Pursuing personal best by setting high expectations
There is no doubt that effective teachers promote excellence in student achievement by setting aspiring goals and enabling young people to achieve their personal best. Effective teachers also understand the difference between high expectations and high pressure, and can encourage and support their students in achieving individual learning excellence without overloading them with pressure.

It is important to understand that there is a difference between high expectations and high pressure. High expectations is helping a young person reach their potential ... to be their best; high pressure is expecting a young person to be the best.

Undoubtedly, it is a fine line. It’s obviously important to have expectations, because if you have no expectations then people don’t strive for things. High expectations can have a significant impact on a young person’s attitude and self-worth, as well as a likely increase in their motivation levels and self-confidence.

One of the most important lessons we’ve learned over the past 12 months is the power of human connection, and this was evident in such abundance last week, at each of our three Parent Information evenings. There was no masking the happiness on parents’ faces as they came into our buildings for the first time in such a long time. I do hope you enjoyed the evening, albeit in a slightly altered format and time dependent, being limited to one hour. This pandemic has taught us so much, and we are still experimenting with formats, pushing the boundaries of what we are allowed to do, yet maintaining adherence to NSW Guidelines. For those unable to join us, the pre-recorded introductory video presentation is now available for you to access under each year group article; and Team Leaders have all posted their information booklets to the Parent Portal for you to access as required.

Last week we held the first ever swimming carnival with no war cries! However, the enthusiasm of our House leaders could not be dampened, and bongo drums became the enduring sound of the day. Bravo Year 6 House teams for your ingenuity and enthusiasm from beginning of day until end. Some strong performances were recorded and being a former swimming mum myself, am not immune to the thrill of a great race. I enjoyed the closeness of so many of the events swum on the day and am looking forward to joining the boys at the IPSHA Championships in a couple of weeks.

It’s not just the champion swimmers who should be applauded, though. Deserving of even greater merit are the boys for whom swimming is a struggle, who entered event after event to earn points for their House, challenging their fears in the process. Bravo to those boys for your courage, conviction and great sense of teamwork. The swimming carnival is as much about teamwork and participation as it is about performance, and these qualities were on display for all to see throughout the carnival.

Ride with Richter Fundraiser – Friday 5 March
As part of the Ride with Richter fundraising day on Friday 5 March, 3-6 students are invited to participate in bike races around an obstacle course setup on Ireland Field. For our younger boys, K-2 students are invited to join in scooter races around a course set up next to Yeldham Field. Any boy who is interested in having a go must register with Mr Quach (3-6 students) or Mr Flanagan (K-2) and bring their bike/scooter AND a helmet to school on Friday 5 March. Bikes and scooters will be kept in a secure location. However, it is suggested that parents label their son's bike/scooter, or attach something that is easily identifiable to their son (e.g. ribbon, key chain etc.). All students are encouraged to bring a gold coin donation, which will go towards purchasing vital equipment for Alex Richter’s ongoing rehabilitation.

If you would like to purchase a Ride with Richter cap, which can be worn at school on Friday 5 March, please follow the steps below:

1)    Go to the Knox Payment Portal, www.knox.nsw.edu.au/payment  

2)    Select ‘Other School Activities’ and click Next

3)    Select ‘Ride With Richter – Prep’ or ‘Ride With Richter – WPS’ from the Event Name dropdown menu

4)    Complete the payment details and include your son/daughter’s full name in the ‘Participant’s Name’ box and their Class Name in the ‘Other Details’ box

Thank you to all the parents for attending our Parent Information Sessions last week, it was wonderful to be able to welcome you back into the K-2 centre and I know the teachers loved getting to see you and talking about some of the exciting things happening in K-2 this year. Should you have missed this event, please refer to the curriculum overviews for each year group which have now been placed on the Knox Portal. The short introduction video from the evening will also be made available via the Portal.

Each fortnight during our outdoor K-2 assembly one of our Year 6 Leaders speaks about one of the character strengths we focus on here at the Prep. Last week we had Finn O'Regan, our School Vice-Captain, talk to the boys about teamwork and what this means to the boys in K-2. He spoke to the boys about the need to help one another and to remember that they are a part of lots of different teams - their class, their school, their colour house and their families. These are all different teams that our boys are a part of. We are on the lookout for boys displaying teamwork and we have been thrilled to see so many boys making sure others are safe and happy. This week in assembly our character strength focus will be on zest. Each week after assembly I encourage you to talk to your son about what he has learned about the character strengths and some ways in which he can display these.

Initialit Information Session
On Wednesday 24 February at 9am we will be hosting an IntiaLit Information Session for all parents in Kindergarten and any new parents who have entered the Prep in Year 1. InitiaLit is the research-based Literacy Program used in K-2. This session is designed to assist parents in Kindergarten and Year 1 with the understanding of the InitiaLit program and also provide ways in which you can assist your son with learning to read at home. This session will be held via zoom using the following code:

https://knox.zoom.us/j/92543803331

If you cannot make this session we will also be recording the information and will make this available for you to view. I would strongly encourage you to attend this if you are a new Kindy parent or have a son who has started in Year 1 this year. 

Liam Flanagan, Director of Early Learning K-2

Parent Action Required:
Home Learning

Parent Teacher Night
It was wonderful to see so many happy faces on site last Monday evening. Thank you for taking the time to come and join us for the 2021 Parent Teacher Night.

Please see the Kindergarten Parent Teacher Night Video.



Teamwork
The boys have been working on the quality of ‘Teamwork’ over the past four weeks. One of the first skills children learn in school is the ability to work in groups. Teamwork requires children to cooperate with each other and take on other view points. Children who learn these skills are also on their way to establishing solid skills in problem-solving, communication, listening, creativity, and self-esteem.

The boys have displayed teamwork in the following ways:

-          “I play games with my friends outside”

-          “We do reading groups and I learn with other people”

-          “We pack up the classroom together”

-          “We celebrate each other’s mistakes and learn from them”

-          “We help each other when they are sad”

-          “We have a fun classroom and are a team”

-          “Kindergarten is a team”

-          “Knox is a team. I love coming to school with my big brother”

-          “We are all in a house and they are all different teams”

Parent Action Required:

 Year 1 Lion Dance Parent Letter

What a pleasure it was to have all our parents attend our Year 1 information evening last Tuesday. It was so nice to see all our parents face to face and discuss working together as a team throughout the year. We hope you found the evening informative. The Year One teachers would like to thank everyone for giving up your time and for your enthusiasm in participating in the inquiry task. We hope you enjoyed using and learning all about Nearpod, which is a tool we use with the boys to support their learning. The boys were very excited to see all the work the mums and dads had done on their iPads.

Attached here is a reflection which was part of our inquiry task. If you were unable to attend on Tuesday night or didn’t get to complete this particular part, we would really appreciate you taking the time to do this and sending it into school with your son. This will be used as part of our Knoxigations Inquiry next week.

This week in the ‘Finding Out’ phase of our inquiry the boys have been looking at:

• What celebration is important to our family?
• How does this celebration connect our family to the, local, national and international communities?
• Why do we celebrate celebrations?

With the new Lunar Year and the celebration of Chinese New Year this week the boys have been able to articulate and share their family and cultural traditions with each other, discuss its importance and explain why we celebrate Chinese New Year.

Thank you to all the parents who attended our Parent Information Evening last Tuesday. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet with you face to face and share in the joy of inquiry learning. Over the past week, the Year 2 boys have been using the digital platforms Google Earth and Nearpod to immerse themselves in the history of the Dharug people, the Aboriginal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Kuring-Gai land. Students virtually visited heritage sites, noting artefacts and reflecting on how local Indigenous people used the land and surrounding waters to survive.

2R were the first K-2 class to present a virtual assembly last Thursday. The boys did a fabulous job focusing on the Knox Character Strength for this fortnight, Teamwork. They read the story, Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell and reflected on the importance of helping others and collaborating in order to meet a common goal.  “People used teamwork by getting the farmer out of danger and by working together on their farm” Zane, 2R. “We can use teamwork at Knox by working together to solve a problem using kind words” Eric, 2R. 

Sarah Beaumont-Jones, Year 2 Team Leader

Parent Action Required: 

Year 3 Camp Parent Letter

Year 3 The Dish Roster (Class 3R Term 1)

Year 3 is a year of firsts and for our boys the Knox Swimming Carnival was one event where grit and determination overshadowed fear and anxiety. The boys’ competitive nature and willpower facilitated a real desire to achieve their personal best. Similarly, their efforts outside the pool were equally impressive in their unwavering support of their peers. The constant beating of the drums not only matched heart rates but provided an exhilarating atmosphere, allowing all boys to connect and engage positively with their sports houses. We missed having parents there to watch and we look forward to when you can come to carnivals again. Congratulations, to our U9 Swimming Champion – Henry Liu, Runner-up Aaron Huo, 3rd  place Freddie Sandham and Hasslett who were the victorious house for Years 3 and 4 at the end of the day

Last Wednesday was a great occasion to meet a number of parents in person, explain the various rigours and routines of Year 3, as well as share the learning highlights in and out of the classroom your boys will experience over the coming year. The Year 3 teachers look forward to working with you collaboratively to ensure your sons have a positive and productive year. If you were unable to attend the information video presentation can be found on the Year 3 page of the Knox Portal.

The arrival of the Lunar New Year was a fantastic occasion for boys to develop their learning about cultural traditions and witness how celebrating significant events connects us to our past. The boys applied their knowledge of this festival to complete an array of English, Maths and craft activities, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Parent Action Required: 

Camp Medication Form

Camp Going Home Arrangements Form

What to Pack

Well done to all our wonderful Year 4 swimmers who competed in last week’s House Carnival. It was most impressive to see the boys doing their best and supporting their classmates at this exciting event. It was pretty spectacular to see Year 4 produce three age champions! What an amazing achievement. 

Year 4 Age Champions:
8/9 Year Age Group: 1st Henry Liu

10 Year Age Group: 1st Adam Dunn

11 Year Age Group: 1st Philip Kim

Parent Information Night
We thank you for your attendance at our Parent Information Evening last Wednesday. It was fantastic to have parents on campus and for you to visit your son’s learning space. It was also refreshing to have conversations face to face. For those parents that were unable to attend, please access the following presentations that were shown on the night. 

Year 4 Camp
Excitement is growing over the upcoming Year 4 Camp. We will support the boys at school by sharing with them the activities on offer, the routines and information about the accommodation. Please address any questions or concerns you or your son might have about camp directly to his classroom teacher. We are always ready, prepared and well-experienced in supporting boys at whilst camp.

Medication Form
If your son requires medication whilst at camp, please complete the attached form detailing the name of the medication and the amount, time and frequency of the dosage. All medication must be in the original packaging, clearly labelled with your son’s name and put in a zip lock bag to be given to your son’s class teacher when you drop your son to school on the morning of Wednesday 24 February 2021.

Parent Action Required: 

Accelerated Reader

Accelerated Reader Parent Guide

Being Right versus Being Kind
This term our boys are studying the text ‘Wonder’ by R.J Palacio. Perfectly suited, it follows the journey of August (Auggie) Pullman, a Year 5 student striving to fit in whilst beginning a new school at Beecher Prep. Mr Browne, his teacher, shares precepts with his class throughout the book, beginning with “When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind." You may have seen this in your son’s homework last week.

It’s important to distinguish between ‘being’ and ‘doing’. Being right involves our ego, and when we seek to prove that we are right, we can become (often unintentionally) aggressive or unkind. We feel threatened. We focus on what we perceive to be right, rather than who we are talking to or with.

In Year 5, we want our boys to consider their manner of speaking with one another and with adults, especially during disagreements. We want them to choose kind. If we focus on kindness in our speech, we will open more honest and genuine discussions with each other and be more understanding of others’ points of view.

Knoxigations
The boys are continuing to immerse themselves in our first unit of inquiry within the learning domain of Tinkering Towards Tomorrow. The big idea for this domain is “Technology protects communities”. The boys have shown an excellent knowledge on the types of natural disasters from around the world and the cause and effects of many of these. Over the next four weeks, Year Six will be learning about different detection systems that currently exist to protect communities in the face of natural disasters. Scope IT will be guiding the boys through different detection systems and how they can use their Micro:bits Kits to create their own detection systems. We can’t wait to see some of the work they boys produce in the coming weeks.

Swimming Carnival
The Swimming Carnival this week was a great success! The boys showed admirable determination and sportsmanship as they both competed against one another yet also supported each another. It was wonderful to see the boys challenge themselves, achieve personal bests and experience success. Thank you to Mr Hitchiner and all involved behind the scenes, without whom the carnival wouldn’t take place.

This section of the newsletter contains recent correspondence to parents requiring action:

COVID-19 Student Attendance Guidelines for Parents

COVID-19 Entry Policy

Year 1 Lion Dance Parent Letter

Year 3 Camp Parent Letter

Year 4 Camp Medication Form

Year 4 Camp Going Home Arrangements Form

Year 4 What to Pack

Year 5 Accelerated Reader

Year 5 Accelerated Reader Parent Guide

Prep Sport 
Using the Knox App for sport
The Knox App is the most important tool for you to find your sporting information at the Prep. From fixtures, to venues to being notified of sport cancellation due to poor conditions.

If you need a ‘How to’ of the Knox App for sport, visit this link.

House Swimming Carnival
The House Swimming Carnival was a wonderful way to start the year in sport. Although war cries and chanting were not to be heard, the drumming and clapping of the Houses resonated across the Aquatic Centre. Hearing the Icelandic clapping and one house creatively drumming the ‘Macarena’, the boys had an entertaining day. A highlight of the day was the 11 years house 8 x 50 metre relay where a previous record had stood for 20 years. The Burns House team watched their 50 metre splits and saw that they required a sub 40 second final length to beat the record, which they did and recorded at time of 4.54.56, beating the previous record by 3 seconds. A wonderful achievement. Congratulations also to Haslett House who won the House Cup narrowly beating Fuller House.

CIS Basketball
Congratulations to both Freddie O’Hara and Will Cassar who represented IPSHA at the CIS basketball trials on Friday.

Musical Quote of the week
"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent"

Wow!! Knox Prep Ensembles are buzzing and the whole Music Building is sounding very musical and alive! Congratulations to all boys who have been getting up early and attending your morning rehearsals. We now have over 400 boys attending ensemble rehearsals within the week (some bands have 70 members in them!) and they are all sounding fantastic! Remember to remind your son to practice every day that he eats. Please always email your Ensemble Director if your son cannot make a rehearsal for whatever reason. If you have any questions in regards to ensembles don’t hesitate to email Mrs Morris.

Knox App
If your son is in one of our ensembles this year please make sure you have joined the Tag in your Knox App so that you can receive push notifications for upcoming concerts and information. Don’t forget to update if your son has moved up in an ensemble and join the correct ensemble TAG.

Year 6 Percussion Ensemble and Cello Ensemble
There are still positions for the Year 5-6 Percussion Ensemble and the 4-6 Cello Ensemble. If your son plays the cello or the drums/percussion and would like to be a part of these ensembles simply send him along to the below rehearsal times in Week 5 and we will add him to the roll. If you have any questions in regards to any of our ensembles simply email Mrs Morris.

In Week 3 of the Prep Magpie, the Headmaster wrote about the importance of stopping to “pause” before reacting and how challenging this can be in the fast-paced world in which we find ourselves. In our role at Prep, we often see the impact when the ability to “pause” was somehow skipped, and children land themselves in situations which could often have been avoided. There are many things we can do as parents to teach our children how to stop, think, and, reflect before reacting. As Mr James mentioned, one core component of this is our important role in modelling these behaviours for our children.

You may be familiar with a current ad on television where parents are at dinner with another couple and their daughter is playing with dolls in the background. Suddenly the daughter starts re-enacting a heated conversation one parent has had whilst applying for a home loan. This ad not only makes me cringe with empathy for the parents (let’s face it we’ve all had parenting moments where we wish we could just click the “undo” button), and also reminds me how frequently kids imitate us by our example. So then, how do we model to our kids that we can effectively regulate our own emotions? One strategy is to verbalise our own emotions as well as our own tools for coping with this. For example: “I’m so frustrated, I seem to be making things worse, I think I need to step away and calm down so that I can have some time to think about how to fix this”, or, “I’m so hurt by what she said to me today, I feel really embarrassed, I’m going to sleep on it tonight and speak with her tomorrow when I’m calmer”.

If we want our kids to learn how to manage their emotions, it’s important that they see us doing the same and they see how we do it.

Rebecca Lazarus and Hayley Wilton

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
Colossians 4: 2

We would love assistance to cover the Prep School library books. If a parent/carer from Year 3 to Year 6 can spare some time to help the School cover library books at home, we would love to hear from you! Books can be sent home with your son on a Wednesday if being picked up by car. Please click here to sign up to volunteer. Please contact Jo Fernandes if you have any questions.

Winter Uniform
Term 2 changes over into winter uniform. Parents are encouraged to refer to the Uniform Policy and Regulations and we strongly recommend purchasing the winter uniform in the coming weeks as we cannot guarantee all sizes will be available at the end of term.

Special orders
For any students who have special requirements regarding winter uniform items, it is strongly recommended that these are discussed with the Uniform Shop Staff as soon as possible. Occasionally, we have students who have allergies/sensitivity to wool and in these instances, time permitting, we can get winter trousers lined and jumpers made in a cotton/nylon blend. These special orders require some notice: four weeks for the trousers and up to eight weeks for knitwear.

Other instances include if your son is not of a standard size. For example, very tall but slim and may require extra length or he may be of a more solid frame like a Rugby player and the standard sizes may be disproportional.

Please visit the Uniform Shop during trading hours (see below) or contact via us by phone 9487 0191 or email.

Trading Hours
Monday to Friday: 12.30pm-5.30pm
Saturday (Terms 1 and 4 only): 9am-12noon

Phone (02) 9487 0191 or visit the Knox website here for more information.

Julie Blackburn, Knox Uniform Shop Manager

In light of current restrictions, the School has decided to postpone Knox Gala Day from Term 2 to Saturday 31 July, Term 3. We are hopeful that this new date will give this much loved community event the best chance to proceed. This date will be the last game of the winter sports season and a home game against Barker College. Please save the date. If you have any questions, please email Megan Bailey.