As we continue to welcome more students back, I would like to reiterate that Knox is committed to the health and safety of our community. We are following, as much as possible, the advice of State and Federal health experts, governments and relevant education and other departments. The School will seek to ensure that the community is protected, as far as practicable, from the risk of transmission and infection from COVID-19.

Several of these risks are unique to our context as one of the largest independent schools in Australia. The staggered return of year groups will allow us to monitor our learning and recreational spaces and implement minor modifications to our plans if required.

The three key areas we have focussed on to minimise risk are (i) cleaning, (ii) hygiene, and (iii) social distancing. To enhance the cleaning process, the School has invested in a non-toxic, hospital grade disinfectant to eliminate a wide range of bacteria, viruses and fungal pathogens.

Once again, we thank you for your on-going support of the School, our staff and your child through this challenging time. We look forward to welcoming more students back over the coming weeks.

ANZAC Service – live stream this Sunday
With the cancellation of our on-site annual ANZAC Service and Parade, we are doing things a little differently this year. This Sunday, we will sharing an ANZAC Service by video via the Knox Facebook page and Knox website from 8.30am.

The service includes an address by Dr Brendan Nelson AO, readings by members of the Cadet Unit and musical items. No doubt a highlight will be a performance of ‘Amazing Grace’ which has been compiled using recordings of pipers from the Knox Grammar School Pipes and Drums playing at their homes.

Join us at 8.30am here: http://www.knox.nsw.edu.au/anzac

I look forward to sharing this important annual event with you online.

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. 
• The Possibility Project is an initiative of local advocate Kim Pearce and Kath who use social entrepreneurship to promote restorative justice. Their shop is located 29/31 Red Leaf Ave Wahroonga.

The Knox Social Justice (SJ) Club
A reminder that our SJ Club contines to meet on Zoom each Friday at 1pm, hosting guest speakers, exploring justice issues and presenting opportunities for volunteering. If your son would like to join in, please email Mrs Helen Clarke.

At present, we are working on a project called Postcard Pen Pal program for community groups. As older people in our community are required to isolate, to keep them connected to the community we have developed a Postcard Pen Pal program. This program links children and young people under 18 with older people over 65 in the community by sending postcards to each other. It is completing anonymous and no private details of the boys are revealed to the recipients. Please contact Helen Clarke for more information.



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.

Presenters (Knox Psychologists):
Dr Rebecca Lazarus
Dr Laura-Kate Dassos
Ms Melinda Price
Mr David Schofield

We all want the best for our children in every way, including their academic performance, job prospects, social skills, character and health. Our parenting has been shown scientifically to influence the outcomes. So what works best?

This webinar presents the key findings about optimal parenting: from what hinders to what brings out the very best. A Q&A will be included.

To register, please click here.

Email enquiries to David Schofield (Head of School Psychology).

By now, you will have all viewed the Prep ANZAC Service and I’m sure that it left you feeling the same way I did – amazed that a group of boys and staff could ideate, design and then create such a wonderful commemoration of our fallen, reinforcing our responsibilities and encouraging us to value the freedoms we enjoy; uplifted by the incredible effort of the whole of Year 3 in their performance of ‘We Are Australian’; in awe of the equally incredible effort of the staff team who made it happen; and just plain happy, as I watched the enthusiasm and satisfaction on the boys’ faces as they each played their part.

Thank you to you, our parents, for your support of the measures we have taken to encourage social distancing and hygiene as our boys return to campus.

Integrity is derived through a process of cultural socialisation - think about who influences your son from all spheres of his life. In their school environment, the boys acquire these values and behaviours from adult role models and peers. We promote integrity in classroom settings, in the playground and on the sporting field which encourages them to apply these principles to other aspects of their lives.

To see and hear our little Knox boys at school this week has been a real joy. They have shown respect for the safety of their peers, followed new protocols and beamed with excitement to be in the company of their friends. They have shown integrity everyday, prioritising a world that values truth, honesty, and justice.

Our focus for the day was to reconnect with each other, sharing stories, taking time to enjoy each other’s company and having lots of opportunities to learn through play. It was great to be able to put our iPad down for a moment and interact face-to-face. Some of the fun activities we did included collecting 56 leaves for the number of days we have been at school, numbering the leaves using chalk on the pavement, grouping them, making patterns with the leaves and ordering them according to size. We also had fun writing on the pavement with chalk of all the sounds we know and our new ‘tricky words’ .

No sooner had the school day begun that it was time to pack up and go home but we were all so much happier for seeing one another and already anticipating seeing each another again next Monday and Tuesday. The true spirit of a school is the students.

As part of our inquiry unit all classes participated in a Master Class with Mr Milner last week. It was so lovely to see the engagement of the boys in learning new skills which will help them to showcase their learning through Virtual Reality. This week, we will continue to practise these skills in preparation for re-creating their own Earth’s Treasure.

We had some special visitors in our online classes last week. The ‘Pets of Year 1’ popped in throughout the week to help us with our learning. Some of our pets were very helpful and tried to help the boys type on their keyboards while others were just there to keep the boys company. What a positive experience for the students to have had during this time.

This week, Year 2 will continue exploring the interconnectedness of all living and non living things in ecosystems by learning about food webs. Plant adaptations will also be investigated, with boys encouraged to make connections between the observable physical features of plants and how these help them to survive in their environment. It has been wonderful to see students developing a deep understanding of the many different layers and features of ecosystems. This newfound knowledge is continually popping up in conversations between the boys and it is fantastic to note the passion and enthusiasm displayed as these discussions take place.

The new PMe Collection app will become live on student iPads this week, with boys receiving their login details at school on Thursday (or through their Seesaw account if they are not learning on-site this week). This app is an incredible resource that provides an additional resource where boys can continue developing their reading skills at their own instructional level.

In preparation for on-site learning tomorrow, please ensure that your son has the following items at school:

• iPad
• Mathematics and Knoxigations workbooks
• Pencil case with appropriate equipment for the schooling day (lead pencil, coloured pencils, eraser)
• School Diary
• A fully stocked lunchbox

We look forward to a fabulous day of learning and laughter tomorrow!

I would like to congratulate all Year 3 boys on what has been an extremely settled start to Term 2 thus far, even with the continuation of remote learning. Whilst it is sometimes difficult for students to adjust to school routines and procedures following a holiday break, the Year 3 staff have been most impressed with how quickly the boys have been able to do so. The life of a Year 3 Knox boy is filled with so many exciting opportunities, both within and outside of our current virtual classrooms, and I continue to be extremely pleased with how willing the boys are to embrace any challenges which await them.

A friendly reminder that all students should be wearing the correct uniform during their remote learning. This can either be their full winter uniform or their sports uniform. This is an important expectation for all boys as we continue to maintain usual school routines and structures, albeit in a virtual environment. By upholding this standard, we also hope it assists students in sustaining an appropriate frame of mind for their learning throughout the day. Thank you in advance for your support with this request.

The Year 3 Team is eagerly anticipating the return of all boys to the Prep campus once again today, as they reconnect in-person with their teachers and peers!

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
Often when writing imaginatively at school we utilise visual prompts. We ask that the boys incorporate an aspect of this prompt within their writing. A useful tool to support imaginative writing is Pobble365. This free resource includes a different visual stimulus for each day of the year. These images can very simply be used to promote creative thinking and the process of planning to write. Discussing what the boys see, what they think and what they wonder can motivate them to think more deeply when writing.

Bathurst Camp
It is with regret that the School has made the decision to cancel the Year 5 camp to Bathurst that was to take place early next term. We were not able to guarantee that all the places that we were due to visit and the accomodation venue would be able to sustain our numbers and allow for social distancing. The Year 5 team are in the process of creating a GOLD immersion experience which will be conducted on our premises at the Prep School. We will provide more information in regards to what that will entail later this term.

Accelerated Reader
During Week 4, we will update our Accelerated Reader (AR) levels for Term 2. These will be placed in the back of your son's diary. In the effort to encourage the Year 5 boys to widen their reading, our Term 2 goal is to read and complete AR quizzes for 2 x fiction books and 2 x non fiction books within his individualised reading range.

This week the boys continue to work on their Interconnected Systems Domain of Learning focusing on systems of government around the world. With the boys back on Thursday we are looking forward to launching our class parliaments where the boys will have a chance to create some new and exciting policies to do with Knox Prep. There have been some extremely rich and intriguing discussions with the boys about different systems of government and how laws are passed in these different systems. We are looking forward continued focus and dedication from the boys in regard to this unit over the coming weeks.

Just a few reminders for Thursday, please ensure the boys have the following at school:

• Diary
• Pencil case
• Novel for Literature Study
• iPad and charger

Could you also remind your son not to use their iPad on the way to school as this voids the insurance cover on their iPad if it is damaged or lost.

Bring on Thursday!

Private Music Lessons, Week 3-5
Any students who have a Private Music lesson whilst on campus over the next few weeks, will have their Zoom lesson with their tutor, from their normal Prep Music Studio, however tutors will be tutoring remotely. Students on campus will be required to report to either Mrs Morris or Mrs Paull at the Music Office before their lesson for access into the studio and we will ensure boys are logged in to Zoom and supervised. Please remind your son of his lesson time and ask him to bring his music, instrument and iPad to the Music office just before his lesson. It is the responsibility of boys in Years 3-6 to remember to go to their lessons. Boys in Years 1 and 2 will be picked up and taken to their lesson studio. Please make sure your son's iPad is fully charged at the beginning of the day.

Update regarding sport
We are hopeful that sport and fitness activities will be able to resume shortly. We will provide an update as soon as it’s available.

An updated training schedule will be posted on the School app this week.

Reminder that no Saturday sport will take place through Term 2 and CAS Headmasters are continuing to look at options for Term 3 and beyond.

Finally, for more information that is updated weekly, including interesting facts from the Sports Academy and videos from students, please click here.

Have a great week everyone.