Rutherford College, Auckland
Encyclopedia
Rutherford College is a co-educational state secondary school on the Te Atatu Peninsula
, Auckland
, New Zealand
.
accredited co-educational
Year 9-13 State Secondary school
, established in 1961. Named after the New Zealand-born nuclear physicist
and chemist
Lord Ernest Rutherford. It caters for students from year 9 to year 13, as well as providing adult education, special education and night courses. It offers well-qualified, professional staff are very successful in challenging students to achieve academic success in national assessments.
The College encourages student participation in a wide range of extra curricular activities, again challenging students to reach their full potential in all areas.
. As well as core subjects, specialist subjects such as Chinese
Mandarin, Japanese
, Māori
and German
are taught as a second language, as well as aviation
, environmental science
and biochemistry
, arts, physical education
, technology, accounting and economics
The Gateway program is also offered to students. This course helps students prepare to join the workforce once leaving school instead of moving on to Tertiary education. In this course students learn to make a CV and explore different options for once they finish school.
The Rutherford College Information Commons is an integrated learning environment where all students and staff have access to traditional and electronic information resources, electronic learning materials and productivity software, allowing them to integrate more information in to course work. The main purpose is to provide access to electronic learning and information resources as well as traditional sources of information.
Students are able to retrieve information from the library database, access course work through Learning Resources, send email and browse the Internet, use Microsoft Office
and other specialist programs, including a number of Open Source
applications - all on the same computer. The development of computer and information literacy skills will be a key focus area of the Information Commons and opportunities for training will be integrated into all aspects of service.
The Information Commons was officially opened in 2006 and students were allowed full use of the facility from the first term of 2007. Since then, it has become the most popular building on campus among staff and students alike. It is a student-centred facility that provides a variety of study spaces, 40 computers, easy access to information resources and technologies together with multi-skilled staff that support different learning and research needs in one physical location.
The vision has been to provide a highly visible, modern and unique facility which will inspire students to acquire new skills so that they can participate more actively in the learning process.
Further construction and upgrades include:
B Block has just been finished at the end of july 2010.
C block is due to start early 2011.
Te Atatu Peninsula
- to the south-west - to the west - to the north-west Te Atatu South Lincoln Massey West Harbour Te Atatu Peninsula, formerly known as "Te Atatu North", is an Auckland suburb...
, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
About
Rutherford College (formerly named Rutherford High School) is a New Zealand Qualifications AuthorityNew Zealand Qualifications Authority
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority is the New Zealand government crown entity tasked with providing leadership in assessment and qualifications....
accredited co-educational
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
Year 9-13 State Secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, established in 1961. Named after the New Zealand-born nuclear physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
Lord Ernest Rutherford. It caters for students from year 9 to year 13, as well as providing adult education, special education and night courses. It offers well-qualified, professional staff are very successful in challenging students to achieve academic success in national assessments.
The College encourages student participation in a wide range of extra curricular activities, again challenging students to reach their full potential in all areas.
- The school celebrates annually, Rutherford Day, to commemorate the achievements of Lord Rutherford.
- The official school song is "Me Hui Hui", written by Pita SharplesPita SharplesPita Russell Sharples, CBE, , a Māori academic and politician, currently co-leads the Māori Party. He currently is the member for Tamaki Makaurau in New Zealand's Parliament.-Early life:...
- Another school song "The Rutherford Way" was written by current school music teacher, Mrs. Manu Fa'aea-Semeatu, the school's music tutor in 2007.
- The school has a strong bound with its sister school, Da Tong High School in Shanghai, China.
- Rutherford Colleges Kapa Haka group 'Te Kotuku Kapa Haka Ropu' is also the top Mainstream group in the Auckland region. They have placed within the top 5 for the last 30 years in the regional kapa haka competition (Polyfest) and are the longest competing group. This year they are competing in the 2010 National secondary Kapa Haka Competition in Rotorua, New Zealand.
Kaleidoscope Programme
The Kaleidoscope Programme is for students who are gifted and/or talented and subjects. It program is an alternative to mainstream courses at Rutherford College. Rutherford is one of only a handful of schools in New Zealand to have been granted $300,000 under the Ministry of Education's Talent Development Initiative (TDI). This is to develop programmes that will enrich and develop students with special talents, helping them to excel to greater levels.Curriculum
The school teaches core subjects such as English, Mathematics and Science, and helps senior students pass NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement)National Certificate of Educational Achievement
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement is, since 2004, the official secondary school qualification in New Zealand.It has three levels, corresponding to the levels within the National Qualifications Framework, and these are generally studied in each of the three final years of...
. As well as core subjects, specialist subjects such as Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
Mandarin, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
are taught as a second language, as well as aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
, environmental science
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
and biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
, arts, physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
, technology, accounting and economics
The Gateway program is also offered to students. This course helps students prepare to join the workforce once leaving school instead of moving on to Tertiary education. In this course students learn to make a CV and explore different options for once they finish school.
Information Commons
Students are able to retrieve information from the library database, access course work through Learning Resources, send email and browse the Internet, use Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
and other specialist programs, including a number of Open Source
Open-source software
Open-source software is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software.Open...
applications - all on the same computer. The development of computer and information literacy skills will be a key focus area of the Information Commons and opportunities for training will be integrated into all aspects of service.
The Information Commons was officially opened in 2006 and students were allowed full use of the facility from the first term of 2007. Since then, it has become the most popular building on campus among staff and students alike. It is a student-centred facility that provides a variety of study spaces, 40 computers, easy access to information resources and technologies together with multi-skilled staff that support different learning and research needs in one physical location.
The vision has been to provide a highly visible, modern and unique facility which will inspire students to acquire new skills so that they can participate more actively in the learning process.
Building Programme
The school is undergoing an extensive building and renovation programme, which has already seen the completion and opening of its Information Commons. The Information Commons is currently one of only a few of its kind in New Zealand, housing a state-of-the-art computer lab, seminar rooms, study areas, and research facilities.Further construction and upgrades include:
- Revamped student courtyard
- Upgrade of current classroom blocks
- Revamp of administration building
- New theatre
- New seated pavilion
- New astroturf
- New cricket nets
- Relocation of career services, science classrooms, school cafeteria and special education unit
- Major upgrades to data and communications infrastructure
B Block has just been finished at the end of july 2010.
C block is due to start early 2011.
Notable alumni
- Ken Carrington - former All Black
- Garth da SilvaGarth da SilvaGarth John da Silva is a boxer from New Zealand, who competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There he won his first round in the Heavyweight division against Cathel O'Grady of Ireland, before losing to Serguei Dychkov of Belarus...
- former NZ Heavyweight Boxing Champion and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist - Oscar KightleyOscar KightleyOscar Vai To'elau Kightley, MNZM, is a Samoan-born actor, television presenter and writer who has been a resident and citizen of New Zealand for most of his life.-Biography:He acted in and co-wrote the successful 2006 film Sione's Wedding...
- TV3TV3 (New Zealand)TV3 is a New Zealand commercial television network, owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. Launched on 26 November 1989, the first private television network in New Zealand...
personality, actor (Bro' Town, Sione's WeddingSione's WeddingSione's Wedding , is a 2006 comedic film directed by Chris Graham and written by James Griffin and Oscar Kightley, and produced by South Pacific Pictures.- Plot :...
) - Cindy Kiro - Children's Commissioner
- Darren LiddelDarren LiddelDarren Liddel was a weightlifting competitor for New Zealand.At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur he won 3 gold medals in weightlifting, a gold medal in each of the men's 108+ kg clean and jerk, snatch, and combined total...
- triple Commonwealth Games Gold weightlifter - Kees MeeuwsKees MeeuwsKees Junior Meeuws is a former New Zealand rugby union prop and current assistant coach of the Highlanders in the Super Rugby tournament. Meeuws played 42 tests for the All Blacks between 1998 and 2004, scoring 10 test tries...
- former All Black - Henry PaulHenry PaulHenry Paul , is a dual code rugby international. Paul has previously represented New Zealand in rugby league and England in rugby union XV's and 7's. He currently holds the world record for the most consecutive kicks on the field.Paul's usual position is loose forward/Lock. He can also operate in...
- former NZ Rugby League Representative/English Rugby Union Representative - Tim ShadboltTim ShadboltTimothy Richard "Tim" Shadbolt is a New Zealand politician. He is the Mayor of Invercargill and was previously Mayor of Waitemata City.-Early life:...
– Mayor of Invercargill, former Mayor of Waitakere city, - Gavin Stevens - Commonwealth Games Men's Cycling Gold Medallist
- Pio TereiPio TereiPio Terei is a Māori actor, singer and comedian on New Zealand TV.-Career:A former Auckland Toyota car salesman, he came to notice in 1995 when he headlined his own TV3 show Pete and Pio with fellow comedian Peter Rowley. After the success of Pete and Pio, Terei led his own show called Pio!,...
- actor and comedian - Sam TuitupouSam TuitupouSam Tuitupou is a New Zealand international rugby union player who plays for Sale in the Aviva Premiership. His position is Inside Centre....
- former All Black - Ivan VicelichIvan VicelichIvan Robert Vicelich is a New Zealand professional footballer of Croatian origin, who currently plays as a defender for Auckland City FC in the ASB Premiership...
- New Zealand soccer player - Yvonne Willering - former New Zealand Silver Ferns player and coach, former Northern Force coach and current Northern Mystics coach
External links
- Official Rutherford College Website
- Official Rutherford College Website: Open Source Section
- Rutherford College on Google Maps
- newzealandeducated.com - Rutherford College
- XTEND NZ - Rutherford College, Community Education, Adult Education, Night School Courses
- Old Friends - Rutherford College
- Rutherford College YouTube Channel