This week’s Knox Academic Indicator interviews have proven to extremely successful and should provide the boys with a reference point as they begin Year 12. It is imperative that the boys act on the advice of their academic and pastoral mentors, who will be invaluable to guide them this year. The mentor program is focused on managing a (healthy) level of stress during the HSC - organisation and application will be key, as well as allowing time for rest and relaxation!

I would like to echo Mrs Cherry’s congratulations to the Captains of the Tartan Army. This is one of a number of new initiatives being driven by the Prefects. The focus of this group is to represent and support the School at sporting and co-curricular events, adding to the excellent work of the Class of 2019. After finishing school, most of the boys will want to reflect on attending these events and the strong bond and brotherhood of the Knox community.

As the boys begin to drive to school, it is necessary that they complete the relevant forms registering their vehicle. Driving adds an extra dimension of independence for our young men and I trust it is one they will take responsibly. 

Duncan Stedman

What a busy week it has been, most of the boys have now completed their KAI interviews and are now considering dropping a subject. If your son would like to drop a subject he needs to complete a Year 12 Subject Change form and return it to me. Once the change has been approved, the boys will spend their Study period for the rest of this term in the WSA Lecture Theatre with Ms Carroll who will help them. Next year I will send out a Study Leave form with which parents can give permission for their son to spend their Study period at home if this falls in Period 1 or Period 7. This option is not available this term.

The Year 12 Assessment Booklet 2020 is available by clicking here.

I would like to congratulate all the Cadets; we are very proud of our new leadership team. The Leadership Induction Parade was on Friday 18 October marking the beginning of the 2019-2020 Cadet year. We officially welcomed the new Senior Cadet Under Officer (SUO) Finn Cameron, the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) Emma Woodcock and the 55 Cadet Under Officers (CUOs) who will lead the Unit this year. We are very proud of our new leadership team and look forward to an exciting year ahead.

From Monday 11 November to Friday 29 November an art exhibition organised by Mitchell Volk and students from Year 8 and Year 9 called 'Industrial Evolution' will be on display in the JAPAC;  Thursday 14 November is the official opening night. The exhibition is open to everyone and entry is free. 

Men of Knox, on behalf of Nick, James and Luke, I would like to encourage you all to be a part of the Tartan Army. Click here for the nomination form. We are looking for at least 150 keen and committed members from across Years 7-12. Please ensure that you, and any of your inspired mates, are signing up promptly. We hope that you share the same excitement and anticipation for the launch of the Tartan Army as we do with our first major sporting/community events just around the corner. Thank you to those boys who have already expressed their interest, your nominations are extremely valued.

On Wednesday this week the Year 12 Engineering Studies participated in an excursion as part of the Civil Structures unit. The boys got to walk across the Harbour Bridge and then travelled up the Parramatta River by river cat to Parramatta, passing under over a dozen bridges. They completed the trip at the convict stone arch Lennox Bridge in Parramatta, originally built by convicts.

Paul Dillon will be presenting to Year 12 on Monday 25 November periods 6 and 7. Paul will also be presenting to parents on the night of Monday 25 November 6pm - 7pm. Please register here if you would like to attend the Parent seminar. 

Please note, there will be no after school maths tutorials on Monday 28 October.

Robin Cherry 9119 0884

As an initiative introduced for the first time this year, I am overwhelmed by the great response to the upcoming Careers Insight Evening on Monday 28 October.  The keynote address by James Hunter has shown to be the most popular and while some Year 12 students have been unable to register, there will be standing room and extra seating available in the WSA Lecture Theatre so students are able to attend. Mr Hunter is a regular presenter at our School, with his most recent presentation held earlier this year at the Business Industry Breakfast. The focus of the keynote address will be similar to his previous presentation, which was recorded and available on the Careers Page in the portal. I hope to organise another presentation by Mr Hunter in term 1 for Year 12 students and parents. More details will be made available once dates are confirmed.

REGISTRATION:

Please click on the registration link here to register for the career sessions. Please note there are some minor changes to the program:

• Sport and Hospitality has been merged with Sports Coaching and is now referred to as “Sports Management and Coaching”

• Police – due to unforeseen circumstances, there will be only 1 session for this career category, taking place from 6.30pm to 7.10pm.

• Business, Accounting and Finance – more spots are now available across all 3 session times.

A full program of events, including individual presenter biographies, is now available. Please click here to access the booklet. Hard copies will be made available on the night. The Boater Café will be open for light snacks and drinks until 7pm. Please do not enter through the Seniors’ Hall as students will be studying. Signage will be displayed to show the way.

For further information, please email me.

I look forward to seeing many students and parents at this major careers event. 

LINDA GOMEZ

CAREERS ADVISOR / PSYCHOLOGIST

Can you run? Can you swim? Why not give Triathlon a go?

For anyone who has ever wanted to get involved in Triathlon, but didn’t know where to start, Triathlon NSW are running a three day live-in camp with some of the state's best Triathlon coaches, in order to teach the skills required for the sport. It is also timed perfectly for athletes looking for a competitive advantage at the annual NSW All Schools event, held in February 2020 or one of the other many junior events being conducted around NSW.

The camp includes:

*Three day, live-in camp including food and accommodation.

*Mentoring and coaching from some of Australia’s best triathlon coaches.

*Held at Sydney Academy of Sport Narrabeen, utilising their high quality sporting facilities.

*Develop your triathlon skills and enhance your performance at the NSW All Schools Triathlon event.

*Culminating in a fully sanctioned race (included in your registration!) by commercial Race Directors, Mildren Events.

Please click here for further information or contact Mr Hart if you have any questions about the camp.

This week in the Mentor programme, we began our focus on stress management. It is an important life skill to have effective, healthy strategies to manage stress. For those that experience elevated stress levels in the lead up to the HSC, it is our hope that some of these ideas will be helpful. 

The focus for this fortnight was on understanding stress and its causes, with the following key points:

•  Stress is normal and necessary, and at times very helpful –optimal levels of stress can help to motivate us (e.g. to study) and help us to be more focused

•  If our stress levels rise to the point where they cause us excessive distress and impact on our ability to function, it is important to consider ways of managing the stress more effectively

•  There can be many causes of study related stress – some of these are changeable (e.g. number of social events in a weekend) and some are not changeable (e.g. having to do an English exam)

•  Essentially, stress is the mind & body’s way of preparing for a difficult situation through the fight or flight response – in the event of a physical threat these symptoms can be helpful, but they are less helpful for a psychological threat (such as taking an exam) as they can reduce our ability to concentrate. 

•  The ‘fight or flight’ response is the body’s way of responding to threat – and results in physical symptoms, such as elevated heart rate, sweating and trembling

•  Unhelpful levels of stress are often triggered by negative thoughts about:

Myself

My ability to cope

The future

The situation

The boys were encouraged to think about their own experience of study stress using a model of study stress with the following interconnected elements, with each feeding the other:

Thoughts  e.g. “I haven’t done enough study”

Behaviours e.g. procrastinate

Feelings (Emotions) e.g. anxiety

Physical symptoms e.g. heart racing

We would encourage you to talk with your son about the material in the Mentor programme, particularly if they are more inclined to experience high levels of stress. You may like to think about your own experience of stress and share strategies that you have found helpful. Many of the boys will already have effective strategies for managing stress in their lives and these sessions will be an opportunity to review and reinforce the strategies that work most effectively for them. 

Melinda Price, Senior School Clinical Psychologist – Year 12 

Monday 28 October 

• Careers Insight Evening

   5.30pm-8.20pm

   Weeks Senior Academy Lecture Theatre

Friday 15 November

• Knox Christmas Markets

   4pm - 8pm

   Great Hall

Monday 25 November

• Paul Dillon presentation

   Students - Period 6 and 7

   Parents - 6pm - 7pm

   Great Hall

Thursday 5 December

• Knox Presentation Day. Term 4 Concludes

Calling any budding triathletes!

For the first time ever, CIS will be introducing the CIS Teams Triathlon Championships as a qualifying event for the NSW All Schools Triathlon Championships in February 2020.This event will be held on Monday 28 October (Week 3) at Penrith International Regatta Centre. Please see attached for further information.This event is for teams only and you will need to participate in this event to qualify for the teams event at NSW All Schools. Individual competitors will still be able to register directly for the NSW All Schools event in February.

We are seeking interest from individual swimmers, cyclists and runners to form teams for the CIS event. Knox will form seeded teams of boys who we deem to have the fastest qualifying times in their age category. Additionally, Knox will form social teams of boys wanting to give the sport of triathlon a go.

Please fill out the following form to express your interest in participating in this event.

Please contact Mr Hart if you have any questions.

Ben Rothery(Y10), James Gray and Henry Roberts selling Bandannas this morning.

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