On Monday we commemorate Remembrance Day by holding our annual Knox Grammar School Remembrance Day Commemoration and OKGA Honouring Service between 10.30am - 11.10am. The service takes place on Knox 1 and students will be seated in the Knox 1 stand.

Please remind your sons that:

• Cadets involved in service are to wear their bush hat (wide brim).
• All other students wear a Knox hat or cap.
• All students should apply sunscreen prior to coming to school and bring sunscreen to school to re-apply at recess.
• Drink plenty of water at recess to remain hydrated.

Your assistance in encouraging your son to be ‘sun smart’ is greatly appreciated.

Phil O’Regan

Another busy week has flown by, and it is hard to believe that we have reached the midpoint of the term already. This week, the focus in mentor was the completion of the MMG Survey, which is an important tool to inform the School moving forward and ensure that student needs are continually being met. The majority of students have now completed this, and those who have not will be able to do so over the next week in mentor. 

Our Week 4 Year Meeting saw a number of impressive contributions from our boys. Tom Goddard spoke about his experience at the recent Global Leadership Summit. He focused on the concept of G.E.T.M.O. (Good enough to move on), and challenging perfectionist traits in an effort to increase productivity. Keane Nguyen and Dom Goddard continued their brilliant work as part of the Academic PLT, presenting on the art of answering multiple-choice questions, which is very timely as we move into our yearly exams which are written in this format. 

A quarter of our year group attended a presentation by Mr Andrew Graham, a guest speaker invited to talk as part of our ongoing Agent of Change program. Staff and student anecdotes have suggested it was an impressive and insightful presentation, and that student engagement was excellent across the board. The remaining students in Year 10 will attend one of three upcoming talks in November, and have been notified of this during an earlier mentor session. 

It is a time of transition for Year 10 in every sense, and with that in mind, we are in the process of relocating to a new locker area. Yesterday the boys were asked to clean out the lockers entirely ahead of a move into our new space on Monday morning, taking any non-essential items home for the remaining four weeks, and disposing/recycling anything that they no longer need. Students are advised to check their emails over the weekend for their new locker number, and be prepared to move in before school on Monday morning under staff direction. 

It certainly doesn’t slow down for Year 10 throughout the second half of Term 4, and the boys are encouraged to draw upon all of their organisational and time-management skills in an effort to finish strongly, and I am confident they will do so. Once again, feel free to contact your son’s teachers, mentors or Team Leaders if you have any questions or concerns about your son’s progress. If you are unsure of who to contact, please contact your son’s mentor to seek direction.

Adam Shaw

To start the week on Monday, I was fortunate to listen to some boys from the cohort performing at the lunchtime concert in the JAPAC Music Room. Staff were also treated to more music at Wednesday’s lunchtime concert.  We certainly have some incredible young men in our cohort!

Thursday saw the logistical move of clearing out lockers in preparedness for the new locker area on Monday. Please note boys need to remember to bring their locks back in on Monday (they should have taken these home with all their items). Boys will be emailed their new locker numbers. Please remember I can supply a new lock if required at a cost of $20 which is charged to the school account.

Wednesday night was the Boarders' Chapel and Dinner. Congratulations to the House Manager's Award recipient, Joe Hamson. The congratulations continue with Josh Cao receiving the ConneXions Award and welcoming the new Boarder Leadership Team members Stanley Yeung, and Jack Black. Well done, gentlemen.

 A reminder that next Friday 15 November, Knox will hold the annual Knox Christmas Markets in the Great Hall from 4pm to 8pm. This year the Social Justice stall is asking for assistance with goods to sell. It would be greatly appreciated if you could don your baking attire and bake some ‘Christmassy’ cupcakes or slices for the stall. Please note no nuts and please list the ingredients used. Your yummy goodies of baked treats can be dropped to me in the new KMA SAO office (opposite the old canteen area near the JW Hall). This year the Social Justice Stall will be supporting:
• our drought-impacted farmers through the work of Drought Angels
• Uniting Church – ‘Everything in Common’ ethical gifts.

Last night I attended (and thoroughly enjoyed) the first performance of Oliver! The musical did not disappoint and was another wonderful showcase of the diverse talent found at Knox. There were many Year 10 students that participated and contributed to the performance, both on the stage and behind the scenes, and I felt very proud as I sat and watched the musical, tapping my toes along to the music.

Finally, thank you for the wonderful donations of food and gifts received so far. Next week, once settled into the new office, we will be putting up the Christmas decorations as we will only have three weeks until the end of term (and the Middle Academy) before moving into the Senior Academy area. I urge you to please give generously for those in need. It would be lovely to see you in the new SAO office before we move again at the end of the term to the Weeks Senior Academy for Year 11 2020.

Joe Hamson, House Manager's Award recipient, with Mr James Maloney and Ms Mim Cockrell.

Mr Scott James with Jack Black and Stanley Yeung, the Year 10 Boarder Leaders for Term 4 2019 and Term 1 2020 along with Rev Tim Robinson.

Mr Scott James presents Josh Cao the ConneXions Award with Ms Mim Cockrell and Mr James Maloney.

Debra Barnard Tel: 9119 0883

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 (l-r): Mark Walker, Christian Smith, Jaiden Brocklebank, Peter Zhang, Jason Ou, Benny Fan, Carlton Hogan, Dino Kefaladelis, Jacob Huenerbein, Patrick Bolger and Flynn Wood.

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

Thursday 5 December

• Presentation Day

• Term 4 concludes

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 at Christmas. If you would like to donate some items please see following some suggestions. Donations can be brought in to your SAO or Mrs Clarke’s office (Room 15).

In early December all of the donations will be taken into Wesley Mission in the city for distribution to these struggling families. Thank you for your support and 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

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 the new SAO office.

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

This week we enjoyed the 2019 musical production of 'Oliver!' What a fantastic evening of song and dance. Thank you and congratulations to everyone involved to bring together this amazing evening. Here's a sneak peek.

The following students from Year 10 were involved in the production:

Cast: Senior Ensemble

Ethan Ang, Angus Dainton, Tom O'Sullivan, Anton Pan-Cassin, Mitch Penn, Josh Pritchard, Max Purcell, Lewis Robertson, Austin Swaffer and Ethan Zemann.

Orchestra:

Alec Berg, Tom Goddard, Oliver Heller, Ethan Jones, Cody Kim, Dominic Rodriguez-Russell and Stanley Yeung.

Tech Crew:

Will Gleave and Jack MacLean (Stage Crew). Ewan Bryant and Kevin Park (Lighting)

On Monday 4 November I had the pleasure of listening to the following Year 10 students perform in the JAPAC Music Room during a lunchtime concert. The boys sounded amazing and each performed so well in their chosen art including singing, trombone, trumpet and drums! Well done to Aaron Erdstein, David Huang, Hugh Gelder Read, Aiden Lowe-Yip, Sam Luo and Josh Pritchard.

What a busy time! Thursday 7 November started the process of moving to the new locker space with cleaning out current lockers.