Principal's Panui - 04 April 2025

Kia ora te whanau ō te Kōtuku

Fia Fia Night - 28 March

It was an absolute pleasure to be present for the Fia Fia Night last Friday evening. In my 19 years at Rutherford College, I believe this was the best yet. It was a real celebration of cultures and people enjoying themselves while watching some outstanding performances. Rutherford College has more groups involved this year, than any previous years as well. It was a welcome sight to see the Filipino Group performing along with the return of the Cook Island Group. The following day I attended Kapa Haka Dress Rehearsal in the afternoon. It was another sharp performance and one I am looking forward to witnessing again on Saturday 5 April when they perform on the big stage at 8.30am along with The Samoan Group who are also performing Saturday morning at 8.25am. This week we had teams from Chinese, Indian, Filipino and Cook  Island groups on the Diversity Stage.

All the wonderful involvement I see in co-curricular enriches the experience that our young people get from their years here at Rutherford College.  Whether it's Kapa Haka, Samoan Group, Netball, Cricket, or the Concert Band we initially gather as a group of individuals or teammates and by the end of the journey you often leave as family or whanau. You share some amazing and unique experiences that build lifelong memories and friendships. You build a network of people who you share a common bond with. The more you put into the experience the more you gain from it.

Well done and thank you to all the staff who recognize that they need to be active in providing opportunities for you to enjoy those wider life of the school experiences. Thank you to the outside volunteers, many of whom are family of you as students and finally thank you to all students for taking up the challenge and to use these opportunities to be better today than you were yesterday. 

The main purpose of school is to prepare our young people for their futures beyond their time with us. This means achievement of the best exit qualification you have the potential to attain. At Rutherford, the aspiration is University Entrance alongside Level 3. We never know what we will want to do in the future. Keeping all doors and options open by striving for personal excellence which include University Entrance is crucial.

I invite you to reflect on your academic progress in term one.   The evidence you can base this on, is found in your summary of results on KAMAR and progress reports issued at the end of the term. Whanau can have these conversations as you look ahead toward our Parent/Student/Teacher conferences on May 8th. It is important to remember the following: the price of success must be paid in full, and it must be paid in advance if you want to achieve personal excellence, there are no shortcuts.  Winston Churchill once said, “If you can’t find your way out of any difficulty, it’s probably because you’re looking for an easy way out.” Continuous effort-not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking our potential. If you are where you should be at this point in the year, keep doing more of the same stuff, if you are not where you need to be, you might need to stop doing some things, and start doing some different things. 

Special mention to Isla Clayton who plays in the 1st XI Girls Cricket team which came 4th in an Auckland wide cricket tournament. Isla got a double hat trick at these champs bowling 6 for 10 off 4 overs, 5 of which were clean bowled when they played St Kents.

Drama Show - 9 and 10 April

I would like to encourage you all to attend the Senior Drama Show next week. The show is called: The Boy Who Caused 9/11.

Time: 7pm
Venue: School Hall
Tickets: $7 online or $10 at the door
Book here. https://www.trybooking.com/nz/WFY

Rutherford Quiz Night - 9 May at 7pm

Rutherford College is hosting an exciting Quiz Night, with the incredible Blair White as our MC for the evening! The quiz, created by Believe it or Not, promises a fun and challenging experience. Gather your team of up to 8 people and join us for a night of trivia, prizes, and great company. You’ll also be able to purchase a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, food, and delicious cheese platters. Don’t miss out! 

Book your tickets here

SchoolDocs - Policy Reviews for Term 1

Rutherford College subscribes to SchoolDocs for all policies and procedures. These policies are available to everyone including staff, students and whanau. You can also complete a review of any of the policies up for review in any given term.

To start reviewing, click on a topic named below, then click the Start your review button. If a link is inactive, our school doesn't have the topic.

In term 1 we are reviewing topics in the Health, Safety, and Welfare Policy section.

Log in to SchoolDocs - the username is (rutherfordcollege), the password is (kotuku).

These are the topics specified on the review schedule. You can also review any topic that has a review button.

Reviewers who are not able to use the online review tool can use the Policy review form and return it to the school via [email protected]

Rutherford Hall of Distinction - Nominations are open now

The Rutherford College hall of distinction is given to past pupils of the school who are at the top of their respective industries or specialty or have demonstrated a remarkable contribution to the Arts, Business, their Community, Sport and/or Public Service.

Nominations are open now - if you know someone who deserves to be honoured for their contribution to the community we would love to hear from you.

Early Close April 11 - 1.30pm

On Friday 11 April, the last day of term we are closing early at 1.30pm to acknowledge and celebrate a long serving staff member who is retiring. Mr Wills has been at the school since 1980 as a teacher, Dean and Deputy Principal and as a staff we are looking forward to farewelling him with a special assembly in the Hall, highlighting some special moments and stories from over the past 44 years.

Term 2 Dates to put on the calendar

02 May - Whanau Fair - 5-8pm S Block Quad
08 May - Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences from 2-8pm. Bookings will open by April 28.
09 May - Quiz Night
16 May - Pink Shirt Day
02 June - King's Birthday - School Closed
20 June - Matariki - School Closed
26 June - School Ball and last day of Term 2
27 June - School Closed

Kia kaha 

Gary Moore