Senior School News
Battle of the Bands Finals
Rob Ewan, Co-ordinator of Contemporary Music Studies
The Show Must Go On! – Knox Battle of the Bands 2020
It was an absolute pleasure to host this year’s Knox Battle of the Bands Finals in the new state of the art Wenkhart Theatre. Boasting an excellent audio and lighting system, it was the perfect setting for our student bands to fire up their amplifiers, costume up and unleash their inner Rock Star.
Despite the audience being a bit lighter than usual this year, there was no shortage of atmosphere. The smoke machines and stage lighting were in full effect thanks to Bailey Maybon whilst our resident sound wizard Bob Wheatley ensured that the new PA system was set to comfortably just below ‘ear bleeding’.
Social Justice
Mrs Helen Clarke, Head of Diversity, Justice and Stewardship
NAIDOC Week at Knox- a great week of celebrations!
Thank you to all who participated in an (early) NAIDOC week at Knox Grammar School! Each events was a wonderful celebration of Aboriginal Culture, led by our Indigenous boys supported by Mr James and local elder Uncle Laurie Bimson. The Unveiling of the Acknowledgement Plaque in the GHH area, the whole school NAIDOC Assembly, the presentation ceremony of the Indigenous Round of jerseys and the Inaugural Indigenous Round of Sports on Saturday all contributed to a very successful NAIDOC Week 2020.
School News
Knox Uniform Shop
Julie Blackburn, Uniform Shop Manager
Uniform Shop during COVID-19
Dear Valued Parents and Customers.
In line with the current NSW Health guidelines and in order to mitigate the risks posed by COVID-19, the Uniform Shop has taken many measures to ensure the safety of students, parents and staff. External cleaners professionally clean all high-touch areas and surfaces every evening with a non-toxic, hospital grade disinfectant. During the day our staff spray down the changing rooms and service areas. Each room is equipped with hand sanitiser and wall-mounted hand sanitiser stations are at the entry.
Each room is limited to the number of people permitted and that is stated on the entrance to each room. Because of this, we have limited capacity in the changing rooms of only two rooms being operational and only one parent per child who is trying on uniform. As Term 4 is the changeover to summer uniform, can we please request that you take this into consideration. For the remainder of Term 3, we will also be sizing uniforms for Year 8 Cadets.
KPA Meeting
Knox Parents’ Association Meeting
Please note that due to current COVID-19 restrictions, the KPA Meeting scheduled for Tuesday 25 August at the Senior School has unfortunately been cancelled. As soon as parents are allowed onsite, the meeting will be rescheduled. We look forward to welcoming you at that time.
Knox Prayer Group
Knox Prayer Meetings
Our informal prayer meeting for Term 3 will be held at 10.00am on Friday 4 September, at the home of Prue Feather. Morning Tea will be included. There will also be an evening meeting on Thursday 3 September, 8.00pm at the home of Fiona van Horen in Gordon. This is for both Prep and Senior School parents and a warm welcome is extended to anyone who would like to attend. Any enquires to Prue Feather.
Prep School News
From the Head of the Preparatory School
Mrs Sue Floro
2020 will be forever known as the year we found new ways to do things differently, and Knox Factor is no exception. Launched during our period of remote learning, creating a submission was one of the highlights of their time at home, for many of our boys. We received entries the likes of which we had never seen before! One entry in particular, caught everyone’s attention and talk ensued through the whole of the Prep campus as to how it had been made. This entry, our winning entry, was simply outstanding! Congratulations to Dominic Hayes from 5K – crowned Knox Factor Champion for 2020. If you’ve not yet seen Dom’s entry, it can be found here.
This week, we congratulated our Winter Sports Captains in Assembly. Whilst their tenure is short compared to other years, their ability to lead with integrity, wisdom and compassion, is undiminished. Congratulations to Ryan Manuel (Football), Oscar Fairfax (AFL) and Chris Neal (Rugby). We are all hoping they will have the opportunity to lead their teams out this coming weekend, weather permitting!
Director of Students K-6
Peter Voysey
Upcoming Photo Days
The Prep School is planning the following photo days over the next few weeks. Parents will be emailed specific requirements for each photo day shortly although in the meantime please see below for a summary of the dates:
Thursday 20 August 2020 – Winter Sports Photos (all students in Years 3-6 to wear their full winter sports uniform with school tracksuit)
Thursday 27 August 2020 – Class Photo Day, Sibling Photo and Individual Catch up (all students in Years K-6 to wear their full winter school uniform. Students who have PE that day will not be required to wear their sports uniform).
In preparation for these photos, I encourage all families to be familiar with the Knox expectations for haircuts. Hair must not be long enough to be over the collar, ears or eyebrows, nor overly full at the back or front. An all over haircut may be acceptable to a minimum No. 3 cut. Dying of hair is not permitted under any circumstances.
K-2 Happenings
Mrs Chris Gray, K-2 Coordinator
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
Lao-Tzu
Congratulations on your compassion and patience towards each other in a strange period of history. Compassion, simplicity, and patience are celebrated as the ‘three treasures’ of Taoism. This ancient Chinese philosophy promotes wisdom and teaches its followers to be yielding, flexible, and resilient. During this mandatory pause in our ordinary life, we have an opportunity to re-balance things and continue to build these thoughtful habits in ourselves and our sons.
Thank you for caring for each other. Let’s view this crisis as an opportunity to unearth our personal ‘treasures’ of wisdom.
Kindergarten News
Mrs Mary Mae Burton, Kindergarten Team Leader
The fun never stops in Kindergarten! This week brings the culmination of our current Knoxigations unit, 'Shelters meet the needs of living things in different environments'. The Kindergarten boys have been passionately designing and creating shelters that suit a chosen environment. There has been much imagining, planning, reflecting and problem solving. They have used lots of natural found materials, as well as recycled items, to make a sustainable shelter. There were examples of igloos, tropical houses on stilts, bush lean-tos and mud huts. Along with their shelters, the boys made Google Slides to document the process.
Year 1 News
Miss Nadine Smith, Year 1 Team Leader
We are so proud of all the boys who have already completed the Premier's Reading Challenge for 2020. We are hoping all our boys will complete the challenge this year. There is still time for those who still need to complete reading their books and online entries, you have until Friday 28 August. If you have any questions regarding the PRC please contact your son’s teacher or Mrs Emma Wood.
Year 2 News
Miss Sarah Beaumont-Jones, Year 2 Team Leader
As our Sustainable Solutions Knoxigations Unit comes to end this week, boys are to be commended on the passion and dedication with which they have designed and tested their solution to the identified problem of single use food packaging. Boys eagerly worked their way through the design process and thoroughly enjoyed investigating the testing phase of the design process where they created a mini model of their design using plasticine. After which, students logged their thinking and any modifications made to their prototype design in their Design Logbook. Suffice to say, the excitement of 3D printing their designs and presenting their prototype to their classmates has the Year 2 boys brimming with anticipation.
Year 3 News
Mr Glenn Stephenson, Year 3 Team Leader
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Year 3 boys who took part in supporting the Prep School’s ‘Jeans For Genes Day’ initiative which was held last Friday. This important day in the School’s calendar raises vital funding for the 1 in 20 Australian children who are born with a birth defect or genetic disease. It was lovely to witness a sea of denim amongst the boys as they supported this worthy cause!
Year 4 News
Mr Jared Rastall, Year 4 Team Leader
Writing Fluency
Over the coming weeks, our writing tasks for homework are designed to assist in building the boys’ writing fluency (their ability to write with a natural flow and rhythm.) It is for this reason, that we ask the boys to write within a 20-minute limit. Whilst the boys will not produce as much as they could in the classroom, our focus for these tasks is on the ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’.
Year 5 News
Mrs Tammy Paterson, Year 5 Team Leader
Year 5 Poetry Recital
The week has finally arrived where we listen to the long-awaited poetry recitals. From the initial process of choosing their poems at the end of last term, many boys then spent a great deal of time during the holidays memorising them. The Year 5 boys have been working hard this term to now focus on ‘performing’ their poems. It has been pleasing to see their confidence blossom with every practice and many now feel ready to perform. At the beginning of this week, the boys were assessed in front of their class. In previous years, we have then invited parents in for our Year 5 Poetry Slam where all students were invited to perform in front of our parent audience. This year, we are unable to have parents on site so have decided to still give the opportunity for all students to perform and film the boys completing their recital. We will then provide the link to parents at home. This aspect of the task is not compulsory but we invite all boys to be involved as we are proud of their efforts and the growth they have made in this regard.
Year 6 News
Mr Liam Flanagan, Year 6 Team Leader
Another great week for the boys as we head towards the end of the Stories of the World and its People unit. The boys are continuing to work through their end of unit assessment which involves the construction of a biography focusing on a famous human rights activist and then using co spaces to recreate an event pivotal to this person’s life. The boys will be finishing this project by the end of the week and we look forward to sharing these with you.
K-2 Literacy Centre and 3-6 Library
Mrs Emma-Kate Smith and Mrs Jo Wheatley
Recommended Reading Lists
Recommended Reading Lists for each Stage are available on the Library page. You will be able to access lists for Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 (K-2), Stage 2 (Years 3-4) and Stage 3 (Years 5-6). Access is via our Knox Prep Library Page
Musical Notes
Mrs Rebeccah Morris, Director of Instrumental Music
Prep Band Workshop Saturday 13 September
Lock in the date!! This year, instead of having a ‘band camp’, we have decided to have just one day of intensive learning from 9-4pm for the boys. The Band Workshop is being held for Performance Ensemble, Senior Band, Intermediate Band and Junior Band members on Sunday, 13th September here at the Prep School. This workshop will provide a great opportunity for students to get to know each other, the Band Directors and Music Staff and to workshop Band pieces. We would like ALL members to attend so please make any necessary arrangements for your son to be there. Rehearsals will be in the Prep Auditorium and Ewan Hall and social distancing (seating will be at least 1 ½ metres in between boys) and extra hygiene protocol will be in place to ensure the health and safety of your son.
Boys are to arrive at 8.30am for their health check and sign in at the stairs leading up to the Auditorium. This year due to no parents being on campus, we have decided to ‘live stream’ a concert from 3-3.45pm. The private link for this livestream and more information will be emailed closer to the event.
Sports News
From the Head of Knox Sports and Aquatic Academy
Mr Martin Haywood
Sport was proud to play a big part last week in the celebration of NAIDOC week. After a wonderful presentation led by Uncle Waylon Boney on Friday morning, our First teams got to play in a specially designed outfit on such a special occasion. Thank you Uncle Waylon Boney and well done on the respect shown by all involved.
Our 1st XI Football team remain undefeated and have now been crowned CAS Premiers for 2020 with one game remaining. Such an extremely talented group that have played some scintillating football all season and richly deserve all accolades this season. Congratulations boys on all of the hard work and trust you have put into our coaching staff. Knox last won the CAS Football Premiership in 2016.
This week remains very special for all of our Year 12s as they prepare for one last week of playing sport for Knox Grammar. I’m sure they all take away so many wonderful memories wearing the Black & Blue. I can only hope all boys stick to playing sport of some sort for years to come and continue to forge friendships whilst remaining fit and healthy.
All boys in Year 7-11 have just one more week to commit to their summer sport choice. If any boys have any questions please do not hesitate to email sports@knox.nsw.edu.au
Text for the Week
Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
1 Thessalonians 5:14
