I appreciate and acknowledge all Year 12 parents for their support over the years. I value their contributions and realise that without parent backing, Knox would not be able to deliver such a wonderfully diverse range of activities. I thank parents for planning their busy lives around their son’s pursuits.

Our very best wishes go with Year 12 as they make their final preparations for the HSC and then as they take on life beyond Knox in pursuit of their dreams.

The Class of 2019 will experience the enormous joy in creating their own life and enjoying the benefits of it. Of course, there will be challenges ahead, but when young men are determined to succeed, they will handle most things that get in their way.

On behalf of the School, we wish Year 12 the best of luck in their days ahead. These young men have been excellent role models for younger students, proving that success is possible with a combination of hard work, dedication and commitment. This year group understand something about community spirit, and working together towards a common goal. Such are the skills that these young men have and will set them on the path to a wonderful future.

Virile Agitur.

A special thanks to the accompanist on the evening, Ms Ingrid Sakurovs.

Andrew, Ryan and Sam and fellow student Oliver Utteridge will be sitting their AMUSA during the October holiday period – we wish them a wonderful performance.

Coming up this term the Woodwinds of KAPA will be performing as follows:

AMEB Solo Soiree – a preparation for upcoming AMEB performance exams held on campus in Term 4: 10 Solo performers from AMEB grade 4-Certificate. Wednesday 25 September 6-7pm.

Woodwinds on the Boulevard – lunch performances in the foyer of the JAPAC: featuring Knox Clarinet Ensemble and Knox Saxophone Ensemble.  Thursday 26 September.

Our course will run on a Wednesday morning, starting at 7.30am, once minimum numbers are confirmed.

A minimum of seven students, and a maximum of ten, ensures individual attention. The course costs $300 for seven sessions of 45 minutes. The Introductory 7 week course includes a tub of theraputty, that is designed to improve hand muscle strength and fine motor skills. Availability of places is dependent upon a first come first served basis. All students who miss out on a place in Term 3 will be placed on the waiting list for Term 1, 2020.

Should you be interested in pursuing this option for your son,  please contact Rebecca Papageorgiou in the Learning Enhancement Department ASAP.

Just Parents – Thank you!

Thank you to the parents who have supported SJ initiatives this Term. The baking, packing and spreading the network of help is most appreciated and I look forward to further support as we move into our Christmas initiatives – the hamper drive and the Christmas Gifts for STARTTS and contributions to the Shoe Box for The House of Welcome!

If any parent is interested in being part of Just Parents please contact Helen Clarke. We hope the group will provide supplementary support in the community for both parents and our boys. We aim to have the role hands-on and interactive. Please let me know if you are interested. 

Shoes for the Philippines – Don’t throw out good school shoes! Shoe Collection - Term 4

For a number of years we have been sending school shoes that your son has grown out of to help the children who live in the slums of Manilla. A pair of shoes means a child can attend school and have hope of a better future. Please send in any school shoes in good condition and that your son has grown out of, so we can help these children.

Donations please to the SAOs or Helen Clarke’s office in Room 15.

The Justice Conference - An Open Invitation to Year 11 students

The Justice Conference is taking place Friday 15 to Saturday 16 November in Melbourne. The boys have the opportunity to immerse themselves in big world issues such as poverty, human trafficking; Aboriginal reconciliation issues, the ethics of Aid funding, impact of gender inequality in the developing world etc. We stay in a local hotel and the boys participate in a number of workshops throughout the conference. Expressions of interest are to be made here.

Social Justice Club

The Social Justice Club meets each Friday at lunch time in room KCC101 and nearby classrooms. The Club is both social and proactive for all boys who want to serve others and make a difference. There are opportunities to participate in outback and overseas Immersions as well as many school and community based activities.

National Recycling Week

Over the past two years, we have developed a student led recycling and sustainability program. The boys are passionate about furthering their fellow students’ commitment to this program. We are working towards a week of recycling events for National Recycling Week. Speak to your son about the importance of recycling and being mindful of reducing individual waste. We will be adding to the committee, so please encourage your son to contact me to join the KGS Recycling Committee.

To qualify, upfront full year payments must be made for a minimum of one year and the payments must be made by 31 October in the year before your payment program begins. Payments will only be accepted by direct funds transfer or cheque (credit card or Bpay payments are not permitted for this program).

Details of the Fees in Advance Program can be found here on the Knox website. Alternatively, you might like to discuss this in confidence with Betty Fowler from the School’s Accounts Department on 9487 0442.

Term 4 will be the changeover from winter to summer uniform. Please check your child’s uniform still fits them & if you require new items, these are all available at the Uniform Shop or can be ordered via www.Flexischools.com.au

This also applies to summer sport uniform.

If you require any uniform prior to the start of Term 4, the opening times of the Uniform Shop are as follows during the Term 3 break:

• Monday 30 September- 9.30am-5.00pm (Closed 12.30-1pm)- FINAL DAY FOR YEAR 8 CADET UNIFORM FITTINGS.

• Friday 11 October -9.30am-5.00pm (Closed 12.30-1pm)

• Saturday 12 October -9.00am-12.00pm 

• Monday 14 October -9.30am-5.00pm (Closed 12.30-1pm)

• Tuesday 15 October – 8am-5.30pm

Appointments are not required.

The placings are as follows:

Piping

Matthew Taylor – 1st place in Learner Chanter

Cameron Bogle – 1st place in Novice 2/4 March

Charlie Stammers – 2nd place in Novice 2/4 March

Aaron Erdstein – 1st place in D Grade Air, 1st place in D Grade 2/4 March

Shiv Suresh – 2nd place in D Grade Air, 2nd place in D Grade 2/4 March

Daniel Corbett – 3rd place in D Grade Air

Alexander Honey – 3rd place in D Grade 2/4 March

Oscar Petro – 1st place in B Grade Piobaireachd, 1st place in C Grade 2/4 March, 1st place in C Grade Strathspey & Reel

Maxwell Evans – 1st place in B Grade MSR, 3rd place in C Grade Strathspey & Reel, 3rd place in C Grade Piobaireachd

James Tan – 1st place in C Grade Piobaireachd and 3rd place in C Grade 2/4 March

Drumming

Julian Kelly – 2nd place in A Grade Snare MSR, 2nd place in A Grade Snare H & J, 1st place in B Grade Snare MSR

Matthew Taylor – 2nd place in B Grade Snare MSR, 1st place in C Grade Snare MSR

Liam Thomas – 2nd place in C Grade Tenor MSR, 2nd place in D Grade Tenor 2/4 March

William Tighe – 1st place in D Grade Tenor 2/4 March

William Stammers – 2nd place in C Grade Snare MSR, 1st place in D Grade Snare 2/4 March

Alexander Stuart – 3rd place in C Grade Snare MSR, 2nd place in D Grade Snare 2/4 March

Joshua Pritchard – 1st place in Novice March

Many thanks to all the parents who volunteered their time to help out.  Events like this are successful because of the fantastic volunteers.  Congratulations to all involved.  It was a very successful day.

Friday is shaping up to be K-2 Day! We begin the day with our K-2 End of Term 3 Chapel, which is always such a warm and uplifting service. We will also have a very special cupcake day, which is the end result of an initiative that Xavier in Year 2 has led in conjunction with his classmates and the Year 6 Social Justice Leaders, to raise funds for the RSPCA. We are working so hard with the boys to help them to understand their ability to enact change and make a real difference in the world and I am just so delighted that our K-2 boys are leading as strongly as our older boys in this regard. Well done Xavier and all of Year 2 for your support of this fabulous cause. Finally, after all of that, the boys will have the opportunity to run off all the cupcake sugar, in their annual K-2 Sports Carnival. I imagine that there will be lots of tired little boys on Friday night after a wonderful day of fun and activity.

Congratulations to our athletes who competed at the NSW CIS Championships last week.  Mrs Dewar will give a full report but may I add my congratulations to the boys for their performances.

Thursday night will be a big one for two of our Prep boys, Chester Swaffer and Maks Saravanja.  Both boys have been selected to compete with the Senior boys at the CAS Championship at SOPAC.  It is a massive achievement for these boys and we wish them all the best as they take on the five other CAS schools.

Later this week, there are more sporting moments with the K-2 Sport Day being held on Friday afternoon on Ireland Field. There will be races, activities and lots of cheering for our teams and each other.

It is also Kindergarten’s first presentation of the end of term Chapel service. This will be held in the Auditorium. Eager preparations are underway for the boys involved. We look forward to parents attending these events to share their son’s “firsts”.

During our Knoxigations unit, the boys are exploring the power of their words. This week they will inquire about ‘compassion’. When discussing compassion, students spoke about why it is important to themselves, others and the world around them. This links to the UN Sustainable Goal of Good Health and Wellbeing.

How are you compassionate and how do you show this every day? How could you improve at being a compassionate member of the community?

Looking forward, we have swimming in Week 10 that will be scheduled in the afternoon for Year 2. Boys will need to wear their swimmers and bring their towel, goggles and swim cap (optional) in their excursion bag every day next week.

The boys had a blast at the K-2 Mini World Cup Rugby event held last Friday. The boys played 5 rounds of Rugby in their house colours that each represented a different country. Well done to the organisers on such a fun-filled afternoon!

Tomorrow is the recognition of National Reading Hour. At some point during the day, we will be encouraging all boys to pick up a book and read independently, or with their family, for one hour. Parents/Guardians are also encouraged to use this occasion as an opportunity to not only reinforce the importance of reading with your son, but to experience the joys that can be found in immersing oneself in a good novel. For further information about this important initiative, please visit the National Reading Hour website. 

Dates for the diary
• Friday 27 September – Term 3 concludes

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

The Year 3 team hopes you have another enjoyable week.

Tinkering Towards Tomorrow

The boys have been busy learning about how we ‘manipulate’ mother nature for our benefit. They have been making comparisons between modifying and adapting, considering the benefits and impacts of both. We have also been busy investigating the establishment of Dubai and identifying the difficulties engineers would have faced and how they overcame these to produce a thriving city. We will shortly be linking this to our own environment and climate in Central Australia to suggest creative solutions to one of the greatest barriers to inhabitation: access to water.

Knox Portal

Please remember that information regarding the boys’ learning is always available to parents through the Year 4 page of the Knox Portal. This includes an overview of work taking place across all lessons, including specialist lessons. You will also find information about upcoming assessments and tools to assist.

The Homework page includes copies of our homework sheets so that if your son is absent on a Friday, he may still begin tasks over the weekend.

The boys were respectful and attentive as they listened to the history of the Holocaust and struggled to understand why any man would see another human being as worthy of death, just because of their looks or beliefs. They learned that the Jewish people could not always save their lives but they could fight back with their spirits by continuing to live as normal a life as possible. The questions that the boys asked were excellent. The boys have continued their wonderings this week. 

We were so proud of our boys. We hope that when they see evil, they will stand up and do something to stop it.

Compassion In Action

Last week, we also completed our Compassion In Action Project. The boys had the choice of supporting Week Without Words or The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. The boys in the WWW were challenged t complete a number of activities without the use of their voice. The activity packs for the children and their siblings are taking shape; filled with handballs, coloured pencils, joke books, puzzles and other items created by our Year 5 boys. 

Year 6 2020 Leadership nominations 

All Year 5 boys will complete their application and surveys on Wednesday or Thursday this week which will enable them to apply for the elected leadership positions and their preferences for leadership portfolios. All boys were given a handout with detailed information in regards to our current leadership model. Please let me know if this did not make it home and I can send you another copy. 

Please see a run sheet for the day below:

10am – Meet outside Ewan House for a Tour around the School

10:30am – 11:30am Grandparents Day Assembly in the Auditorium

11:30am – 12:30pm Morning Tea (provided by the school) on Ireland Field

Please note alternative arrangements will be made for Morning Tea in the event of rain.

If you have any questions or queries please feel free to contact me prior to the day on flanaganl@knox.nsw.edu.au. The boys and the staff are very much looking forward to seeing you on the day. We hope that it is a wonderful occasion where the boys can showcase some of the activities they complete everyday here at The Prep.

We hope to see you there!

Congratulations 

Charlie Anderson and Trystan Kennedy have been selected in the NSW All Schools [Boys] 15 Years & Under Cricket Team to compete in the National Championship in Queensland later in September.

Summer trials

Weather permitting, the summer sport trials for many sports will be held this Saturday 21 September. Please ensure all are aware of start times and venues and help us remind boys to relax and enjoy their sport. Selections are always stressful and boys should just focus on having fun and not letting selections get in the way of enjoyment.

If for any reason a boy cannot make trials this weekend, an email should be sent to the Director and our sport email account so that all absences can be accounted for.

PREP SCHOOL NEWS 

NSWCIS Track & Field Championships

On Thursday 12th September eight Prep boys represented Knox & IPSHA in the NSWCIS Track & Field Championships at SOPAC.

Conditions were perfect for competition and this was reflected in the boys’ results.

• Owen Dixon 3rd in the Junior 1500m – qualified through to State

• Nicholas Williams 7th in the 11 years 1500m – with a 10 second personal best time!

• Chester Swaffer 3rd in the 12/13yrs 800m – qualified through to State

• Oliver Dawson 4th in 100m 12/13yrs with two pb’s – one in the heat and then the other in the final – reserve for State

• Oliver Dawson 2nd in the 200m 12/13yrs – qualified through to State

• Maks Saravanja – 2nd in the 11yrs high jump – qualified through to State

• James Lynch – 6th in the final of the 9yrs 100m

• Lukas Dunn - junior shot put and Kieran Bott - junior high jumped gave their best in their first CIS competition.

The NSWPSSA Championships will be held in early November.

K-2 Mini World Cup Rugby

On Friday afternoon the Prep Fields were host to the K-2 Mini World Cup Rugby with boys representing their House/Country in an array of activities and games.

Burns–Australia, Ewan–Scotland, Fuller–Japan, Haslett–New Zealand & Lang–Ireland.

Kindergarten waved their handmade flags, whilst Year 1 waved their country’s streamers and Year 2 paraded their coloured headbands in the Opening Ceremony.

Special guests – Knox Old Boys and current Waratahs players Cameron Clarke (OKG11) and Lachlan Swinton (OKG15) joined in the festivities of the Mini World Cup culminating in a small presentation to each of the boys.

Summer Sports Regrading Trials & Training

Summer Sport Regrading Trials will be held on Saturday 21 September for basketball, cricket, sailing, swimming, tennis and water polo.

All other sports will commence in Term 4 Week 1.

The Trials Schedule and Training Schedules have been posted on the Knox Grammar School app under your son’s year group and his Prep Sport.

Note: Training will commence in Term 3 Week 10 for basketball, cricket, tennis and water polo. 

Have a great week everyone. Go the Black & Blue!