USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Southbridge > Town annual reports of the officers of Southbridge for the year ending 1957-1961 > Part 29
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To Treasurer's- Extra Clerical
150.00
4,640.61
5,481.59
Interest-Fixed Debt
70.00
Maturing Debt
4,000.00
70.00 4,000.00
70.00 4,000.00
70.00 4,000.00
Anticipation of Revenue Bal. 1/1/58
650,000.00 150,000.00
800,000.00
650,000.00
650,000.00
150,000.00
Airport Iprovement-
Loans Authorized- Unissued- 50,000.00
Total Interest and Maturing Debt & Loans Authorized Unissued 50,000.00
14,070.00
800,122.20
814,192.20
658,560.61
150.00
658,710.61
5,481.59 150,000.00
.
SCHEDULE OF APPROPRIATIONS, EXPENDITURES, TRANSFERS AND BALANCES (Cont.)
Overdrawn Acct. 1/1/58 Approp.
Prev. Bal. Refunds Transfers
Total Receipts
Payments
Transfer to Other Accounts
Total Expense
Bal. To Var. Accts.
Bal. Forw'd 1959
O'drawn Accts. 12/31/58
Agency, Trust and Investment:
Parking Meter Fees Bal. 1/1/58
23,182.91 14,103.49
37,286.40
15,920.00
15,920.00 124,791.85
21,366.40
Federal Tax Deduct.
124,791.85
124,791.85
124,791.85
Deposits on Plans and Bids
Bal. 1/1/58
20.00 107,035.00
107,055.00
69,285.00
69,285.00
37,770.00
Post War Rehabili-
tation Fund-
Bal. 1/1/58
843.75 3,375.00
4,218.75
4,218.75
4,218.75
J. A. Angell Fund-
Bal. 1/1/58
31.27
31.27
31.27
Alexis Boyer, Jr., Fund- Bal. 1/1/58
11.29
11.29
11.29
Ella M. Cole Fund- Bal. 1/1/58
600.08
Fund Income
94.98
695.06
69.49
69.49
625.57
Mabel Murphy Fund-
Bal. 1/1/58
76.47
Fund Income
65.00
141.47
82.00
82.00
59.47
Mary Mynott Fund-
Bal. 1/1/58
29.59
Fund Income
32.50
62.09
29.24
29.24
32.85
Adah Stedman Fund
Receipts To Various Accounts
Deposits
Fund Income
Income Invested
Bal. 1/1/58 Fund Income Smith-Hughes Fund- From Comm. of Mass. School Athletic Fund- Bal. 1/1/58 Receipts
96.46 35.00
131.46
42.00
42.00
89.46
1,283.00
1,283.00
1,283.00
1,283.00
4,486.62 7,834.83
12,321.45
9,585.50
9,585.50
2,735.95
Federal Lunch Program- Approp. Acct.
3,000.00
3,000.00
3,000.00
3,000.00
Federal Lunch Program- Rotating Fund
Bal. 1/1/58
3,785.69
From Comm. of Mass.
11,380.34
School Lunch Receipts
25,440.71
By Reserve for Petty Cash Advance
50.00
40,656.74
38,074.16
To Reserve for Petty Cash Advance
50.00
38,124.16
2,532.58
Dog Tax Fees-Reserved
For County
Sale of Land Acct .- 1/1/58 Ball.
1,875.75
1,875.75
1,862.75
1,862.75
13.00
Cemetery Perpetual Care
1,000.00
1,000.00
1,000.00
Bequests Deposited
1,160.00
1,160.00
1,160.00
1,160.00
Ruth E. Stedman Per-
petual Care Bequest Deposited
1,000.00
1,000.00
1,000.00
1,000.00
Tailings
1/1/58 Bal.
424.21
424.21
1958 Tailings
161.31
585.52
To Estimated Receipts
161.31
State Auditing Tax
1,993.95
1,993.95
1,993.95
1,993.95
State Parks and
Reserv. Tax 243.83
9,096.99
9,096.99
8,753.81
8,753.81
99.35
State Examination of
424.21
424.21
SCHEDULE OF APPROPRIATIONS, EXPENDITURES, TRANSFERS AND BALANCES (Cont.)
Overdrawn Acct. 1/1/58
Approp.
Prev. Bal. Refunds Transfers
Total Receipts
Payments
Transfer to Other Accounts
Total Expense
Bal. To Var. Accts.
Bal. Forw'd 1959 ..
O'drawn Accts. 12/31/58
Retirement System
825.99 81,086.78
825.99 81,086.78
825.99 79,695.56
825.99 79,695.56
1,391.22
County T.B. Hospital Maintenance Tax Bal. 1/1/58 To 1958 Revenue
31,627.14
1,711.40
33,338.54
36,902.13
1,711.40
38,613.53
5,274.99
Various Overpaym .- Refunds
3,000.94
3,000.94
3,000.94
3,000.94
Total Agency, Trust, Invest-
ment and Refunds
243.83
127,630.85
339,019.44
466,650.29
386,080.33
17,681.40
403,761.73
67,919.72 5,274.99
Recapitulation:
General Government
117,769.00
2,056.09
119,825.09
112,505.69
372.48
112,878.17
6,553.45
393.47
Protection of Persons and Property
315,230.00
4,807.20
320,037.20
316,354.88
316,354.88
2,236.10
1,446.22
Health and Sanitation
62,437.00
2,323.38
64,760.38
60,858.41
60,858.41
3,486.67
415.30
Highways 3,000.00
159,645.00
7,597.77
167,242.77
162,940.84
3,038.91
165,979.75
1,263.02
3,000.00
Charities and Veter- and Benefits
417,850.00
246,772.75
664,622.75
575,775.90
9,453.72
585,229.62
16,162.51
63,230.62
Schools and Library
705,461.00
3,571.74
709,032.74
706,606.43
706,606.43
2,426.31
Recreation and Unclassified
89,207.56
9,340.94
98,548.50
90,489.68
90,489.68
6,699.39
1,359.43
Cemetery and
Enterprises
8,655.00
5,175.07
11,111.34
11,111.34
60.23
2,658.50
Special Accts.
3,105.86
151,952.28
136,140.85
13,830.07 288,093.13
161,022.02
2,297.22
163,319.24
10,115.28
111,552.75
County Tax
interest and Ma- turing Debt 50,000.00 Loans Authorized Unissued Agency, Trust & Investments & Refunds
14,070.00
800,122.20
814,192.20
658,560.61
150.00
658,710.61
5,481.59 150,000.00
243.83
127,630.85
339,019.44
466,650.29
386,080.33
17,681.40
403,761.73
67,919.72
5,274.99
50,000.00
6,349.69 2,169,907.69
1,556,927.43 3,726,835.12
3,242,306.13
32,993.73
3,275,299.86
54,484.55
398,976.01
8,274.99
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
AND
Superintendent of Schools
BRIDGE
MASS
S
.......
THE EYE OF
YE
VWEALTH
OF
THE
COMM
OF THE
TOWN OF SOUTHBRIDGE
For the Year Ending December 31, 1958
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
DECEMBER 31, 1958
THE SOUTHBRIDGE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
1958 - 1959
Louis VanDernoot, Chairman, 45 Westwood Pkwy 1959
Lorenzo Beaupre, 131 Central Street 1960
Armand Bellerive, 176 Dresser Street 1959
Edgar J. Bourgeois, 42 Goddard Street
1960
Mario DeAngelis, 12 Lebanon Hill 1960
Dr. Ralph R. Racicot, 192 Chapin Street 1961
Belmore St. Amant, 401 Elm Street
1961
MEETINGS OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
The regular meetings of the School Committee are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 8:00 P. M. in the office of the Superintendent of Schools, Mary E. Wells High School Building.
There are no regular meetings in July and August.
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Robert L. Fox
Residence: 46 Columbus Avenue Tel. 4-8400
Office: Mary E. Wells High School Tel. 4-3285
SECRETARIES
Margaret R. Connolly, 14 South Street Tel. 4-6513
Mrs. Leona Lavoie, 62 Glenwood Street Tel. 4-6733
The Superintendent's office is open from Monday through Friday, from 8:30 A. M. to 5:00 P. M.
SCHOOL PHYSICIANS
Dr. William Langevin, 24 Everett Street Tel. 4-7358 Dr. Adah B. Eccleston, 62 Elm Street Tel. 4-8141
2
SCHOOL NURSES
Mrs. Lottie A. LeBlanc, 54 Westwood Parkway Tel. 4-3359 Mrs. Pauline Boucher, 13 Edwards Street Tel. 4-7772
SCHOOL CALENDAR
Winter term, seven weeks
Spring term, seven weeks
Summer term, eight weeks
Fall term, sixteen weeks
January - 5 February 20 March 2 - April 17 April 27 - June 24
September 9 - December 23
NO-SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENT
The official No-School Announcement for all schools will be given over Stations WESO, WTAG and WAAB at 7:00 A. M. and 7:45 A. M. There will also be two sets of eight blasts of the fire siren at 6:45 A. M. When it is necessary to make such a decision in the morning, schools will be closed for the en- tire day.
ENROLLMENT OCTOBER 1, 1958
5-7
7-14
14-16
16-Up
Total
Grades Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls
1
91
71
12
2
103
73
2
11
9
88
87
99
96
3
89
88
89
88
4
80
86
1
81
86
5
120
79
1
121
79
6
106
103
1
107
103
7
75
106
6
3
81
109
8
58
68
20
11
1
78
80
9
9
18
57
58
3
6
69
82
10
6
51
74
13
12
64
92
11
15
21
40
51
55
72
12
3
9
40
47
43
56
Trade
2
68
85
155
Special
18
6
3
2
21
8
Total
102 80
657
649
226
178
181
117
1166 1024
Total Southbridge Public Schools
2190
Total St. Mary's School
288
Total Notre Dame School
846
Total Ste. Jeanne d'Arc School
247
Grand Total (all pupils attending school in Southbridge)
3571
3
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Appro- priations
Ex- penditures
Reimburse- ments
Balance on hand Dec. 31, 1958
Salaries
$524,174.00
$521,752.62
$2,421.38
Other Expenses (Including Transportation, Tuition, Medical Expenses, Textbooks, Supplies, Operation and Maintenance of Plant, Equipment, Capital Outlay, etc.) Contingency ..
153,186.00
153,182.90
3.10
5,000.00
5,000.00
Audio-Visual Aids
2,000.00
2,000.00
Music
1,500.00
1,500.00
Playgrounds
4,000.00
4,000.00
Driver Education
1,500.00
905.55
594.45
Federal Lunch Program (Cafeteria)
3,000.00
3,000.00
Smith-Hughes Fund
1,283.00
1,283.00
General Athletic Fund
2,369.36
1,996.10
373.26
School Planning Committee Account
5,489.60
2,632.63
2,856.97
State Aid for Schools (Chap. 70 as Amended 1948 Chap. 643)
Vocational School, State Grant
High School Tuition
..
Elementary School Tuition
Vocational School Day and Evening
Tuition and Transportation
Refund Retirement Board (Military Leave)
Cole Trade High School - Clerical Services,
121,933.91 37,162.73 815.88 240.12
7,630.14 590.72
Veterans' Reports Transportation Vocational Pupils . . Reimbursement - Vocational Tuition .. Reimbursement - Special Classes (Mentally Retarded Children)
75.00 172.80 610.94
7,818.23
TOTALS
$703,501.96
$697,252.80 $177,050.47
$6,249.16
IN BRIEF:
Total Expenditures $697,252.80
Total Receipts to Town Treasurer 177,050.47
NET COST TO TOWN 520,202.33
A detailed financial statement will be found in the Town Ac- countant's report.
5
SCHOOL PERSONNEL
The name, date of appointment, and degree appear in that order.
Robert L. Fox-1954
M.Ed.
Clair Birtz-1937
Judith Brockway-1958
B.S.
Gail Griffin-1957
B. Music
Lewis Kyrios-1938
D.Ed.
Gilbert Lamarre-1954
M.Ed.
Paul Sweet-1950
Mary E. Wells High School
James M. Robertson-1937
D.Ed.
Edward Desroches-1949
M.Ed.
Nora Adams-1947
Secretary to Principal
Pauline Aucoin-1921
B.S.
Kathryn Beauregard-1922
M.A.
Rose Brodeur-1939
M.A.
Eva Casavant-1933
M.A.
Laura Chapman-1953
A.B.
Constance Coderre-1929
B.S.
Shirley Demirjian-1957
B.S.Ed.
Paul Duhart-1949
M.Ed.
Thecla Fitzgerald-1926
M.Ed.
Francis Flanagan-1956
B.S.
Robert Hart-1952
M.A.
Elizabeth Haynes-1958
B.S.
Persis Howe-1930
B.S.Ed.
John Kowalski, Jr .- 1955
B.A.
Barbara Kyrios-1940
B.S.
Constance E. Langlois-1958
B.A.
Harry J. McMahon-1926
M.A.
Fayne McMaster-1956
A.B.
Donald Marino-1958
B.S.
Dr. Theodore Mathieu-1957
Ph.D.
Maureen Moriarty-1957
B.A.
William Nickerson-1941
B.S.
Ernest Pappas-1957
A.B.
Anthony Sapienza-1954
M.Ed.
Frances Troy-1927
B.S.Ed.
Cole Trade High School
Raymond L. W. Benoit-1949
M.Ed.
Frank P. Skinyon-1934
B.S.
Maureen Prokos-1946
Secretary to Director
Elsie Hofstra-1933 Clerk
Robert V. Beals-1957
M.A.
George Braman-1938
M.A.
6
B.A.
Anthony Chlapowski-1956 Walter J. Glondek-1938 David Knight-1956 Lucian Manchuk-1956 William B. Paul-1942
Lawrence F. Swenson-1932
Edwin J. Waskiewicz-1952
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
R. Joseph Racine-1944 M.Ed.
Charlton Street
Camella Dintini-1940 M.Ed.
Helen Golden-1948 A.B.
Claire Kirk-1949 A.B.
Sylvia LeBlanc-1958 B.S.
Joan Little-1957
B.S.
Bernard Pouliot-1955
M.Ed.
Ruth Sampson-1930
Dorothy Sheriff-1945
Marie J. Saunders-1924
Agnes Stone-1958
Marcy Street
Anita Sfreddo-1953
B.Music
Mary Chauvin-1958
B.S.Ed.
Alice Dion-1926
Faith Dostal-1956
Josette Dupuis-1948
A.B.
Edith Manzi-1957
B.S.
Eva Salviuolo-1943 B.S.
Celestine Sweet-1932
B.A.
Mechanic Street
Dorothy Locke-1954
Lorene Fierro-1954
B.S.
Kathleen Marino-1958
A.B.
Marie Skaza-1949
Raoul Lataille-1939 M.Ed.
Eastford Road
Constance L'Ecuyer-1940
M.A.
Laurenda Boyer-1927
Irma Buckminster-1957
B.S.
Bertha Foley-1912
7
Irene Gough-1914 Myrtle Jodrey-1944 Eunice Maloney-1958 Julia Morrill-1914 Christo Nasse-1958
Anne L. White-1958
B.S.
Pleasant Street
Patricia Callahan-1939
M.Ed.
Elizabeth Curtis-1944
M.Ed.
Marjorie Duminie-1957
B.S.
Mary Winston-1951
West Street
Vincent Puracchio-1950
M.A.
John R. Bower-1958
M.Ed.
Kathleen Burns-1958
Myrtle Harrald-1957
Robert Kirk-1958
Martha Koprowski-1954
B.S.
Madelene Proulx-1954
B.S.
Myrtle Snow-1957
Edward Stemme-1957
B.A.
Special Teachers
Stanley Naumnik-1954
Clara Reed-1941
William E. Rinehart-1952
B.S.
Cafeteria Personnel
Edith Freeman-1953
Manager
Viola Galligan-1953
Irene Gates-1954
Isabel Laforce-1953
Claire Ventura-1958
Change of Teachers
Resigned
Ralph Farmer-June
Mary E. Wells High School
Joseph Christopher-June Mary E. Wells High School
Theodore Finnerty-June Eastford Road School West Street School
Yolande Augusto-June
Raymond Fell-June
West Street School
Rita Hennen-November
West Street School
Elizabeth Lathrop-June
West Street School
Anne Skudlark-June West Street School
8
B.S.
B.S.
Ruth Huson-June
Eastford Road School
Leave of Absence
Everett Holmes-June Mary E. Wells High School
Gwen Kuszewski-April Charlton Street School
Elizabeth McGrath-April
Charlton Street School
Thomas Mahoney-June Eastford Road School
Mary Puracchio-June Eastford Road School
Dorothy Berthiaume June
Charlton Street School
Appointed
Judith Brockway-Sept. Music Supervisor, Grades 7-12
Elizabeth Haynes-Sept. Mary E. Wells High School
Constance Langlois-Sept. Mary E. Wells High School
Donald Marino-Sept. Mary E. Wells High School
Eunice Maloney-Sept.
Eastford Road School
Christo Nasse-Sept.
Eastford Road School
Anne L. White-Nov.
Eastford Road School
John Bower-Sept.
West Street School
Robert Kirk-Sept.
West Street School
Kathleen Burns-Dec.
West Street School
Agnes Stone-Sept. Charlton Street School
Sylvia LeBlanc-Sept.
Charlton Street School
Mary J. Chauvin-Sept.
Marcy Street School
Kathleen Marino-Sept.
Mechanic Street School
Change of Janitors
Retired
John B. Craite-March
Cole Trade High School
Appointed
Eugene Ledoux-April
Cole Trade High School
Janitors
Joseph Brouillard-1954 Head Janitor
Telesphore Beauregard-1957
Mary E. Wells High School Mechanic and
Anatole Bombardier-1957
Pleasant Street Schools West Street School
Wilfred P. Gauthier-1952
Adelard Lavallee-1952 Marcy Street School
Eugene Ledoux-1958 Cole Trade High School
Theophile Leduc-1943 Charlton Street School
Joseph Moore-1941 Eastford Road School
George St. Martin-1953
Mary E. Wells High School
9
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
FOR 1958
To the School Committee and Citizens of Southbridge:
I hereby submit my fifth annual report as Superintendent of the Southbridge Public Schools, it being the sixty-seventh in a series of such reports.
This report each year is one of the few mediums through which a Superintendent may convey to you, the citizens of the community, an account of what has been achieved in the public schools during the past year. It is an opportunity to place before you the major aims, the needs, the accomplish- ments, and the activities of our school system at the present time. We, who are responsible for the formal education of the young people of Southbridge, realize that our success in this endeavor will be more assured if we have the interest, the confidence, and the support of all the citizenry. Therefore, we urge you to read the following pages that you may become better acquainted with what we are trying to do; that you may have a greater knowledge of some of our problems; and, as a result, that you may be in a better position to assist where assistance is needed.
School Enrollment
For the past several years the report of the Superintendent has emphasized the need for school building expansion. This need, stimulated by a slow, inevitable growth in public school population, is now at a critical stage. The enrollment at Mary E. Wells High School has increased from 393 on October 1, 1954, to 533 on the same date in 1958. We anticipate that the num- ber of pupils in the four years of high school on October 1, 1959, will be 560. Grades 5, 6, and 7 average 200 pupils so that no respite is in prospect for a number of years to come. Indeed, by 1962 we shall have, and this is a minimum estimate, 600 in our high school.
When the three large elementary schools were erected some twenty years ago, it was possible to transfer the eighth grade classes which had been housed in the high school to the new buildings. Following the Second World War, there was a remarkable growth in the number of births, a fact that was destined to affect school planning in all communities. In 1952 the eighth grades in Southbridge were moved back to the high school building because the high school population had decreased from 625 in 1939 to 470 in 1952; thereby, allowing relief for increasingly crowded conditions in the grades. Now the pendulum is swinging again. Last September, one eighth
10
grade was assigned to a room at Charlton Street School, the last available room in a grade school building. Even so, there are about 700 pupils in the high school building. The present seventh grade, without the thirty or so who will remain at Charlton Street School as eighth graders, is so large that it will be impossible to accommodate all of them in the high school building. Therefore, as it appears at this moment, it will be necessary to have double sessions in some of our grades next year or to use the elementary school gymnasium as class- rooms. However unpalatable it may be and however much may be lost in educational time and achievement to the pupils involved, the solution is inescapable. WE ARE SHORT OF SPACE.
The eighth grade has been transferred twice in the past twenty years and is gradually going through the same transi- tion now. It must not be thought, however, that this elasticity will continue unless new spaces are afforded. The average enrollment for our first eight grades is 184 pupils. If the South- bridge School Committee decides to begin the double ses- sions in September of 1959 by having seventh grades and eighth grades use the same rooms at different times in the day, it will be just the beginning of an era of decreased edu- cational offerings which will grow with each succeeding year until sufficient room is provided to accommodate all the pupils properly.
School Building Planning
The School Building Planning Committee which was re- appointed at the Annual Town Meeting of 1958 proposes to present a plan for a new high school before the coming Town Meeting in March. The plan includes an addition of classroom and shop space for Cole Trade High School. The new building would be erected on the piece of land, owned by the Town, in the rear of Cole Trade High School and would provide modern educational space for 600 high school pupils.
This is the third time in seven years that committees repre- senting the Town have, after extensive investigation of all pos- sibilities, concluded that, since expansion is an admitted neces- sity, a new high school would best serve the interest of the community. The educational possibilities of the present high school building have been developed to their highest potential during the past few years. A new science laboratory for Chemistry and Physics has been installed. Space for use as a library is available, completely furnished for this purpose, as soon as the exodus of eighth grade classes takes place. The School Committee has made extensive purchases of new equipment for the Commercial Department. And yet, our offerings must, because of the limits of the physical plant, be
11
somewhat less than those which prevail in a modern secondary school. More science laboratories, one for biology and an- other for general science, are needed. The lack of a gym- nasium eliminates the opportunity for classes in physical edu- cation. The music and art programs are handicapped because of limited space.
With few exceptions, and these are notable because of their rarity, the hundreds of Southbridge residents who have taken the time during the past five years to investigate the situation have agreed that a new high school is the best solu- tion both from the point of view of long range educational planning and in terms of economic investment.
Administrative Changes
There has been considerable discussion during recent years at meetings of the Southbridge School Committee re- garding the subject of elementary school administration. A survey made in February, 1958, of 36 towns in Massachusetts with populations of from 10,000 to 20,000 people indicated that, on the average, a supervising principal in an elementary school had administrative jurisdiction over sixteen classrooms. In some cases a single supervisor was in charge of elementary schools. In Southbridge there were at that time, and had been for some years previous, four supervising principals, each of whom had an average of nine teachers on his or her staff.
The School Committee subsequently adopted a policy by which there would be two elementary supervisors, each in charge of three elementary schools. Mr. Raoul Lataille was named supervisor of West Street School, Eastford Road School, and Pleasant Street School, while Mr. R. Joseph Racine was placed in administrative charge of Charlton Street School, Marcy Street School, and Mechanic Street School. These two supervisors work in close cooperation with each other and with the Superintendent in matters of policy and curriculum.
The advantages accruing to the change are these:
1. There is better administrative control over elemen- tary schools.
2. It is possible to have more equalized curriculum objectives.
3. Curriculum is being strengthened because super- visors have greater opportunity for discerning weak- nesses in instruction.
4. The total level of achievement and of discipline is being raised.
5. There is a greater feeling of unity.
6. We have eight elementary people in administration instead of six, and a greater contribution can be ex- pected from key people in the system.
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7. It is a closer administrative organization. The su- pervising principals are in contact with the Superin- tendent on every school day.
8. A welcome but incidental advantage of the adjust- ment in administration is the financial gain. The four supervising principals averaged $5,200 in salary for a total of $20,800. The newly appointed supervisors re- ceive $6,000 apiece in basic salary or $12,000 in total. It was possible to increase the per room differential for teaching principals from $25 to $40, which is more nearly the amount allowed in other communities, and still show a saving of more than $6,000 annually.
It would not be completely true to state that the change has been made without some difficulty. Adjustments will have to be made as the new system gains momentum. It will be necessary to evaluate the situation as it proceeds and to de- cide upon the areas of responsibility for teachers, teaching principals, and supervising principals. We feel certain that the change will be of great advantage to our school system if the wholehearted support and cooperation of all concerned is guaranteed.
Classes for Exceptional Children
Rapid Learners - Fifth Grade
After a year of study by a committee of teachers and prin- cipals, plans were formulated in the spring of the current year to start a class for rapid learners in the elementary grades. Included in the recommendations of the committee were the following:
1. That the project begin in the fifth grade and continue through the eighth. The fifth grade is the beginning of the second four-year period in a twelve-year pro- gram. At that time in a pupil's school life enough test results are available to give an adequate im- pression of his ability.
2. That conversational French be included in the curri- culum. This is an attempt to give these young people a start toward mastering a second language. Few pupils who take the complete high school course in French acquire the ability to carry on a conversation in the language. Perhaps beginning these pupils so much earlier in life will give them the necessary background to make full use of French.
3. That the pupils selected by the usual criteria be al- lowed to proceed, in so far as possible, at their own potential rate of learning. The criteria used were (1) the results of tests in native intelligence, (2)
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academic achievement, and (3) attitude and willing- ness to work hard.
The parents were assured that this class is not an experi- ment. Regardless of what may happen in the future, this class, except for those who fail to live up to their promise, will re- main intact through the eighth grade. This does not mean that they may enter high school a year earlier than others who are in the fifth grade at present. It does mean that we expect them to be better prepared for a high school course which will be more demanding upon them than the usual secondary school course.
Pupils in the fourth grade at the present time are being tested so that a similar class may be organized for the begin- ning of next year. We wish to impress upon parents the fact that the approach to this situation is a purely objective one.
A class of regular size of the most capable pupils will be selected. Among the children with the highest intellectual potentiality we shall select those who have demonstrated that they can and will live up to that ability as shown by their achievement in the first four grades.
Rapid Learners - Ninth Grade
By a similar method and with the same criteria, the best students of last year's eighth grade have been placed in one group as freshmen. Their course of study includes five college preparatory subjects instead of the usual four. They are tak- ing elementary algebra, plane geometry, English, science, and a foreign language. This plan will permit them to study inter- mediate algebra next year, and solid geometry and trigonom- etry during their junior year, leaving them the opportunity to study advanced or college mathematics during the senior year. Advice of technological colleges will help determine the con- tent of the fourth year course.
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