What a dynamic and interesting week we have seen, with the introduction of off-campus learning and our first ever Senior School assembly streamed online! I am extremely proud of the boys and the maturity they have shown in embracing the new educational landscape and the many opportunities it offers.

Absences and on-site/off-site learning
• Our teachers will be taking the roll for all students in each class (including working on-campus and off-campus).
• If your son is switching to or from off-site learning, please follow our usual processes for reporting absences - use the School app or contact your Student Administration Officer.
• If your son is absent from classes, please continue to report this through the normal processes.

Protocols for learning at home
Student and Parent Online Learning Protocols will be provided at the start of next week.

Technical support
If you require technical assistance with your School laptop or online learning, in the first instance, please email the Help Desk helpdesk@knox.nsw.edu.au  with the following information:

• Student name and year level
• Asset tag on the laptop or iPad
• A clear description of this issue including anything you have tried already
• A photo or screen shot of the problem if possible.

We aim to resolve issues within the next business day of receiving technical support requests.

Timetable
Boys will be following the standard timetable each day, with Period 1 commencing at 8.25am and the School day finishing at 3.15pm. Boys should be at their learning space and ready for class to commence by 8.25am.

Please click here for the Week 9 timetable.

Uniform
Boys who are learning off-campus are expected to wear their school or PE uniform. Boys who are on-site should wear the uniform.

Uniform Shop
The Uniform Shop continues to operate with modified business hours in Weeks 9 and 10 and beyond - Monday through to Friday 11.30am-4.30pm and Saturday 9am-12pm. Please see the article in this week’s Year Group newsletter for more information. Please be mindful that when the School reopens in Term 2 all students will be expected to wear the Winter Uniform. If you cannot get to school all items are available to order through Flexischools and can be collected from the shop. For more information, call 9487 0191 or email.

Counselling Services
I know that students and families may require extra support at this time. We are now able to provide online counselling services via Google Meet for students as needed during normal office hours (8am-4pm).

For an appointment to speak with, in the first instance, your son’s Team Leader, or if you feel direct contact is required contact the counselling/psychologist team reception, call (+61 2 9119 0828) or email reception. We have established special protocols around online counselling and parents will be asked to complete a permission form.

Buses
Buses will run as normal for boys learning on-site

Canteens
Our canteen remain open.

Co-curricular
The following programs are continuing at school over the last two weeks of term:
Clubs: AI, Chess, Computer, CMAPs, Cru, Robotics, Social Justice, TAS Workshops and Tech Crew.

The following programs will continue at school and also have a blended program utilising Google Classroom and or Google Meet.

• Debating and Mock Trial: Training will continue as scheduled for each year group. Knox Debating Cup has been postponed until Term 2.
• Drama and Theatre Sports: After school sessions continue as scheduled.
• KAPA: Ensemble training will continue.
• KAPA peripatetic lessons: These lessons continue at the same time as scheduled each week.
• Pipes and Drums: Training continues as scheduled as does the tutor lessons at their scheduled times.
• Duke of Edinburgh: Students wishing to continue to work on their Duke of Edinburgh program need to contact Mr Goodwin.
•  The Year 10 Service Learning Program: This new initiative has been postponed. Information will be available at the commencement of Term 2.
• Art Club
• Cadets - including morning training
• Future Problem Solving

Sport
Please see the information about Sport in this week’s Year Group Newsletter.

Autumn holidays
A reminder, as per the Headmaster’s letter earlier this week, the last day of Term 1 is Friday 3 April 2020. Term 2 will commence on Tuesday 28 April 2020.

COVID-19 Policy
Protecting the wellbeing of our School community is our priority. In order to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, please do not enter our campuses if:

• You have been diagnosed with COVID-19
• You have had close contact with someone who has or is suspected of having COVID-19
• You currently have cold/flu like symptoms
• As per the Federal Government policy, you have travelled overseas in the last 14 days
• As per the School’s policy, you have had close contact with someone who has visited China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea or Mongolia in the last 14 days.

The School must be immediately notified if you become aware that you have had exposure or potential exposure to someone confirmed as having Coronavirus.

Phil O'Regan

There is no doubt that it has been an extraordinary week, with a number of deviations from our usual educational format as you are all aware. However; you would be hard-pressed to find evidence of this among our cohort, with a business-as-usual mentality supporting the mantra that ‘the learning doesn’t stop’. In challenging times, you are given a great measure as to the character of a group or an individual, and we have measured up brilliantly as a collective. 

The group has shifted from their usual culinary haunt in the WSA Auditorium, to the balcony above, where the atmosphere at recess and lunch has been jovial and relaxed. My hope is that this area will now be realised as a fantastic and preferred space for our boys. 

Earlier in the week we said goodbye to a number of our boarders, who have moved off-site in some cases to set up an online learning space from home. Early feedback has been positive, with boys engaging freely in lessons and maintaining a tangible connection with the School, their teachers and their classmates. This process, and the experience on offer, will only improve as time permits and anecdotal evidence suggests that we are tracking well. 

With a number of co-curricular commitments being paused, achievements are still flowing in from Year 11. A big congratulations to Kyh Samuelsson who was named as a joint-winner of the national award for Exceptional Contribution to the Community by an Indigenous Boarding Student. He has had a great start to the year, and this is a well-deserved accolade. Jack Hildebrand continued his stellar summer with success at National Sailing Champs last weekend, along with Jackson Young finishing in the Top 10 and Nationals for Mountain Biking. James Jiang and Chanuth Gunawardene were pivotal members of the Knox CAS Chess Championship Team, Rene Sun captained our victorious Tennis team, and Year 11 Band 'Scapegoat' were successful in reaching the final 4 at the annual Battle of the Bands. The Class of 2021 is travelling beautifully.

As all classes are now offered online, it was reiterated to the boys that they must behave responsibly in this space, and the appropriate use of technology is paramount. Boys have made a commitment to honour this, and I look forward to Year 11 leading the way and getting the most out of this exciting platform of learning.

While some processes within the School have temporarily changed, please note that our lines of communication have not. As always, 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 use your son’s mentor as the first port of contact. 

Adam Shaw

Thank you to all the parents that have contacted me this week with their kind words of support for our community. It is encouraging and very heart warming to see the boys still thinking of others and bringing in the pots of noodles and Easter eggs for our collection for Wesley Mission. 

Well done to Jackson Young on his recent 2020 Mountain Bike Australian Championships in Bright. It was a challenging course with tough competition with Jackson placing tenth in the Cross Country event and I am informed that he is already keen for next year's event! 

Well done also to Jack Hildebrand for receiving the award as the Black Squad Skipper at the end of season sailing event held at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club last Saturday.

I would also like to add my congratulations to Kyh Samuelsson on his award for Exceptional Contribution to the Community by an Indigenous Boarding Student.

If your son is absent from school, either on-site or off-site, please submit the usual absentee notification on Parent Lounge and in the parent comment section state the reason for your son’s absence. All absences of three days or more will still require a medical certificate. I will continue to send SMS alerts out if your son has been marked absent for two consecutive periods and I have not been notified of their absence. Currently if students are present online, we are recording them as absent from class - present online. For all students that are experiencing difficulties notifying their teachers of their presence online, please send the teacher and me an email so that we can update the roll accordingly.

All lunch time presentations have been cancelled including the Engineering presentation that was scheduled for next Tuesday.

Debra Barnard Tel: 9119 0883

The year group is adapting very well to the changed circumstances they are facing. Most boys are getting on with their work and capitalising on the opportunities that change presents. The staff keep reminding the boys that in terms of completing the work, it is still business as usual as we prepare for assessments ahead. We are working on a revised assessment schedule and this will be distributed by the end of next week. 

It is essential that students who are self-isolating are still doing the normal amount of work each evening. This should include revision of the lesson material that day, all required homework and appropriate study to revise past work. Furthermore, weekend work should continue as normal that includes finishing all study notes pertaining to work covered that week, doing practice questions/problems/essays etc and reading ahead.  We understand it might be tempting to ‘back off’ a little now the pressure of looming assessments has been lifted; however, this could result in problems later in the year. Remember, Year 11 is only a three term year! We keep reminding the boys that assessments have been postponed, not cancelled. This term we introduced the Quadrant approach (see Week 5 newsletter). The boys are certainly in the Quadrant of Quality with regards to school work (urgency low, importance high), and time spent wisely now (eg writing a study plan each day with clear goals) will alleviate pressure when they return to the Quadrant of Necessity (urgency high, importance high). 

Andrew Weeding and Greg Nunan

 Tuesday 24 March

• Careers Presentation -Engineers Australia. WSA Lecture Theatre. Lunchtime.

Saturday 28 March 

• Earth Hour 2020

Sunday 5 April 

• Daylight Savings Ends

Friday 3 April

• Term 1 concludes- new date

Friday 10 April

• Good Friday

Knox is committed to providing all students with a comprehensive program whether it be from home or on-site. Please note the following to assist with plans from the Sports and Aquatic Academy through Week 9 and 10 starting Monday 23 March.

Period 7 - Boys on-site
Boys will attend to their regular winter sport training session and will be conducted in a modified manner ie. non-contact. Venues for these sessions have not changed unless you receive notification via School App primarily due to weather/cancellations.

Period 7 - Boys at home
The sports department will provide alternative physical activities that will be emailed to students. This will be in the form of online video clips and easy to follow exercises under the guidance of our experienced Strength and Conditioning Department.

The content will contain various body weight exercises that will vary across the age, development and experience levels to cater for a continuum between minimal physical activity levels to maintaining previous high physical activity. Each physical area of focus and subsequent exercises will have instructions, regression and progressions to allow flexibility of choice for individual circumstances.

Note - All boys whether on-site or at home are expected to participate in Period 7 sport through Weeks 9 and 10.

Before and after school training - Boys on-site
Boys will attend to their regular winter sport training session as per the advertised schedule on the School app. Trainings will be conducted in a modified manner consistent with current expert medical advice ie. non-contact. Boys are expected to bring boots and wear the appropriate sport attire as per any regular session.

Before and after school training - Boys at home
As per Period 7 above, boys may access video footage from the S & C Department which will help maintain physical fitness and mental wellbeing. This will be in the form of an email to the students.

Holidays
Any training throughout the Term 1 holiday period will be sent via School app to the specific sport.

From Term 2
The Sport Department will have sessions tailored specific to each of the chosen winter sports for all students to access. Further information regarding the roll out will be provided in the holidays. We look forward to offering your son an innovative approach to physical and mental fitness during this time. Physical activity plays an important role in maintaining physical and psychological health. Regular activity also assists with maintaining normal sleep routines and daily patterns, which could help in dealing with the uncertainty of the current situation.

We look forward to your support through this period.

Mr Martin Haywood

Change to opening hours and operations
With students now learning on-site and off-site, the Uniform Shop has reviewed its opening times during this period.

We are still at this time very much open to help you fit your child for their winter uniform that they will require for Term 2.

To meet with standards for the health of our customers and staff, and adhere to social distancing guidelines, we will practise the following:

• Limit the number of customers in the changing room at any given time to three students and one attending parent. All other children will be asked to wait outside the changing area.
• Parent/guardians will be asked to assist their child but our staff will be on-hand to advise.
• All our staff regularly wash their hands and hand sanitiser is all around the shop for everyone to use. We also regularly spray down the changing area surfaces and the counter tops.
• Card payment would be preferred to limit the handling of cash.
• If your child is showing any symptoms relating to COVID-19 or other illnesses we would respectfully ask you not to bring them in.

Below are the revised times and dates of opening for the Uniform Shop. However, if you are unable to attend, uniform items can be ordered online. Size charts will be added to the Flexischools site to assist with sizing. Orders will not be dropped at Knox Prep until the start of Term 2 however parents are welcome to collect items from the Uniform Shop. Uniform Shop staff are more than happy to discuss sizing and requirements over the phone. Please call 9487 0191 or email here.

• Week commencing 23 March - open daily 11.30am-4.30pm Monday through to Friday Saturday 28 March 9am-12pm
• Week commencing 30 March - open daily 11.30am-4.30pm Monday through to Friday  Saturday 4 April 9am-12pm
• Week commencing 6 April - open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 9.30am-4.30pm
• Week commencing 20 April - open Thursday & Friday 9.30am- 4.30pm
• Week commencing 27 April - open Monday 9.30am-4.30pm, Tuesday onwards (subject to school re-opening) normal opening times resume.

Please note, circumstances permitting we will do our best to adhere to these amended times but should there be any change we will advise through the Knox app.

Colours Embroidery for Year 12
Due to the logistics of the embroidery of Colours, it has been decided that the Year 12 Colours will not be done over the Term 1 break and instead will be done over the Term 2 break. Further communication will be sent out during Term 2.

Thank you for your ongoing support and patience during this difficult time.

Mrs Julie Blackburn, Knox Uniform Shop Manager