Read the latest news from Rutherford College

Kia ora te whanau ō te Kōtuku

Outlook Outage today

The widespread Microsoft Outlook outage has impacted the school’s ability to communicate with families, students and the wider community today. Unfortunately, this has meant that staff have been unable to access or respond to emails, resulting in delays to our usual communication processes.

If you have sent an email and are waiting on an urgent response, we sincerely apologise for the delay and any inconvenience this may have caused. Please be assured that your email has not been intentionally overlooked.

Staff will be working through outstanding emails and responding to enquiries from Monday 16 November. We appreciate your patience and understanding while these technical issues are resolved.

Junior Speech Awards

We are delighted to announce the Junior Speech Award Winners. Well done to everyone who participated.

Junior Exams

Year 9 and 10 exams are fast approaching, and all students have been strongly encouraged to use the Rutherford Study Site to help them prepare.

Students may believe they are studying to pass the exam that is in front of them this year. Yes, this is true but more importantly they are using all four exams as an opportunity to prepare for higher stakes exams in the years ahead. Practice and learning what you got right and learning what you got wrong both in terms of study preparation technique and exam technique are money in the bank for any future challenges of this nature. Failing to practice for any event, results in a performance well below our personal best.

Who do I admire most, the student with natural ability who cruises their way to top grades or the grafter that has to work for every percentage point of progress. Hard work and a willingness to graft, when things don’t come easy, are skills and talents that will serve anybody well, as they navigate the future challenges that life presents.

“Continuous effort-not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking our potential.”

-Winston Churchill

“There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying.”

- Francis Bacon

For questions requiring written responses;

• Were you able to write something for every question? 
• Did you have enough time to finish the paper? If you had some time at the end, did you go back through to check some of your answers? 
• With the longer written response questions did you take some time to highlight the key words in the question? 
• Did you write a brief plan before you started writing the answer? First thoughts are often good but maybe write that down as an idea not the first thing you use in your answer.

Junior Exam Timetable

Please Note: At the conclusion of exams students will be released for the day. Note that Year 10 students finish on Friday afternoon at 2.40pm while Year 9 students finish at 2.10pm. 

Bus Service on Junior Exam Days

During the Junior exams on 20 and 23 November, the afternoon 013 and 014 bus services will not be running. If your son or daughter normally uses either of these services, please be aware that alternative transport arrangements will be needed for getting home on these days.

 NCEA Exams 

Please check the official NZQA timetable carefully, particularly whether each examination is scheduled for the morning or afternoon.

2026 NZQA Examination Timetable

NZQA requires students to arrive at least 20 minutes before their examination begins.

Students who arrive late do not receive extra time. Those arriving more than 30 minutes after the official start cannot enter without direct NZQA approval, which is only granted in exceptional circumstances.

Students must take responsibility for knowing when their examinations are scheduled. There is no guarantee that a missed examination can be rescheduled.

Important NCEA Examination Rules

To ensure examinations run smoothly, all students must follow these expectations:

• Uniform: Full and correct school uniform must be worn.
• Admission slip: Students must bring their NZQA admission slip to every examination.
• Drink bottles: Must be completely clear, without labels or markings.
• Equipment: Pens, pencils and approved calculators must be brought in a clear pencil case or plastic bag. Calculator and laptop covers must be removed.
• Paper and notes: No personal paper, notes or study materials may be brought into the examination.
• Electronic devices: Phones, watches, headphones and other electronic devices must be switched off and kept outside the examination room in students' bags. Headphones are permitted only when specifically required for an approved examination.
• Digital examinations: Students must bring a fully charged laptop and know their NZQA login details.

Students must follow all instructions from examination supervisors.

Level 2 English Exam

The Level 2 English exam that was affected by a NZQA issue prevented students from logging into the platform for a portion of the exam time. This is a large scale event not limited to Rutherford College.

 Students have been advised that:

• The school is applying for a Derived Grade at Scale, so that all students attending the exam will get the better of the two grades from the NCEA exam or from the DGEs in Term Three;
• Students who are content with their DGE grades had the option to leave the exam even if they had managed to log in and begin the exam;
• Students who remained got an extra 30 minutes, which is the most we can offer due to the afternoon exams;
• Students had the option of switching to a paper exam. 

Staff made every effort to minimise their stress. 

What's coming up?

20 November & 23 November - Junior Exams
04 December & 07 December - Wider Living Days for Y 9 and Y 10
09 December - Y10 Prizegiving and last day for Year 10
10 December - Y9 Prizegiving and last day for Y9

Ngā mihi nui

Gary Moore