8
Number of Teachers in Continuation School.
4
COST OF INSTRUCTION
Valuation of Attleboro, 1928. $24,742,450.00
Expended for Support of Schools Excluding Evening, Va-
cation and Continuation Schools. . 338,856.29
Average Membership of Day Schools, September, 1927 to September, 1928. 3,877.00
Expended Per Pupil Based on Average Membership 87.40
Cost of Books and Supplies Per Pupil. 2.94
HIGH SCHOOL
Total Amount Expended for High School, Including . High School Share of General Expenses. $83,676.66
Average Membership of High School, 1927-1928 706
Cost Per Pupil. 118.52
Cost of Books and Supplies Per Pupil. 4.92
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Expended for Elementary Schools. $255,179.63
Average Membership of Elementary Schools, 1927-1928 .. 3,171
Cost Per Pupil. 80.47
Cost of Books and Supplies Per Pupil. 2.50
SCHOOL HOUSING
In the last ten years, the number of pupils has increased 995. In that time 36 rooms have been made available for school use.
1920-Washington School Addition, 4 Rooms
1920-Bliss School Addition, 8 Rooms
1925-Richardson School Addition, 8 Rooms
1926-Lincoln School, 10 Rooms
1919-Portable (One Room) for Pleasant Street
1919-Portable (One Room) for Richardson School
1920-Portable (One Room) for Hebronville School
1920-Portable (One Room) for Tiffany School
1923-Portable (One Room) for Hebronville School
153
ANNUAL REPORT
1923-Portable for Washington School
1925-Portable from Pleasant Street Moved to Washington School
At present there are in use 5 portable buildings: Hebronville School. 2 1 Tiffany School Washington School. 2
The portable building at the Richardson School is not used and should be removed, as it takes up valuable play ground space.
In my report in 1920, I recommended the building of an addition to the Hebronville School. It was finally decided that instead of an addition to the present building, a new building should be erected. An architect was secured, plans were drawn, bids were received, and the committee was ready to award the contract when it was rumored that the Hebron Mill was in financial difficulty and might close. Not knowing what might happen to the school population of the village, and not wishing to build a building if the number of pupils was to be greatly reduced, the Committee on November 1, 1921, decided to postpone action on erecting the building. That was seven years ago. The enrollment figures of the school for the month of October for the last ten years show that the school has held very close to the enrollment that it had in 1920 when my first recommendation was made.
Enrollment for the month of October since 1913 follows:
1913
124
1918
158
1923 230
1914.
132
1919.
167
1924.
208
1915.
144
1920.
214
1925
214
1916.
136
1921.
206
1926.
196
1917.
150
1922
211
1927.
206
1928. 204
Since 1920 the enrollment has been practically constant, averaging 210 pupils. These pupils are housed in an old five-room building erected in 1884 and in two portables bought in 1920 and 1923. There are three hot air furnaces in the main building and one in each portable. While there are seats enough for all the pupils, I consider the school inade- quately housed. The portable buildings have no drinking water or toilets, the children being obliged to go to the main building. The toilets in the main building were never intended for so large a number of pupils, and the stairs to the basement are narrow, and the toilet rooms small. The hallway in the building is very small, and there are poor accommo- dations for the pupils' clothing. The portable school buildings were in- tended for only temporary use, but one has been in use eight years and the other five. It was never planned to use these permanently. So long as the number of children seems to be fairly constant, and is nearly the same as it was when the first recommendation was made, I recommend that the original plan be now carried out and that a new building, ade- quate to meet the needs of the community be erected at Hebronville.
At the Washington School where two portable buildings are also in use, 5 rooms now have an enrollment of 41 or more. The seventh and eighth grades were transferred from this school to the Lincoln School in September, 1926, when the Lincoln School was opened. In October, 1925, the enrollment was 380. In October, 1926, after transfers had been made to the Lincoln School, the enrollment was 349. In October, 1927, the enrollment was 353, and this year it is 363 and is still growing. The Washington School is now the third largest school in the city below
1
154
ANNUAL REPORT
the High School, ranking next to the Bliss and Richardson Schools. It is evident from these figures that further action to take care of this sec- tion will be necessary in the near future. I give the enrollment for the month of October since 1909:
1909
142
1919
190
1910.
139
1920.
231
1911.
150
1921.
264
1912.
154
1922.
269
1913.
151
1923.
332
1914.
147
1924.
365
1915.
146
1925
380
1916.
159
1926.
349 (Grade VII and VIII to Lincoln)
1917.
154
1927.
353
66
66
66
¥
66
1918.
159
1928.
363
66
66
66
66
The Dodgeville School, a four-room building with an enrollment in November of 147 pupils, shows a gain of 28 over the same month last year. Three of the rooms have two grades each, and with thirty-eight or forty pupils to a room, it is difficult to keep the school to a high standard. The playground at this school is very small and allows very little play space for the children. In these days when large playgrounds are being advocated and so much is being done to interest pupils in games and sports, any action that can be taken to increase the size of the school grounds would be of great educational benefit.
In connection with this matter of playgrounds, I would like to rec- ommend that the large playground at Hebronville given to the City by Mr. Finberg in 1926, be graded and a fence placed on the South Main Street side of the lot.
In the center of the city there is no actual crowding at present. The High School has an enrollment at present of less than 700 and I doubt if the enrollment next September will be any larger than it was this year. When it is necessary to build a building to relieve the High School, I hope it will take the form of a junior high school and thus take the pupils out of the Bank Street School at the same time.
School environment has so much to do with the education of the pupils, their attitude toward school and their like or dislike for school. that it seems a pity that in several of our schools the children never see a good building till they get to High School. This is especially true in Dodgeville. Hebronville and Sanford Street Schools. If the children in these sections could get their education in modern, up to date buildings like the newer buildings in the city, I believe the schools would be better and the pupils do better work. It is hard for teachers or pupils to take pride in their work when there is nothing uplifting in their surroundings.
Educational Progress
The most important item of improvement in the work of the schools has been in the subject of reading. In January, Miss Caroline J. Trom- mer of Boston Teachers' College addressed the teachers on "The De- veloping Importance of Silent Reading in the School Curriculum." Teachers from North Attleboro and Norton united with Attleboro teach- ers for this meeting. Following this meeting a class for the study of reading was organized under the direction of the State Division of Uni- versity Extension. The class was conducted by Miss Trommer and more than fifty Attleboro teachers took the course of six lessons, with twelve
155
ANNUAL REPORT
to fifteen teachers from North Attleboro and Norton. This course gave the teachers very detailed directions for improving their work and the teachers began at once to put into practice in their class rooms the sug- gestions made. As a result the subject of reading has received a great deal of attention during the year in all grades. The Newson Readers have been placed in all first grades, Standard Test Lessons in Reading by McCall & Crabbs have been supplied in many classes, readers for de- veloping silent reading are being used, and the study of literature rather than a continuation of oral and silent reading is being emphasized in the seventh and eighth grades.
Beginning the year with instructions by Miss Trommer the year closed with a teachers' meeting held December 13, 1928, for primary grades, addressed by Miss Una Elliot, instructor in the use of the New- son Readers. This meeting was attended by fifteen teachers from North Attleboro. Miss Elliot visited several primary grades during the day, observed the work of the teachers and was thus able to make definite recommendations regarding the manner in which the work could be improved. Miss Elliot found many things in the schools to praise, and she gave the teachers a new impulse for getting better results in reading.
The course of study in reading for the grades is now very definite. Newson Readers and Stone's Silent Readers in Grades I, II and III; sup- plementary oral and silent readers in Grades IV, V and VI; literature in Grades VII and VIII; supplemented with Standard Test Lessons in Read- ing in grades above the second, and the Stanford Tests in Reading in Grades VII and VIII. Reading material is being supplied to the schools as fast as possible to put this course into effect.
In geography, also, advancement has been made. On January 11, 1928, the teachers were addressed by Miss Louise G. Ramsdell of Framn- ingham Normal School on "Methods of Teaching Geography." This meet- ing included teachers from North Attleboro and Norton. Miss Ramsdell's address was helpful because it was in line with the new outline in geo- graphy prepared last year and put into effect this fall. By this new out- line the study of political geography ends with the seventh grade. The eighth grade takes up the study of Modern Business Geography in four main divisions: Primary production, transportation, manufacturing and consumption. Thus the topics food, clothing, shelter and commerce taken up in an elementary way in the fifth grade, and used more or less as a basis for study in Grades VI and VII, are extended and developed more fully in Grade VIII, and pupils are given a much more intelligent idea of the world and the inter-relation of the people than could possibly be secured from the old study of political geography.
In May, Attleboro took part for the third time in a State wide contest in Arithmetic. This contest has been conducted by Boston University in an attempt to improve the results in accuracy in the fundamental pro- cesses in the elementary grades. Attleboro has stood well in each of the preceding tests. The results of the third test have just been received. The sixth grade is just at the State average, the fifth grade is a little below, and the seventh grade is a little above. We are satisfied to equal the State average or exceed it, but we do not like to be below it. Ef- forts will be made at once to improve the work of the fifth grade. Diag- nostic tests are already being used in some schools and the work will be extended to all schools as soon as possible. These tests will be used to determine why pupils make mistakes in addition, subtraction, multiplication cr division, and then drills will be used to correct the er- rors found to be common.
156
ANNUAL REPORT
Attleboro has no junior high school. Lacking that, an attempt is being made this year to include in the work of the seventh and eighth grades some of the distinctive features of the junior high school. The limitations are many. Scattered as the grades are in seven buildings, it is obviously impossible to offer any choice of subjects like the study of a foreign language, French or commercial work, typewriting or book- keeping. We are trying, however, to organize clubs, to have rooms or- ganized for work as units with presiding officers, secretaries and com- mittees, to have assembly periods where the pupils provide the program, to teach the use of the library, to give some instruction in guidance which includes how to study and the educational opportunities in Attle- boro in the seventh grade and elementary vocational guidance in the eighth grade, and more time for health work in the form of physical exercises and health instruction. To put this program into effect has meant a re-arranging of the time schedule for these grades and a recon- struction of the teachers' programs. This has been accomplished, how- ever, and the new plan is now being tried out. I shall be glad to report later the results of this experiment.
Last year I reported on the equipment in the schools for visualizing education in geography and history, consisting of stereopticons, lantern slides, stereoscopes and stereographs and motion picture projectors. This year the Trustees of the Richardson School Fund have provided a motion picture projector for the Bliss School, so that now three schools. the High, Bliss and Lincoln schools can have motion pictures at any time to supplement the instructions of the teachers. There is also a portable projector for use in the smaller buildings. These motion pic- ture machines have proved very valuable already in the teaching of his- tory. We are having again this year the complete set of photoplays produced by Yale University, based on the Chronicles of American His- tory, for use in grades seven and eight. These pictures give the pupils a very vivid presentation of the early events in American History, be- ginning with its discovery by Columbus and extending through the period of colonization and settlement, the Revolutionary War, and the estab- lishment of the new government. Pupils who see these pictures can- not fail to have a clearer comprehension of early American History than is possible with simply the use of books and the Attleboro schools are fortunate in having these pictures and the facilities for showing them. Attleboro has the name of being progressive in education and it is such equipment as this that makes part of our progress possible.
The needs of the schools are many. Changes in the curriculum are constantly being made. The old subjects of instruction still remain. Reading, writing and arithmetic are still fundamental subjects and form the backbone of all school work. So many subjects have been added, however, and the time and energy of the teachers are expended in so many different lines of endeavor that it is a wonder that the schools accomplish as much as they do. So many special weeks demand at- tention, like education week and book week and better English week and fire prevention week and safety week, and so many special days have to be observed, like health day and the holidays, which are in- creasing in number and require special exercises, and the subjects of study required by law have so increased in number in the last few years, that the schools do well to maintain an acceptable standard in the fun- damental subjects. All of these changes, however, are in response to the demand of public opinion, and the schools are simply trying to meet this demand.
157
ANNUAL REPORT
To the traditional subjects of reading, writing, arithmetic, spelling, geography, history and English language and grammar, have been added in recent years drawing, Constitution of the United States, the duties of citizenship, good behavior, indoor and outdoor games and athletic exer- cises and safety instruction. It is obvious that as the subjects to be taught increase with the school day remaining the same, five hours, that the time allowed the old subjects must be shortened and the con- tent reduced. Only by setting up a definite minimum requirement and then trying to have the pupils meet that requirement can any satisfactory results be secured.
Last year, in an attempt to satisfy the increasing demands made upon the schools and to meet the requirements of the law, request was made for an appropriation large enough to provide three additional teachers: A primary supervisor, a teacher of drawing for Grades VII and VIII, and a teacher for an ungraded class at the Lincoln School. These teachers were very much needed but none of them could be hired on account of the lack of funds. These teachers are still needed. The supervisor of drawing now spends four days at the High School. A teacher is needed there for five days. An additional teacher in draw- ing should be provided to take the work in Grades VII and VIII. The results in drawing would be greatly improved and we should be giving the pupils much better instruction in these grades than they now re- ceive. The regular teachers, who now teach the drawing, are not spec- ialists in drawing. They teach several other subjects. A special draw- ing teacher for these grades would give drawing the standing it ought to have in a jewelry city like Attleboro and would send the pupils to the High School with a much better preparation for the work to be done there than they now have.
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