Principal's Panui - 29 August 2025

Good afternoon Parents and Caregivers

Senior Dance Performance Shines at TAPAC

Our senior students took to the stage at TAPAC last week, delivering a performance that was nothing short of outstanding. The showcase highlighted the incredible talent, dedication, and creativity of our students, leaving the audience inspired and impressed.

The evening was a celebration of both artistry and precision. Students demonstrated exquisite performance skills, with each routine executed with passion and flair. The slick interchanges between pieces kept the energy flowing seamlessly, reflecting the professionalism and hard work that went into preparing for the event.

The performance was a superb display of technical ability and creative storytelling through movement. It also reflected the collaborative spirit of the Dance programme, with students supporting one another both on and off stage.

A huge congratulations to all the performers for their commitment and courage in sharing their artistry, and to the dedicated staff who guided and supported them in bringing this showcase to life. The Senior Dance Performance at TAPAC was truly a night to remember.

Derived Grade Exams & NCEA

Kia ora koutou, As we head into the senior assessment season, this update explains Derived Grade Exams and the NCEA external exams. This can be a very stressful time for students, not to mention parents. My advice is that plenty of sleep and preparation is the best antidote to exam stress. 

This week I spoke with senior students about the need to employ effective revision methods. In my experience most students delude themselves that rereading their notes and highlighting them is effective revision. It is not. For students to retain information they must process it - perhaps into flash cards, quizzes and graphic organisers. The more they use the information, repurpose it, and test themselves, the better. It is also far more beneficial to start early and study in short bursts. It is actually important to allow yourself time to forget the information and then retrieve it again. This is like superglue for your long term memory. 

The other colossal mistake students mistake is to listen to music while they study. Many believe that listening to music aids their ability to study, but in reality, the music competes with the study material for attention. Learning is essentially a change in your long term memory and it requires us to get new information past our working memory and encoded into our long term memory in such a way that we can retrieve it. This process can be derailed very easily by overwhelming the limited space in our short term memory by extra sensory input in the form of music.

This concept has been extensively researched and the question of whether listening to music aids study has been answered. This is a summary of the findings:  

• Students who revised in quiet environments performed more than 60% better in an exam than their peers who revised while listening to music that had lyrics.
• Students who revised while listening to music without lyrics did better than those who had revised to music with lyrics.
• It made no difference if students revised listening to songs they liked or disliked. Both led to a reduction in their test performance.
• Students who revised in silence rated their environment as less distracting and accurately predicted that this would lead to better performances in subsequent tests.

Despite considerable evidence to the contrary, many students are convinced that they should have their phones with them and their music on while studying. I hope we can all work together to change their minds. Below are the details about our school derived grade exams and the NCEA exams in November. Please read carefully.

Please see Rutherford College Study Site for the derived grade and NCEA exams schedules.

At a glance (put this bit on the fridge)

• Derived Grade Exams (DGEs): Tuesday 9 Sept – Tuesday 16 Sept Why they matter: If a student can’t sit an NCEA external because of illness or emergency, we can only submit a mark if we have valid stored evidence gathered under exam conditions e.g., DGEs). No stored grade, no mark.
• If there is an unforeseen event such as an evacuation or a prolonged power or WIFI outage, a derived grade may be needed. Schools do not have paper exams as a back up should the digital assessment platform go down.
• NCEA external exams: Tue 4 Nov – Fri 28 Nov
• Best place to prepare: study.rutherford.school.nz (study advice + revision sheets for every exam)
• If your child is sick on an exam day: Stay home, contact us immediately, We’ll guide you through an NZQA Derived Grade application if you miss a NCEA exam. Applications for derived grades are only made if there is a valid medical reason or a significant event.

What are Derived Grade Exams?

DGEs are school-run exams under NZQA-like conditions. They:

1. Create a stored grade as a safety net for NCEA in November;
2. Provide practice in exam conditions;
3. Give feedback to focus revision.

Key dates

• DGEs: Mon 9 Sept – Mon 16 Sept
• Senior Prizegiving October 30
• NCEA externals: Tue 4 Nov – Fri 28 Nov

Exam regulations (apply to both DGEs and NCEA externals)

To protect fairness and integrity, all students must follow these rules:

Before/at entry

• Arrive 20 minutes early.
• A white board with exam venues will be outside the staffroom. Students will be instructed to line up in order and follow supervisor instructions and seating plans.
• Bring admission slip (for NCEA), allowed stationery in a clear plastic bag(pens, highlighters, and (for digital exams) a fully charged device + charger if applicable. No writing in pencil is allowed and now twink/correction fluid.
• Bags/phones/watches of any kind remain where supervisors direct—they must not be in your pocket.

What you may bring

• Black/blue pens, ruler; a clear water bottle; approved calculator (if permitted).
• Digital exams only: charged device; headphones if allowed (no bluetooth).

What you must NOT have

• Phones, watches, earbuds, or any device capable of storing/communicating information on your person.
• Notes/papers/unauthorised materials (including inside pencil cases or pockets).
• Any form of communication with others once inside the exam area.

During the exam

• Follow all supervisor instructions.
• No talking or disruptive behaviour.
• Only approved toilet breaks with supervision (rules may vary by venue/subject). You may be asked to show us your pockets are empty before going to the bathroom.

Breaches & consequences

• If a student is found using their device with anything open other than the exam or in possession of a phone, watch, earbuds, or unauthorised papers/material during an exam, or otherwise breaches conditions, it will be treated as an exam breach and a report is submitted to NZQA.
• NZQA may impose penalties, which can include loss of credit for that standard and further sanctions. Keeping devices off and away from your person is the student’s responsibility.

What parents/caregivers can do

• Protect the dates: Avoid appointments/travel during 9–16 Sept and 4–28 Nov.
• Study plan: 30–40 minute blocks, short breaks, rotate subjects.
• Use our resources: study.rutherford.school.nz has study advice and links to revision sheets for every exam.
• Check entries/timetable: Sit with your child to confirm which standards they are entered for and exact exam times.
• Wellbeing: Sleep, nutrition, movement, quiet study space. 
• Tech check (digital exams): Update device, charge fully, pack charger, know the platform.

If your child is sick or something happens (for NCEA in November)

• Stay home and contact your child’s Dean on the same day: Phone 09 834 9790 and email [email protected] 
• You must get a derived grade application form BEFORE you see a doctor as the doctor needs to fill in the form. We can email it to you.
• We’ll help you apply for an NZQA Derived Grade—only possible if stored evidence exists (e.g., DGEs). No stored grade, no mark.

Transport, uniform, and arrival

• Uniform: Full school uniform for DGEs and NCEA exams.
• Arrival: 20 minutes early to avoid stress and make sure you know where you need to be. Late arrivals may not be admitted after a set time.

Ngā mihi nui,

Rozanne Donald

Associate Principal