Across the state, parents and indeed schools, have a wide range of views regarding plans for how schools should reopen; from those who believe that all face-to-face lessons and activities should recommence immediately, through to parents who will be keeping their child at home for the foreseeable future. No doubt there is some confusion about the advice and commentary around when and how students should return to schools. Some of this confusion may come from the different responses state by state and also the different responses from overseas.

I recognise that prolonging the time students are away from school can pose a risk to their mental health, to their social development and their sense of connection… not to mention the potential impact on families.

As such, we have set out a plan to cautiously reintegrate students so we can get on with the business of learning on campus and enjoy the benefits of being at Knox and Wahroonga Prep.

As with any plan, we obviously don’t want to rush to potential failure. Whilst I acknowledge that the evidence suggests children do not seem to be significantly affected by the virus, they can still spread it. We therefore must consider the risks that exist when they come home from school and are in contact with family members at the end of each day. Our plan has been carefully considered to ensure the number of students on each of the campuses at any one time allows for adequate distance between year groups.

During these difficult times, I believe we have in place appropriate measures to protect your children, our staff and more broadly, our Knox and Wahroonga Prep families. We're taking our time to make sure we do things safely. As you can appreciate, the one assured thing is that the plan will most likely change. I understand we all thrive on certainty and I want you to know we are doing our very best to provide you with as much notice about changes as soon as we possibly can.

Our Gala Day Social Justice Stall online
In lieu of our support of Social Justice initiatives at Gala Day, we are hoping that you will support the following organisations in 2020.

Fair Trade is about stable prices, decent working conditions and the empowerment of farmers and workers around the world. Find out about the work they do by clicking here. By purchasing Mother’s Day gifts online, you will help mothers in developing countries who create beautiful traditional crafts to support their families. Please have a look at the Mother’s Day Shopping Guide and plan your purchases.

We are also supporting The Possibility Project, which is an initiative of local advocate Kim Pearce and Kath, founders of the clothing label ‘Slumwear108' who are peaceful disruptors, using social entrepreneurship to promote restorative justice. They have a shop locally which is also a source of Mother’s Day gifts that support women in India who through small enterprise initiatives and their creativity, are supporting their families. Visit Kath and Kim at 29/31 Red Leaf Ave Wahroonga and visit their website for more information.

The Knox Social Justice (SJ) Club
With the current restrictions, our SJ Club is now meeting on Zoom each Friday at 1pm (commencing this week); we are hosting guest speakers, exploring justice issues and presenting opportunities for volunteering. If your son would like to join in, please email Mrs Helen Clarke.

Parents for Justice
We were so appreciative of the parents who volunteered to help with sewing for Liverpool Hospital and helping their sons with community service, driving them to aged care facilities to play the pipes on ANZAC Day and helping deliver flyers for the Ku-ring-gai Community Centre.

Please call Helen Clarke on 0404 839 762 or email if you would like to join this group of supporters.

Knox Debating Cup
The KDC starts in Week 2 at 5:00pm via Zoom. If you have not yet registered, please do so using the links above!

Results from Term 1
Massive congratulations to the following prize winners from Term 1’s tournament!

Champion Team: The Taipans – undefeated with a total of 915 speaks!

Best Speaker of the Tournament – Thomas Cameron (Year 8)

Best Speaker (Year 7) –  Declan Maxwell

Best Speaker (Year 8) – Thomas Cameron

Best Speaker (Year 9) – Angus Wines

These prizes were selected based on average speaker score across the tournament as compiled in our tournament software. To be eligible for prizes and/or the participation certificate, students had to debate > 3 rounds.

These awards, as well as participation certificates, will be presented later this term. Well done boys!

Knox Friendly Virtual Debating Competition
Unfortunately, both the ISDA and FED competitions have been cancelled for 2020. On the bright side, we have been able to create our own virtual competition to be held on Friday evenings this term! We had a successful match up against Pymble Ladies College Last week. A massive congratulations to the following victorious teams: Year 7 ISDA, Year 8 ISDA, Year 9 ISDA, ISDA Senior As, ISDA Senior Bs, Year 8 FED, Year 9 FED, FED Senior As, FED Senior Bs. Congratulations boys!

May I also take this opportunity to thank you, our parents, for your incredible support of our teachers over the past several weeks. Your encouraging words, your support of your sons, our boys and our teachers has been heart warming and I can’t help but think that our community will be stronger for the experiences we have shared over the past several weeks. We have zoomed into your lounge rooms and kitchens and have shared both joys and challenges. We appreciate all you have done to assist us as we have endeavoured to provide the highest quality online learning experience. Thank you!

I would like to thank the ladies who joined me for coffee last Friday morning. We shared time together and reflected on the Knox value Courage and the development of resilience within our families. I will be continuing this week with the next core value: Compassion. I invite you to join us as we share our thoughts and strategies to bring compassion to every moment with a kind curiosity and acceptance of yourself and others.

A better understanding of the perspective of others gives our boys the opportunity to practice compassion in daily life. Compassion is like a muscle, it gets stronger the more it is practiced. At Knox we value the need for additional training in empathy and compassion. Slowing situations down and creating space for them to communicate their needs effectively helps our boys take the perspective of another and develop this core value.

Please email Mrs Kate Standing your interest in 'Coffee with Chris' - Friday 8 May 8:30-9:15am and she will email you the Zoom code.

Last week, we paid tribute to the ANZAC soldiers and learned about this important cultural day. Kindergarten shared the wonderful story of ‘Anzac Ted’ by Belinda Landsberry and viewed a special Nearpod presentation to learn why this is a special day in Australian history. For some boys, this was their first introduction to ANZAC Day. We learned about the many traditions of this day and how our values at Knox reflect the values of these brave soldiers.

A highlight for the Year 1 teachers last week was participating in our K-2 Assembly. During last week’s assembly, as we watched all our boys, we were so proud of how the boys listened to stories about the ANZACS, participated solemnly during the Last Post and stood to attention on their screens and sung the National Anthem. We got goose bumps!

On behalf of the boys and teachers, I would like to wish all our Knox Mothers, Grandmothers and Aunts a happy and heartfelt Mother's Day for this Sunday. The special love that only a mother can give is always appreciated but not always acknowledged. Every day should be Mother's Day, so why not rest and relax on Sunday and allow your family to show their love and thanks to you for the invaluable role you play in their lives.

Finally, we have some exciting news to share with you all. ‘Baby Donaldson’ has arrived. Charlotte May Donaldson was born on Friday 1st May. We are so excited for Mr and Mrs Donaldson and wish them all the best as the adventure now really begins! We cannot wait to meet Baby Charlotte and wish Mrs Donaldson a very Happy First Mother’s Day!

Just a reminder in regards to our online learning platform, please ensure that your son is wearing the correct uniform during online learning. This can be either their full winter uniform or sports uniform. This is an important  routine to keep the structure of school life for the boys and to ensure they are in the right headspace for their learning that day. We thank you in advance for your support in this matter.

Exciting baby news! We would like to congratulate Mrs Baldry on the birth of her beautiful son, Hunter. While he arrived a little earlier than expected, both mum and bub are doing well. Another precious bundle of joy was also welcomed to the world last week, with Mrs Donaldson having a beautiful baby girl, Charlotte. Two precious new bundles of joy that boys and teachers alike can’t wait to meet later in the year!

On another note, a friendly reminder that all students should be taking part in at least 10 minutes of Khan Academy practice each night (Monday-Thursday). Please bear in mind that this does not include the amount of time it takes for the boys to watch any instructional videos. All students have been set individual action plans based on their own goals and are encouraged to continue working on their mathematical ability, particularly in areas where further development is suggested.

Finally, next Wednesday 13 May all Year 3 students are encouraged to return to the Prep School for the day in order to engage in face-to-face lessons. By attending school on this particular day, students will be able to reconnect with their teacher and their peers.
In addition to classroom learning, there will be time for the boys to reflect on their experiences over the last few months. Further information regarding the gradual return of students to the Prep School was recently sent to all parents. The Year 3 Team is very much looking forward to seeing all boys return to the campus again next Wednesday!

Dates for the diary:
• Monday 8 June - Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday
• Friday 26 June - Term 2 Concludes

If you have any queries with upcoming events, please do not hesitate to contact your son’s classroom teacher or me.

Writing
This term we are continuing to write imaginative texts. We are applying the 7 steps to writing success, which the boys are familiar with from Year 3. The first step is to ‘Plan for Success’. In class, we have been using a story graph to get our ideas for narrative writing ‘off the ground’. When writing, we need to consider where we want the story to go and what problems characters might encounter along the way. By planning our writing, we can help ensure that we have a complete text that is enjoyable to read. Our boys looked at the picture book ‘Grandad’s Teeth’; the perfect example!

Values Stickers
Yes! Our boys can still receive ‘Values Stickers’ relating to the five core values of the School. Our teachers are keeping track of students receiving these to award upon their return to school.

With the boys hopefully back on site soon, we will then set up class parliaments with the boys starting their own political parties and launching their own policies to do with day to day life at Knox. Creating campaign videos, electing leaders, wooing independents and completing question time will all be part of their Knox class parliament. We look forward to seeing what the boys come up with!

Just a reminder in regard to our online learning, please ensure your son is wearing the correct uniform during online learning. Either their full winter uniform or sports uniform. This is a way to keep the structure of school life for the boys and to ensure they are in the right headspace for online learning. We thank you for your support in this matter.

It was great to see so much dialogue between coaches and students through the final two weeks of Term 1 then into the Easter break with the various challenges and fitness sessions rolled out by the Sports Academy. I also hope the families enjoyed the 'family activities' that have been circulated at various intervals through the break.

Finally, please understand we are doing all we possibly can regarding the winter season. We will communicate with everyone once the CAS Headmasters together with all the professional advisors decide on how to proceed to make the safest and correct decisions regarding any potential commencement of sport.

Stay safe and go the Black and Blue.