We are so pleased in the response from the community so far in preparing for our Ride with Richter Cap Day on 24 November. Students from across the year groups are getting behind the initiative and many others have asked to extend the opportunity to purchase a cap. So, the online form remains open for parents to purchase a cap for their son until Wednesday next week. Boys will also receive a sausage sandwich on the day.

Boys can come to school on 24 November in casual clothes and will be asked for a gold coin donation either on entry to school or during their mentor lesson. Through the day we will have activities for boys to be involved with.

For more details, please refer to the Ride with Richter Cap Day flyer here.

Senior School Campus – Tuesday 17 November
Please be aware that the Senior School Campus will be closed at 5pm on Tuesday 17 November, unless students are catching the 5.30pm bus.

The Boater Café will be closed and no students will be on campus in preparation for the Year 12 Farewell Event.

Phil O'Regan

It has been another busy week for Year 10 with the start of the Yearly Exam period on Wednesday. The boys are to be commended on their conduct and I have no doubt they will be busy studying for Science and Geography this weekend!

On Monday 23 November, Paul Dillon will be talking to Year 10 students in periods 1 and 2. The session, 'Alcohol and cannabis: What if something goes wrong?' addresses practical strategies around looking after your friends, provides information on cannabis and will highlight ‘positive norms’. Paul will also be running an online parent information session on the evening of Monday 23 November. The session will commence at 6.30pm and will address the topic, 'Parents, sons, parties, alcohol and other drugs: What's happening now and what can we expect in a post COVID-19 world?' A link to access this online session will be emailed to parents on Monday 23 November. Should you wish to view the parent session, please register using this link.

On Thursday 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 our Year 7 and Year 12 students.

Elizabeth Ruff

It has been a big week for the Class of 2022 who have shown tremendous maturity and cohesion in all they have done.

We started off with a student-led Year Meeting acknowledging boys who have been nominated by peers for various achievements. We acknowledged Frank Fang for his consistent effort in Maths and completing the Year 11 accelerated course already, heard from Clarence Mak about his hometown of Hong Kong and what boarding at Knox is like. Lucas Banfield also interviewed Joel Keg to find out more about his Orienteering endeavors and we congratulated Charlie Anderson on being selected for the Sydney Sixers Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders XI Cricket team. A huge accomplishment! I am so proud of the student-led acknowledgements this week.

The boys also displayed reverence and maturity throughout the Remembrance Day service. I was really proud to receive reports from Mentors complementing the boys on their behaviour. This was continued as they wrote their Yearly Exams in the Great Hall on Thursday and Friday. Well done to all the boys; a big week done and dusted!

With two final exams on Monday, I wanted to remind you all of some strategies that were mentioned in last week’s Newsletter to help alleviate some anxiety:

• Motivate your son to want to take the test, by focusing on his efforts (completing his preparation) rather than attaining a certain grade.
• Recognise your son’s negative self-talk and gently help him to challenge these thoughts; and replace them with constructive positive talk.
• Recognise the physical symptoms of anxiety: It is also helpful to teach him to recognise these physical symptoms as a cue to stop and engage in relaxation activities.
• Communicate to your son that no test is a perfect reflection of a student’s capability and potential, while encouraging him to put in his best efforts.

Next week we start our transition to the Senior Academy with our first Year Meeting in the Weeks Senior Academy! Whilst Year 10 exams might be over, there is still a lot of important messages to be delivered and lessons to be learnt in the upcoming weeks. I would encourage you to chat to your sons about not switching off and making the most of the Transition to Year 11 program that will be running.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Vicky Cowell

Week 5 exams done and two more to go on Monday 16 November:

Science - period 1

Geography - period 5

Keep up the good work - you are nearly there. Only three weeks to go in the Middle Academy. Before you know it, we will be settling into the Senior Academy. Exciting times!

2020 Pipe Band NSW Solos

On Sunday 8 November, the Knox Pipes and Drums boys participated in the Pipe Band NSW Solos at Blackmore Oval in Leichhardt. It was good to see a high level of participation from Knox. Congratulations to Daniel Corbett and Hunter Hellen-Ford who did very well in their Piping events.

The gift of giving

This term is the time when the Knox community generously supports families that find Christmas particularly difficult. For the last 13 years, we have supplied Christmas Hampers for struggling families through the Uniting Church Family projects. Our focus this year is on the Wesley Mission and Parramatta Mission. Both organisations aim to support families with basic food supplies and Christmas fare (Christmas cakes, puddings, custard, serviettes, tins of ham, bonbons, biscuits etc. as well as staple goods such as long-life milk, cereals, pasta, sauces etc.). Your support with this initiative will be most appreciated.

Christmas gifts for children to the value of $10 (or more if you wish)
This has been a long-term project at Knox to support children from STARTTS who receive no gifts without our support. The social workers continually reinforce what a positive difference our donations make to these children and their parents.

Thank you to our Year 10 families who have contributed to both of these charities thus far.

Have a lovely weekend.

Rebecca Smith 

NESA Minimum Standards Testing for Year 10 students

Reading, writing, and functional mathematical literacy is a necessity in our modern world. As such, NESA requires that all students must satisfy a minimum standard of literacy and numeracy to receive the Higher School Certificate (HSC) from 2020. All NSW students must sit three online tests assessing reading, writing and Maths for everyday life and all students must achieve a Band 3 or Band 4 to meet the minimum standard.

You may recall that we attempted to administer these tests earlier in the year (Friday 6 March in Periods 2-4); however, due to an unforseen internet/technology failure, all students had to abandon their Minimum Standards tests for Numeracy and Writing and a majority had to abandon Reading as well.

All Year 10 students will sit the NESA Minimum Standards Testing during Weeks 6 and 7 during one of their regularly scheduled English, Maths, and Science classes.

Once the tasks have been marked and the certificates have been generated by NESA, we will post them to you for your records. Please ensure your address and contact details are up-to-date.

Note: Earlier this term, your son should have set up his NESA Schools Online account in which gives him immediate access to his Record of School Achievement (RoSA) and their band scores for the three minimum standards tests.

More information about Minimum Standard Testing, including a video explanation of the assessment, can be found from NESA.

Yearly Examinations – Make up examinations and illness

Should your son be unwell and miss one of his yearly examinations due to absence, he will need to sit it immediately upon return unless instructed otherwise. Ms Smith will have emailed all parents/carers of students who were marked absent; the email indicates (1) that an Illness Misadventure Appeal application is required on or before next Wednesday 18 November and (2) which lesson(s) we are hoping to have your son complete the missed tasks. Due to markbook closures at the end of Week 6, make up examinations may compound depending on the period of absence and require your son to sit many tasks one after the other.

Jake Plaskett

The 'Careers in IT' online event was held on 26 October. Students heard from three of our Alumni about their experiences in the IT industry as well as from a current university student about their chosen course and experience at university. It was a successful event, one where students and parents heard some great insights, inspiration, and advice. Thank you to our Old Boys who generously gave their time to share their knowledge and personal insights into their industry. Like previous career events, this seminar was also recorded and the recording can be accessed via the Knox Careers Hub. A direct link to the recordings are via the Vimeo link here.

Careers in Allied Health
When: Wednesday 18 November, commencing at 6pm
Where: Online via Zoom (a link will be sent to you after registration and shortly before the evening)
Who: Years 10, 11 and 12 students and their parents
Register: Click here to register no later than Tuesday 17 November

Students and parents will hear from the following presenters:

Dr Cam McDonald (OKG01): Dr Cam is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, Accredited Practising dietitian, a leader in the space of epigenetics, an educator, scientist and international speaker. Cam will speak about how an interest in sports led to study in health and exercise science, that transformed into being part of a globally leading team in personalisation, chronic disease reversal and optimal human health and what it took to get there.

Nick Tucker (OKG04): Nick is an experienced management consultant, psychologist and people leader. He has more than 12 years of industry experience and holds a Master’s degree in Organisational Psychology. Nick will speak about 'Psychology in action: How we can make the world a better place to work.'

Bernie Chau (OKG13): Bernie is a Physiotherapist at PhysioWard Sports & Rehab in Narrabeen. He graduated from ACU in 2018 and has also assisted several sports teams, including Knox Grammar School Rugby/Basketball, Warringah Rats Rugby, and Western Australia Futsal. Bernie is passionate about creating long-lasting health benefits and empowering patients to eliminate pain.

Linda Gomez

Parenting in the holidays
With only a few weeks of the school year left, many of us are thinking about and planning for the holidays. For our boys, the school holidays present wonderful opportunities for relaxation and rejuvenation, quality time with the family and important social time with friends.

Holidays also bring large amounts of unstructured time, opportunities for greater independence, and a range of social activities, including parties - and for some, this may include an increased exposure to risky situations. Neuroscience tells us that the wise decision-making parts of the brain aren’t fully developed until young people are in their 20s. With that in mind, now is a great time to think about parenting your teenager over the holidays. Plan in advance for potentially difficult situations.

Remember that children of all ages require limits and boundaries - and that these should be adjusted as your child grows older. ReachOut has some great points about balancing trust and freedom with your teenager which may be accessed here.

As always, try to work on maintaining a strong, healthy relationship with your son - as the basis for all parenting. Find a way to keep the lines of communication open, and coach them to make healthy and helpful decisions. Discuss the expectations, and know that it is important and reasonable for you to know where they are when they go out.

For those parents wanting more support with managing parties and teenagers, Maggie Dent and Paul Dillon are presenting an online masterclass, 'Alcohol, Drugs, Parties & Teens' on Tuesday 8 December at 8pm. More details here.

Maggie Dent’s ‘Common Sense Parenting’ website also has other helpful resources on a range of parenting topics.

Wednesday 18 November

Online OKGA Career event - Allied Health

Monday 23 November

Paul Dillon parent seminar (online presentation) 6.30pm

Tuesday 24 November

Ride with Richter cap day (please click image below to enlarge)

Thursday 3 December

Term 4 concludes

New Reads

Some latest additions to the collection include;

'Butterfly Song' by Terri Janke

'When the Ground is Hard' by Malla Nunn

'Ghost Bird' by Lisa Fuller

'The Light Between Us' by Andrew Fukuda

'Poison Study' by Maria V. Snyder

'Wild Born Book 1 of Spirit Animals' by Brandon Mull

Reminders

Magazine Giveaway in Week 8: come to the library for the free giveaway of this year’s magazines. 

Holiday Borrowing: you are welcome to borrow for the school holidays. Books will be dated to return the first week of Term 1 2021.

Returning Books: have you received an overdue reminder? Do you need more time to read your selected book? Just come along and speak to the staff in the library or email us to extend your loan.

Enjoy your reading.

Sally Thomson

Senior School Years 7-11 Presentation Day will be held on Thursday 3 December in the Great Hall, Senior School. Senior School Presentation Day will be structured into three separate events:

• Year 11 - 11am-12pm
• Years 9-10 - 12.30pm-1.30pm
• Years 7-8 - 2pm-3pm

Students will be dismissed at the conclusion of their Academy Presentation Day ceremony. Knox buses will run at 1.45pm for Years 9-11 students and at 3.30pm for Years 7-8 students.

All Senior School students are expected to attend on Thursday 3 December. Due to COVID-19 protocols and indoor venue capacity limits, we will only be able to welcome parents of prize recipients on-site. However, the service will be live streamed. The parents of prize recipients will be sent an invite to attend their relevant Presentation Day ceremony no later than Friday 27 November (prize recipients can only be finalised once exam marks have been collated). Parents of prize recipients will be required to pre-register to attend and register by QR on arrival.

If you have any questions about Senior School Presentation Day, please email Zsa-Zsa Monardo (Senior School).

Parent seminar - Parents, sons, parties, alcohol and other drugs: What's happening now and what can we expect in a post COVID-19 world?
Knox parents are invited to register for a webinar with Paul Dillon, Director of the Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia on the topic, 'Parents, sons, parties, alcohol and other drugs: What's happening now and what can we expect in a post COVID-19 world?”.

When: Monday 23 November, 6.30pm
Where: Online seminar (livestream only)
Who: Aimed at parents of students in Years 9, 10 and 11 (Year 12 2021) – other Knox parents welcome to register.

Please register at www.knox.nsw.edu.au/pauldillon no later than Sunday 22 November.

This online presentation will look at the latest data on alcohol and other drug (AOD) use of Australian secondary school students and discuss the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on teens and socialising and what effect the pandemic lockdown may have had on teen AOD use. There are huge challenges ahead for parents as they acknowledge the importance of their sons’ socialising but, at the same time, ensure their safety by having age-appropriate rules and boundaries in place as restrictions are gradually rolled back. To assist parents through this difficult time, some simple tips around alcohol, parties and gatherings will be provided to help ensure their child's safety now and post-COVID-19.

The online parent seminar will be live-streamed, commencing at 6.30pm and running for approximately one hour.

For more information, please email Ms Elizabeth Ruff, Head of Knox Middle Academy.

2021 Applications
We would like to invite students who have competed at the state/national level to apply to join the PEAK program for the next intake. We understand that COVID-19 may have impacted some state/national championships, so PEAK eligibility criteria has been extended to include the last 12 months, or the last state/national championship event that was run.

What is PEAK?
PEAK will be going into its third year of operation and is designed to support high-performing student-athletes who aspire to have a career in elite sport. We aim to develop healthy, resilient and capable students by supporting the holistic wellbeing of each individual, whilst assisting them to achieve their academic and sporting potential.

The PEAK program includes:

• One on one mentoring with Knox high performance coaches, including the development of an Individual Performance Plan (IPP)
• Keynote speakers focusing on the Knox Total Fitness pillars, including:

  • Academic Fitness – covering themes such as time management, goal setting and habits for academic success
  • Physical Fitness – covering effective nutritional practices for athletes, sleep for recovery and effective rehab/prehab
  • Spiritual Fitness (Personal Development) – covering communication, mental preparation and leadership
  • Social/Emotional Fitness – covering resilience, performing under pressure and respect and responsibility

• Small group workshops to further enhance each student-athlete’s skills and learning capabilities.

Please see the PEAK website for more information about the program, including a copy of the prospectus.

To apply, please complete application form here. Applications will close on Thursday 3 December (last day of Term 4), with successful applicants to be notified before school resumes in 2021.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email here.

Kieran Donohue, Director of PEAK

Each school has a different policy with regards to the number of spectators, so it will be important to carefully read the information below.

1. Check the team list to see your son’s team - see the Knox app (download instructions)
2. Check the sports draw to see where and when your son’s team is playing - check the Knox app
3. Is he playing at a Knox Grammar School venue? If yes:

• 2 spectator parents/guardians per player at our outdoor venues
• 1 spectator parent guardian per player at our indoor venues
• QR code registration will be in place across all facilities at entry points, with standard health checks and questions
• Players in all teams should turn up ready to play - no change rooms will be available
• Canteens will be closed. Players should bring their own labelled water bottles and snacks if required
• Players should leave immediately after completion of their fixture
• Teams due to play in Great Hall, MacNeil and Lawson court will need to wait on Boulevard until they may enter the facility. This will depend on finish time of previous fixture
• Water Polo players will need to wait in JAPAC rec area for clearance to enter the pool area
• Standard 1.5m social distancing for all spectators

4. Is your son playing away? Which School is he playing against?

Barker College
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

Waverley College
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

Newington College
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardians per player

Please ensure you follow social distancing guidelines at all times and leave immediately after your son’s game. As always, any sports cancellations due to wet weather will be announced via the Knox app (make sure you have subscribed to alerts for your son’s summer sport).

If you have any questions, please email the Sports and Aquatic Academy here.

Thank you and best wishes to all our students this weekend.

Martin Haywood, Head of Knox Sports and Aquatic Academy

The Australian Science Olympiad Exams are a set of exams that are designed to challenge high performing secondary school science students. They are held in Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science and Physics. 

This year, a total of 29 papers were sat by a variety of boys in Years 10 and 11. As a school, 9 High Distinctions and 8 Distinctions were achieved. Special mention goes to Ethan Ryoo (Y11), Ethan sat all four papers and was able to achieve a High Distinction each. 

The next stage of the Australian Science Olympiad Competition is an invitation extended to the top achievers in each of the domains to spend a residential week in Canberra next year competing for a place in the Australian Olympiad team.

Congratulations to all the boys that participated in the competition this year.

Congratulations to the 2nd XI cricket team with a win versus Trinity on Saturday including Year 10s - Kyeton Reardon, Chris Beeton, Mitch Dempsey, Chris Yanco and Scott Herman (injured).