USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Middleton > Town annual report of Middleton, MA. 1952 > Part 7
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132
SCHOOL REPORT
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS
New health textbooks have been purchased for the Seventh Grade. New arithmetic workbooks were purchased for Grades One and Two. Additions have been made to the film strip library through the pur- chase of a film strip a month from Popular Science Monthly, Inc. Through the kindness of the Middleton Grange, a record a month is received from the Children's Record Guild. These records are stories narrated by experts and are primarily for children in the lowest grades. Four new round tables were purchased and have been placed in the lowest four grades. These tables are employed for reading groups and other activities.
A sound amplifying system for the auditorium has been obtained through the efforts of Mr. J. Raymond Chartier of Lake Street. Mr. Chartier built the set himself at a tremendous saving to the school. The set consists of an amplifier, two loud speakers, a three- speed record player and microphone and stand. The set is used for assemblies, school dances, graduating exercises and other activities.
, A new mechanical potato peeler has been obtained for the use of the cafeteria personnel. The tables along the walls of the cafeteria have been covered with linoleum tops with metal edging.
The cold water faucets in the boys' and girls' shower rooms and the public lavatories have been equipped with drinking fountains. New lockers have been obtained for the gymnasium shower rooms.
During the past year, all of the pianos in the school have been tuned and repaired. The school received the gift of one piano. The school can use several more pianos for the classrooms as there are several teachers who play but do not have the pianos in their class- rooms.
COMMUNITY USE OF THE BUILDING
This past year saw the facilities of the school auditorium-gym- nasium employed for the first time as a site for the Annual Town Meeting. The Girl Scouts use the facilities of the school on Tuesdays for their meetings. The Boy Scouts held their annual Christmas Party at the school this year. A Town Basketball League has been started this winter. It is hoped that more and more use will be made of the excellent facilities to be offered by the school. A copy of the regulations governing the use of school facilities may be obtained from the Principal's office.
133
SCHOOL REPORT
EMPLOYMENT CERTIFICATES
According to state laws, all boys and girls between the ages of 14 to 21 must have employment certificates in order to work. These certificates may be obtained at the Principal's office between the hours of 9 A.M. and 3 P.M. Monday through Friday. Applicants for these certificates must present a birth certificate and evidence of schooling (diploma or report card) when applying. Any questions about this matter may be answered by telephoning the Principal at his office.
CONCLUSION
Education has always sought to know the purpose of life. Worthy living must have a purpose and those who live it must be trained to reason, to evaluate, to plan and to accomplish. To do these things, our youth must be provided with abundant and varied opportunities to experience. These experiences should always be evaluated in terms of their capacity to bring about the most significant development of each individual. All learning leads to some goal of the individual pupil. Thus it is necessary to know the pupils being instructed in order to plan the instruction that is necessary.
For our youth, we must constantly strive for more effective ways for laying before them the possibilities in human life. Also, we must provide the proper guidance to help them understand the need for the right tools and equipment in order for them to gain that destiny in life they select for themselves.
The above represents a portion of the thoughts considered as we plan our educational program for the boys and girls attending Howe- Manning School.
The cooperation of all concerned has been most gratifying. I should like to express my appreciation for this cooperation to the Superintendent of Schools, the School Committee, teachers and super- visors, Mrs. Osgood, Mr. Hayward, Parent-Teachers Association, and friends of Howe-Manning School children.
Respectfully submitted,
RAYMOND S. DOWER, JR., Principal
134
SCHOOL REPORT
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL NURSE
To the Superintendent of Schools of the Town of Middleton:
A weighing program was carried out twice during the past year and each child's weight and height was recorded in the school health files.
The State Health Department has revised some of its school laws and as a result the physical examination given here at school is somewhat more extensive and included an abdominal exam plus an urinalysis and hemoglobin for each child that has not been examined by the family physician, in the first, fourth and eighth grades.
The Massachusetts Vision and Hearing Tests were done in the spring. The Hearing Test failures number eighteen and the Vision Test twenty-three. The parents of these children were notified and in the majority of cases the defect was remedied. Poor vision and hear- ing are terrific obstacles in the progress of a child, so it is imperative that the nursing and teaching services have the complete cooperation of the parent.
Pediculosis offenders were again at a minimum this year. The deplorable condition of the teeth is still our major problem, but with the arrival of the new year this should be remedied. A very efficient and modern Dental Room is being added to the Clinic. We have also had a few more very essential items added, an examining table and a file cabinet, both of which greatly aid in the efficiency of the department.
Dr. Rogers and I wish to thank all those who in any way have aided us in our work.
Respectfully submitted,
LOUISE M. BRENNAN, R.N., School Nurse
135
SCHOOL REPORT
REPORT OF READING SUPERVISOR
To the Superintendent of Schools of the Town of Middleton:
In May 1952, at the request of the Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Thomas L. Rivard, Metropolitan Achievement Tests were given throughout the Howe-Manning School. The results obtained compared favorably with those of the average New England community, whether rural or urban. A good statistical curve was obtained for each grade and for each subject. Weaknesses in subject areas were located and materials were provided by the administration to help the individual teachers to compensate for these weaknesses in the succeeding year.
The pre-school examination of first grade entrants was extended in scope. Following the physical examination, parents made arrange- ments for the children to take the test of mental growth and maturity. The problems of the child were discussed with the parents in respect to the findings on the test. The test findings were then used by the Principal, Mr. Raymond S. Dower, and later by the teachers in placing the child in his group in the classroom. An effort was made to place children who needed special ear training with Mrs. Marjorie Shaw, and those who needed special eye training with Miss Catherine Devane. At the end of six weeks in school the children were given the Monroe Reading Aptitude Tests. These tests were chosen in place of a reading readiness test because their value is not limited to the first grade but can be utilized for many years. Middleton has no public kindergarten and consequently a year of study of the child is lost. While this program cannot substitute for a year of kindergarten, it has done much insofar as giving a knowledge of the child's needs is concerned and the first grade teachers had a faster means of evaluating both abilities and disabilities among their children.
In October the California Test of Mental Maturity was admin- istered to all fifth grade pupils and to those in the upper grades whose tests were incomplete or inadequate. It is hoped that these tests will help the teachers in planning and organizing their activities programs.
A total of ninety-three pupils were assigned to the reading classes in 1951-52. Thirty of these children were dropped by the close of the
136
SCHOOL REPORT
year. Eighty-four children were assigned in the current year and at the present writing fourteen have been dropped. Some of these "drop-outs" will be returned as further difficulties arise, but many will not need additional help. There is a steady growth of confidence among these children and they approach their work with better understanding.
The Superintendent and the Principal have given encouragement to the classroom teachers to develop projects and activities among the pupils. The introduction of projects and activities in most schools has meant a definite, but temporary, lag in class procedures and discipline. In Middleton these techniques were wisely presented and quietly ab- sorbed. They have been of marked value to the child with a reading problem for such a child often has greater ability in concrete situa- tions than in abstract. The academic child has also benefited for he has had opportunity to apply concretely the knowledge he has gained from his reading.
In an effort to care for the needs of those children who will not be preparing for college in high school and also to give emphasis to all pupils of the importance of both speed and comprehension, Science Research Better Reading Books were placed in the seventh and eighth grade reading classes. These books were well received by the teacher, Mr. John Branch, and the pupils. The Reader's Digest Read- ing Skills Builders were placed in grades three through six as supple- ments to the basal reading tests. These little books were extremely popular among the children. The second grade teacher, Mrs. Nellie Johnston, has made excellent use of Words on Paper from the English Orthological Institute for both supplementary and corrective materials.
Thanks to the gift of the graduating class of 1952, Mr. Dower has been able to enlarge the school library considerably. Miss Carleton and Mr. Gifford of the Flint Memorial Library have again supple- mented the school library with large loans of books.
Another great attraction for the children was the Reading Accelerator. This machine was sent at Mr. Rivard's request by Science Research Associates. It is electrically operated. A book is placed on a rack and a shutter moves down the open page at a steady rate while the child reads ahead of the shutter. Many poor reading habits are automatically broken while the child's speed of reading is increased.
137
SCHOOL REPORT
Close attention to the health of the child with marked reading problems has disclosed that long or frequent absences, poor vision, poor hearing, slow physical growth, and chronic diseases have all played a pertinent part in developing their problems. Medical atten- tion for many of these children has produced dramatic changes in work and in attitude. The emotional blocks that result from inability to do well in school can often be resolved in the reading classes, but where this has been insufficient, the parents have cooperated with the school in seeking the help of Child Guidance Clinics. The Middleton church pastors and the Boy and Girl Scout leaders have also given intelligent and loyal assistance.
Reading reaches into all phases of adult and child life. The ability to read is conditioned by, and in turn conditions, mental, physical, social, and emotional growth. It is rare indeed to work in a community where these basic principles are acted upon with sympathy and under- standing.
Respectfully submitted,
DOROTHEA P. SHEA, Reading Supervisor
138
SCHOOL REPORT
REPORT OF MUSIC SUPERVISOR
To the Superintendent of Schools of the Town of Middleton:
I submit, with pleasure, this report of the music program in the public schools of Middleton.
This school year the music department put on a pageant entitled "America's Heritage of Song". This was made possible with the wonderful cooperation of all of the teachers; Mr. Dower, Principal; Art Supervisor, Miss Sonia Antis; parents, who supplied lovely cos- tumes; and the pupils.
The pageant gave every pupil in the school a chance to take part in some way. Each classroom was assigned some country or group of people who helped to contribute to America's music. They studied the songs and dances during their music periods in the classroom and also practiced on the stage. The children performed for their parents and friends on December 12th, 1952, in the school auditorium. Letting the children take part in such a program makes them much more interested in learning the fundamentals of music and creates a deeper appreciation and love of good music. They take pride in trying to improve their ability, and the whole future music program for the school is greatly aided.
We are continuing to learn many rote songs in the lower grades and are going about the serious business of learning to read music, and to sing well. The upper grades are learning new songs with the accent on doing more part singing. We are also doing work with rhythm bands in lower grades, and music appreciation throughout the school.
May I take this opportunity to thank all in the school system for their outstanding cooperation.
Respectfully submitted,
DORIS M. NYQUIST, Music Supervisor
139
SCHOOL REPORT
REPORT OF THE ART SUPERVISOR
To the Superintendent of Schools of the Town of Middleton:
I should like to take this opportunity to say how much I have enjoyed working a second year with the children of Middleton. It was gratifying to find, at the beginning of the term, that so many children could put to use the principles we talked about last year. They are learning something about perspective, as the need arises, and how to compose their pictures.
Among the topics discussed are: figure drawing, perspective, con- trast of size and color, light and dark values, center of interest, or having some one topic predominate in the picture.
In the lower grades these subjects are touched upon only lightly so that the child's natural aptitude for picture-making will not be interfered with. As in last year's program, I am again stressing cut paper work because it requires a different skill from that required for drawing. Later in the year paper sculpture will be taken up in the seventh and eighth grades. More time will be given to water color painting this year which will help the children to learn about color mixing. We will also try some block printing, - potato blocks for the small children and linoleum blocks for the older ones will be used.
Respectfully submitted,
SONIA ANTIS, Art Supervisor
140
SCHOOL REPORT
REPORT OF THE HANDWRITING SUPERVISOR
To the Superintndent of Schools of the Town of Middleton:
I am pleased to submit the following report on the operation of the handwriting program in the Middleton Schools for the school year of 1951-1952.
In the initial handwriting tests administered to your pupils in September 1951, 6.2% of the pupils received a grade of "A" (Excel- lent) ; 14.5% received a score of "B"; and 79.1% scored less than "B". In the tests administered in June 1952, 69.1% of the pupils re- ceived a grade of "A"; 14.5% received a grade of "B" and 11.6% scored less than "B". Handwriting certificates were awarded to 70% of your pupils.
During the school year we graded approximately 3500 formal and 10,500 informal samples of handwriting for your pupils. A formal test was administered monthly and a report was furnished each teacher giving a careful diagnosis of the handwriting of each pupil in her room.
We furnished the following instructional materials: monthly teachers' outlines, pupil folder outlines, room motivation certificates, handedness tests, individual handwriting certificates to pupils who qualified, monthly and term envolopes, seals, etc.
My supervisors join with me in expressing our appreciation for the splendid cooperation we have received from you and your teachers at all times. We are very pleased with the results obtained in your schools.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM L. RINEHART, Director
INDEX
Balance Sheet
41
Cemetery Endowment Report
49
Cemetery Department
34
Charities
26
Cummings Fund
47
Electric Light Report
87
General Government
9
Health and Sanitation
- 22
Highways
23
Library and Parks
29
Municipal Indebtedness
35
Payroll Analysis
-
44
Public Service Enterprises
32
Protection of Persons and Property -
18
Recapitulations
37
School Department
28
Town Officers
3
Town Officers Salaries
- 13
Town Treasurer's Account
46
Unclassified Account
30
Veterans' Services
27
PART II
Assessor's Report
- 73
Building Inspector's Report
- 72
Dog Officer's Report
85
Board of Appeals
86
Dump Committee Report
93
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-
-
-
INDEX (Continued)
Fire Department Report - 90
Flint Public Library Fund
57
Forestry Report 80
Health Report - 96
Highway Department 78
Jurors List 71
Land Owned by the Town
48
Librarian's Report
59
Moth Department Report
82
Planning Board Report
91
Public Welfare
99
Police Department Report 83
Recommendations Finance Committee
104
Regional School Planning Report
94
Selectmen's Report
61
School Reports
120
State Audit 100
Tax Collector's Report - 75
Town Clerk's Report
65
Wire Inspector's Report
89
Warrant for March 10, 1953 - Inside Front Cover
FLINT
MIDDLETON PUBLIC LIBRARY
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