Building works on the new locker building are progressing well and we expect to be moving the lockers to the new space at the end of next week. Should work continue along the predicted timeline then, in preparation for the move, students will be required to completely empty their lockers on Thursday 7 November. Instead of attending School Assembly during Period 5 on Thursday, students will have this time allocated to cleaning out and packing up their locker. All their books and equipment will need to be packed in their bags and taken home on Thursday. We ask that students only bring essential items with them to school on Friday 8 November.

On Friday, their school bags can be stored in lockers until the end of lunch. For this day only, students will carry their bags to periods 6 and 7. We recommend that students attach their lock to the strap of their school bag on Friday, so they do not forget to bring it to school with them on Monday November 11. Locations will be provided for students attending cadets to store their bags after school.

Lockers will be moved into the new building over the weekend and students will have full access to their locker again from Monday morning 11 November. There will be signage and staff on hand to ensure that students are able to quickly locate their locker in the new facility. Mentors and Team Leaders will be advising students in due course of their new locker number. Should your son be absent on Thursday, staff will be placing all contents of the locker in a bag which will be labelled with his locker number. The bags will be locked in a secure room and he will be able to collect his possessions upon his return to school.

Fourteen members of staff will have offices in the new building, namely: Team Leaders, Assistant Team Leaders, Student Administrative Officers as well as Student Management Officers. From the 11 November onwards, if you are coming to school to drop off items for your son or to submit forms, you will need to go to the new locker building (opposite the Great Hall) rather than Room 19.

We thank you for your patience and understanding at this time as we endeavour to make this transition process as smooth as possible.

Next week Year 10 students will be completing a questionnaire developed by MMG Education. The feedback will provide the School with valuable information that will help make informed decisions about programs and support provided for our students.  It is similar to the questionnaires completed by Year 7 and Year 12 students.

On 26 and 27 November, Year 10 students will be participating in the Agent of Change incursion. This event will be held in the Great Hall and will also be attended by Year 10 students from Ravenswood. More information about the program for these two days will be provided in the coming weeks. In preparation for this event, guest speakers will be delivering a presentation once a week for four weeks. These presentations will take place during lunch time. All students are expected to attend one of the presentations. They are able to eat their lunch while listening to the presentation. The first presentation was given by Andrew Graham and was enjoyed by the students who attended. We are very grateful for Andrew taking the time to visit Knox and talk to our students.

Elizabeth Ruff

As the weather heats up so does the pace and velocity of Term 4. In the midst of assessment tasks, Summer Sport fixtures, Global Leadership Conferences and the day to day movements of a Year 10 student, the Class of 2021 are managing to keep their collective cool.

As the Mentor Program continues with a focus on preparedness for the academic requirements of Year 11, the boys are working their way through the All My Own Work modules. Further to this Dom Goddard and Keane Nguyen (members of the Academic Portfolio Leadership Team) have addressed the boys in regards to study strategies and the importance of adequate preparation for the upcoming Yearly Exams. It is important that the boys continue with a focused and diligent approach to all their subjects throughout the final stages of Year 10 as this will hold them in good stead for the academic rigours of Year 11.

 In relation to maintaining the impeccable standards that have been set by this fine year group, all students are expected to arrive and depart from school in the correct attire including boater and blazer. These expectations are universal in regards to all year groups, so I feel that it is crucial that the Class of 2021 be the bench mark in their presentation and conduct in all facets of their school day.

Once again, Mr Shaw and myself would encourage a clear an open line of communication, so please feel free to contact your son’s teachers, mentor or Team Leaders if you have any questions or concerns about your son’s progress.

James Stubbs-Mills

Here we are at the end of Week 3 and we are now less than two weeks until the start of the Yearly Exams.

On Monday, Year 10 students and parents attended the Careers Insight Evening which was very well attended.

Tuesday we had a very busy Year Meeting with many students speaking on a variety of issues. We heard from Keane Nguyen and Dom Goddard in relation to preparation for HSC studies, students that walked the Kokoda track, saw boys receive the Basketball Award for this week, Greg Felton gave a  wrap up of sporting events, Seb Henriksen spoke about Movember Foundation fundraising (see more information in the Community notices section), and the cohort acknowledged the tremendous successes by Joseph Hamson in swimming (see article in the Sports section). A well represented and diverse scope of information was discussed!

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the following boys joined Rev Tim Robinson and attended the Global Leadership Summit in the city; Ethan Ang, Eric Bong, Will Feather, Tom Goddard, Alex Goh, Joseph Kim, and Dylan Zhang.

Yesterday, Room 19 was transformed as we shared some spooky surprises with treats for Halloween. As always, the boys enjoyed the treats and fun. 

The following students in Year 8 (Alec Germanos, Adam Scott, Brandon Tan, Harry Gordon, Will Solomons), Year 9 (Justin Menso) and Year 12 (Mitchell Volk) are launching an art exhibition previewing the works from Jasper Knight with the theme Industrial Evolution. The exhibition will open with free admission from the 12 to 29 November in the JAPAC building. For further details please click here.

For those looking forward to attending Oliver! the Musial next week (as I am) please note that there will be no refreshments served in the Wenkart Theatre or foyer. Cold water stations will be present on the terrace. 

Congratulations to Khy Samuelssen on gaining a position in the upcoming NSWRL U16 Talented Aboriginal Athlete Program (TAAP). Khy will attend the camp being held today and throughout the weekend at the Sydney Academy of Sport in Narrabeen. A NSWRL Indigenous representative team will be selected from this camp to play against the Queensland Murri side early next year. Well done, Khy!

This year, the Australian Mathematics Competition attracted more than 250,000 entries in Australia and overseas. Ethan Ryoo sat the Intermediate Division and achieved an outstanding score relative to competitors in his year. As a result , Ethan was one of four Year 10 medalists who flew to Melbourne last Thursday to receive an award by the Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau. What an incredible achievement.

With Christmas holidays fast approaching please ensure you have completed any leave applications and submitted sooner rather than later.

Finally, I would like to thank the boys from the Class of 2021 for always being so polite and respectful when they come in to Room 19. It always brightens my day to have a chat and say hello as they pass by.  

Debra Barnard Tel: 9119 0883

Minimum Standards Testing (make up testing and re-sits)

Early in Term 1, we administered the new Minimum Standards tests for Literacy and Numeracy to our Year 10 boys. All students in New South Wales are required to achieve Bands 3 or Band 4 for all three subtests (reading, writing, and numeracy) in order to meet the Minimum Standard outlined by NESA.

Note: Printed copies of all results were sent via post to all parents/carers.

Please refer to the NESA website for more information about Minimum Standards.

Students who missed the initial sitting and any students who have yet to achieve Band 3 or 4 are requested to complete the test(s) on Tuesday 5 November in KCC201. Emails have been sent to all students impacted and their parents/carers.

Students completing the test(s) must come prepared with a fully charged laptop, along with pens, pencils and erasers. Mobile phones and smartwatches are not permitted in the test session; calculators will be permitted in the numeracy test session.

If you have any questions about the make-up/re-sit of the Minimum Standards testing, contact me at your earliest convenience.

Jake Plaskett

The inaugural Careers Insight Evening held on Monday night was well attended by students across Years 9 to 12 and their parents. Students heard some great insights, inspiration, and advice from our presenters. Thank you to our Old Boys and staff who generously gave their time to share their knowledge and personal insights into their industry. Due to its success, this event will become a key annual event in the Knox Careers Program, highlighting the importance of career education for students. The key note presentation can be found here. Other presentations will soon be made available and can be accessed via the Careers Page on the portal.

Linda Gomez

Last week, Joseph Hamson swam at the Australian Short Course Swimming Championships in Melbourne, which is an Open event and included the best swimmers in Australia including freestyle Olympic gold medallist, World Championships medallist, and Commonwealth Games medalist Mack Horton (OAM).  As a result of performing so strongly,  Joseph (along with his coach Nick Dobson), have been selected to participate in the Australian National Flipper program. This program identifies emerging swimmers and their coaches that have the ability of placing on the world podium in 4-6 years with eyes on the Paris Olympics. The  Flippers program aims to further develop the swimmers and coaches in a multifaceted approach across physical, psychological, and technical aspects of the sport, with looking to the next step of making the Junior Dolphin Team and representing Australia. An amazing achievement for Joseph -  congratulations!

In partnership with Chargrill Charlies, the Knox Basketball Supporters Committee is pleased to support the Champion Award. The $15 Chargrill Charlies voucher is awarded to the ‘best and fairest’ player from each team. This player may not necessarily score the most points but demonstrates exemplary sportsmanship, teamwork and integrity throughout their game on Saturday. Each team coach nominates a player for the award and this was presented last Tuesday at the Year Meeting.

The recipients for this week are  Will Debell, Jaiden Brocklebank, Nathan Chen, Sam Banks, Ryan Thewlis, Clyde Xiao, Liam Gray, Angus Mawson, Dylan Harrison, and Mitch Smith. Congratulations, gentlemen.

Saturday 2 November

• Year 10 Parents' Supper

Friday 8 November

• Vaccinations. Meningococcal ACWY catch-ups

Monday 11 November

• Remembrance Day

Tuesday 12 November

• Volunteer Thank you Celebration. 7.30pm -9pm. Seniors' Terrace, WSA

Thursday 14 to Friday 22 November

• Yearly Examinations 

Friday 15 November

• Knox Christmas Markets. Great Hall. 4pm - 8pm

What is Movember?

Movember is a fantastic men’s health foundation that supports men experiencing prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health challenges. In Australia, the two most common cancers amongst men aged between 18-39 are prostate and testicular cancer, killing over 3500 men every year. One third of men will suffer from a mental health issue during their lifetime, with suicide being the leading cause of death in men aged between 15-44. The aim of Movember is to provide support for men and their families, who are experiencing these challenges as well as raising money for prostate and testicular cancer research.

How can you help?

During November, students will be selling pins and collecting donations at the school gates prior to school. Listen out for the date and please give generously. Some of the Knox staff will be growing facial hair and competing for the 'best mo' award. They will be relying on student votes to take out the top spot, so be sure to get in your vote and support their efforts (details to be provided soon)!

I urge everyone to donate to this wonderful initiative. Donations can also be made in Room 19.

Seb Henriksen Year 10 student | Mentor Leader | Social Justice PLT

It is that time of year where the Knox community supports those in need in the lead up to Christmas. We would love donations of Christmas goodies for families who will struggle to provide for their families this year at Christmas. If you would like to donate some items please see following some suggestions. Donations can be brought in to Room 19 or Mrs Clarke’s office (Room 15).

In early December we arrange to the take all of the donations into Wesley Mission in the city for distribution to these struggling families. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Suggested items:

Tea/Coffee/Milo/hot chocolate/Nesquik

Christmas pudding/fruit cake and/or mince pies

Long-life custard/cream

Tinned ham and/or turkey

Canned fruit

Lollies (jellies are great as chocolate melts) 

Savoury snacks (pretzels/chips- no nuts please)

Table trimmings like Christmas bonbons

The Knox Christmas Markets are being held on Friday 15 November from 4pm- 8pm in the Great Hall.

Once again, Pudding Lane are kindly donating 40% of all pre-orders to the Knox Parents’ Association (KPA), so if you would like to pre-order a Christmas pudding or cake, please see attached 'pudding flyer' for details. Pre-orders need to be placed by Friday 8 November.  Please click here to place your order.

For many years the Knox community have generously supported the STARTTS program. STARTTS is the acronym for the ‘NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors’.

The organisation provides a range of professional services to facilitate the healing process for refugees who have been exposed to torture and trauma, as well as access to health services for newly arrived refugees. The aim of the program at Knox is to provide your son with the opportunity to learn a little about the organisation and what it does, as well as to think about children of his own age who have had to cope with very real difficulties in their lives. It encourages the boys to think about demonstrating compassion in his life and how displaying that compassion is integral to our Christian compassion at Knox.

The boys are asked to make a Christmas card for a child who is currently being assisted by the service. It would be wonderful if your son could provide a small Christmas gift ($10 in value) to which his card can eventually be attached.

The gifts should be handed to Room 19 by Tuesday 3 December. We intend to present the gifts to a guest speaker from STARTTS organisation that is coming to the school in the last week of term.

Please be aware that, in previous years, the gift from our boys has often been the ONLY gift these children have received. If possible, please wrap and label the gift indicating whether it is appropriate for a boy of girl.

We appreciate your support as always and hope that the boys will learn a great deal from their participation in this program.

For more information, please contact Mrs Helen Clarke.

Last Thursday and Friday, 35 Ag students went on a two day field trip to visit the south coast area of NSW. The trip provided interesting and invaluable insights into the Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Cropping (Manildra Millings Ethanol Plant) and Hydroponics/Agriculture industries.