, 1889-02-23

sted Free School, by which the hours OF IN.
struction for the 3rd boys and Bird girls
classes were fixed for the morning, while
those for the End classes were fixed for the
afternoon. This change made it possible to let
each teacher instruct two successive Grasses
list and End, Ord and 4th), by which it was
intended. partly to attain greater continuity
in the teaching, since, as q rule, q child VIII
be for about 8 years in succession under the
same teacher, and partly to secure a more
confirmed attachment of the child for the
individual teacher. The Board has reason to
believe that the arrangement, which was
received with appreciation by all the teachers
of the school, will in both respects have the
desired effect.
The above mentioned Preparatory Class IN
the same school is intended for the reception
OF, the small children who enter the lower
classes of the School IN the course OF the
year and especially after the middle OF the
school year, and to whose instruction the
teachers could not hitherto devote sufficient
time without neglecting the children who
had been in the classes from tbs beginning
of the year, those classes having usually
reached a number of over 100 pupils in each.
This Preparatory Glass is intended to exist
only during the latter half of each school
year. For it's use O. new room has been
provided in the school building by Partition
ing off a part of the large room which former
ly occupied the whole of the uppermOst
storey Of the building.
With regard to the progress of the pupils,
the condition of the town schools has been
the same as in the previous year. The Fred
eriksted Free School showed at the annual
examination in May that it still stood IN
regard to most OF the classes much behind
the school in C~hristiansted but the Board
has good hope that the next annual exanlna-
ton will shew considerable progress. In
most of the country schools, the progress,
when all the circumstances are taken into
account, has been satisfactory one school
only, that at East Hill, has made rather
a poorer than a better impression than IN
previous years, which, however, may possibly
be due to accidental conditions, beyond the
control of the teacher. Friedensfeld school,
in spite of its too large number OF pupils ION
the average 347), has continued to make good
progress and furnishes a good testimony to
the industry and ability of the teacher. Less
successful has the teacher at the Diamond
School been in overcoming the difficulties IN
his way arising from the number of pupils
1887 on the average) being unreasonably large
for the size of the school room. Peters Rest
school continues to distinguish itself by It's ex-
cellent order, which shews itself, among other
ways, in almost all the pupils coming IN
good time in the morning. which, unfortun-
ately, cannot by far be said of all the schools.
The Two Williams School, which in 1887
made so great an advance under the teacher
appointed from the beginning OF the year,
does not seem to have suffered by the change
again made in 1888. At La Princesse school
the children have been brought more success
fully than elsewhere to reproduce what they
have been taught in Bible History and Ma
tural History in connected sentences in
many places it has proved difficult at the
examinations in these subjects to get the
pupils to give their answers IN mort than a
single word. Rose Hill school is still in its
infancy and has but very few pupils in the
uppprmost classes, but seems otherwise to
be making tolerably good progress.
The not inconsiderable increase IN the
total number of pupils in the public schools
chiefly arises from the closing of the private
(Roman Catholic school at Orange Grove,
many of the pupils from which were entered
in the School at Rose Hill.
The attendance at the schools has been
better than in the previous year. Most, but
far from all, of the absences have been caused
by sickness, especially, as usual, by sore feet.
The school fines imposed in the course of the
wear have amounted in all to 1898, of which
1909 were RENTED, l,43l (3202.3O) were
paid, and l24 were expiated by imprison-
= n - 1 -. LII .-11kl NJ.