USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Weymouth > Town annual report of Weymouth 1960 > Part 19
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Vaccinations
No child shall be allowed to enter the first grade without a certificate of successful vaccination.
Employment Certificates
Employment certificates, educational certificates, and newsboys" badges are issued at the office of the Superintendent of Schools in the Adminis- trative Building from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every weekday, except Satur- day.
All persons must make personal application and present a birth cer- tificate.
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
To the citizens of Weymouth: double sessions will be with us again for the high school in the coming year. This we regret, but the future is bright with the anticipated opening of our new North High School in Sep- tember, 1962. Construction has begun and the new building is starting to take shape. It was designed to incorporate the latest educational features with economy and beauty, and we feel sure that even though we have had to bear with double sessions and cramped quarters, this certainly is worth waiting for.
The Committee is recommending to the March Town Meeting that the necessary action be taken to appropriate a sum of money and appoint a building committee so that plans may be made to convert the old senior high school into our fourth junior high. This will then complete our pres- ent building program.
Again this year, all our school buildings will be in use, even those we had hoped someday to retire. They are being used to handle the overload we have in the seventh grades. Our student population 1959-1960 school year is:
Elementary Schools 5,846
Junior High Schools 2,838
High and Vocational Schools 1,945
Total 10,629
Our anticipated enrollment for 1960-1961 is 10,895, an increase of 265.
The Committee has approved a new salary schedule. On the bachelor's level the minimum is $4400 and the maximum is $6700. The maximum can be reached in 12 steps - 10 of $200 and 2 of $150.
The Committee has also approved of a $500 merit increment which is to be available to 10% of the teachers who have reached maximum. It will be given at the discretion of the School Committee with the stipula- tion that it will be reviewed every five years.
The Summer School at the high school continues its popularity and has proven beyond any question its value in our system. The Committee
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this year voted to increase the class sessions from one hour to two hours for most academic subjects.
The Committee has voted to discontinue the Driver Education program for two reasons: first, it is most difficult to obtain cars to be used in the program, and second, the cost per pupil is very high.
A new course in Distributive Education is available to high school seniors interested in retail sales positions. The salary of the teachers for the first year is fully reimbursed by Federal and State funds; the second school year the reimbursement is 75%, and thereafter 50%.
The Committee has approved as of January 1, 1961 the hiring of half- time secretaries in five of our elementary schools (Athens, Johnson, Hunt, Nevin, and Pond). The puspose of this is to permit the principals in these schools to devote more time to classroom supervision and less time to sec- retarial duties. The Committee has requested a report from the principals involved as to the merit of this plan. This will be used to determine if this procedure should be expanded or discontinued.
The School Committee over the past years has made every effort to see that the youth of Weymouth received the best in education available. We realize full well that the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and the continued progress and success of our great nation is in the hands of those responsible for the education of our students.
We shall continue to give of our time and efforts for this great cause.
Following is a report of the 1961 operational budget together with the expenditures for 1960:
Account Classification
Expenditures 1960
Estimates 1961
ADMINISTRATION
Superintendent
$ 13,666.67
$ 14,200.00
Other General Salaries
42,273.42
43,980.00
Legal Expense
387.00
1,000.00
Building Program Expense
608.25
200.00
Other General Expense
3,824.28
4,100.00
Total
$ 60,759.62
$ 63,480.00
INSTRUCTION
Salaries of Principals, Directors,
Supervisors, and Teachers
$2,596,856.83
$2,778,422.00
Expenses of Principals, Directors, Supervisors and Teachers
41,516.03
45,238.00
Textbooks
42,006.85
44,515.00
Supplies
60,894.67
65,900.00
Other Expenses of Instruction
4,188.02
4,360.00
Total
$2,745,462.40
$2,938,435.00
OPERATION
Custodians' Salaries
$ 208,347.83
$ 224,241.00
Fuel
40,343.72
47,547.00
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Light and Power Water Telephones Custodians' Supplies
50,013.23
48,900.00
3,686.45
3,900.00
7,135.58
7,100.00
24,192.47
23,800.00
Total
$ 333,719.28
$ 355,488.00
MAINTENANCE
Salaries
$ 65,160.17*
$ 68,999.00
Materials and Supplies,
non-contract
43,518.75*
39,810.00
Repair of buildings and equipment, by contract
56,169.17*
61,260.00
Replacement of Equipment
12,994.40*
28,016.00
Other Expense
671.40
780.00
Total
$ 178,513.89*
$ 198,865.00
AUXILIARY AGENCIES
Library Books and Supplies
$ 6,414.02
$ 7,200.00
Graduation Expenses
1,335.66
1,300.00
Promotion of Health
31,092.62
33,004.00
South Shore Guidance Clinic
5,702.40
5,705.00
Transportation of Pupils
139,025.09
150,011.00
Tuition
8,912.70
10,342.00
Athletics
17,053.21
15,440.00
School Lunch Program
5,100.00
5,100.00
Insurance
1,628.08
1,468.00
Other Expenses
160.00
50.00
Total
$ 216,423.78
$ 229,620.00
OUTLAY AND NEW EQUIPMENT
Capital Outlay
$ 5,481.04*
$ 9,065.00
New Equipment
11,036.80*
8,136.00
Total
$ 16,517.84*
17,201.00
MATCHING FUNDS, N. D. E. A.
Title III
$ 15,546.04+
$ 13,200.00
Title V
3,634.45+
-
Total
$19,180.49+
$ 13,200.00
DAY VOCATIONAL SCHOOL
Salaries of Directors and Teachers
$113,446.79
$119,853.00
Expenses of Director's Office
5,240.64
5,078.00
Textbooks
1,301.02
1,400.00
Supplies
16,565.71
15,000.00
Operation of Plant
10,801.00
10,695.00
Repair of Buildings
1,129.70
1,000.00
Repair and Replacement of Equipment
5,966.77
4,563.00
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Transportation of Pupils Insurance New Equipment Out of State Travel
6,120.00
7,095.00
204.25
205.00
899.46
1,930.00
250.00
Total
$161,675.34
$167,069.00
DISTRIBUTIVE EDUCATION
$ 1,672.95
$ 4,917.00
EVENING SCHOOLS
Commercial
$ 1,265.04
$ 1,426.00
Woodworking
1,457.61
1,551.00
Practical Arts
8,143.39
8,925.00
Oil Painting
1,038.22
1,238.00
Civil War Period
142.92
250.00
Adult Civic Education
353.74
217.00
Trade Extension
1,797.30
2,040.00
Town Government
8.00
International Relations
99.93
Total
$ 14,306.15
$ 15,647.00
SUMMER SCHOOL
$ 4,540.23
$ 5,500.00
TRAVEL EXPENSE
$ 1,080.91
$ 1,900.00
Out of State In State
1,012.72
800.00
Total
$ 2,093.63
$ 2,700.00
TOTALS:
1960 Expenditures
$3,633,866.33
U. S. Grant
120,999.27
$3,754,865.60
Balance 1960 Account
16,193.61
1961 Estimates
$4,012,122.00₺
WAR VETERANS' PENSIONS
8,560.00
8,560.00
TOWN HALL HEATING
3,700.00
3,947.00
HALL RENTALS
16,660.00
17,610.00
* Includes U. S. Grant expenditures as follows:
Maintenance, Salaries
$ 16,500.00
Maintenance, Materials and Supplies, non-contract
21,639.01
Maintenance, Repair of Buildings and Equipment
53,348.02
Maintenance, Replacement of Equipment Capital Outlay
5,481.04
New Equipment
11,036.80
Total U. S. Grant expenditures
$120,999.27
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12,994.40
$3,771,059.21
+ Includes expenditures of Federal (NDEA) receipts of $9,622.85
¿ To be reduced by balance in Federal Funds (U. S. Grant) of $138,621.25
CREDITS
The following income was received by the Town in 1960 as credits to the schools. The law requires that the Town shall appropriate the full amount of the school budget, but in determining the net cost for the support of schools these amounts should be deducted.
TOTAL EXPENDITURES, 1960
$3,754,865.60
CREDITS:
State Reimbursements:
Equalization Aid
$408,368.87
Special Class Aid
28,546.73
Transportation 33,951.07
Day Vocational*
67,023.32
Evening Practical Arts*
3,097.00
Tuition paid to Out-of-Town Trade Schools* 3,150.61
Transportation paid to Out-of-Town Trade School*
740.44
School Adjustment Counselor
4,500.00
$549,378.04
* for one-half cost of instruction
Tuition :
Day Vocational
Evening Apprenticeship $ 9,915.13
State Wards
14,436.99 **
Agricultural Dept. High School
1,075.14
Elementary
486.38
Summer School
4,660.00
30,573.64
** Commonwealth of Mass. reimbursed for both years ending 6-30-59 and 6-30-60 in 1960
Miscellaneous Cash Receipts:
Day Vocational School Sales:
Auto Repairs $ 76.45
Cabinetmaking
2,771.12
Carpentry
1,377.50
Printing
370.16
Sheet Metal
1,270.05
Supplies, etc. 123.90 $ 5,989.18
Manual Arts Sales
1,080.13
Junior Manual Arts Sales
120.98
Evening Practical Arts Sales
53.19
Fines, damages, refunds, sale of supplies, etc.
2,774.20
10,017.68
1
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TOTAL CREDITS $ 589,969.36 Federal funds received and expended for school purposes: U. S. Grant N. D. E. A.
120,996.27 9,622.85
$ 720,588.48
TOTAL NET COST TO TOWN
$3,034,277.12
FEDERAL FUNDS RECEIVED UNDER PUBLIC LAW 874
Balance from 1959
1 $120,996.27
Receipts : June 3, 1960 October 13, 1960 November 22, 1960
$100,253.00 6,363.25 32,005.00
138,621.25
$259,617.52
Plus refund
TOTAL
$259,620.52
Expended in 1960
120,999.27
BALANCE - January 1, 1961
$138,621.25
FEDERAL FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR VOCATIONAL DEPARTMENTS
Smith-Hughes Fund :
Day Vocational School Evening School
$1,157.00 260.00 $ 1,417.00
Respectfully submitted,
N. ROBERT OLANDER, Chairman THOMAS F. SHIELDS, Vice-Chairman EVELYN C. HARRINGTON, Secretary WALLACE H. DRAKE, M.D. THEODORE L. HANABURY EDWARD J. HOWLEY, M.D. HAROLD B. NASH
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3.00
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
To the Members of the School Committee:
I respectfully submit my sixteenth report as Superintendent of Schools, the seventy-fifth report since the office was established.
Excerpts from the reports of directors, supervisors and special teachers follow :
1. ART
The art work in our schools has shown steady growth and improvement year after year. We know this because occasionally we evaluate our prog- ress in terms of pupil accomplishment. The changes from one year to the next may seem to be slight, but looking back over many years the develop- ment is really startling and definitely for the better. Some of the reasons for this are listed below.
Common practice thirty years ago
The child was completely dependent on the teacher for ideas.
The teacher was dependent on pat- terns and pictures.
Line by line dictation from chalk board or from teacher's own draw- ing.
Often used copy work.
Mimeographed color sheets, etc. (Completely useless "busy-work")
All work was stilted because of the method of approach.
Meticulous care was given to details and proportions long before the child understood such things. It was one of the most deadening of influ- ences. The child was constantly fearful that what he was doing was wrong !
Children's interest in art usually held quite well through the fifth grade, but the work they did was stereotyped. After that as they be-
Work as of today
Children wish and dare to be orig- inal.
The teacher's part is to build up in- terest in themes and ideas and the children will take them on from there. Teachers guide, but do not dictate.
Never dictation of any art work. Lessons in observation and ways of thinking are important and helpful. Art work is an original expression of each problem by the child.
Never any copy work. (Only pos- sible exception is in Senior High School on related art or historical art research.)
Completely taboo! Unless the teach- er is badly out of step this just doesn't happen now.
Work today is a living vital force, expressive of the child who did it.
Details of proportion, perspective and accuracy are not stressed at the sacrifice of the spirit of the work. They come as the child grows in understanding. This is a process which should not be unduly forced for it can easily kill the interest of the child and the spirit of his work.
Today the interest is generally maintained through the eighth grade, because the approach to art is through the child's own creative
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came self critical, they lost interest in copy work and were generally dissatisfied. There was no challenge; they put forth no effort and their attitude became "why try - I can't do it?"
Only limited kinds of material were available-crayons, watercolors, pen- cils, pens and ink, white, manila and gray drawing paper. Also a very limited supply of colored paper. Flour paste was often made by the teacher.
The teachers had little or no art training to help them approach the subject in a creative way.
The higher grades were sometimes departmentalized with someone teaching the art who could draw a little themselves and didn't mind too much the necessary clutter and clean-up problems.
expression. He can see his own im- provement from year to year. He is not dependent on someone else for all techniques and ideas. The world today needs ideas and today's ap- proach of stimulating the child to be self-reliant is most important. Our pupils have long outgrown the need for copying and they groan if it ever suggested.
Now a greater variety of crayons, pencils, inks and adhesives and many special papers are in constant use with resulting colorful and in- teresting design. The stimulation for more creative work is right at hand in our improved supplies and equip- ment. The results prove the value of better expanded supplies.
The teachers' colleges today give art education courses which explain the creative approach. Other fields use this method as well.
In junior and senior high schools highly trained, well-qualified, inter- ested teachers are provided and everyone all along the line benefits. Collaboration with other depart- ments in each school is frequent with resulting enrichment of the whole school program.
·We feel that we have progressed in the right direction; art is a re- quired part of every child's experience through the seventh grade. At the eighth grade level, a choice between art and music has to be made due to program scheduling difficulties. We regret this and hope that in the future both subjects may be elected by any child wishing them. At ninth grade level art is strictly elective, as it is at all levels in the senior high program.
Our Elementary Supervisors are still maintaining a once-in-two weeks visiting schedule to all schools in their districts. However, the scheduling is squeezed very tight in some areas to permit this. This is largely due to the overflow of the seventh grades into some of the elementary buildings. These classes have no trained art teachers as in the junior high buildings; so the classroom teachers, with the aid and advice of the elementary art supervisors for those buildings, have helped to fill the breach. We ap- preciate what they have done and hope that soon we may have an addi- tional art teacher to relieve these pressure points. Miss Ray, Miss Freeman and Mrs. Barron are most able art teachers (supervisors), and Weymouth gives its young children superior art education under their guidance.
The junior high work is steadily improving under experienced and gifted art teachers. At the high school the work is divided as last year: Art classes and Yearbook Art Advisor, Mr. Philip S. Dolan, and Design
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for Living courses, Miss Silvester. This division of the work has proved quite satisfactory, the quality has improved, and diversity increased.
Seniors of 1960 who have gone on to art schools are listed below: Massachusetts College of Art Marjorie Crawford Dorothy Frederick Naomi Just Alan Pearson Carol Glynn
New England School of Art Esther Stennes
School of the Museum of Fine Arts Richard Connerty
The Weymouth High yearbook rating for 1960 in the New England Scholastic Press Association was a "First Place"; in the Columbia Uni- versity Press Association, a "Second Place." This is good work for the first year with new advisors. Mr. Kearney as chief advisor had a well-organized, hard-working staff, and Mr. Dolan as art advisor collaborated with him most successfully. At last we' are on the way to a business-like approach to publishing a school book from which the students will gain a tremendous amount of useful experience.
The 1960 Scholastic Art Award Winners were as listed below: Central Junior High Lorraine Karez John Murray
Gold Key Gold Key and Blue Ribbon
A Finalist
South Junior High
Walter Kurz
Gold Key and Blue Ribbon A Finalist
Walter Kurz
Award of Merit
Thomas Russell
Gold Key and Blue Ribbon A Finalist
Senior High School
Eric Schnikwald
Gold Key Award of Merit
Jean Swanson
Carol Glynn
Award of Merit
Carol Glynn
James Russell
Gold Key and Blue Ribbon Gold Key
A Finalist
High School students attending Saturday classes at Massachusetts College of Art starting September, 1960:
Kenneth Antoine Maureen Corbo, Peter Daly, Dianne Hanchey, Cheron Laboissonniere, Paula Nicolai, Betty Stack
Those attending invitation classes at the Museum School in Spring of 1960 were:
Philip Bryant and Dianne Hanchey
As the year comes to a close, we are pleased with the progress that has been made and grateful to all who have worked toward that end. In all education, nothing is ever so good that it cannot be improved; there are always new goals ahead. These we will try to find, and hope to set our feet on the continuing road to greater accomplishment.
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Barbara Huntington James Russell
2. MUSIC
The elementary vocal music program under the supervision of John Lyons, Mrs. Marion Carpenter and Mrs. Mary Mulligan has continued in much the same manner as in past years. The partial adoption of the American Book Company's new series "The American Singer," with its many phases of approach, will have an added appeal to all grades when the adoption is completed. This will be done as replacements are needed. A small workshop was conducted with some of the teachers present. The various techniques of using recordings, song bells, maracas, woodblocks, claves, etc. were demonstrated. A workshop of longer duration which would be required of all teachers of the first through the sixth grade would do much to help with new materials, ideas, and methods. This should result in a stimulating program.
The glee clubs or choruses in most of the elementary schools have performed at some of the P.T.A's and for assemblies. Some very fine work has been done in this area.
The elementary instrumental program for the past year has increased tremendously. The increase of interest in a wider range of the less com- mon instruments will give much better balance and instrumentation for future bands and orchestras. This on the other hand demands more . teaching time on the part of the regular staff and leaves little or no time for group rehearsals of the elementary bands or orchestras. This interest is due, to a great extent, to the elementary bands' tour last June, and to the instrumental demonstrations given in September. This part of the program was conducted in all elementary schools with grades 4, 5 and 6, and in a limited manner in the junior high schools. Teaching time should be available to promote a larger string program which is greatly needed.
The junior high groups are about the same size as last year, although the necessary removal of seventh grades to other buildings has retarded the growth that was anticipated. Some seventh grades have the opportunity for ensemble playing, while others do not; this has caused some of the latter group to lose interest and stop their private study. This is a critical area, in that once a student of junior high age drops out of the program, it is next to impossible to encourage him to start again.
Orchestra at the junior high level is a phase of our music program that needs much more attention. South Junior is the only school that has an orchestra. The time element, and other factors, make it impossible in the other two schools. The result of this is very little material entering high school to continue an orchestral program. There is need of additional teaching staff in this area. An all-town string and orchestra program has been started to attempt to fill in this gap at the junior high level. All elementary string students will be added as they progress and are capable of playing the grade of material being used.
The all-town elementary band, with one rehearsal a week from January to June, presented a fine concert in June at the Central Junior auditorium and played a program at most of the elementary schools. They were very well received and the indications are that this group will be much larger next year and also that there will be a much better instrumen- tation in next year's band.
The junior high orchestra and bands play for the weekly assembly programs throughout the year, assist in other school functions, attend the regional music festivals and participate in the Veterans' Day and
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Memorial Day Parades. This keeps an objective in sight for the groups to achieve and gives them an opportunity to perform under fire, so to speak. South Junior High and Central Junior High appeared last Novem- ber 11th at the Veterans' Day Parade in their new uniforms, which were purchased from government surplus at a very small cost. These officers' uniforms with the addition of white citation cords made a very attractive group. It is planned to equip the groups with a garrison style hat which will complete the uniform and which, in turn, will be of service to these bands for years to come.
The junior high instrumental and vocal groups attended the re- gional festival held at Brockton, Massachusetts on May 9th. Most of the groups received "Excellent" to "Superior" ratings. This type of program allows for a comparison of the work being done in Weymouth with other schools of the same background. It is also a stimulus to the groups to be rated at the top, if such be the case, or to try for that position through intensive work throughout the year.
The vocal program in all three junior high schools has been of a wide and varied type. Starting with the seventh grade there has been a boys' chorus, a girls' chorus and a mixed chorus. This continues throughout the eighth and ninth grades. These groups have been active in almost all the school activities, along with some outside programs. These groups and their directors should be commended highly for the work they are doing.
The high school music groups, under severe handicaps of double sessions, were very active. The band performed at all football games, parti- cipated in the Veterans' and Memorial Day Parades, provided music at the Kiwanis Skating Show, appeared at the annual Spring Concert, high school graduation exercises and took part in the Regional Music Festival at Brockton. The orchestra and chorus performed at the regular concerts and small groups performed at outside events and at the New England Solo and' Ensemble Festival.
Twenty students from Weymouth attended the New England Concert Festival held at Plainville, Connecticut; fourteen attended the South- eastern Concert Festival which was held in Weymouth at the Central Junior High; and four were accepted to play in the All-State, All-Star Band, Orchestra and Chorus which was held at Worcester, Massachusetts. So far this year, a total of thirty-eight students have been accepted for these groups for next year.
The Music Department, along with the Music-Parents Group, sponsored the annual "Weymouth Solo and Ensemble Festival" in the middle of February. The response and interest exceeded expectations and a large number of students received "Excellent" and "Superior" ratings. Awards were given for these two ratings which were supplied by the Parents Group at a cost of $200.00.
The Music Program is growing steadily. Participation and interest continues to mount. Facilities and equipment are at maximum use and scheduling problems grow more and more serious as a much larger number of students than ever before are now active in the program. An additional instructor is badly needed.
3. PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND ATHLETICS
The physical education program in the elementary schools has con- tinued along the same pattern as last year. Increased emphasis has been
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placed upon the program in the elementary grades in the use of the teacher's guides which give suggestions for units of instruction and for integrating physical education with other phases of the program. The after school activity program for the boys in the fall was discontinued the past year. However, the elementary school principals have requested that this fall activity of touch football be started again. There, also, has been the request from elementary principals to have the Kraus-Weber Test for Muscular Fitness administered again and the testing program is now taking place.
The program in physical education for the Junior High Schools con- tinued with little or no change during the year, except for the inability to furnish a well-rounded program to the 7th grade boys and girls housed in elementary schools. However, a program was carried on as close to normal as possible.
The program of physical education should be recognized as an in- tegral phase of the school curriculum and available to all pupils. The recommended time allotment recommended by the Massachusetts Depart- ment of Education should be a minimum of 30 minutes-15 minutes or more in the morning and a like period in the afternoon in the lower grades, and a single period for upper grades. At present the elementary grades are operating on a program of two scheduled periods per week and daily play periods. The Junior High Schools are on a two period a week com- pulsory schedule.
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