Principals Panui

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku, Integrity and being sincere. At Rutherford, pono or integrity is the value that underpins everything else that we aspire to. Without pono you will never be able to fully respect the image you see in the mirror, be able to take responsibility for your actions, or truly strive for personal excellence. I often find the origin of words fascinating. We see so many clear links back to Latin or sayings in Latin that became words that are commonplace in today's vocabulary. The story goes that, in the ancient Roman Empire, one-way people displayed…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku, Maintenance of a positive outlook and taking individual responsibility for your own wellbeing is critically important. We do need the help of others but I also believe that on a daily basis the attitude that we take is critical to how we choose to react to what happens throughout the day. To expect no difficult moments is an unreasonable expectation. It is part of life. Happy and unhappy are emotions they are not estanding stills. They will move on. In the good moments and the tough moments, expecting that this is part of…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku, It is a pleasure to welcome staff and students back for what is always a very busy Term 3 and hope that everyone has had a relaxing break. It is important that students settle into school routines as quickly as possible and that we all work together to maintain Rutherford College’s values and the expectations around those values. A reminder of some of our important expectations: Absences: Should a student be absent from school, we require an explanation within three days of the original absence. Prolonged medical absences of over three days may…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku He aha te mea nui? He aha te mea nui o te ao? Maku e ki atu He Tangata, He Tangata, He Tangata. What is the most important thing? What is the most important thing in the world? I will say to you. It is people, it is people, it is people Our languages, our culture, our beliefs may be different but across language barriers, cultural differences, and many beliefs the thing that remains the most important is the people, He Tangata, the people with who we build relationships with who we can…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku Resilience and staying for the long game. Something to think about as the academic year and year in general starts to get a bit tougher is developing resilience and a can-do attitude. Star baseball players only hit the ball about three out of every ten times. How do they live with such a high failure rate? By focusing on the law of averages. They know that if they just keep swinging the bat, they'll get on base. In 1952, Roger Bannister ran in the Olympics and finished in fourth place, failing to win…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku Part of Rutherford Tikanga is International Languages week and I hope that all of our students have enjoyed all or some of what has been happening this week. A number of international languages e.g. French, German, Spanish, Italian and English all evolved from Latin. Most school mottos are in Latin. Tohea is in Te Reo Maori and displays from our school’s earliest origins our commitment to our responsibilities under Te Tiriti. Tohea meaning to strive for personal excellence has a similar meaning to the Olympic motto, “Citius, Altius, Fortius”. Firstly, in Te Reo…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku, The essence of strong foundations is relationships with people. As a school and community, these relationships are our core strength.  Rutherford’s vibrant personality is created by every person and group within our school, and it is the people that create the pulse that makes our place special. In a community in excess of 1400 people, it is important to have shared rules and expectations around the must-do expectations. When we operate like this, we have increased energy and brainpower for those things that need our effort and concentration. It is not possible for…

Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku, Samoan Language Week celebrates the identity, language, and culture of students from Samoa and students whose families are from Samoa; supporting this group of learners to engage and achieve success. This special week helps all New Zealanders journey towards shared cultural understandings. Samoan is the third most spoken language in Aotearoa New Zealand and the second most widely spoken in Tamaki Makarau. This year’s theme for Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa - Samoa Language Week 2021 is Poupou  le  lotoifale Ola manuia le anofale which means strengthen the posts of your house, for all to thrive. When you are building…