Principal's Panui - 17 November 2023

Kia ora e te whanau ō te Kōtuku 

Our senior students continue through the NCEA external exam process. By the end of today our Year 9 and 10 students will have sat two of their four end of year exams. Hopefully they will have learned something from today’s experience which will inform how they can better prepare for what’s in store for Mondays two sessions. 

I suggest you ask a few questions about how today’s exams went.  

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. 

Rutherford College Kotuku Foundation 

We had a very successful launch of our charitable trust the Rutherford College Kōtuku Foundation last night.  

The objective is that funding is not a barrier for any student to be able to fulfill their ambition of progressing to and excelling in tertiary education. We want students to be able to lead the way in this space to make the path more accessible to other members of their whanau.   

A wee ode to Margaret Campbell. The first person to make a bequest to the Rutherford Kōtuku Foundation. Margaret was employed as the school counsellor in 1970. Her time at Rutherford was only six years but it left a lasting impression. She was a total Rutherford High School fan!! After she retired, she kept following the progress of past students as a hobby!! She was a total believer in how a school can help shape a person. 

 Once part of the Kōtuku, always part of you is the Kōtuku. 

45 years later she remembered the school by leaving a bequest of $10,000. The bequest gift from Margaret will keep on giving by being invested in the Foundation, the return on the investment will continue to support students for years to come.  As the first bequest to our Foundation, we presented Margaret’s family with a kōwhai tree, that we will plant in or around the new administration block once completed. The planting of the kōwhai is to remember Margaret and to represent the start of the growth of the foundation.   

Why Gift a Kōwhai Tree?  

Like the Kōtuku, the kōwhai is unique in nature. It is a rare tree that flowers before its leaves appear. Te ura o te Kōwhai, or the glow of the Kōwhai, is a common saying amongst Māori. A Kōwhai-turanga ora or Tree of Life, refers to the influence held by people to whom we look to for help in life.  We believe that when you give a Kōwhai tree to someone, you are showing that you respect them and have trust in their abilities and judgement. We are optimistic that the planting of this tree, this event, and the bequest that Margaret provided are the first steps in the longer journey toward achieving the objectives of the Kōtuku foundation. 

These objectives are: 

• Delivering excellence in educational outcomes for every student   
• Build a capital base for Rutherford College  
• Philanthropy and fellowship.  
• Provide financial support for opportunities beyond the standard curriculum.  
• Enhancing the facilities on offer now and in the future to benefit students.  
• The major emphasis is to support students and their tertiary aspirations, for those who might not get there due to financial barriers. 

Long story short, Our Foundation is a charitable trust to support Rutherford students within and beyond the classroom. The launch had as its objective to help spread the word that the Rutherford College Kōtuku Foundation exists, and to connect with as many past Rutherfordians as possible.   

Consultation - Students having mobile phones at school:

Earlier this year we rolled out a survey for our community to gather voice for strategic planning purposes. One of the questions around students having mobile phones at school generated the most interest, comments and differing opinions from everyone. We would like to delve a bit deeper on the feedback from the community by asking more specific questions around students having phones at school to provide more context for any potential changes in the future. Please take some time to complete this survey about students having mobile phones at school by Sunday 26 November. We'd love to hear from as many whanau as we can.

Policy Reviews for Term 4.

Rutherford subscribes to SchoolDocs for all policy and procedures. Term 4 review is open and any whanau, staff or student can review the policies. SchoolDocs take feedback into account at the end of the review period before it goes to their legal team for review and updating.

Policies that are open for feedback are:

• Curriculum and Student Achievement
  Student Achievement Information/Assessment and Achievement
  Home Learning
  Distance Learning
  Health Education

Please log in to SchoolDocs
Username: rutherfordcollege   Password: kotuku
Click on the Review button to take you to the policies you can review. 

Term 4 Review closes 15 December 2023.

Junior Exams
A reminder that junior exams continue on Monday 20 November with an 8.50am start and a 2.00pm finish.
Year 9 Session one: English, Session Two Science
Year 10 Session one: Social Studies, Session Two Mathematics
Session times:

Session One 8.50am to 11.00am
Lunch 11.00 - 11.50am
Session Two: 11.50am - 2.00pm.

Upcoming Changes to the School Day:

24 November 2023 is a staff only day for teachers to work on curriculum reviews - no school for students
07 December 2023 is the last day of the school year for all students. Year 9 Prizegiving is 10.45am to 12.00 midday - then students are released for the year. Year 10 Prizegiving is 12.45pm - 2.00pm - then students are released for the year.
30 January 2024 - First day for Year 9
31 January 2024 - First day for Year 10
01 February 2024 - all year levels in and timetabled classes commence

Kia kaha

Gary Moore