Kia ora Rutherford whānau.

Term 3 seems to have flown by at record breaking pace. As I write this, the seniors are busy sitting their school examinations, Senior Winterfest has passed, 48 hour Filmfest has come and gone, House choir has taken place and we’re only two games away from finishing Junior Winterfest. Whilst this is a reminder of how busy everyone is, it’s also a good chance to reflect on the wonderful opportunities that our students have to participate and contribute to the life of the school.

At present there is a lovely buzz amongst the Rutherford students with so many willing to put their hands up to get involved in the life of the House.

House choir this year was another chance for our students to have a go and sing their hearts out for the House. I say this every year, but working with a choir gives so many rewards. It’s great to go on a journey with a group of students, see significant growth in them and to also ride the highs and lows, the nerves prior to performing and the elation when it’s all over. This year our choir was led superbly by Una Skerten and ably supported by the Exec. Our songs were a mash up of two songs from Disney’s Jungle book and our waiata was a modern interpretation of Purea Nei. I think the waiata in particular was beautiful. This year I was really impressed by the number of boys who stepped up and joined choir. Their voices really added some depth to the songs. I’d also like to thank Lachie James for accompanying the choir on the acoustic guitar. Our second placing on the day was a really satisfying result for the students and all the hard work that they put in.

The two Winterfest competitions have seen Rutherford students roll their sleeves up and get stuck in on the Football field and the Netball courts. Our seniors were tied in first place equal with Sheppard House and our Juniors are performing well with two games to go. The fact that we have almost been able to field two full football teams in Junior Winterfest is a good example of the enthusiasm that our students have and their willingness to get involved.

Our Filmfest team had a blast getting together earlier in the term to out together our entry based around the genre “a fish out of water”. Fingers crossed that our entry is received positively by the judges. It was great to see some Year 9’s getting involved with the seniors for this event.

Term 4 leaves the House competition with two events to go: Junior Quizzes and Junior Public Speaking. Whilst we are currently leading the competition, it really is up for grabs still so I’d like to keep encouraging the Juniors to participate and contribute further.

One way in which students can participate and contribute further is on the House Exec for 2019. I’ll be explaining more about the process in an assembly soon.

Ka Mau te Wehi [awesome work] Rutherford!