Read the latest news from Rutherford College

Kia ora te whanau ō te Kōtuku

Ministry of Education Excellence Awards.

On Wednesday afternoon Rozanne Donald and I had the pleasure of attending the Ministry of Education Excellence Awards at Parliament.

We did not win but we were close.

Very happy for our students, staff and wider community for this recognition which reflects the hard work of the many. 

The great progress made is the foundation on which we will continue to tackle the equity problem we prioritised. The focus on literacy and the explicit teaching strategies that were adopted were to ensure an increasing number of our students could access the curriculum, at all levels. It’s been a team effort with many moving parts, and we can all be heartened by the progress and this recognition. 

There are always some or a few who are the catalyst for progress of this kind. At Rutherford this has been our AP Rozanne Donald and utilising the expertise and knowledge she has learned alongside Professor Emeritus, Viviane Robinson. This has been game changing. 

We also need to reflect on some of the decisions that helped us get to this point. We made decisions to prune things, that were sucking up time but not contributing to the main student priority. Pruning created the time and space to stay focused on what we agreed was the student outcome problem we were trying to solve- Literacy. 

We regularly reflected on why this was the problem and we agreed we would unite to solve it. It is for the benefit of our most at risk young people. In making this the priority, the quality of instruction for all our students has improved. 

Are we there yet, no, have we added a sizeable number of snowflakes to the avalanche of progress we aspire to, yes.

Important Information: School Bus Capacity and AT Hop Tagging

Auckland Transport has advised that buses cannot continue their journey if they are carrying more passengers than the approved capacity. As a result, students travelling on busy services, i.e. 013 and 014 school bus routes, may occasionally find that they are unable to board if the bus has reached its maximum capacity.

The school will actively advocate for additional bus services if they are needed. However, Auckland Transport requires accurate passenger data before it will consider allocating more buses.

We are asking all students who use these services to tag on and tag off every time they travel. This will give AT an accurate record of how many students use these services.

We appreciate the support of students and whānau in helping ensure that travel demand is accurately recorded and that our community receives the transport services it needs. Every tag-on and tag-off counts.

School Production - The Addams Family

I am looking forward to attending the production tomorrow night. Feedback from those who have already seen it has been overwhelmingly positive, with many saying it is the best production they have seen our school present. There are a few tickets available for Saturday's matinee if you are quick. Book your tickets here.

Kotuku Badge Applications
Applications are now open for students to apply for a Kotuku Badge.
The Kotuku Badge scheme is designed to encourage the pursuit of excellence and encourage participation across the college. The badges are attainable for all students in four areas. Students are encouraged to build their ‘ladder’ and in doing so, build pride, foster goal setting, reward competition and encourage participation. There are four categories: academic, sport, culture and citizenship. Students can build on their achievements and strive for two levels – with the colours being based on the school colours of blue (top level) and silver (initial level). You can find out more on our website about the criteria for each badge. Students can complete the application via the School Portal. Click on the Kotuku Badge icon and complete the form. Applications close 7 August. Badges will be presented during Rutherford Week in term 3.

Early close for Term 2

A reminder that on Thursday 2 July school closes at 1.30pm and Friday the school will be closed for the term holidays. School resumes 20 July.

What's Coming Up?

20 July - Term 3 commences
30 July - Open Evening
6pm - 8pm31 July - Open Day
9.30am - 1.30pm
03-06 Aug - Enrolment Week
08 Aug - Saturday enrolments 9.00 - 11.30am
13 Aug - Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences. Booking details will be available early Term 2.

Ngā mihi 

Gary Moore