With so much activity over the past four weeks, I would like to take a moment to highlight three key events. First, a big thank you to all the boys for their enthusiastic support of the Black and Blue this winter sports season. Next, I would like to commend the exceptional major works on display at the Year 12 Showcase. Finally, as the HSC Trial examinations approach, we recognise the hard work and dedication of the Class of 2024.

Congratulations and sincere thanks to boys, coaches, medical staff and parents for your commitment and support throughout the winter sports season. Weekend sports requires significant parental involvement, logistical planning, and time spent in traffic, all of which we deeply appreciate.

I could not have been prouder of the boys and the sense of community as we concluded the season over the weekend. In particular, the games on Saturday were filled with a wonderful atmosphere of support and friendly rivalry with Barker College.

While it might be tempting to measure this winter season by wins and achievements alone, doing so would overlook the true depth of character demonstrated across all Knox teams. The qualities and values fostered are far more important than any victory.

As we close the chapter on winter sports, our focus now shifts to the Track and Field Season, with the CAS Track and Field Championships just a few weeks away.

Knox, like all schools, is bound by legislative requirements regarding school attendance. We understand there may be circumstances where it is necessary for parents/carers to request leave during the school term. For absences greater than three days, or less than three days if your son will be missing an assessment task during the leave period, a leave application is to be submitted. This leave form can be obtained from the year group portal page (navigate to Academic Resources on the portal). We assess all applications for leave and record these absences using codes mandated by the NSW Department of Education, as per the requirements of the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) National Standards for Student Attendance Data Reporting found here. A common reason for requesting leave is due to holiday bookings. Families are encouraged to take holidays during school vacation periods. Please note that holidays taken by students during the advertised term dates will need to be recorded as an ‘unapproved’ absence, as required by the National Standards.

Knox also records and monitors students who are late to school. Students who catch the Hornsby bound train that arrives at Warrawee at 8.17am are usually late to school. Despite this train arriving before the first 8.20am bell (if it is running to schedule), by the time the students make it to their locker, and then to class, they are late. Families are encouraged to make arrangements for their son to catch the earlier train which arrives at Warrawee at 8.02am. This will ensure adequate time to get to Period 1.

All the best to the athletes who are contesting the Knox Grammar Track and Field Invitational 1 tomorrow.

Andrew Weeding

At this week's Year Meeting, we were privileged to have several of our School Prefects discuss the various opportunities available for Year 9 boys to get involved in the leadership programs under each portfolio. These programs are an excellent way for the boys to develop leadership skills, take on new responsibilities, and actively contribute to our school community.

Mrs McMurrough introduced an exciting upcoming opportunity for the Year 9 boys to become MacPherson Mates. This program is designed to give your sons a taste of leadership as they work alongside the Year 7 boys in 2025. It is a fantastic way for them to gain experience, build confidence, and positively impact their younger peers.

On the theme of the Olympic spirit, Mrs Fiona Nguyen was interviewed by Denny Yu, Y9 Chairman, about her experience as a torch bearer at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Mrs Nguyen displayed the actual torch she ran with – how amazing!

Friday 16 (afternoon) to Monday 19 August inclusive
• Cadet Leadership Camp

Monday 19 to Friday 23 August
• Snow Sports championships

Tuesday 20 August
• OKGA Evening with an Author

Tuesday 20 to Thursday 22 August
• AgQip excursion Gunnedah

Wednesday 21 August 
• Parent Presentation: Brave Parenting Webinar - Your Choicez

Thursday 22 August 
• Geography Excursion - Group 1

Friday 23 August 
• Geography Excursion - Group 2

Thursday 29 August 
• NSW Schools Cup Volleyball - Year 9
• Australian Informatics Olympiad (AIO)

Saturday 31 August
• Knox Gala Day

A full list of school events can be found in the School Calendar via the Knox app or Parent Lounge.

Please click here for the Term 3 Assessment Grid.

Week 5

• Friday 23 August - Design and Technology - Hand in task

Week 6

• Monday 26 August - Agriculture - Ongoing presentation
• Wednesday 28 August - Mathematics - In class task

The benefits of Leadership and the opportunities that are available at Knox are extensive and this was a central theme for Year 9 in Week 4 Term 3. Mrs McMurrough (Stage 6 Director of Student Development and Head of Student Leadership), presented some exciting opportunities to our Year 9 students. Students are encouraged to check their emails and complete the relevant Google Forms to express their interest in these opportunities. We encourage parents and caregivers to discuss the importance of taking leadership opportunities with their sons and boys in their care. The opportunities that are available are as follows:

• Portfolio Leadership Teams: Wellbeing, Social Justice, Co-Curricular, Academic, House, Boarding, Sport, Faith and Spirituality, and Community. This opportunity will close on Friday 27 September.
• To become a MacPherson Mate, this opportunity will close on Friday 13 September.
• House Leader for Term 4 2024 – Term 1 2025 (Please note that current House Leaders are welcome to re-apply). This opportunity will close on Friday 30 August.

Stage 5 English
Stage 5 parents are advised that Ms Preeti Gupta will be on leave for Term 3 and Ms Jennifer Pullen will be Acting Assistant Head of English Stage 5.

Middle Academy Team

PDF Links
• Co-Curricular Newsletter Week 4 Term 3 2024
• Co-Curricular Weekly Training Schedule Term 3 2024 
• KAPA Weekly Rehearsal Schedule Term 3 2024

Social Justice
Please find some ways we can all help communities here and overseas through the following initiatives:

School shoes for Manila in the Philippines
Each year, we collect school shoes in good condition for the children in the slum areas of Manila. If you son has outgrown his school shoes, and they are still in good condition and polished and clean, please send them to Mrs Clarke in Room 15 or to your son’s SAO.

Donating Old Spectacles/Sunglasses
Do you have any old spectacles/sunglasses hidden away in your drawers? Consider donating them to those in need in Zambia! We are supporting this World Vision initiative as they collect these to deliver and distribute overseas. Please send any old spectacles/sunglasses via your son to their SAO or to Mrs Clarke in Room 15.

World Environment Day postponed until Week 8
The focus will be a fundraising day for our planet. We will be supporting WIRES and through them, Australia’s sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife via their 24/7 Wildlife Rescue Service.

Jersey Day, 30 August
Boys and staff are invited wear their favourite Supporters jersey on this day at School as part of this organisation sharing awareness of organ and tissue donations. For 10 tens, Knox has been supporting their work. We can make a difference!

Legacy Day
Boys will have the opportunity to volunteer to sell Legacy Merchandise at Wahroonga Shops.

Reconciliation Club
Reconciliation Club is led by Prefect, William Humes, a proud Gunditjmara young man. Let Mrs Clarke know if you would like to join. Meetings happen each Wednesday A in Room 15 (Mrs Clarke’s office in the Main Building).

For more details, click on the latest Co-Curricular Newsletter linked above. Should you have any questions regarding the activities please email the Co-Curricular department here.

Chuck Ardron, Director of Co-Curricular Operations

PDF Link
Experiential Newsletter Week 4, Term 3 2024

New Caledonia Service Adventure, December holidays 2025: This unique service adventure program provides a wonderful variety of landscapes, endemic plant species and birdlife, unique cultural encounters and an opportunity for students to contribute to the sustainability and regeneration of fragile coastal ecosystems.

You can also find more information about all the programs on the Experiential Learning microsite here.

Stuart Clark, Director of Experiential Learning

PDF Link
Sport Newsletter Week 4, Term 3 2024

Thank you to all for making last week’s conclusion to the winter season so special, particularly for a great group of Year 12 boys who wore the Black and Blue for the very last time. The School could not be more proud of their sport results and the amazing support from the boys who got behind our teams vying for the CAS Premierships. From Friday night AFL right through to the afternoon at Barker, a huge crowd and so much Tartan Army support that got behind the Rugby 1st XV. Congratulations to our CAS Premiership teams for winter 2024:
• AFL – 1st XVIII
• Football – 1st XI
• Tennis – 1st IV

The CAS Track and Field season is officially underway, and we want boys to be a part of it! Boys, whether you have previously trialled for the team, have never done Track and Field, or have been training year-round with the Track and Field program, we encourage you to give athletics a try!

Uniform: PE Uniform or Knox Black Thistle Singlet, Sneakers or Spikes can be used.
Event: Knox Grammar Track and Field Invitational 1
Date: Saturday 17 August
Location: Knox 1 Oval and Gillespie Field

Please see schedule for event times and locations here. Sign up here. This link is for expressing your interest to participate. On the day, you can compete in as many additional events as you like without needing further registration. To compete for a spot on the CAS Track and Field Team, you must participate in this week's Saturday Invitational/Trial event or, if unable to, contact Miss Hemsworth.

For more on sport this week, please read the Sport Newsletter linked above.

Martin Haywood, Head of Knox Sports and Aquatic Academy

We will all face difficult circumstances at some time. The biblical verse today gives some suggestions for how to face them when they arise.

First, the text says, “whenever’ you face trials, not “if’ you face trials. We live in a broken world that has not yet been fully restored, so we shouldn’t be surprised when issues and challenges arise for us.

Next, the text connects hardships with the testing of our faith. This doesn’t mean that God causes every challenge in our life, but God can certainly use challenges to refine us and grow our faith.

Finally, the text says, to consider difficult seasons or situations “pure joy.” While that can seem a stretch, inner joy is possible no matter the circumstances.

Chaplaincy Team

Text of the Week
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
James 1:2-3

Week 5 Term 3 Menu

This year, Knox once again competed in the Australian Geography Competition. The competition is nation-wide with over 70,000 students in Years 7-12 from over 700 schools taking part. The competition is organised by the Royal Geographic Society of Queensland and the Australian Geography Teachers’ Association and is supported by a number of universities including UNSW, Melbourne University and Flinders University.

Knox had a total of 539 students compete. The students were from the Years 7-10 da Vinci classes and the Year 11 and Year 12 Geography classes. This year are the best results we have achieved in the seven years that we have been involved, finishing as the second most-successful school in Australia which is measured by the top five students in each year division.

Our students achieved some wonderful results, including:
• 19 (3.5%) achieving in the Top 1% of the country in their year division
• 131 (24.3%) achieving a High Distinction in their year division
• 101 (18.7%) achieving a Distinction in their year division
• 102 (18.9%) achieving a Credit in their year division
• 65% of students achieved a Credit or above

Enquiries: OKGA Office 02 9487 0419 | 0416 183 474 or email 
For more information and to register, click here.

When: Saturday 31 August 2024, 10am-4pm
Where: Knox Senior School

The event is a huge community celebration with children’s rides, live music performances, market stalls and much more.

Come and enjoy a wide range of foods and market stalls. Members of the public are welcome to attend throughout the day. Entry is free.

Attractions include:
• Kids rides
• Live music – bands, choirs and more
• Performance by the Knox Pipes and Drums
• Bargain bazaar
• Book stall
• Classic cars display
• Café – coffee and homemade treats
• Market stalls
• Show bags
• Lucky dips
• Souvlaki
• Asian food
• Hot Chips
• Cake Stall
• Popcorn and Slushies
• Barbeque
• Boarders' spit roast and produce

Parking is limited – we encourage all attendees to use public transport.

More information: www.knox.nsw.edu.au/galaday.

The purpose of Book Week is to foster a love of reading in students and to celebrate children’s literature. The simple activity of visiting the McKenzie library is an enriching educational experience. Boys, if you do nothing else during Book Week, make the effort to visit the library and choose something to read. There is a wide collection of fiction and non-fiction books, biographies, quick reads, graphic novels, and magazines.

Bookmark Competition
• Entries open to Years 7 to 9
• Must be hand drawn or painted
• Bookmark templates provided here
• Winning bookmarks will be printed and used in the library!

The Diverse Learning Department needs volunteers to read and/or write for some of our senior students in the upcoming HSC Trial exams, End of Year 11 Exams and the HSC Exams.

Volunteers can be parents, grandparents, or recently graduated students.

As a writer, it would be your task to act as an extension of the student by writing as they dictate their response to an examined question. As a reader, it would be your task to read the examined question aloud for clarity. As a reader/writer you would be asked to perform both tasks for the one student.

You may like to volunteer your time to cover the whole exam period, part of the exam period or you may prefer to be an emergency scribe for those inevitable sporting injuries the day before an exam. Either way, we would love to hear from you. Availability during the working week is obviously paramount.

If you would like to consider assisting the school in this very meaningful way, please contact Rebecca Papageorgiou in the Diverse Learning Department on 9487 0470 for further information.

Denny Yu with the Olympic torch Mrs Nguyen (Director of Sport) ran with at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

This week in our Computer Science class, students have been immersed in the exciting world of robotics and programming. They have been exploring the complexities of making robots navigate autonomously, delving into the algorithms and coding required for self-driving technology.

The highlight of the week was our robot battles, where teams put their programming skills to the test in thrilling competitions. Tim Zhao and Patrick Zhou emerged as the champions, showcasing exceptional teamwork and technical prowess. Their robots demonstrated impressive navigation and problem-solving abilities, making for an exhilarating and educational experience for everyone involved. Please enjoy some photos of the Sumo robot battles and the Seesaw challenge with Rahul Kale, Suveer Manav, and Rafael Cheung.

Jess Saxon, TAS specialist teacher