Kia ora te whanau o te kotuku

The Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games have been an example of how people get together with a common goal in their own way to produce personal excellence in a sporting arena. Like the Olympics what sets the Commonwealth games apart from most Athletic events including football and rugby world cups is that many different sports are in the one location together and they produce a rare atmosphere of camaraderie and spirit. As kiwis we can be very proud not only of the success our team has achieved, but the humility and togetherness that reflects who we are as a nation.

I believe those same values carry over to what we can strive for in our local community. At Rutherford we all come together under the same Kotuku Flag. We need to represent that with an understanding of what has gone before and uphold the mana and dignity.

I would hope that within our community we don’t ask what others can do for us, we ask what we can do to make our community stronger and better. It should never be you looking for others to do what you can do to help.

Rutherford week is in week 5 and it is a chance to be at our best when it comes to living and breathing our values.

Rutherford Day (26 August) – Purpose.

•         It is a chance to thank people who support us.
•         It is a chance to celebrate who we are as community and some of our Kaupapa and history. A chance to showcase our students’ talents.
•         It is a chance to think about what’s important now and to look ahead to the future by acknowledging and valuing the past and the current.

These 3 things together are the why that underpins this day and event.

It is our opportunity to thank those who support and help us, and a chance for us as Rutherfordians to celebrate who we are as a community, and as a whanau. From BOT members to current teachers, past staff members, sponsors, coaches’ and managers. It is about our people.

During the week and on Rutherford Day itself we also pause to remember that our school is named after one of the greatest scientists the world has ever known, Sir Ernest Rutherford.

Rutherford Day is also a day of manaakitanga where we show our appreciation to those who have helped to pack our parachutes and make a difference. It is also a chance to celebrate who we are and where we are from.

We look to honour and respect the tradition and people who have created the spirit and unique wairua of our school. Current staff and students are entrusted with upholding the legacy and mana of those who went before. We also want to respect ourselves in the current moment by adding to the legacy that exists.

The ceremony starts at 11.00am and concludes approximately 12.30pm when all students will be dismissed for the day.

Enrolments for 2023

If you have a son or daughter starting secondary school next year, don’t forget to come along to our Enrolment day this Saturday, walk in appointments welcome anytime between 9am and 11.30am. Find out more information here as well as complete your enrolment online.

PSST Conferences – 18 August

PSST Conferences (Parent, Student, Subject Teacher) Conferences are happening on 18 August from 2pm to 8pm. Bookings are now open until 9am 18 August. We are using a new system this term and you will need to Log in to the School Portal using your KAMAR username and password. Click on PSST Conferences and book your times.

If you do not remember your username or password please email [email protected]. You can also click on the magic link for caregivers and you will be sent an email that will allow you to log in. Logging in through your Google or Microsoft Account is also possible. A coffee cart will be on site from 1.30 to 4.30pm.

Students will be released at lunchtime for the day to allow teachers time to prepare for their meetings commencing 2pm.

Teacher Only Day – 19 August

Friday 19 August is our next Teacher Only Day and there will be no classes for students as teachers get together to review changes to NCEA.

STYMIE in our School

On Monday the 15th  August, Rutherford College is implementing STYMIE. STYMIE is an anonymous reporting tool that your child can use to report any form of harm to themselves, to others or to the school. The link for students to make a notification is available through our School Portal. You can find out more about STYMIE here.

School Board Community Consultation

Every year the Rutherford College School Board conducts a community consultation process to determine priorities for strategic planning and budgeting purposes.

The past two years has seen education and society in general change dramatically due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. All schools have experienced major disruptions to their ability to teach in class with any real consistency. Families too have had to deal with home-schooling whilst working from home and remaining in isolation for long periods of time. It has been challenging and, in some cases, very difficult to sustain the teacher-pupil relationships that we have all taken for granted. No doubt as parents you have had added pressures and responsibilities that may have seen you make life-changing decisions.

The board are especially interested to hear from their community now after dealing with so many uncertainties these past two years. The Board would be very interested to see if the priorities you see for education now have changed in any significant way after 2 years of disruptions, lockdowns and continuing anxiety created through living with a worldwide pandemic.

We would appreciate you taking 10 minutes to complete the board survey to help them determine priorities for 2023.

Keep up to date with all the Rutherford News here.

Kia Kaha

Gary Moore