Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-03-16
HIGH SCHOOL NOTES.
Items of General Interest in Our
City Schools, Reported by
Superintendent Richter.

A number of the grades have be-
gun to study the plants that are
now beginning TO appear. Birds
are also included in their trips and
all nature about which We are con-
cerned in their respective grade
work.
H. ]. Green, editor of Public
Opinion, will talk to the nigh school
pupils on the Panama Canal next
Tuesday afternoon at lis p. M,
describing mis- recent visit to the
canal zone. Citizens desiring to be
present at the time will be welcome.
The basket ball team did the reg
ular and expected thing when they
defeated the New Hampton team on
their nome floor at that point. This
was the first defeat, we understand,
that this team has met at home
this year. Our team has been de-
feated but once this year thus far.
School will close March % for a
weeks vacation. The county insti-
tute will convene in the high school
building at that time.
We should like to know of the
number who have children who are
years old now, or will be by the
first of April, who wish to enter
them in the kindergarten, providing
that a beginners class is started.
Note that we say years old. We
do not wish to be imposed upon in
this matter. We have found that
in years past pupils have been reg
istered as being years old but
have lacked many months OF having
arrived at that age. This is not ex-
pected in this case.
Last weeks attendance reports
show that there was a total of So
days of absence during the week.
This is over 2R months for one
pupil. We had but 6 cases of tardi-
ness during the week. These cases
were from four grades. The re-
mainder of the grades had perfect
tardy records. The month just
closing shows that there were 405 p
days of absence for the month. 67
cases of hardness. A very import
ant thing noticeable in this report
of the month is that the grade that
had he most. days of absences, a to-
tai of 1913 cases, 81 " days, also
had the most cases of pupils remain
ing to make up work, 256 cases.
The grade records of this room will
also show that those who have been
have the lowest grades and a num-
Der border on failure. This is an
important fact that school admin
istrators are emphasizing, that
grade promotion very often depends
upon regular attendance and fail
ure to make grade very often can
be traced to irregular attendance.
1t is unjust also to ask a teacher
to assist 256 individuals during the
month to carry their work when
they have absented themselves for
no good reason. A case was in
vestigated not long since, when it
was found that pupil who has fail
ed in her grade in previous years,
absented herself from her grade for
consecutive days, to go to the
country to visit the hired girl. We
report this since we feel that the
public should know of some of the
cases that teachers must face. If
under the circumstances the teacher
should seem to be out of humor,
rather put out" etc, do not be too
free in judging her. The public
schools are your schools and any
thing that affects or retards them
affects and retards your school and
your child. These schools do not
belong to the teachers in charge,
but to the patrons in charge. Do
you think that you can afford to
have anything interfere with their
free working, not only in attend
ance, but in any line which inter-
feres with the pupils work and pro-
gress? We owe it to the future
citizens and state to sec that our
public schools are the most efficient