Recently, Year 12 students and parents completed the annual Exit survey. This particular survey evaluates the extent our Year 12 community believe effective school practices are apparent across several domains, including:

• Overall satisfaction
• Academic program
• Student wellbeing
• Non-sport Co-curricular
• Sports
• Boarding Program
• Management and leadership
• Communication
• Reputation
• Affinity (loyalty)

Interestingly, empirical studies have demonstrated that a supportive academic environment in Year 12 is positively related to students transition to life beyond secondary school.

The data gathered in each of the above domains is benchmarked against 36 independent boys’ schools. The following tables clearly identifies areas for celebration and improvement, and also provide a comparison against a larger reference group of independent schools.





The data indicates Knox is above the MMG benchmark in all domains. From a parent and student perspective, these scores would suggest Knox is in very good health.

The feedback from the surveys assists the School with its operational and strategic planning and to continually improve the value proposition and educational experience offered to our students. At some point in your son’s educational journey you will be invited to participate in an MMG survey. I encourage you to engage with the review. Your valuable feedback is our baseline to measure and establish a benchmark from which to compare results over time and to ensure we are well-informed of your perceptions and priorities.

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

Coming up this term, the Woodwinds of KAPA have the following performances:

AMEB Diploma Soiree - a preparation for upcoming AMUSA performance exams: featuring Ryan Thom (Y11) on Alto Saxophone, Andrew Peng (Y11) on Clarinet and Sam Yang (Y11) on Clarinet. Sunday 15 September from 2pm-4pm in the Choir Room.

Woodwinds on the Boulevard - lunch performances in the foyer of the JAPAC featuring Knox Clarinet Ensemble and Knox Saxophone Ensemble. Thursday 19 September.

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 from 6pm-7pm.

Miss Jo Carey, Knox Academy of Performing Arts - KAPA

Mooting
Knox will be participating in the WSU Kirby Cup for mooting over the next few months. Boys in Years 10-11 who are interested in participating should contact Mrs Louise Dempsey.

More information on this competition can be found here.

Term 3
Friday Evening Debating has concluded for 2019, however, training and KDC will continue as normal. Please keep and eye on the Knox Debating Board for the status of both training and KDC week-by-week. Remember, 1 on 1 sessions on Wednesday afternoons can still be booked by clicking here.

Legacy Badge Day - Friday 6 September
Each year we support Legacy Badge Day. Volunteers will attend the local shops, Warrawee and Wahroonga train stations, and be outside the school gates to sell badges. The Badge Day raises funds for the vital work it does for families of veterans. Legacy Week is always the first week of September and has been held since World War II. It also provides many opportunities for Legacy to talk about the work it does.

Welsh Choir at St John's Wahroonga this Sunday
Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to enjoy a rare afternoon experience and be entertained by the Welsh Choir!
Where: St John's Wahroonga
When: Sunday 8 September, 2.30pm
Cost: $25 per adult and $10 per child (up to 12 years)
Book here or contact Mrs Sue Owen on 0407 920 467.

RUOK? Day - Thursday 12 September
This important day is a poignant reminder to all of us to check in with each other and check if others are OK.  This day is our national day of action dedicated to reminding everyone that every day is the day to ask, “Are you ok?” and support those struggling with life's ups and downs. This year we want everyone to: trust the signs, trust your gut and ask R U OK? Read more here.

Stop the Traffik
The Social Justice Club is promoting this activity and challenges us all to make ethical purchases in tea, coffee, chocolate, seafood and clothing to ensure that the supply chain of products does not support or include modern slavery. There are a lot of posters created by the Social Justice Club, around the School highlighting the realities of the devastating exploitation of modern slavery. Please support this initiative.

The Justice Conference - Years 9-11
The Justice Conference is on the 15-16 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.

Social Justice Clubs
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.

Just Parents - working for Social Justice
Thank you to those parents that have registered their interest. We aim to have the roles as hands-on and interactive as we further embed the Knox Social Justice program across the whole community. If you would like to join, please contact Helen Clarke.

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.

The Stage 1 Celebration of Learning earlier in the week was an outstanding testament to the hard work that has gone into the most recent Knoxigations unit. Designing, tinkering, testing, failing and trying again are all part of a design thinking mindset, where iteration is king! Well done to our youngest boys on their courage and their innovative ideas – our world is in good hands!

You will recall that we did well at the Young ICT Explorers event a couple of weeks ago. Many of these boys have been diligently working to make further improvements to their designs, to now submit them into the CSIRO STEM in Schools National competition. Their entries are being judged this coming weekend - good luck boys and congratulations for your hard work in preparation for the event. This is yet another example of the work we are doing in ensuring that our boys embrace the iteration process, on a path to excellence.

Herzliche Glückwünsche to our Year 5 and 6 boys who have spent the last seven days competing in the World Languages Competition. 1664 schools throughout the world took part and our boys achieved a ranking of 34th, which is truly outstanding! The majority of schools taking part are secondary schools so that really illustrates how strongly they performed. However, even more impressive is that 994 schools were competing in Germany and Knox Prep finished in 2nd position in the world! Well done boys, and Mrs Wellman - an outstanding achievement all round!

Congratulations to Leon Li, who is this week representing Knox Prep as part of the CIS Golf Team. We are eagerly awaiting his results and know that he will represent us well.

Finally, I am looking forward to this Saturday’s Global Café which is being held on the senior campus. It will be a fabulous opportunity to delve deeply into the skills and dispositions our boys will work towards into the future, to assist them to thrive in this ever changing world.

It was such a magical day last Friday with so many K-2 dads sharing their learning with their sons for Father’s Day.  It was a day of connections, laughter and love. Your son was thrilled to have you to himself for an hour.

Last Friday, Kindergarten was able to celebrate their fathers with a special breakfast and a choice of fun-filled activities. It was a chance for fathers to press the pause button, turn off mobiles and be present.

Fathers and their sons enjoyed a breakfast together, practised their strategic chess moves, demonstrated their putting prowess, built skyscraper towers together to knock down (the best part!), painted their portraits and designed fabulous ties.

It was also an opportunity to share together, to show gratitude and make special memories of their very first Knox Father’s Day event.

This week Year 1 have begun exploring the Knoxigations Unit of Inquiry, ‘Tinkering Towards Tomorrow’. Their big idea is ‘Energy Powers and Enhances our World’. When walking around the School and discussing what this big idea might mean the boys asked the following questions:

• How was energy discovered?
• Are there different types of energy?
• How do I use energy?
• Is energy invisible?
• What is the healthiest type of energy for the world?

This Unit of Inquiry will challenge the boys' communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and imagination. We are looking forward to our next challenge. Where will the learning take us?

The Year 2 Big idea was ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle for a Sustainable Future’. During their Celebration of Learning, the boys presented on a number of stations to educate the parents on the impact that we are having on our environment. Students created their Makers Empire designs based on a brief for sustainable food packaging, taught parents how to combine elements in the Minecraft Edu Chemistry lab, took visitors on a tour of Kimbriki Waste Management Centre and used the UN Sustainable goals to highlight the effect our actions are having on the world.

Thank you to all of the parents who joined us to celebrate the boys' hard work so far this term!

On another note, a recent addition to the School calendar is the Year 3 excursion to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park which will take place this Friday. During this valuable learning experience, all students will be given the opportunity to deepen their own knowledge and understanding of key concepts related to our current Knoxigations inquiry, ‘Rivers Sustain Life’, as well as exploring the impact that our everyday actions can have on river ecosystems. Boys will wear their School PE uniform on the day, accompanied with wet weather gear in case of inclement weather. A packed recess, lunch, sunscreen and water bottle are also essential. All parents have been sent an excursion letter providing further details on the upcoming event and are reminded to please accept permission for their son to attend via the Parent Lounge.

Dates for the diary
• Friday 6 September - Year 3 excursion (Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park)
• 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.

Similarly, we would like to see this implemented as part of the boys’ homework so that they can build confidence, fluency and speed in typing.

From Week 8, we will be encouraging the boys to complete the English component of their homework in draft form in their book before typing a good copy, printing and gluing that in. For this to be useful practice, we do not want the boys to simply use Siri or other voice-to-text converters.

Using Technology Safely
Earlier this week, we met with Year 4 to reiterate the sensible and safe use of technology, including mobile phones. We encouraged the following practices:

• following family rules and expectations around technology
• using technology to speak kindly and respectfully to others
• during bed time hours, the phone should be kept with parents
• following the terms of use of applications and accounts, including age restrictions
• not entering personal details including full name, address, school name, date of birth etc.
• not sending photos or recording videos which may include personally identifiable information (such as in school uniform)
• telling a parent or trusted adult if something makes you feel uncomfortable or a stranger contacts you online
• avoiding group chats in iMessage where you do not know all participants in the chat.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner has more valuable hints for parents here.

We were so pleased to have 40 volunteers to present! What courage the boys demonstrated! I was filled with pride as I watched boys presenting their poems. Congratulations to the following boys who were part of our presentation:

Section One
Martin Li, Austin McCarrol, Matthew Tirta, Sam Yeoh, Brandon To, Harry Burwood, Robert Slimovschi, Rainier Liu, TJ Wongpim, William Bryan

Section Two
Oscar Fairfax, Arno Scamps, Marcus Slobodian, Daniel Sun, Haoyi Thong, Jordan Fenech, Toby Middleton, Callum Richards, Tom Harding, Luca Booth, Chris Neale

Section Three
Shivaan Ramanathan, Keiran McCrostie, Caden de Sarah-Blood, Anthony Bell, Charlie Stammers, Rehan Desilva, Avaneesh Siva, Noah Ellis, Jason Viviers, Henry Boulton

Section Four
Phoenix Pan, Solomon Tan, Benjamin Baker, Cameron Patole, Benjamin Bassett, Oliver Logie Smith, John Park, Callum Dolling, Charlie Elsik, Ryan You

A special thank you to our Poetry Slam hosts: Chris Neale, Benjamin Eisenhauer, Benjamin Bassett and Charlie Elsie.

Global Changemakers
We have started studying the film 'Rabbit Proof Fence' and the boys are creating wonderings that demonstrate deep thinking. We have completed some initial exercises and locked our ideas away - to be opened in four weeks' time, where we will reflect on how our thinking has changed.

An overview of the unit of inquiry as well as the assessment overview for this unit have been placed on the Year 5 notes section of the portal.

Dates for the diary
• 3 September - ICAS Digitech and MAP Maths testing begins
• 5 September - ICAS Science
• 10 September - ICAS Writing
• 11 September - Maths Olympiad Contest 5 for 5P, 5S and 5R Maths classes
• 12 September - Year 5 excursion Sydney Jewish Museum
• 17 September - ICAS English
• 19 September - ICAS Maths

Next Wednesday, Year 6 will be partaking in Science Day at Knox Prep. The boys will be focusing on the feasibility of life on the moon and look at the many factors required to colonise the moon. The boys will have specialised roles on the day and will work as a part of a team to collaborate, problem solve and ultimately create life on the moon!

A quick reminder that on Thursday in Week 8, the boys will be heading to the Senior School for their Year 7 placement testing and first Orientation Day. The boys need to go directly to the Senior School and can wear mufti clothing on the day. Year 6 teachers will walk to the Senior School during the morning period to ensure the boys are settled in for the day.

Finally, a reminder that we have Grandparents Day coming up on Thursday 19 September which I know the boys are very excited about. We are continuing to add photos for a special PowerPoint presentation on the day. If you have not done so already, could we please ask that you email a digital copy of a photograph of your son’s special guest to your son’s classroom teacher.

Venue: Clancy Auditorium, University of NSW.

Address: Gate 9, High Street, Kensington.

Dress: Winter uniform with blazer - no boater/cap.

Bring: Plastic Water bottle, instrument and Band music.

• String Ensemble arrive at 7.40am and perform at 8.30am
• Concert Strings arrive at 8.50am and perform at 9.40am
• Prep Orchestra arrive at 11.50am and perform at 12.40pm

There is no workshop after the performance so each Ensemble will be required for approximately an hour and a half, including warm up and performance.

There will be supervision for members in the Concert Strings  who are also in the Prep Orchestra if you want to leave them at the Clancy Auditorium. Both Mr George and Mrs Irik will be walking the boys down to Max Brenner (500m down the rd). If you would like your son supervised in between performances, please send him in with $5 or $10.

Tickets for audience members for this event are available at the door. Ticket prices are: Adults $10, Concession $5. All children, even those not performing, are free. There are 600 car spaces available behind Gate 9 and ample roadside parking. Family and friends are most welcome to attend and support the boys’ performances.

National Reading Hour – Take the Time to Escape!
Thursday 19 September is National Reading Hour. Pick up a book and read for one hour on your own, or with someone. Take time to learn, escape and relax.

Why read?
• Increasing literacy and numeracy skills has a positive and significant effect on jobs
• Reading reduces stress by 68%, relieving stress more quickly than listening to music, going for a walk or having a cup of tea
• Children who know adults who read for pleasure take it for granted that reading is valuable
• The more leisure books people read, the more literate they become and the more prosperous and equitable the society they inhabit
• Reading a gripping novel causes positive biological changes in the brain that can last for days
• When tested for empathy, readers of narrative fiction achieved significantly higher than other groups
• Reading is closely linked to increasing our understanding of our own identities
• It was found by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research that reading to children six to seven days a week puts them almost a year ahead of those who are not being read to.

For further information, please click here.

CAS/GPS Invitational #3 - Wrap-up
Despite gloomy predictions, a relatively fine day greeted us for the third of five CAS/GPS Track & Field invitationals on Saturday.

Sprints
Dylan Hall (Y7) is lighting up the track with a season best 25.13s in the 200m.

Newcomer Mark Guvlekijan ran the best time for the 14 years age group at Knox in both the 100m (12.48s) and 200m (26.13s) in his first official meet for Knox. It was also great to see Benji Allen (Y8) back on the track to run a first up 200m time of 26.38s, as well as Hugo Walters and Will Solomons (Y8) who run 12.94s and 13.22s in the 100m event.

Colan Ojah (Y11) returned to run a season best 23.85s in the 17 years 200m. Daniel Lum (Y11) also returned to the track after a prolonged illness to run a 24.16s.

Michael Dibiase (Y9) is fighting hard for a hurdles spot, running a season best of 13.8s in the 100m hurdles. This was backed up by Tianshuo Jiang who ran a season best in the 16 years 110m hurdles in a time of 19.99s.

Tom Plasto (Y9) continues to perfect his 400m times, running a season best of 55.9s in the 14 years event on the weekend.

Middle Distance
Under the lead of Head Coach, Gary Mullins, the middle distance boys undertook a gruelling training session on the warm-up track as a bit of a change-up.

The new approach to CAS preparation will surely see the boys fighting fit and will hopefully surprise a few Schools on the night!

Jumps
In the high jump, Charlie Anderson (Y9) jumped a season best 1.70m, ably supported by newcomer Jack Harty (Y9) who jumped 1.65m.

In the 17 years high jump, Harly Clifton finished 3rd overall.

Beau Morrison (Y8) who has the potential to feature in a number of events jumped 4.70m in his first competitive long jump event.

Throws
Beau Morrison (Y8) also threw 23.36m in his first javelin event, with Henry Anderson (Y7) also moving up the leaderboard with a throw of 22.69m.

Will Goddard (Y8) also jumps in to second spot for the season, throwing 10.89m in the 14 years shot put.

Charlie Anderson (Y9) also impressed in the discus throwing 28.46m in his first competitive Discus event.

With two Invitationals to go, it is never too late to join in and give Track & Field a go! Contact Matt Fowler (Head of Athletics) if you have any questions about getting involved.

Have a great week everyone, and please remember to switch Alerts on the School App to the sport your son has chosen for the coming summer.