USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Abington > Town annual report of the officers and committees, 1948 > Part 7
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It has been found that new buildings for the elemen- tary grades can now be constructed on a more economical design than formerly. These schools are single story buildings with natural day-lighting from both sides. Each room has a door leading directly to the outside, thereby permitting the emptying of all rooms as rapidly as pos- sible, and with a minimum of confusion in case of fire. It has been found that large savings in the cost of construc- tion can be made using this type of new building.
Many surrounding towns have found themselves in a similar position to Abington, with additional school capa- city needed soon. Information and costs, relative to the type of buildings being built in other towns of the Com- monwealth has been available to compare with the needs of Abington. The State of Massachusetts has recognized this condition, and will reimburse cities and towns of the Commonwealth, by act of legislation, Chapter 645, Acts of 1948, for a portion of school building costs. Under the formula set up by this law, Abington is entitled to 47% of construction costs. This act of the state legislature extends to June 30, 1951. To obtain this state aid the town needs the approval of its plans by the State Building Assistance Commission. It has been indicated that this Commission, in approving plans will pay attention to hav- ing adequate playground area around the school building.
It is evident, from the experience of recent years that a school system needs some flexibility to take care of growing needs. A relatively small building in each precinct of the town can house the lower elementary grades. A cen- trally located school can serve to take the overflow in enrollments from both precincts of the town. Also, such a building, properly constructed near the present high school building, could house either the elementary grades or, in emergency, some of the high school grades.
In the case of the central school, a number of possible locations has been considered, ranging from the area adja- cent to Lincoln Boulevard, which is near the high school,
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to the geographical center of the town, which is some distance to the west of Lincoln Boulevard. Then there are areas adjacent to Memorial Field, associated with the high school, which would provide the added advantage of per- mitting the use of the entire recreation area. A new school in a central location, offers economy in flexibility of use, under the plans of administering our school system. A new school of this type would not require, in the immedi- ate future, any more administrative personnel than would be required in the case of additions to the present school buildings, but additional janitor service would be neces- sary in either case.
In order that the town may take any action it may desire, to meet school capacity needs, articles in the town warrant are needed to cover the several steps.
Respectfully submitted,
RUSSELL H. WHEATLEY, Chairman DONALD D. WYMAN, Vice-chairman ANNIE T. WATERS, Secretary ELLA E. SANDERSON HAROLD G. CHAPMAN School Building Planning Committee
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REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
The report of the School Committee for the year 1948 is herewith presented for information and study.
At our organization meeting in March, the same officers as the preceding year were elected to serve again: H. Palmer Blake, Chairman; Norman B. Nash, Vice-Chair- man, and Mrs. Frank W. Goodhue, Secretary.
Twelve regular and nine special meetings were held. Most of the members of the Committee also attended every meeting of the School Building Planning Committee.
Many serious problems have been faced by the School Committee during 1948 requiring much time and earnest thought. The most serious problem has been that of retain- ing well qualified personnel on the salary schedule in opera- tion during the current year. Although resignations were not quite as numerous as in 1947, we lost several excellent teachers and the Committee was gravely concerned lest our teaching force be weakened thereby. We are glad to report, however, that with one exception, it has been pos- sible to fill all vacancies with competent and experienced teachers.
With one exception, resignations came from teachers who were going to new positions at higher salaries.
Resignations
Philip Center Margery E. Bailey Kathryn M. Pilot Sol Verdun Charles F. Gorman Betty R. Tufts
Appointments
Mrs. Hope Bodnar
Mrs. Earl E. Dunbar
Dante S. Pepe
John W. Bolduc
Mrs. William O'Connell
Miss Helen G. Resca John A. Gianoulis
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New Positions
Physical Education for Girls and Grade VII, High School, Mrs. Alfred A. Nummi
Grade II, Center School, Mrs. Harold Field
Grade II, Center School, Mrs. Chester Robertson
Mr. Howard F. Mason resigned (effective July 31) as Superintendent of our schools to accept a position as Su- perintendent of Schools at Hanover, N. H. This resignation was accepted with genuine regret. Mr. Mason was an efficient and far-sighted administrator, tireless in his devotion to his work, and willing to take upon himself any task which he felt would further the educational program of our schools.
Mr. Gilbert D. Bristol was chosen as a successor to Mr. Mason from a wide field of applicants. He has had previous experience as an administrator having served both as principal and superintendent in Hatfield, Mass. He has undertaken a difficult task with poise and vision. We urge vou to read his detailed report on the administration of our schools.
The tragic death of Edward Snyder following an injury in a football game was a grievous burden to be borne by family, friends, and fellow townspeople. It is hoped that the memory of this young athlete will be kept before us by the Edward Snyder Scholarship Fund. The Gross Receipts of this Fund were $3,088.06; Expenditures, $1,318.62; Balance, $1,769.44. It is intended that this balance will be increased from time to time so that the interest on the principal will provide an annual $100.00 scholarship for some worthy student.
The injury to John Ruzycki was equally regrettable. Both of these accidents emphasized the inadequacy of the athletic insurance being carried on boys participating in football. It has therefore been decided to include in this vear's budget a sufficient sum to provide insurance on a broad coverage basis for football. and on a lesser coverage basis for other sports.
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At the town meeting in March, 1946, the School Com- mittee was authorized to sell at Public Auction certain designated lots which form a part of the Center School grounds. After nearly a year and a half we finally suc- ceeded in having these lots surveyed and then submitted a request to the Town Counsel to draw up the correct form of sale. The Town Counsel replied by advising that a fur- ther complication had arisen concerning a right of way in connection with this property. It was therefore decided to refer the matter to the Town Meeting in March, 1949. for explanations and further consideration.
Acknowledgements
The School Committee accepts with gratitude a $100 Scholarship to be presented annually by the Catholic Woman's Guild to a deserving Catholic High School Senior.
The Committee wishes to express appreciation to the Trustees of the Johnson Educational Trust Fund. These Trustees are: Robert Dennis, Merrill Haskins, and Dr. George Whiting. They have announced that an annual loan of $250.00 at 2% will be available to students who are planning further study. The Fund has been established in memory of James Blackmar Johnson and Susan Wales Johnson. James Blackmar Johnson was Abraham Lincoln's bodyguard and lived on the corner lot at the junction of Washington and Adams Streets.
The Student Council is thanked for the purchase of a moving picture machine for use at the High School.
The Committee gratefully acknowledges the generous gift of playground equipment now in use on the elementary school grounds.
Our school building needs have been adequately cov- ered in the report of the Superintendent and in the report of the School Building Planning Committee. These needs are important and urgent.
To the loyal personnel of our schools in whatsoever capacity they have served we extend our thanks for another good year of capable service.
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As a Committee, we have endeavored to serve you with singleness of purpose. We have kept before us but one goal-that is, to offer the children of this town the best educational opportunities we can provide for them. To those who have given their support toward this worthy end, we offer our sincere thanks.
H. PALMER BLAKE, Chairman NORMAN B. NASH, Vice-Chairman GEORGE F. GARRITY NORMA C. KENT J. EDWARD BROTHERS
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1
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
To the School Committee and Citizens of Abington :
This is the sixty-first annual report of the superin- tendent of schools, and my first report as superintendent of the public schools of Abington.
Last year Mr. Mason began his report by stating in effect that the deflated value of the dollar made it very difficult to plan a school budget; that a constant increase in prices affected the quantity and quality of all purchases, and he noted "a growing unrest among the pupils as well as the general population because of the unsettled state of world affairs."
It is interesting to note that in 1920 the School Com- mittee of Abington reported to the town as follows: "The late war has brought about many changes in the econom- ical and industrial world and we are now getting the full impact of this great catastrophe. We asked the town at its last annual town meeting for a sum of money which we believed was sufficient to conduct our school system in an effective manner during the year, nevertheless with all of our watchfulness and careful scrutinizing of every item, we are reporting a deficit of approximately twenty-eight hundred dollars ... We trust that we can keep within our appropriation this year."
Evidently the school committee of 1920 had much in common with the school committee of 1948 for reasons that should be obvious to the most casual analyst.
This first annual report of your superintendent will be divided into six sections as follows :
School Attendance Elementary Schools High School
Health Achievement Building Management Housing Expansion
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SECTION I
School Attendance
While outstanding American citizenship and achieve- ment in subject-matter fields by pupils are the two most important objectives of any school system, it is a com- monly known fact that a high percentage of attendance and retention of pupils in school are two factors bearing a definite relation to the success of the pupils. The enroll- ment figures for the past ten months are, therefore, being listed here for examination with the purpose of comparing them with conditions one year from now.
Effective follow-up of absences by the attendance officer, guidance counseling by the principals, and excel- lent home cooperation will help us to raise the percentage of attendance to 95% thereby improving the achieve- ment of many pupils.
Table I Enrollment and Attendance
Enrollment
Absences
Tardiness
46-47
47-48
46-47
47-48
46-47 47-48
High
384
320
2304
2454
402
342
North
346
371
3827
4351
283
261
Center
293
305
2831
3428
131
75
The attendance problem is not at all a simple one. Many stormy days with 50% of the pupils absent will cause the percentage of attendance to diminish consider- ably. Further, epidemics of children's diseases, and a few families in a school system whose children are attendance problems may increase the total absences tremendously.
School staff members must be constantly on the alert to prevent unnecessary absences !
Each year the census data for the school year is included in our report. This will be found in Table II which accounts for the placement of children of compulsory school age residing in the town of Abington.
. Table III shows how the pupils of different ages are placed throughout grades one to twelve of the local schools.
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Consistent Attendance at School Bears a Definite Relation to the Success of Pupils!
Table II -- Census Summary-October 1, 1948
5-7
7-16
16-21
Totals
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Total
Abington Public Schools
83
61
378
375
54
78
515
514
1,029
Brockton Vocational School
2
2
2
Weymouth Vocational School
4
4
4
Boston Vocational School
1
1
1
Newton Vocational School
1
1
1
Quincy Trade School
1
1
1
County Agricultural Schools
1
2
2
Rockland Parochial School
1
6
9
8
10
14
24
Other Parochial
1
1
4
1
5
6
Private Schools
22
14
2
5
36
19
60
38
98
Not in any school
48
33
2
1 143
165
193
199
392
Home Permits
2
2
2
46
60
46
60
106
Working Cards
2
1
2
1
3
State or County Institutions
154
115
400
393
286
323
840
831
1,671
1
133
.. ...
Puplist
Table III-Age and Grade Distribution, October 1, 1948-Public Schools of Abington
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18 Totals
1
20
105
3
2
130
2
19
73
13
2
107
3
32
50
10
1
93
4
22
45
10
2
79
5
32
41
15
4
92
6
24
36
15
6
1
82
7
1
22
41
13
8
1
86
8
32
27
15
7
1
82
9
20
47
5
2
74
10
20
42
12
2
76
11
1
12
32
10
3
58
12
32
25
11
68
P. G.
2
2
20
124
108
87
89
77
75
92
66
92
67
79
39
14
1,029
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SECTION II
Elementary Schools
Understanding Teachers Build Our Schools
Having the kind of schools Abington parents wish for depends upon having in the schools the kind of teach- ers who understand the developmental patterns of chil- dren. When teachers understand the variation in the developmental patterns among children, they make ade- quate provision in the teaching-learning process for indi- vidual differences.
Dr. Arnold Gesell, Director of the Clinic of Child Development, School of Medicine, Yale University, says: "The most fundamental ability is the ability to grow. It is the most fundamental, because it includes all other abilities. For the same reason the most important index and symptom of a child's individuality is his mode of growth. The most penetrating question which one can ask about an individual is, 'How does he grow ?' 'How does he advance from stage to stage as he matures?' "
Understanding teachers make an attempt to keep themselves abreast of current literature in the field of education and child development, and they try to fit class- room procedures to square with the newer understanding of child growth revealed by recent studies. These teachers well know that the major purpose of public education is to insure opportunities for all children to develop those fundamental understandings, skills, habits, attitudes, ideals, and appreciations necessary for happy living in a democratic society. Also they know that the school must procedure if the school is to help children to grow in raise itself out of the traditional assign-read-recite-test democratic living.
All curriculum material that amounts to anything is developed and organized by classroom teachers and chil- dren. The point at which the teacher and the children meet is the vital spot in teaching and learning.
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Movable Furniture Lends Itself to Excellent Small Group Work in the Primary Grades
Understanding Parents Build Our Schools
Parents are important architects of community schools. They help supply the needed funds to pay teach- ers', salaries, to buy equipment, and to buy books, supplies, and other needed services. Parents help to elect the school committee to pass on important educational policies, and to guard against any exploitation in the process of education.
In most instances parents take the initiative in form- ing a parent-teacher organization to bring about better rapport between the teachers and the parents. The most important part which parents supply, however, is not any one of the items already mentioned. The most important part supplied to the schools by parents is children who respect and have confidence in the schools and in their teachers.
Pupils are at their best in schools supported by enthusiastic parents. Parents are usually enthusiastic when they understand the objectives, methods, and prob- lems of a particular school system. With two excellent parent-teacher organizations in Abington, every parent of an elementary school child can arrive at such under- standing thus becoming a most important part of the local school system. The officers of both of these orga- nizations have great zeal to bring about parental under- standing, and I believe that they deserve full and active support from all the parents.
For satisfactory evaluation, the teacher needs to know the child's activities both inside school and out. She must know and make use of the resources of the home. The parents, too, must be interested in the child's total development, should understand what the school system is trying to do, and know ways and means of helping the teacher. Each needs the other's point of view.
SECTION III High School College Preparatory Students
In the past few years it has been a known fact that never in the history of our country has there been such
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Guidance is Exceedingly Important in the Senior High School- Here the Principal Counsels with Two Seniors
an increasing number of students who have attempted to be admitted to institutions for further education. Pos- sibly the one outstanding factor has been the full realiza- tion on the part of the recent graduates of the need for obtaining the best possible preparation in a chosen field of occupation.
In spite of the fact that higher institutions of learn- ing have been overwhelmed with applications for admis- sions, Abington is second to no other neighboring com- munity in the proportion of our boys and girls in colleges and universities. Every single graduate ranking in the first quintile of the class standing, who met the entrance requirements, was admitted to a college of his first or second choice.
During the past three years thirty-four graduates have been admitted in either a college of liberal arts, tech- nical school, or a State Teachers College, and during the same period of time sixteen others were admitted in secretarial schools.
Two graduates of the class of 1948 were extremely fortunate in obtaining full four year scholarships. Several others of the same class obtained partial scholarships. The group as a whole received in the neighborhood of $5800.
Occupational Conferences
During the past several years the principal's office has aided students who were not planning for further education in finding employment. During the past three years some sixty boys and girls were placed in public utility establishments, insurance offices, banks, indus- trial plants, farms, etc. Reports from employers indicate that the vast majority have proven satisfactory.
A series of occupational conferences by leading experts in the various fields are being conducted this year in place of the customary career day as previously held.
The purpose of these conferences will be to provide the students with facts and suggestions relative to plan- ning for the future, the industrial requirements for em- ployment, engineering for boys, nursing for girls, indus-
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tries for boys, secretarial work for girls, merchandising for boys and girls, as well as choosing a school or college, and, lastly, contacting employers for positions. This latter phase will be stressed particularly with seniors only.
The first of these series was held in December, and the students listened to two talks. One of these was on, "Why You Should Plan for the Future," and the other was on, "How to Choose a Career."
In the January conference there will be two more meetings with the junior and senior students. The first will have for its subject, "What It Is Like to Work in an Office," and the second will be about, "Choosing a School or College."
In February there will be two meetings. The first will have for its subject, "What It Is Like to Be in a Profes- sion." The first half of this meeting will provide informa- tion about training for a professional career, while the second half will be concerned with facts about working in the professions. During this meeting the students will hear recorded suggestions from three educators and three pro- fessional men.
The second half of the program in February will be offered in two sections. These two sections will meet simultaneously, the subject at one being, "Nursing," while the subject at the second one will be, "Engineering." Thus, on one day the seniors will learn about the requirements for training for professions and will then listen to talks on a profession which is open to girls and another which is open to boys.
In March, the first meeting will provide the students with facts about working in the fields of advertising, merchandising, or selling, and the second will provide facts about employment in an industrial plant. Thus, on one day the students will be given an opportunity to contrast the training requirements and working conditions in white collar fields and in industry.
In April, the program will be concerned with the pro- vision of information about approaching employers and will provide suggestions regarding interviewing and letter writing for positions.
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Thus, during the four month period the seniors will be given an opportunity to contrast the conditions in various types of work to obtain suggestions which will be helpful to them as they choose their colleges or schools, ana to be aware of training which will help them present their qualifications in a businesslike way to prospective employers.
The latter part of April several members of the Abington Rotary Club will speak to the juniors and sen- iors, stating in a practical way their classifications, the opportunities in their respective fields, the training required, and the future outlook for an individual desiring to pursue their particular vocation.
Guidance
Guidance is an exceedingly important factor in a senior high school and should not be overlooked. Our gen- eral guidance program is administered in part through an advisory system which consists of six teachers in charge of the six classes. Matters pertaining to testing, special conferences, college admission, employment oppor- tunities and other phases of guidance are handled pri- marily by the principal.
Since guidance is an extremely necessary phase in our modern education, it is being recommended that if possible, in the not too distant future, all of the guidance program be entrusted under the supervision of one indi- vidual. This then will solve the problem of requesting individuals to assume such responsibilities beyond their teaching duties, and in addition to their other activities.
SECTION IV
Health Achievement
The customary school physical examinations were given by the School Physicians, Dr. Mark T. Lydon and Dr. Albert L. Kelly. These examinations revealed the usual number of defects and deficiencies which were promptly reported to parents or otherwise followed up by the school nurse for more immediate corrective measures.
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The School Dental Clinic is a Joint Project of the School Committee and the Board of Health
In June of 1948, a registration was held for all pros- pective first grade entrants. The pre-school physical examinations were conducted by the school physicians at this time. It is an obligation of the parents and the com- munity to provide every youngster an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life.
The whole area of the health environment of the child is a concern of the school physicians and the school nurse. This includes such aspects as the school building, site, ventilation, sanitation, water supply, sewage and waste disposal, healthful classroom environment, recrea- tional facilities, lunch preparation, school organization for health, esthetic influences and human relationships. It is the school's responsibility to maintain in every school a healthful environment-physical, social, and emotional. Contemporary standards must be followed, and attractive- ness of surroundings is not overlooked.
The Dental Clinic continues operation under the supervision of the Abington Board of Health. Regular examinations will be given all pupils by Dr. Eugene H. Wozmak, the School Dentist. Defects discovered will be reported to parents, and corrections may be made in the school clinic or by the family dentist. The sodium fluoride treatment of children's teeth has been included as addi- tional service. This treatment has for its purpose the reduction of the number of caries (cavities) in children's teeth. In most children this treatment reduces, on the average, 40% to 50% the number of caries. The sodium fluoride treatment is given in four different treatments at ages in the life of a child when the maximum number of teeth have erupted. Thus it is that the treatments are given to children 3 years old, 7 years old, 10 years old, and 13 years old.
Eye glasses were provided to one pupil from the "Maude Scott Fund."
Four children enjoyed eight weeks at the Bailey Health Camp at Hanson. Three were sent through the efforts of the Abington Visiting Nurse Association, and a fourth child was sent to camp by a member of the Abington Rotary Club.
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