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 require a medical certificate. This is in line with MOE guidelines. Please visit the school website: https://www.rutherford.school.nz/attendance/  for more detailed information

Arrival and Departure from school: At Rutherford, we always aim to be 5 minutes early, this is significant to the start of each school day; Period 1 starts at 8.40am on all days except Thursday where classes start at 8.50am. Students who arrive late must report to the Attendance Officer to sign in. If you know your child will be late, please advise the College as you would an absence.

Leaving Early: If a student needs to leave school early, they must have a leave pass. Ideally, you should arrange this beforehand with a signed note of explanation. However, we understand this cannot always be the case. In unexpected situations, please report to the school reception to arrange for your child to be collected. In these cases, there may be a delay, as your child will need to be sent for. This is particularly prevalent at intervals and lunchtime.

If a student wishes to leave school due to a medical issue, they must first report to the School Nurse who will assess their condition and call the student’s contact person to arrange for the student to be collected.

Drop-offs and Pickups: In the interests of the health and safety of all students and staff, please do not enter the school grounds to drop off or pick up your children at the beginning or end of the school day. Duty staff are required to ensure this safety measure is adhered to and do not wish to offend.  Obviously, exceptions will be made in circumstances where a student is unable to walk to a pickup point.

School Uniform: All students are expected to wear their school uniform correctly. Winter weather is here and while a rain jacket may be worn to and from school when raining, only school jerseys and jackets can be worn at school. For those students replacing their school shoes please note these must be black leather lace-ups. Please visit the school website: https://www.rutherford.school.nz/uniform/  for more detailed information.

Jewellery and Appearance: We have relaxed our jewellery rules to be more in tune with societal norms, allowing students to have two ear piercings and a single nose stud. Please note that septum piercing and large, dangly or ostentatious jewellery are not allowed.

Contacting Students: A reminder that all student mobile phones should be switched off and in bags during class time.  Please do not text/phone your child during class time.  For an urgent message for your child please contact the reception to have a message delivered.

A reminder that in order to ensure the Health and Safety of all students at Rutherford College, you may only collect or make contact with your child while at school if you are recorded as a caregiver on our school records.

Look forward to seeing everyone back on Monday.

Nga mihi nui
Gary Moore