Principal's Panui - 5 September 2025
Kia ora te whānau o te Kotuku
Tournament Week
Week 7 was tournament week with 5 teams away and three teams being involved in the pointy end of their tournaments. Congratulations to the 1st XI girls football team for making it through to the semi-finals. A 1-0 loss at that stage of a tournament in the semi-finals is tough to take but based on what I have seen this season you can be very proud of what you have achieved.
Well done to our premier netball team for getting promotion into the A division at UNISS, that is a fantastic achievement. Congratulations to Dyllan Fakalata for getting selected for the tournament team for the third year in a row. Consistent results throughout the week and effort throughout the season were fairly rewarded in my opinion.
1st XI boys football won the Rex Dawkins National Tournament beating Takapuna Grammar in the semi-finals and Rosmini College in the final. We had previously beaten Rosmini in pool play as well. The 1-0 win in the final did not reflect the dominance that the team had over the opposition. It was close to a complete performance minus converting a few more chances. For some perspective on the result, last year’s winners were Auckland Grammar 1st XI.
Looking Ahead
There is two weeks left in term 3 and for our Year 11-13 students Derived Grade Exams must dominate their thoughts and where they spend their time. Please, parents reinforce the importance of these exams. Proper preparation and execution carried out under similar rigour to the externals is money in the bank. Follow that up with taking on board some feedback after exams and students should be in a good place for success later in the year.
The end of term three and heading toward the end of the academic year can be a challenge. My advice is don’t stop but continue to gradually increase the amount of time you spend investing in your human capital and the range of future choices you have available to you. You only get to make choices if you have achieved in the first place. Nothing worth having is attained without the required effort and progress.
Don't forget to make use of the resources on the Rutherford College study site.
And as mentioned last week we reiterate the key dates and points for derived grade exams.
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:
- Create a stored grade as a safety net for NCEA in November;
- Provide practice in exam conditions;
- 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.
Managing your thoughts
If the thoughts of the weeks ahead trigger some unpleasant physical responses remember;
There’s a whole host of other things that happen in your brain and body when your stress response is triggered and your nervous system kicks into fight or flight mode, and they all happen quickly, within the blink of an eye. Most noticeably, everything speeds up - your heart, your breathing, and your thoughts. This state is all about action and urgency, to “fix” the situation, and quickly.
“Fix” in inverted commas because, rather than fix anything, you are more likely to make things worse. In this state of hyper-alertness, the prefrontal cortex area of your brain, which is responsible for rationalization, shuts down. It’s very hard, if not impossible, to intentionally use any effective top-down mental strategy because you’re too alert, too activated, and too agitated.
You need to slow down, and you need a real-time tool to help you do this. When you can’t control your mind, you need to do something purely mechanical within your body. This is what is known as bottom-up control. Using your body to get to your mind.
You can’t take conscious control of your heart. The only way in is through your breath. It’s a very well-established medical fact that there is a direct relationship between how you breathe and your heart rate. When you inhale, you send a neural signal to your heart to speed up. When you exhale, you signal your heart to slow down.
Longer exhales will slow down your heart rate and in turn bring your nervous system back to a more balanced place, from hyper-alert towards calm. Your prefrontal cortex will switch back on, and you’ll regain access to your rational brain.
Box Breathing is my preferred approach. 4-4-4-4. “Box breathing,” refers to the fact that a box has four sides, a concept represented here by breathing while you slowly count to four for a total of four times — four counts of breathing in, four counts of holding your breath, four counts of exhaling and four more counts of holding after your exhale.
Focusing your mind on consciously controlling your breath, and silently counting to yourself, will also help to distract your mind from the thoughts racing around.
Prefect Applications
Prefect Applications close today at 5pm. Students can apply via SchoolBridge/Permission Slips and Student Forms. Remember to click the green complete button or the application does not get processed.
Prefect Voting Opens: 12 September
Prefect Voting Closes: 17 September
Only Year 12 students are able to vote.
Board Elections - Voting closes 10 September
Your voice matters! We encourage all parents and caregivers to take part in the upcoming School Board elections by casting your vote. The board plays a vital role in shaping the direction of our school, making decisions that directly impact student learning, wellbeing, and opportunities. By voting, you help ensure that the board truly reflects the values and aspirations of our community. This is a great way to support Rutherford College and have your say in the future of our school.
Student Trustee Elections - Voting closes 10 September
It’s time to have your say! Voting for your student representative on the school board is now open. This is your chance to choose the person who will bring the student voice to the table, represent your ideas, and make sure your perspective is heard when important decisions are being made about our school. Every vote counts, so take the opportunity to be part of shaping our future—make your vote today! Vote by logging in to SchoolBridge and click on the Vote for Student Trustee Icon. You have 1 vote only, so make it count.
PPTA Strike Action
The PPTA (Post Primary Teachers’ Association) has advised that there will be rolling strike action for all union members in the last week of term.
The school will work hard to minimise disruption to learning for students.
Please be assured that we have a plan in place to ensure that derived grade exams run as planned for senior students. This means that Y11, 12 and 13 are not affected by these strikes and should come to school as normal.
At this stage we are expecting Year 10 students to be rostered home on Wednesday September 17 and Year 9 students on Thursday September 18. We can offer supervision for some students if they are under 14 years of age. Please complete the registration form if you would like your son or daughter to attend on either of the days when rostering home is occurring.
We appreciate your understanding as we work to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students during this time.
Kia kaha
Gary Moore
