Read the latest news from Rutherford College
Kia ora e te whānau o Te Kōtuku
Opportunities of a lifetime must be taken within the lifetime of that opportunity. If one of your goals was to make a good start to the year then you should already be working hard, being kind, being on time to every lesson every day and doing the expected amount of mahi required of you and then a bit extra.
Who do you hope is the most well person on the plane? Logically that would be the pilot.
In all classes teachers must be the pilot, they are the ones entrusted to get you to where you need to be. They know where you need to get to. If you’re late the plane will be gone. That’s what life is like, keep missing the departure and you will get stranded on the ground. Keep missing the start of lessons and you will also become stranded and directionless.
Teachers have been instructed /requested to be the pilot, the ones in charge. You don’t let some untrained person fly the plane. Pilots have to follow a checklist and so do teachers to be effective. They need to have planned, they need to greet you at the door, or something similar. They need to complete accurate attendance in the first 5 minutes and have provided a clear do now, and a learning objective for the lesson of today.
Your job on arrival is to get what is needed out of your bag without being asked. You then stow your bag under your seat.
As your teacher I would then thank all those students who are ready to start today’s lesson, ka pai and would then invite those of you not ready for learning to join the V formation so we can get on with what’s important now.
Lastly, there is also an expectation that when the plane is being landed the responsibility is once again with the pilot. They take control. Safely landed on the ground is the same as the bell going but the pilot has not yet switched off the seatbelt sign. They do this when the plane is safely placed by the departure gate. When the bell goes you should be expected to be still in your seat with your seatbelt still fastened until the teacher gives the all clear to disembark.
Structure and routines liberate, they provide freedom as they provide safety and a basis for a positive learning environment.
If you follow this diagram logically, you will be taking responsibility for being happy and therefore successful.
Scholarship Results
We are please to announce that Rutherford College students achieved some great scholarships last year.
12 Students achieved in the following subjects:
5 Scholarships in Dance
3 Scholarships in English
1 each in Biology, Chemistry, Calculus, Te Ao Haka, Media Studies, Design, and Painting.
On Friday 23 February we will hold our Scholars' Assembly to celebrate the success of these students and other high achieving students who have excelled in NCEA.
BBQ for new families and students Tuesday 13 February 6pm - 8pm
The first opportunity for our students and families new to Rutherford College in 2024 is the Rutherford College Barbeque. All teaching staff are required to be at school on the evening. As well as the chance to meet the tutor teacher, you will also be able to meet all of your son or daughter's teachers. If you wish to bring younger family members, please feel free to do so. There will limited parking on site. The school will be providing hamburgers and sausages for the barbeque and we encourage families to bring any snacks, sweets, or beverages (non-alcoholic) that you may want.
The evening starts at 6pm and runs through until 8pm. I look forward to seeing a great turnout. For every student who attends, 1 point will be allocated to their House points. The tutor class with the most attendees will win a prize.
Swimming Sports and ID Photographs
The week of February 12th is a busy one. Our annual swimming sports is on the Tuesday 13 February at our school pool. Student ID photos occur on Thursday 15th and then there is the whole school athletics carnival on Friday 16th.
Athletics Day - Friday 16 February
Athletics Day is a whole school event. All students can wear mufti, and they dress in their house colours. If Year 9 and 10 do not want to dress up they can wear their PE Uniform. To see the tutor house colours, please follow this link. To find out more information for the day, please follow this link.
Students should report to their tutor class first thing in the morning to take a roll check. It is compulsory for Year 9 and 10 to compete in 1 track and 2 field events where they will receive participation points for their House. Remember to bring hat, food, drink and sunblock. Finish time is 3.10pm as per normal.
Policies and procedures
Rutherford College subscribes to SchoolDocs for all policies and procedures. You can access these at any time by following this link. Username: rutherfordcollege. Password: kotuku.
School Timetable
During Term 1 and 2 Rutherford College runs a tutor programme each Wednesday. This means the start and finish time for Wednesday's is different from the rest of the week. To view the term dates and daily timetable, please follow this link.
Day to Day Information
You can find out information regarding stationery requirements, buses, and ID cards or lockers via this page.
Attendance
If a student misses one day of school every two weeks, they miss a whole year of school by 16 years of age. As a parent or caregiver, you, alongside our school, play a key role in building strong habits of regular school attendance. All students are legally required to attend school every day and it is a shared responsibility to make sure students attend and engage in learning from when they first start school. As we enter 2024, every day of school matters. You must let the school know if your child is going to be absent for a day or intends to be absent for a portion of the school term for whatever reason, like a tangi or medical procedure. Family holidays or taking time off for extracurricular activities (not organised by school) are not acceptable reasons for being absent.
If you're struggling at home with getting your child to school, talk to the Dean of the Year level that your son or daughter is in. Our school is committed to supporting your child to attend school and building a culture that fosters excellent attendance by having:
· School staff who have strong relationships with students and whānau.
· A school culture that recognises your child and your family for who they are, where they come from and who they want to be.
· A school community that does everything to make sure students are at school, and they are participating, and progressing in their education.
Reporting an Absence / Organising Exit pass for appointments during the school day
If your child is going to be away for any reason, please report their absence through the School Portal - Click on Report Absence and record the reasons for the absence. For unjustified absences like family holidays you should use the "Other" option and record what is happening. And a reminder that although this is recorded as explained, it is not considered a justifiable absence. If your child needs to leave for an appointment during the day please use the same method for them through the portal. Click on Report Absence and choose "Exit Pass". This will then trigger an alert and a pass will be organised for the time you need to pick up your son or daughter. If you turn up at the last minute we cannot guarantee we can get your child out of class without a delay and you could be late for your appointment.
Signing into the School Portal
You can access the School Portal via the website. Top right hand side of the page. To log in, please use the email address that you have registered with the school. You can choose to sign in with any of the accounts that you have associated with that email address e.g. Google, Microsoft, Facebook and you use your own password to verify the account. The school does not issue passwords. If you have problems signing in, please check we have the correct email address for you on file. On the portal you can view timetables, attendance, report absences, view school reports and pay school accounts.
Kia Kaha
Gary Moore
