Kia ora Rutherford whānau,

Well what a crazy term this has been. We started Term 1 in the usual fashion - busy with the usual things such as organising Sports' Day and Senior SummerFest. Just a typical start to a typical year. Our Year 9 students had settled in well and the Year 13 students were doing a great job of leading the House. And then along came COVID-19. Suddenly holidays were brought forward and everyone was home, in lockdown, pondering what this all meant for them and their families.

For the exec, I set a simple wero - try to keep people connected. The cool thing about teenagers is that they take to challenges like this straight away. “We’ll use the Rutherford Knight’s Instagram page” they said, and off they went. I’ve been really impressed by the leadership that they have shown, the wonderful role modelling that they have provided and most of all, the connections that they have maintained with the Rutherford whānau. I’ve included some of their words from their posts:

Anne Rowe- Mitchell: “This is a time full of uncertainty, so do your best to focus on the things you can control! One thing you can control are your grades, although online learning is a challenge for everyone (teachers included), engage in the material given and do your best! -The next IMPORTANT thing I want to mention is setting aside time to get active. That’s all from me, remember to stay positive, get active and strive to be the best version of you”.

Tom Marsh: “Going into this year none of us expected anything like this and I want to say “Good job, keep it up”. Remember even though we’re at home, continuing to do school work is a must especially for those who are doing NCEA. Continue to work hard but don’t forget to take breaks and get outside. If you’re bored and are looking for something to do, go find some games to play with the family”.

Georgie Lindsay: “I hope over the last two weeks you have all started to find a rhythm that works for you while we adjust to learning from home.”

Georgia Shaw: “I hope you are keeping safe and staying at home. Making sure you are staying on top of your school work but also getting outside and doing some exercise. “

Abbey Lumbar: “Make sure to stay on top of your schoolwork! I know it can be really overwhelming managing your time, but it’s really important that you take a break from your study and do something you want to do.”

Libby Hector: “I can’t stress how important it is to try your hardest to keep on top of your school work. It’s a very stressful time for all of us but if you set aside 3 hours of your day whether it’s all at once or spaced out during your day, use those 3 hours to do some work, You will feel rewarded”.

Thanks to the Exec for these words! We look forward to seeing you all back at school as soon as possible.

Regards,

Mr Sim

Head of Rutherford House