Kia ora te whanau o te Kotuku

Grasp the Nettle

The berries were ripe and juicy and the children couldn’t resist picking them. But they did not see the nettles among the berry bushes and soon one of them was stung and a painful red rash appeared.
The children ran home to their mother who dried their tears and soothed the rash. The children cried, “We hardly touched the nettle but it stung us.” Their mother replied, “The nettle stung you because you touched it so lightly. If you had held it firmly, it wouldn’t have hurt you. You can’t get much worth having in life without facing risks. Even a rose has thorns to protect it. So, if you want berries, learn to grasp the nettle.”

Aesop, in his famous fables, said. “A nettle may be handled safely, if you do it with courage and resolution; if you seize it boldly and grip it strongly, be assured it will never sting you; and you will meet with many sorts of persons, as well as things, in the world which ought to be treated in the very same manner.”

Sometimes things in life will sting you like a nettle. When our path is blocked, the obstacle often presents a new path that uncovers new possibilities. The obstacles that hurt the most can show us what to do next, how to learn from them, and get past them.

That is why we need goals because when we don’t know what’s important to us, we can’t tell the difference between the obstacles worthy of our time, and those that aren’t. Every challenge looks like a massive mountain we must climb. But once we know what we most want to accomplish, the majority of our obstacles become manageable. We can focus and pour our energy into what really matters to us.
Only in grasping the nettle by persisting and never giving up do we learn what we are truly capable of.
Go boldly! Because if you don’t grasp the nettle, someone else will!

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. Christopher Reeve

Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. Thomas Carlyle

2023 Prefects

I am pleased to announce our head students for 2023. The process for this was twofold. Students and staff voted for their preferred candidates and the top polling students were interviewed by Senior Leaders and the Year 12 Dean. It was an intense and uplifting day being on the interview panel as all the students we interviewed were amazing. There were prepared, articulate and full of great ideas for improving things at Rutherford next year.
Head Girl: Shelby Swan
Head Boy: Joel Gibson
Deputy Head Girls: Reece Wilson-Te Miha and Cruz Clarke
Deputy Head Boys: Liam Edwards and Luke Gibson
Prefects: Amerika Dostella, Josiah Bain, Archie Bulloch, Lily Carter, Emma Chapman, Shalom Devendra, Barbora Dostalikova, Lucinda Hill, Tinirau Hohepa, Jayden Kesa, Maria Koosache, Ishani Kumar, Aneka McKinstry, Theo RobbMarkham, Michael Robson, Jacob Ryan, Keira Schriefer, Jessica Williams.

2023 will be an exciting year for these students and we look forward to them implementing some of the great ideas they spoke about at the interviews.

Upcoming Events:
14 November – Junior Exams- school finishes at 2.10pm
21 November – Teacher Only Day – No scheduled classes
30 November – Paid Union Meeting – School finishes at 12.15pm
2 December – Teacher Only Day – No scheduled classes
5/6 December – Wider Living Week
8 December – Senior Prizegiving (6.30pm)
9 December – Junior Prizegiving and last day of school

Kia Kaha
Gary Moore