'Courage is Contagious. Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver'. Brene Brown.

This week brings us to the final week of the summer sport season. What an exciting season it has been. The sportsmanship, positivity and a spirit of courage that have been on display this season has been most impressive. On Thursday, during our school assembly, we were privileged to be joined by PLC to celebrate International Women’s Day. Our guest speaker for the event was news media personality Melissa Doyle. Mrs Doyle spoke to the students about the theme for 2020 – ‘Each for Equal'. She gave a powerful speech on the role of inspirational men throughout her life and the lessons which remain in her many roles today. Mrs Doyle spoke to the students about her personal support for the Alannah and Madeline foundation which aims to keep all children safe from violence and abuse. All Year 10 students are to be congratulated on their response to the talk and participation throughout the assembly.

This week, we saw the first of three excursions for Year 10 in Wisdom, Life and Faith. Students visited the Jewish Museum and Synagogue of Sydney. The Year 10 students have been exploring themes from the museum and synagogue through their studies in History and WLF. The feedback from the students was extremely insightful and many were filled with compassion and empathy at the courage and strength of the Jewish people who survived the camps and discrimination. Certainly a very moving experience for all of our boys to journey through.

Finally, in mentor we continued our exploration and discussions around relationships. The students are examining what a healthy relationship looks like, the complexity of relationships and what it means to have integrity in all of our relationships. The boys are enjoying sharing their ideas through a number of scenarios. Some of the resources our mentors are presenting come from Australia’s leading online mental health organisation – Reach Out. The organisation has appropriate and research-based articles and strategies for both parents and young people. Detailed topics include; negotiating with your teenager, helping your teenager manage distractions and modelling positive ways of relating to others.

Good luck to all of our Year 10s competing in their final summer sport rounds this weekend. 

Margie Raymond

Congratulations to Charlie Anderson who achieved five wickets on Sunday for CAS Under 15s Cricket Vs GPS. A fantastic effort, Charlie.

Important - parent contact details: 

It is imperative that the School has your correct details so we are able to contact you at all times. Please log into the Parent Portal and check that your phone and address details are correct and update if necessary. If you experience any difficulties logging onto the Parent Portal, please contact our Helpdesk on (02) 9473 9706 or email. 

CAS Swim and Dive Championships Supporter Approval - please click here for students who wish to attend the CAS Swim and Dive teams at the CAS Championships on Thursday 12 March. If you would like you son/s to support please go to the Parent Lounge, select the event, confirm his medical details and click on the accept button. Please click here for directions if required. This event is always one of the best on the CAS calendar and the school looks forward to another exciting evening in 2020. 

Term dates 2021

Knox term dates for 2021 are now available here.

School photos can now be ordered via Melba Studios. Year 10 can order their photos from Thursday 12 March. The code to use is: KNOX. To order, you will require your son’s student ID number which is located on his student ID card. This is privacy protected so only you can view your son’s portrait.

Have a great weekend.

Rebecca Smith: 9119 0882

Last Thursday, our boys took park in the increasingly popular Doing da Vinci Decathlon in the Great Hall. The boys were engaged in a series of tasks that demanded, critical and creative thinking, problem-finding and problem-solving, collaboration and communication. All students who participated should be congratulated for their efforts and courage. Results for the 2020 event are as follows:

Year 10 Results 

 Jake Plaskett

Tuesday 10 March

World's Greatest Shave

Thursday 12 March

CAS swimming championships

Sunday 15 March

Kuringgai Chase Fun Run 2020

Thursday 2 April

AFX commences

Saturday 4 April

Year 10 expedition

Thursday 9 April

Term 1 concludes

Tuesday 28 April

Term 2 commences

It is with pleasure that we invite you and/or your son or any family member to participate in the 2020 KURINGGAI CHASE FUN RUN to show support for athletes taking part and, raise awareness and funds for Special Olympics Australia, Sydney Upper North Shore Region.

The Run is being held on Sunday 15 March at Claude Cameron Reserve, Wahroonga starting at 8am and finishing by 11am. Students are expected to make their own way to, and from, the venue.

The participation in the Fun Run is a great opportunity for our boys to help a person with a disability and is an important part of the School’s Social Justice program. As such, the value to both the boys and the Special Olympic Athletes is invaluable. There is no cost involved and this is an opportunity for students and families who are looking to give back to their local community, participate in the School’s Social Justice Program and help to support others. Participation and the invitation is extended to all where you and your son/s will be welcomed as will your extended family and friends.

Students do not need to pay a fee or fund raise. On the day Knox boys act in a supporting role to ‘buddy up’ with a Special Olympics Athlete and support their effort to complete the 5km walk or 10km run.

Students who do attend are required to wear good running shoes and PE uniform and students should be aware that this is considered an official school function. As such, school rules and expectations apply.

If your son would like to participate, simply reply to us by accepting the invitation in the Parent Lounge. There is no need to return a permission slip. If you or anyone you know would also like to participate, please register by visiting the website listed below.

Further information can be obtained by visiting the Run’s website or, by contacting the staff members below who are organising the event for the School.

We look forward to seeing you at the event for what promises to be an incredible day for our local community.

Aaron Nolan andJohn Diamond 

The Uniform Shop will be holding a $5 donation flash sale on Monday 16 March for one week only. This will include most second hand uniform items that have been donated by parents or have been in second hand for over two years.

If you have any items of uniform you would like to donate please ensure they are clean and in good condition.  Drop them off to the Uniform Shop at 10 Borambil Street from Thursday 12 March.

Due to hygiene reasons we cannot accept socks, bags or hats.

All proceeds of items sold will be donated to the Rural Relief Program nominated by Mrs Helen Clarke. This program offers financial assistance to families that live in rural communities that have been impacted by drought and bush fires. 

The Science Department is organising participation in the Big Science Competition this year. 
An email was sent to all parents and students at the start of the week with relevant information attached.

The Big Science Competition is mandatory for all Years 7-10 da Vinci Science students.
Any student who is in a Years 7-10 Core class and wishes to participate in this competition is required to self-nominate.

All parents must accept their son’s participation in this competition through Parent Lounge by Tuesday 31 March.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Ingrid Tuktens

Please see attached important information regarding the 2020 Student Residential Address and Other Information notice. 

Winter uniform
As we approach the halfway mark of the first term we would like to remind all parents that Term 2 changes over into winter uniform. For further information on what the changes are, please refer to the Uniform Policy which is available on the Knox portal here. We strongly recommend purchasing the winter uniform earlier rather than later. Do not wait until the last week of the holidays as we cannot guarantee the sizes that will be available.

For the past 12 years the Knox community has been supporting the Wesley Mission each Easter with gifts of Easter eggs and pots of noodles for Sydney’s homeless. This small gesture for those who are struggling and isolated brings a lot of joy and appreciation.

Please bring your donations along to the SAOs or to Room 15 (Mrs Helen Clarke in the Social Justice Office).  

Our Knox boys together with boys from other CAS schools made up the CAS team going up against the ISA team. Each student played a doubles and a singles match consisting of each two sets. From left: Leo Phijidvijan (Year 9), Nick Bigeni and Aston Bloom played excellent tennis and displayed great sportsmanship on the court, also to the three girls from the ISA team. 

CAS beat ISA today, which means the Cup stays with CAS. In two weeks we will have to face GPS, which will be a much bigger challenge to succeed and try and win that trophy as well.

This week Year 10 Visual Arts students spent two days in Canberra. On day one, they visited the National Gallery of Australia, seeing works by Matisse & Picasso, and were treated to a workshop on digital portraiture. Day two saw students explore the National Botanical Gardens where they captured photographs and sketched detailed drawings of the incredible botanical specimens. They also took part in a life drawing tutorial at the National Portrait Gallery where they learned a range of approaches to sketch the figure.