Last year we introduced the Student Values and Learner Protocols agreement to students. Our intent was to give words to the values, behaviours and characteristics which contribute so effectively to establishing and fostering our positive school environment.  A team of students and teachers from across the Senior School reviewed contemporary research and practice in education, that positively influences our learning and social environment. The team feels the selected traits will set a positive standard for meaningful and respectful communication, relationships and engagement between members of the Knox community.

In the coming weeks your son will bring a copy of the agreement home, which includes the attached (Classroom Learner Protocols and School Values) to discuss with you and sign. We believe through a shared understanding and commitment to these values, behaviours and traits, our students will benefit individually and contribute positively to the climate and culture of both the classroom and playground.

Each of your son’s teachers will observe and evaluate his demonstration of the protocols, with progress in each standard for each subject, which will be shared with you on a termly basis. Further details will be provided towards the end of Term 1.

Mentors will oversee progression in the standards, and through reflective conversations with your son, consider areas of strength and opportunities for further development.  

Phil O’Regan 

The Class of 2021 has had a stellar second week of their Stage 6 journey, and it is clear that the summer break has resulted in some clear growth; both physically and in terms of maturity. Tuesday and Wednesday saw back-to-back Year Meetings, with Mr Nunan walking the boys through the function and expectations surrounding the WSA. Mr Weeding spoke about Social Learning Theory, and the benefits of this practice relating to academic processes and general behaviour. To hear from a student’s perspective, Peter Koch (OKG19) addressed the cohort on the importance of Year 11 as a time to hone study skills, and to experiment with note-making and time management strategies. Once again, he championed the use of the WSA as being a key contributor to the recent success of the Year 12 cohort. 

With the above in mind, it has been pleasing to see the boys using this space effectively and enthusiastically, and treating it with respect. Mr Ranyard pointed out that they are all now in a leadership position, and the expectation is that they set an example to the younger year groups in terms of appropriate haircuts, correct uniform, and ensuring that they keep their common areas tidy. I can report that the class of 2021 has been fantastic in meeting these expectations thus far.

On Wednesday, we recognised the appointment of Seb Henriksen and Jack Hildebrand as the Year 11 Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively. They were quick to take charge of the Year Meeting and the year group is in great hands moving forward. 

Please feel free to contact your son’s Mentor, Mr Stubbs-Mills or myself as the year progresses should you have any questions or concerns.

Adam Shaw

It has been a whirlwind start to the year. Students are now settling into their selected subjects and finding their way to classrooms. From all accounts I'm told the most important thing is that the food in the Boater Cafe is great!

Please see here the link to the Uniform Shop and opening hours. Please note for Term 1 the opening times are Monday through to Friday 12.30pm-5.30pm and Saturday 9am-12noon (Terms 1 and 4 only).

Please click here to access the Y11 2020 Assessment booklet. The booklet has also been posted on the Y11 page of the portal under the 'Academic' tab.

From Week 3 the after school Mathematics help will run on Tuesdays with Mr Glen Charlier in MO306, and on Wednesdays with Ms Clare Keagan-Ward in the  Academy of Global Competency (AOGC). The sessions function on a drop-in basis for any length of time between 3.30pm to 5.30pm where students from all stages can ask for help with mathematics exercises and problems that they have typically been set in class. Please note no sessions will run during the last week of term.

I would like to wish Gabe Carmody all the best this weekend as he attends a three day regatta from today for the State Rowing Championships. 

I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday night at the Y11 Parent Information Evening. The evening is being videoed and a link will be posted to the portal.

Debra Barnard Tel: 9119 0883

I have been honoured to work alongside many of our School's inspiring leaders and thought leaders as we consider how best to communicate your son’s achievement in our termly reports. A literature review was conducted and the team has been inspired by the Chicago Consortium’s Learner Protocols, which outlined some of the most meaningful contributors to students achieving their academic personal best. You may be familiar with the Learner Protocols as we have started using them in our pastoral care programs and as contracts with students at the commencement of 2020 – we are looking to enhance our academic reports and APA to pivot from these contemporary research findings.

If you are interested in participating in one of two focus groups regarding the Learner Protocols, the Knox APA and our Academic Reports, please email me at at your earliest convenience.

Possible dates and times will be sent to interested parents/carers with the aim of meeting sometime next week (Week 3, Monday 10 February – Friday 14 February).

On behalf of the team, I am very excited to consult our parent community to help co-construct reports that are increasingly useful and are underpinned by our Total Fitness and Education for the Future models. 

Jake Plaskett  

Please find the links for information on Co Curricular activities.

• Co curricular opportunities
• Co curricular weekly schedule Term 1 2020
• Co curricular Art Classes 

The final years of high school present many opportunities for life after school. Year 12 is not only about the HSC and the ATAR but also about applications for university early entry schemes, post-school cadetships, internships and co-op scholarships offered by many universities. Year 11 is a great time for students to consider, and to engage in, activities in order to position themselves ready for these opportunities when they arise in Year 12. Many of the applications require demonstrated evidence in more than one of the following:

·        Academic achievements and results

·        Leadership (eg: Prefects, cadets, demonstrating leadership in other areas outside of school)

·        Sporting achievements

·        Community Service – ongoing commitment, engagement and service in the community

·        Paid casual employment or voluntary work

It is important for students to understand the areas they need to demonstrate which will contribute towards creating a strong application when applying for these opportunities in Year 12.

CAREER RESOURCES:

The Careers page on the Knox Portal has been updated and is available to all students and parents within the Knox community. In order to have full access to the Knox Careers Hub, students and parents will need to create an account using the one-off school code of KNOX20. Once the account is created, students and parents will have access to a wealth of information on study options and career pathways, including weekly careers newsletters and reference guides. Any upcoming career events will be posted on the Careers Hub under 'messages' so I encourage students and parents to keep checking the website for announcements on upcoming workshops, seminars and events.

UPCOMING CAREER EVENTS – SAVE THE DATES

·         Knox Careers Night - Wednesday 6 May 2020, Great Hall, from 5.30pm to 8pm

·         Careers Insight Evening – Term 2 (date to be advised)

·         Lunch time seminars - career and university presentations (throughout Terms 1 to 3)

Linda Gomez

2020 All Schools individual triathlon will be held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith on Wednesday 26 February. Boys will get the bus out to the Regatta Centre from Knox and we will also look after the transport of your bicycle.

Race distances are as follows:

Juniors 12, 13, 14 years         400 m SWIM  10 Km CYCLE  3 Km RUN

Intermediates 15, 16 years    600 m SWIM  15 Km CYCLE  4 Km RUN

Seniors 17, 18, 19 years         750 m SWIM  20 Km CYCLE  5 Km RUN

The cost of $30 per person will be added to school fees. 

If you have any questions, would like to enter or would like to participate in the Triathlon training sessions we run here at school, please contact Mr Hart.

Tuesday 11 February 

• Parent Information Evening. Wenkart Theatre JAPAC.

Thursday 13 February 

• Student photos (Catch up)

Friday 14 February 

• Knox at Home. WSA. 

Wednesday 4 March 

• Geography excursion

We look forward to seeing you at the Y11 2020 Parent Information Evening being held next Tuesday 11 February.

For those unable to attend, the presentation will be recorded and a link uploaded to the portal.

Computer Club is up and running again in 2020. The club runs in the iHub every Wednesday from 3.30pm – 5.30pm and operates as a drop-in space, so no long-term commitment or sign up is required. The club has a focus on computer programming. Students can use this space to work on technology related homework or extend their knowledge on computer programming or work on software-based projects. Students are also encouraged to participate in a number of computer-related competitions throughout the year, including NCSS Challenge. 

David McGowan

Senior School Tuckshops - Volunteers Urgently Required for 2020

The Senior School Tuckshops have a number of vacant spots which we are desperate to fill. If you are a new parent or an existing parent, helping out in the tuckshop is very rewarding experience and a great way to meet and socialise with new friends.  

To volunteer, please click on the following links:

Term 1:                https://signup.com/go/TDxCBuJ  

Term 2:                https://signup.com/go/nsosvqa  

Term 3:                https://signup.com/go/NNEATps

Term 4:                https://signup.com/go/OYyUGPj

If you have any questions about volunteering in the tuckshops, please contact Caron Suleyman Tuckshop Convenor.

The following are more wonderful accounts from students who travelled on exchange towards the end of 2019.

During the Christmas holidays, I travelled to France on NACEL’s student language and cultural program. I lived with a host family in Jouy le Moutier, a one hour drive North-West of Paris. For half of my stay, I attended school (even though it was school holidays) between 8.30am and 5pm. Luckily, the rest of my stay coincided with their Christmas break, where I travelled to Brittany and celebrated Christmas with extended family. Living with a host family meant that I had an authentic French experience in a comfortable and safe environment. The program had many benefits, including the opportunity to engage in challenging stimulating conversations with native speakers.

Aaron Erdstein

For Term 4 in 2019 I went on an exchange to a school in Scotland called Gordonstoun near a small town called Duffus. The school is a co-ed boarding school that is about a 4-and-a-half-hour drive North of Edinburgh. The school was much different to Knox as it had school on Saturdays and had Chapel everyone morning at 8.15 followed by classes until 2.25pm. The School had students from all over the world, consisting of 42 nationalities, meaning it was very diverse. Every day after lessons you had an activity of some sort consisting of rugby, football, design and technology club etc. Wednesday afternoons were special compared to the other afternoons as this was your ‘service’ day. Every student at the school had to participate in a service. These services consisted of coastguards, lifeguards, fire service, sport service and many more. A few terms of training are required to become a member in your service. The reason for these services is to develop a lifelong skill and also to be able to put your knowledge into practice as you never know when you will be needed. For example, the Year 12s in the fire service would have to put out a fire at the school (if one occurred) as the school is too far from the closet town for the local fire service to do so in time. I had many memorable experiences while I was there, but some highlights consisted of sailing on the North Sea in -3 degrees, playing rugby in wet and windy conditions and the Annual Christmas Supper. From this experience there is one thing I will never forget and that is the boys from my boarding house that helped me around the whole time I was there. The genuine friendship and connection with these boys is something I will cherish forever. The experiences on this exchange have really shown me different ways of learning and socializing with people from all over the world that I had never met before. I believe my time overseas is reflected quite well in the school motto of Gordonstoun 'Plus est en Vous' meaning 'There is more in you.’

Jake Buchanan

On Tuesday we held the first Year Meeting in the new WSA space. The boys were spoken to by the Stage 6 Academy team and were taken through the options for use of the space, study times, booking dinners, the staff and most importantly uniform, hair, jewellery and their role as senior members of the School.