Read the latest news from Rutherford College
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori
Kia ora e te whānau o Te Kōtuku, nau mai, haere mai. Ko Gary Moore tōku ingoa.
Kia kaha te reo Māori, let us make Māori language stronger.
One of my favourite whakataukī is, 'Ko te kōrero te kai o te rangatira'. Words are the food of chiefs.
Our choice of words and language say a lot about who we are as a person. If what we say is neither true, nor good or useful to say then say nothing. If we can’t do good, then we should always choose no harm. What you may say about someone says more about you usually than it does about them.
Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 18th to 24th September. This year’s theme is Five Ways to Wellbeing.
Five Ways to Wellbeing programme includes the following:
- TAKE NOTICE / ME ARO TONU
- GIVE / TUKUA
- BE ACTIVE / ME KORI TONU
- CONNECT / ME WHAKAWHANAUNGA
- KEEP LEARNING / ME AKO TONU
“Don't leave happiness to chance. Do the mental mahi".
Happiness doesn't happen by accident. You don't magically become the type of person who often feels grateful and who notices the good in life.
You've got to put in the miles to train your mind, in the same way you would expect to if you were training your body. Physical fitness happens by doing the reps, doing the mahi. So does mental fitness. Maybe you think you shouldn't need to work on being happy. But the fact is, you do! We all do.
Suddenly you'll be going about your day, and you'll notice there's a spring in your step, more love and kindness in your heart, and things that used to bother you don't bother you so much. How often do we come across something that gives us a momentary lift, or even an aha moment? But then, back we go to our day, to the same old thoughts and reactions to life.” (acknowledgment Nadine Hickman).
If we are always waiting for our ship to come in, then we will always be missing the boat. If you were going to run a marathon you would need to invest time to train your body for that 42.2 km journey. To be effective, you would need a minimum of a 10-week training programme, that’s assuming you were already doing some miles. Our brain is a muscle and therefore needs training and it also needs rest. So, for 20 minutes, get a rest from the constant peeps and beeps that overload our minds with information that is not about investing in our human capital. Make it about breaking a bad habit and replacing it with another one to help you be better than before.
What about if for 20 minutes a day you turned your phone off and put it out of sight while you just spent 5 mins box breathing, 10 minutes observing any thoughts that come into your mind and visually putting them on a conveyor belt, so that your mind stays clear of the constant chatter and then the last 5 mins writing down what was good in your day. Could be simple as played basketball with my mates at lunchtime. Got my essay first draft in on time. I helped someone do…. I picked up a piece of litter and put it where it belongs. I was on time for all my classes. I did the dishes without being asked.
So, if you think any of this has value don’t just go back to your day thinking that might be good for me, carpe diem it and seize the day and just start doing it.
Literacy and Numeracy FAQ's
We have recently contacted the whānau of students who are entered for the upcoming Literacy and Numeracy assessments. These assessments will take place in the week beginning 30 October. From 2026, these assessments will be the only way to meet the literacy and numeracy requirements for NCEA. Follow this link for a list of frequently asked questions.
Last chance to have your say.
Our community consultation survey will close off Friday evening ready for the board to review results next week. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and let us know what you think about mobile phones in school, compulsory subjects and how we are doing overall. We appreciate everyone who participates in these surveys as it is important that we are continuing to touch base with the community to see what improvements or changes we may need to make in the future.
Post Lockdown Update
Rutherford College and the surrounding schools in the local area met with police post lockdown to discuss the event that occurred 27 July when the school received the threat. They would like to provide reassurance to the community as below:
Police acknowledge that the threat made to Rutherford College on 27 July, that placed it and several childcare facilities in the area into lockdown, caused alarm for staff, parents and children.
The Te Atatū Peninsula community can be assured that Police are taking this incident seriously and our investigation team are working to hold those responsible to account.
Police responded accordingly to the threat, and the precautionary lockdown was advised while we worked to discover if the threat to Rutherford College was credible.
After this event, police met with leaders of Rutherford College and nearby schools to talk through what happened and used this experience as a learning opportunity for all.
Police will continue to provide reassurance and support to Rutherford College and surrounding schools while our investigations are ongoing.
Policy Reviews
In Term 3 the school is reviewing the following policies. To find out more about SchoolDocs please read this brief outline.
Inclusive Education
Maori Educational Success
Learning Support
Learning Support coordination
Gifted Learners
Anyone can review and make comment on these policies. Please follow the steps below. The review is open until 22 September.
- Visit the website https://rutherfordcollege.schooldocs.co.nz/
- Enter the username (rutherfordcollege) and password (kotuku).
- Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
- Read the policy.
- Click the Start your review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
- Select the reviewer type.
- Enter your name (optional).
- Follow the prompts to show that you've read the topic and enter your feedback if you'd like to comment.
- Agree to the privacy statement and click “Submit review”.
Derived Grade Exams continue
Year 11 - 13 students will continue exams until Wednesday 20 September. Please review the timetable here for exam days and times. Students only need to attend school when their exam or workshop is scheduled. The rest of the time they should be home studying. Session times are 8.40am - 11.50am and 12.35 to 3.45pm. If students normally catch the afternoon bus home they will need to find alternative transport during exam times as the buses are not able to be rescheduled.
Enrolments for Year 9, 2024
We continue to offer opportunity for families to enrol their children for Year 9, 2024. This Saturday from 9.30 to 11.30am enrolments are scheduled in the Information Commons. Please complete the online enrolment and book your appointment online. You can find out more information on the website.
Upcoming events:
18-20 September - NCEA Derived Grade Exams continue
24 October - Pasifika Awards
25 October - Cultural Awards
26 October - Te Ao Māori Awards
27 October - Sports Awards
02 November - Senior Prizegiving
Kia Kaha
Gary Moore
