Kia ora te whanau o te Kotuku

Reports

All parents and caregivers will have received an email notifying them that Reports are now available on the Portal. Due to a technical problem Reports will not be available until next week. If you have any questions please get in touch with the tutor teacher or Dean in the first instance.

Early Finish next week

Due to the high number of staff absences and the difficulty we have trying to staff all classes, we have decided that next week school will close at 1.35pm each day (except Wednesday 1.25) to alleviate some of the problems were are experiencing.  This is only from 13 to 17 June inclusive. If you have a child in Year 9 or 10 that you want to remain at school until the usual time then please register here to enable us to plan accordingly. Note, it will be supervision only and no teaching will take place. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but thank you for your continued support as we endeavour to do the best for staff and students. Extra curricular activities such as sports events will continue as normal. Year 12 RYDA Road Safety Education Workshop on Thursday16 June will also continue as normal. All buses will be running at the earlier time of 1.35pm each day next week.

Winter Hours

Another reminder that due to the inclement weather this term we have made the decision to shorten lunch breaks by 10 minutes. This means that on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday school will start at 8.50am instead of 8.40. Lunch will be from 1.35pm – 2.10pm. The finish time is still 3.10pm. This will alleviate students being out in the cold for too long at lunchtime. We will trial this for Term 2 only at this stage and review it at the end of term to consider any impacts or benefits. Please note that Wednesday times will remain as they are now.

Art Show – Friday 1 July

Our Visual Arts Department is excited to announce they are holding the first Student Art Show on Friday 1 July 2022. This event showcases the tremendous artistic talent of our visual arts students and gives these up-and-coming young artists the opportunity to exhibit to the public and to gain some well-deserved recognition for their talents. Not only are we showcasing our student’s artwork, their artwork is also for sale. This event gives students a real life experience as artists, showcasing and making a commission from their work. The Art Show will open at 6.00pm to 8.00pm. Throughout the evening there will be a cash bar available, with complimentary canapēs for our guests. Your support for this event is invaluable in enabling our young artists to exhibit their fine work on this occasion. I sincerely hope that you can attend the Art Show and support our students. For catering purposes could you please RSVP to [email protected] by Friday 24 June 2022.

Rutherford School Ball

This year the ball will be held on Thursday 7 July at North Lounge, Eden Park Function Centre. The Ball Committee have done a grand job of organising and planning the event. They have decided the theme this year will be The Heiress’ Ball. Only students in years 12 and 13 can attend the ball. A letter with more detailed information was sent out to families last Monday 30 May. Tickets cost $100 per person and must be paid in full by 23 June. Permission from parents and caregivers is compulsory and can be completed via this form. Payments should be made online through the parent portal or via Internet banking. Reference for payments: Student Name, Tutor Class, School Ball. Account: 12 3038 0270894 00 ASB Lincoln Road, Henderson. if students wish to bring a partner from outside of Rutherford College they need to see Ms Farrar, Associate Principal to obtain permission.

End of Term 2

School will finish on Thursday 7 July at 1.35pm. This will allow students time to prepare for the Ball and Friday will be used as a teacher only day.

Myths about Modern Students

It seems to be taken for granted that today’s students are information-savvy digital natives. The theory is that young people have been immersed in technology all their lives and are therefore able to multi-task (for example, simultaneously doing homework, chatting and texting online, and updating their Instagram), construct meaningful knowledge from audio-visual and textual information, solve problems, and direct their own learning, and that they can be trusted to manage their personal and academic interactions in the new technological world.

The myth of multitasking
What we are seeing is a generation where learners on devices behave like butterflies quickly fluttering to the next piece of information, unconscious of its value and without any plan. This leads, at best, to a very fragile network of knowledge. As for the idea that exposure to technology has rewired young people’s brains to make multitasking cognitively possible, the evidence is unconvincing.

When thought processes are important, people are not capable of multitasking and all they can do, in fact, is switch quickly from one activity to another. Unfortunately, rapid switching behaviour, when compared to carrying out tasks serially, leads to poorer learning results and poorer performance of tasks.  More mistakes are made and the work takes significantly longer than when done sequentially.

The idea that schools should step back and act as mere guides as students explore the Web is wrong for three reasons.

The control cannot be left with the learner. They lack the necessary base for their learning, they lack the knowledge needed to monitor their own learning and they lack the processes needed to make changes in their thinking processes. This is what teachers are there for!

Students often choose what they prefer, for example, doing what they like doing or are comfortable doing rather than what is best for the situation. This is not always the best choice and the teachers’ intervention is essential. Vegetables or ice-cream at a smorgasbord.

The paradox of choice. Students appreciate having the opportunity to make some choices, but the more options that they have to choose from, the more frustrating it is to choose. Learners need limited rather than unlimited control, because having to choose from too many options can be frustrating and self-defeating. The best compromise is shared control – teachers thoughtfully limiting choices, students making choices, and teachers gradually releasing control until learners are able to navigate the world on their own.

Acknowledgement: “Do Learners Really Know Best? Urban Legends in Education” by Paul Kirschner and Jeroen van Merrienboer.

Vacancies at Rutherford

We are on the hunt for more talented people to join the Rutherford team. We need a School Counsellor and a Cultural and Arts Coordinator. Head on over to our Vacancies Page to find out all the details.

Rutherford News

Head over to our Rutherford News Page to keep up to date with all the latest events.

Have a great weekend
Gary Moore