USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Wilbraham > Wilbraham annual report 1932-1940 > Part 37
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Changes in Personnel and Assignments
Mrs. Yolande Aldrich, who was granted a leave of absence for the school year 1938-1939, tendered her resignation last spring in order to devote full time to her family. Mrs. Aldrich was graduated from Framingham Normal School and taught at East Wilbraham, The Pines, and Springfield Street schools, a total of nine years in Wilbraham. Mrs. Aldrich brought to her work as teacher exceptional ability in the fields of art and music. Following her resignation she was tendered a dinner and reception at the Glendale school when she was presented with a useful gift as an expression of regard by the Wilbraham teachers.
To fill the position in grades 3 and 4 at the Springfield Street school vacated by Mrs. Aldrich, the committee was fortunate to secure Mrs. Mildred Daniels of Springfield. Mrs. Daniels, formerly Miss Mildred Pendleton, was graduated with high standing in 1938 from the State Teachers College at Westfield. She taught one year in the Center School, East Longmeadow, before coming to Wilbraham.
Miss Marion Kelley, who had been a successful teacher of the upper grades and principal at North Wilbraham and for the past two years at Springfield Street, was transferred to The Pines with the transfer to that school of the upper-grade pupils from Springfield Street. The subject of English extending
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through grades 5-8 inclusive is Miss Kelley's special assignment in the departmentalized program.
Mr. Alfred Gustafson filled out the year at The Pines school in the position vacated by Mr. Roy Rice when the latter was released to accept an attractive position in New Mexico. Mr. Gustafson carried on the work in science and was particularly helpful in connection with the visual education program of the school.
At the beginning of the last fall term Mrs. Esther Johnson was given the departmentalized work in science, formerly conducted by Mr. Rice and Mr. Gustafson, and home-room assignments for grades 5 and 6. Mrs. Jonnson has for a number of years manifested special interest and capabilities in the field of nature study.
Mrs. Milo Green, who did excellent work as teacher of grades 3, 4, and 5 at the Springfield Street school, taking the place of Mrs. Aldrich during the school year 1938-1939, was made teacher of grades 5 and 6 and principal of the school, her duties in these new capacities beginning at the opening of the present school year.
High School Tuition Rates Reduced
Though the variety and quality of secondary school op- portunities open to our pupils in Springfield have been much appreciated, the financial burden involved in providing these opportunities has become markedly greater in recent years, due in part to the increased high school enrolments and in part to the fact that the Springfield high school tuition rates have been unusually high.
When these tuition rates were increased in February, 1938, from $160 to $170 per pupil in the senior high school and from $130 to $140 per pupil in junior high school, the question of high school costs was brought afresh to the attention of the school officials in the three towns of this superintendency union. Many of our citizens questioned seriously whether these towns could continue to bear the rapidly increasing high school costs.
An investigation was made of high school tuition rates charged in the cities of Massachusetts and of the actual costs of high school education as reported by the Springfield school department. In the light of the information thus gained, a letter under date of March 7, 1938, was directed to Mayor
88
Putnam of Springfield, ex-officio chairman of the school com- mittee, in which it was asked that the Springfield school com- mittee reconsider the increase in tuition rates. Reconsideration was denied at that time because of the fact that the municipal budget had already been adopted.
Before the municipal budget of Springfield came up for consideration the following year a second letter signed by all members of the school committees of the three towns in the union was sent to the chairman and each member of the Spring- field committee, again asking for a reconsideration of the tuition rates and setting forth the reasons therefor. The Springfield committee requested that consideration of the matter be delayed pending receipt of further information on high school costs in Springfield.
On October 20, 1939, a third letter signed by the chairman of each of the three school committees of the union was sent to the Springfield school authorities, this letter being addressed to Mrs. Gena B. Hickox as vice-chairman of the school com- mittee. In this letter a request was made that representatives of the East Longmeadow, Wilbraham, and Hampden school committees be granted a hearing on the matter of tuition rates. After this rather extended correspondence and several con- ferences between the two superintendents of schools concerned, the Springfield committee granted a hearing on November 24, 1939, to representatives of the Wilbraham, East Longmeadow, and Hampden Committees. The case for lower tuition rates was formally presented by Mr. Horace Rice of the Wilbraham committee. As a result of these efforts, the Springfield com- mittee reduced the rates in senior high from $170 to $155 and in junior high from $140 to $120, the new rates becoming effective January 29, 1940.
On the basis of the estimated enrolment of high school pupils during 1940 the saving to Wilbraham brought about by this reduction in high school tuition rates will approximate $2,000, and the total saving to the three towns of the super- intendency union for 1940 will approximate $5,275. The school officials and the taxpayers of Wilbraham, East Long- meadow, and Hampden have reason to be much gratified at the favorable action of the Springfield authorities upon this matter.
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Additional Transportation Services for High School Pupils
It is believed that our pupils attending the Springfield high schools have often been at a disadvantage because of the necessity of returning home immediately after the close of school. Some of our pupils would gladly remain after school on one or two nights a week to take part in school club activities. Others have needed the help of instructors which is given to individual pupils after the regular session on certain afternoons each week.
The committee has now made arrangements whereby any such pupils may secure from the high school office a special permit to return to Wilbraham on the Trade school bus which leaves Springfield at four o'clock. The committee further agrees to provide an additional late bus on two afternoons a week, Monday and Wednesday, in case a special bus is required because of the number of pupils remaining after school on those days. On these two afternoons the late bus returns pupils to North Wilbraham and to the Street as well as to The Pines and Plains areas. It is believed that the late afternoon transporta- tion privilege will be of value to an increasing number of Wil- braham pupils.
Requirements for Admission to First Grade
The state law makes one requirement with respect to all children who attend the public schools, namely that they be vaccinated or present the certificate of a physician assigning a reason for temporary exemption from vaccination. In practice nearly all children who apply for admission to the first grade in Wilbraham have been vaccinated by the family physician or through the efforts of the Well-Child or pre-school clinic.
The state law sets no lower age limit at which a child may be admitted to the public schools, the sole statutory require- ment on this point being that when a child reaches the age of seven he must attend school. The age under seven at which a child becomes eligible for the first grade is, therefore, set by the local school authorities. It has been found that the minimum age of five years established for entering the first grade in Wil- braham is unusually low, the most common ages of admission being five years six months and five years eight months. The committee has already given some consideration to the desira- bility of making a change in the permissive age for admission,
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and has also passed a regulation that an official certificate of age be required of all children entering the first grade. This requirement of the birth certificate became effective in Septem- ber of the present school year.
Repairs to Buildings and Improvements in School Property
The third W. P. A. project at The Pines school was partially completed. This involved levelling the surface of the upper playground, evening the bank separating the lower from the upper playground, and the construction of a gravel driveway from Stony Hill Road to and around the building. It is hoped that another project can be planned whereby further improve- ments to the grounds will be made. These should include the levelling and resurfacing of the baseball field, the construction. of a backstop, the surfacing of the upper playground with traprock dust, the tarring of the driveway, and the construction of concrete walks leading from the driveway to the school entrances.
Repairs made at The Pines school include the following: Removal of the concrete curbing and the lowering of the shrubs in front of the building; Removal of concrete curbing on the south side and removal of shrubs so as to permit larger play area; The reconstruction of the urinal in the boys' toilet; Re- finishing of pupils' and teachers' desks in classrooms; Whitening of ceilings and painting of walls in classrooms: Cleaning of bulletin boards; Resealing of floors; and Repainting of painted furniture in two classrooms.
Repairs at the Springfield Street school include the follow- ing: Repair of roof over toilet; Construction of supply cupboard in hallway; Retinting of walls in two classrooms; Installation of electric outlet in nurse's room; Installing of new screen in nurse's room by Parent-Teacher Association.
Repairs at the North Wilbraham school include the follow- ing : Installing opaque shades in Mrs. Logan's room for use when motion pictures are shown; Walls and ceiling in hall retinted; Installation of new lunch table in hall; Roof over toilet re- paired; Installation of new base plug in Mrs. Logan's room: Installation of new electric clock in Mrs. Logan's room.
Curriculum Studies
The work of keeping our curriculum in harmony with present-day needs and of introducing new textbooks and study
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helps with this object in view has been continued during the past year. New textbooks in all of the important subjects of the curriculum are now installed in nearly every grade.
Social Studies
Considerable study of the curriculum in history, geography, and civics has been made by a committee of teachers, including Miss Helen Kochanek of The Pines school as the Wilbraham representative. The committee has worked out a plan whereby the course given in our elementary grades will be a logical preparation for the work given in the Springfield schools. It has also examined fourteen recent textbooks in the history of modern nations as well as seven books in community civics. As a result of these careful studies "The Background of Modern Nations" by McClure and others has been adopted for use in our seventh grade and "My Worth to the World" by Capen and Melchior has been adopted for purposes of citizenship instruction in the eighth grade.
Elementary Science
Under proper guidance and stimulation children become fascinated with the study of their natural surroundings. El- ementary science instruction based on an excellent new series of texts is now being given in the various grades. Science training helps children to observe more carefully and to think more critically at the same time that they are gaining an under- standing of the world in which they live.
Dictionaries
Each pupil from the fourth to the eighth grade inclusive is now supplied with an individual dictionary suited both in print and language to children of elementary school age.
Our schools are now well equipped with up-to-date, basic textbooks. Certain supplementary books in various fields will be needed. Teachers and pupils are encouraged to do good work when they are provided with good tools.
Audio-Visual Education
In view of the rapidly increasing use of sound motion pictures for instructional purposes, the Parent-Teacher associa-
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tions at Springfield Street school and at North Wilbraham have been working energetically to raise funds to assist the school authorities in providing needed equipment. More than one- half of the funds needed for this purpose have been raised during the past year. A committee consisting of Mr. Bert W. Gowell, representing the Springfield Street Parent-Teacher Association, Mr. Wesley Holdridge, representing the North Wilbraham Parent-Teacher Association, and the superintendent of schools, representing the school committee, has been ap- pointed to investigate the merits of various projectors and make recommendations as to the purchase of a projector. The Parent-Teacher associations deserve much credit for their earnest efforts to assist the schools in this important way.
Radio -- A Teaching and Learning Aid
A committee of five principals and teachers, including Mrs. Milo Green of the Springfield Street school, Mrs. James B. Logan of the North Wilbraham school, and Mrs. Esther Johnson of The Pines school as Wilbraham representatives, has been studying the value of radio programs as an aid in the education of young children. This committee has come to the conclusion that when children have been prepared in advance by the teacher to receive the program understandingly and when opportunities for follow-up activities are utilized, well-chosen radio programs are a means of stimulation, enjoyment, and enrichment of the child's school life. The Walter Damrosch Hour and the American School of the Air broadcasts are notable programs of this order.
Each of the Wilbraham schools is equipped for receiving these programs and the teachers are making an earnest effort to select the programs carefully and wisely and to follow the recommendations of the committee above mentioned.
Standardized Tests in School Subjects
Standardized tests in important school subjects are being given annually in order to determine whether pupils are making the expected progress in these subjects. Such tests are very helpful to teachers in diagnosing strengths and weaknesses of individual pupils and of class groups. The Metropolitan Achievement Tests in reading, arithmetic, language, and spelling have been used in 1938 and 1939 with pupils of grades
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three through eight in the three towns of the superintendency union. Taking into account the average results for the three towns it is gratifying to report that of the six different grades thus tested in 1939, three grades surpassed the test standards, two equalled the tests tandards, and one fell slightly below. Four of the six grades tested showed improvement in 1939 over the corresponding results of 1938. These standardized tests clearly indicate that the Wilbraham schools are doing creditable work in helping the pupils to acquire elementary skills and knowledge in the tool subjects of the curriculum.
Improved Methods of Testing Sight and Hearing
For many years past teachers in Massachusetts schools have been required by law to test annually the sight and hearing of their pupils in order that any defects may be reported to parents and by them referred to the family physician or eye specialist for diagnosis or recommendation. Since 1906 this eye and ear testing program has been a regular feature of the annual physical examination of school pupils also required by law and made for the stated purpose of discovering any physical defects that may hinder pupils from deriving the largest benefits from their school work. It has been the expectation that parents would take steps to have remedied, so far as possible, any defects discovered through the school health examination and that teachers would make any school adjustments needed by pupils suffering from such defects. Both these hopes are being realized to an increasing degree as the health service of the schools improves and as the parents become more fully informed as to aims and methods. Within the past few years other valuable opportunities for improving the health of school children have been made available through the establishment of the pre-school clinics and the well-child clinic.
For several years the Research-Learning Project under the direction of Dr. Lura Oak of the State Department of Public Health has been centering its attention upon possible reasons why some of our pupils fail in the early years of school life. During the course of Dr. Oak's investigations it has been found that the methods prescribed by the state for testing the vision of school pupils can be greatly improved. It appears from these recent findings that although the Snellen Eye Test was effective in discovering cases of nearsightedness, numerous
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cases of muscular unbalance and of farsightedness were never discovered in school. Some pupils have been failing, therefore, because of the failure of the school examination to bring to light these defects of vision.
After considerable experimentation the staff of the Research- Learning Project has succeeded in devising new tests and test- ing materials that are to be used by our teachers in coming months. Preparatory to the use of these new tests, Dr. Sloane, an accomplished opthalmologist, has given a series of three lectures to our teachers.
In testing the hearing of pupils, teachers have commonly used the watch-tick test or the whispering test. Investigation has shown that neither test can be relied upon in all cases. During the past year the pupils of grades 3-8 inclusive have been tested by a representative of the State Department of Public Health using a 4-H Audiometer. By means of this instrument the intensity and quality of the sounds emitted are standardized, and so many sounds are given in a single test that there is small chance that a hearing defect will escape detection.
As a result of the Audiometer test of Wilbraham pupils, eight were found to have a hearing loss of nine or more sensa- tion units in one or both ears. Parents were advised to have these cases referred to the family physician and the teachers were advised to seat these pupils in the classroom so as to reduce to a minimum the hearing loss.
It is confidently expected that the introduction of these improved methods of testing the vision and hearing of pupils mark an important advance step in our school health service.
Americanization
Following the appropriation at the last town meeting of $200 for the purpose of giving instruction to aliens who desire to become citizens, a class was opened at The Pines school. The first term of fifteen evening sessions began on March 6. As the registration for this class was more than double the number anticipated by the school officials, it became necessary to employ two teachers. As head teacher the committee appointed Mrs. Lucy Kerr of East Longmeadow. Mrs. Kerr had taken special training for Americanization work at the State Teachers College, Hyannis. She had previously served as acting-principal of The Pines school for one year in Mrs.
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Simmington's absence, and was in charge of the Americanization work in East Longmeadow. For an assistant to Mrs. Kerr the committee elected Miss Ida Pollin of Springfield who also had qualified for the position of instructor in Americanization through special training given by the State Department of Education.
At the beginning of the fall session on October 20 Mrs. Esther Goggin of Chicopee was chosen assistant teacher to take the place of Miss Pollin, who resigned to occupy a similar position in Springfield. Mrs. Goggin is a teacher of experience and holds the state certificate as qualified to give instruction in Americanization.
At the present writing there are fifty-two persons enrolled in the two classes. Of this number, twenty-five are in the first, or beginning group. The beginning group spends most of each evening learning to read and write English, although some part of each session is reserved for the study of the principles of citizenship. The members of the second group, who are more advanced, are studying for their citizenship papers. The first hour is given to the study of citizenship, and the second to practice in the correct use of written and oral English. With reference to the citizenship status of the persons enrolled in these classes, it may be said that there are three groups. Abou t twenty members have not yet received their first papers. A second group of about twenty are studying for their second papers, and the third group of six have completed the second papers and will be ready to take the final examination for citizenship when called upon by the authorities to do so.
From the opening session the attendance of the Americani- zation class has been excellent and there has also been a fine spirit of appreciation and cooperation. Judging from the response already shown, the school department feels that these classes are filling a real need in the community.
May I call attention to the following reports of staff officers including those of the school physician and school nurse.
I am glad to take this opportunity to commend heartily the efforts of teachers, supervisors, and other staff members for their faithful and worthy endeavors in promoting the work
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of the schools, and to thank the school committee for its gen- erous consideration of the various proposals made with a view to improving educational opportunities in Wilbraham.
Respectfully submitted,
BURR F. JONES.
Report of School Physician
To the School Committee, Superintendent, and Parents of Wilbraham:
I wish to report the following work accomplished during 1939:
Physical examinations 395
Vaccinations
31
Schick tests 41
Injections of toxoid for children under 12, and toxin-
antitoxin for children over 12 244
Special calls at schools 3
Examinations for working certificates
I wish to thank all for their cooperation.
ARTHUR L. DAMON, M. D.
Report of School Nurse
During the past year I have assisted the school physician in the following health work:
Physical examinations
395
Vaccinations
31
Immunizations
81
Schick tests
41
Defects were discovered as follows:
Nutrition
30
Posture
20
Teeth
168
Tonsils 59
Enlarged glands
8
Flat feet 8
Improvement in pupils having defects were as follows:
Defective posture
34
Defective tonsils
29(removed)
Flat feet 21
Number of pupil inspections
1,014
Exclusions 34
3
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Weights of pupils were taken as follows:
April weights: Standard weight or better
152
Deficient 23
No gain 3
Lost weight
4
Sept. weights: Standard weight or better
142
Deficient
26
No gain
2
Lost weight 11
Seventeen pupils were taken to the oculist for examination and treatment.
Six children spent part of the summer vacation at Camp Frederic Edwards where they were much benefitted by regular rest, balanced meals, and plenty of sunshine and play.
Many absences were caused by measles.
At the pre-school clinic in May, 22 children were examined and 21 were found to have physical defects as follows : Defective skin, 1; defective teeth, 14; defective tonsils, 9; nasal obstruc- tion, 2; enlarged glands, 3; flat feet, 2. Four of these children had tonsils removed.
I have had 544 consultations with parents, teachers, oculists, and others, and have made 289 visits to homes, schools, phy- sicians, and others.
Respectfully submitted,
SIGNE L. POLSON, R.N.
School Calendar, 1939-1940
Fall Term:
Wednesday, September 6, to Friday, December 22. Winter Term:
Tuesday, January 2, to Wednesday, February 21. Spring Term:
Monday, March 4, to Friday, April 26.
Summer Term:
Monday, May 6, to Friday, June 21.
The schools are closed on Monday, September 18, Child- ren's Day at the Eastern States Exposition; Friday, October 27, annual meeting of the Hampden County Teachers' Asso- ciation; on Wednesday noon, November 29, for the rest of the week, Thanksgiving recess; on Friday, March 22, Good Friday; and on all other legal holidays.
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Tables of Statistics
Children in the School Census and Their Distribution
October 1, 1939
5 to 7 years
7 to 14 14 to 16
Boys
31
years 157 160
60
248
Girls
30
47
237
Total
61
317
107
485
Distribution :
In public school
46
227
79
352
In Trade School
0
0
20
20
In private school
6
86
4
96
Not enrolled in any school
9
4
4
17
61
317
107
485
Total on October 1, 1938
59
323
120
502
Number of Pupils in Elementary Schools by Grades Five-Year Period, 1934-1939
(As of December in each year)
Grade I
II III
IV
VI
VII VIII Special Total
1934
50
45
44
43
V 55
54
51
54
17
413
1935
54
33
42
43
35
55
46
47
15
370
1936
37
33
35
36
39
37
51
47
9 324
1937
50
31
26
38
38
47
39
44
313
1938
37
30
33
28
32
33
52
33
278
1939
40
24
37
33
32
35
34
44
279*
*Does not include two pupils for whom Wilbraham pays tuition in Ludlow.
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