Read the latest news from Rutherford College

Kia ora te whanau ō te Kōtuku

The value of authentic communication

There is non-stop chatter about wellbeing but the only way we can truly address wellbeing is through conversation and proximity to people and knowing the truth about what is really going on for them. When you are with people, I encourage you to hold your attention to the person right there in front of us. Don’t let another peep or beep butt in. Energy flows where attention goes, and I fully believe energy and attention needs to be focused on time and proximity to the people around us who matter the most. One of societies must do’s is to increase the authentic communication with people who matter the most to you in your world.

To truly hear what someone is saying research will tell us that it is 55% body language, 38% intonation, tone in your voice and only 7% the words that you say. To get the full picture we need to spend time with people, face to face.

Genuine and authentic conversation leads to greater understanding and therefore the likelihood of better connections. I also believe that genuine and authentic communication would lead to more kindness and care.

I suggest we need talk more and learn to listen better so that we hear the words attached to the body language and the tone. 

Sometimes the excuse can be, what can I do, I am but one but, I am one so I will be the first snowflake of the avalanche toward better communication. I will strive for personal excellence (personal means just one) to create a deeper culture of giving, giving of our time, our presence in the moment, our care and being curious about the people and world around us.

Parent/Student Breakfast
This morning Rutherford hosted the first Parent/Student Breakfast in the information commons. It was a wonderful way to start the day and we extend our gratitude to everyone who came along to share food and good conversation today.  The purpose of the day is to build stronger connections with our community in an informal setting where parents and students feel comfortable sharing experiences with others and asking questions about the school. Schools are all about fostering relationships and encouraging growth and we see this as a way of getting to know whanau in a different way than formal meetings with teachers or other staff. We hope everyone who joined us this morning enjoyed the morning and we look forward to hosting another event soon. I extend a big thank you to the organising team who did an outstanding job running this event from start to finish.

International Languages Evening

Friday evening was another event that showcased our students in a different light. Cultural dress was encouraged and there was a wonderful array of food and activities on display. Big thanks to the languages department for their efforts in hosting a successful evening.

School Ball - 4 July - Early close and last day of term

Please remember that on Thursday 4 July the school ball will be held at the Ellerslie Event Centre. School Finishes early that day at 1.30pm.  This is the last day of term and there is no school Friday 5 July.

Term 2 change of time for Wednesday

Next term the Kotuku ka tohea programme is not running at tutor time and therefore there is a change of time to the day on Wednesday. School will start at the usual time of 8.50am and finish at 3.10pm.

Have a lovely long weekend.

Kia kaha

Gary Moore