Putnam patriot., 1916-03-10
SUPERINTENDENT
REPORT
Recommends Two Sessions at High School
Attitude of Home Not Favorable TO
Physical Culture

To the School COMMITTEES:
submit herewith my report of the
Putnam public schools for the month
of February:
Attendance
There are enrolled $40 pupils, of
whom 425 were boys and 4l5 girls. The
average membership for February was
7o7, gain of L over January, and the
average attendance was 6227, a slight
gain over January. The days alb
sences for February totaled 1919, Janu-
ary's total was l223. During February
2l9 were perfect In attendance as com.
pared with 295 for the month of Janu-
airy. The membership at the end of
the month of February was T53, gain
of over January's figures.
Instruction
The work of instruction has gone MS
usual during the month, with more
emphasis on the essentials. a definite
plan of work calling for more empha.
sis ON the essentials is being followed.
AT this time ii might be stated TINT
our school hours need revision IL we
are to do we'll I'LL the work that mod.
ern conditions require of the schools.
For the grade schools | am in favor
of forenoon and afternoon sessions of
equal length, three hours each. Our
present hours, 9-l2, t.30 TO $3.50, with
deduction for recesses, gives us a little
more than 4 IL hours a day. feel
very strongly that, for pupils above
Grade V, where home study Is diff
cult, If not impossible, to get, school
day of six hours would enable us To do
more and better work. My idea of
hours would be S.45 to IL As and TO 4,
schedule of hours that, with dedue-
tion for recesses, would give us an ex-
ira hour each day.
In the Case of the high school, be.
lieve TINT the same schedule could
very protitably be made effective again
aud foF s4le reason2 eited TO apply 20
the grammar grades.
In a future report | shall have some.
thing to say, supported by reports
from other towns aud cities, regarding
the transfer OF Grade VIII from the
High school building TO the Israel
Putnam school.
At the end of month of work, il
can be stnted without qualification 10y |
me that The high school on the inslruc
ton side is stronger than AZ any lime |
since the school has been under my oh
servalion.
The mathematics department under |
Mr.. Penney has been improved aud |
the tightening OF the demands on the |
commercial teacher, Miss Lewis, by |
Mr.. Handy's taking over the CONNER
cial arithmetic, has given Miss Lewis
time for more thorough supervision of
work during the typewriting periods
and for extra work in stenography.
We are trying to make the CONNER
ciai department department where
adequate preparation will be pre-
requisite and department where seri-
GUS attention to work will be necessary
to survive. This department Is no
longer the refuge .of those boys and
girls who have failed in all other de-
partmenis. We are making 1t no long
er refuge for the unprepared, the
lazy, or the mentally crippled. with
the State Trade School Offering its
courses, there seems no Justification
for keeping on the high school rolls
pupils who have no inclination TO
study and no ambition.
Physical Culture
AT the beginning Of the year an at
tempt was made 10 arrange schedule
that would permit the special teacher
Of physical culture to supervise physi-
cal exercises in the grade rooms during
the school day. A study OF school
schedules, with our short school day,
made further inroads or demands on
the crowded schedule unwise. Conse-
auently a schedule was prepared that
called for systemati supervised exer-
cises to be held in the gymnasium at
the high school building out OF session
hours. Rule was made that all would
be required to take the work, excep-
ton being made, OF course, OF those
who were physically unfit and OF those
for xvhor, aveuses that were satisfacto-