Principal's Panui - 14 February 2025

Kia ora te whanau ō te Kōtuku

I am pleased to be able to be able to say that we have had a settled start to the year. We have welcome 400 new to Rutherford students, 348 at Year 9 and a further 52 across the remaining Year levels. Our total roll has grown this year to just on 1600.

Next week we look forward to the new to Rutherford Barbeque on Tuesday (18 Feb) evening from 6-8 pm. On the night the goal is to provide a family environment to welcome all of our new students and their whanau to our school community. It is a chance for parents and caregivers to meet the tutor teachers and classroom teachers as well. 

We also move on next week with Swimming Sports on Wednesday and our whole school athletics day on Friday. Both events are special occasions on our annual school calendar.

As we roll into week three of the students being back at school the opportunity to make a good start will soon be in the rear-view mirror as the academic year will not have just started but will be in full flow. I encourage any students who are not yet in the habit of right time, right place, right thing to click into gear from next Monday. The chance to make a good start will be gone and then it’s a case of playing catch up.

On average it takes 66 days to embed a habit. For our young people to make routines stick it needs to be consistent for an extended period of time. Structure and routines liberate us. They allow freedom as some things switch to being on automatic pilot. When this happens it creates brain capacity for the new information downloads that come our way, new learning. Being late or disorganized does not allow a brain to function at its optimal level. Structure and routines provide safety, because we know what to expect. They are the foundation for a positive learning environment. Teaching and learning is a 50-50 process. Teachers need to be well prepared, organized and on time, students also need to be on time, with the right equipment and a learning mindset. Teachers and students working together, simple formula for progress and improved achievement.

Nationwide School Hearing Screening 2024 Report 

Each year Rutherford College participates in the Nationwide School Hearing Screening (Y9) student. They report seeing concerning levels of abnormal hearing results, with many students requiring hearing aids and ongoing hearing health interventions. 

Below is a summary of the nationwide School Hearing Screening results for 2024 and the outcomes achieved. 

The Nationwide School Screening Programme tested the hearing of over 12,000 Year 9 students and found that 42% are listening to personal devices at unsafe levels. In total, 23% of all students tested, self-reported experiencing tinnitus—a condition that, if permanent, can lead to hearing loss. 

Additionally, 262 students failed their hearing checks and were referred for comprehensive diagnostic assessments. Of those assessed, 77% required hearing health intervention and regular monitoring. These students have been referred to the public health system for treatment, including 22% who were referred for hearing aids. 

These results highlight the ongoing prevalence of unsafe listening habits and undiagnosed hearing loss. This programme ensures that students with hearing issues can quickly access the necessary treatment, enabling them to thrive in school. 

Understanding the Weekly Attendance Summary

Each Monday you will receive a weekly summary of your child’s attendance. This is an auto-generated email from P.A.R.O.T. 

P.A.R.O.T stands for Progress, Attendance and Reporting Online Tools. It is a set of statistics tools and automatic emails to students, teachers and guardians to help ensure info is given to the right people at the right time.

This is to help keep you informed about your child’s attendance - our goal is for all students to attend school regularly, which is 90% or above. Attendance under this will have an adverse effect on a student’s academic outcomes. Please note that 80% attendance means your child is on average missing one day of school per week.

In this report you will see the following codes:  

Teachers will complete the roll each period to ensure accurate and efficient data. If you have any concerns about the attendance of your child in any given subject, please feel free to contact the Subject Teacher, Tutor or the Dean by email. The staff directory is available on the website.

Understanding attendance on the School Portal

To sign in to the School Portal - use your email address that you have registered with the school. Choose one of the options such as Google/Apple/Facebook/Microsoft and use your own password for that account to verify your identity. The school does not issue passwords. Alternatively, download the SchoolBridge App to access everything from your phone here Android or Apple.

The School Portal is a tool that can provide live and up-to-date information regarding your child's attendance. The codes that are used represent the following:

New Options Courses for Year 9

Rutherford has experienced significant roll growth this year. In Year 9 we have had 70 new students enrol in January. This has put pressure on option classes which are now quite full. At Rutherford we would like to give every student the choice to choose subjects that they enjoy.

We are now pleased to advise we have created two new Option lines.

Option 1:        Y9 Art

Option 2:        Pacific Studies (includes a language component)

Pacific Studies is a completely new subject and will be taught by our Deputy Principal, Robert Solomone who has been at the forefront of designing the content for this course. 

In 2028, as part of the NCEA Change Programme, Pacific Studies will become a NCEA subject. The following year it will be a NCEA Level 3 and UE Approved course. This makes sense as all our major universities currently run Pacific Studies courses and Pacific Studies academic centres. Our Year 9 course can be a pathway into this study at University. It covers a basic geography of the Pacific Ocean and key island states and nations, an introduction to Pacific settlement, archaeology and present-day cultures and an introduction to current environmental and social issues. Improving literacy and numeracy skills will be a focus of learning. Practical components will also be an important part of learning and includes Pacific dance, songs, everyday phrases in several Pacific languages, food, games and arts and crafts.

If you would like your son or daughter to change to one of these options please indicate your interest here. One of our staff will be in touch with you to discuss the matter further.

Ritchies Bus Changes - Massey run

Due to a lack of students using the Massey Bus it will be discontinued after 21 February. Now that there are good options with buses running down the motorway which stop at Te Atatu fewer students are taking the Ritchies bus and  it is no longer viable for Ritchies to offer this service. We apologise for any inconvenience.

What's Coming Up?

18 Feb - New to Rutherford BBQ - 6-8pm for all students and their families new to Rutherford.
19 Feb - Swimming Sports - if your son or daughter has entered a swimming event, remind them to bring bathing suite, towel, hat, sunblock, money for the sausage sizzle
21 Feb - Athletic Sports Day - This is a whole school event. Students should dress in house colours. Report to tutor classes before heading down to the field. Don't forget hat, drinks, sunblock, lunch.
24 Feb - Scholars Assembly - An event to acknowledge success in Scholarship and NCEA - for senior students and our 2024 Year 13 students.
28 Feb - Staff Only Day - staff will be working on curriculum changes and there is no scheduled classes for students.

Have a good weekend

Gary Moore