The Class of 2021 is looking more and more comfortable as a Year 12 cohort, with another stellar week behind them. 

In Mentor this week, the themes explored during the Year 12 retreat have been continued with a focus on academic self-care. A healthy mind and body is key to the success of your son in allowing him every opportunity to perform at his best throughout the hectic schedule of a common school day. We have explored a number of key elements that are crucial to a healthy diet and the boys have had an opportunity to review their current intake and now may wish to set some achievable goals to ensure they are correctly fuelling themselves. 

The KAI interviews are in full swing, so we encourage all involved to use this process as a springboard to start some meaningful discussions as a family to plan out these early stages of the Year 12 journey. 

Our assembly this week was led by our Prefect Executive, and in particular our Sport and House Prefects in Tyler Krenkels and Will Blackburn respectively. Our 1st summer sports teams were recognised, as well as our captains for the 1st teams and for the wider sport cohort. Congratulations to these boys and best of luck to everyone involved in their summer sports campaigns - our student athletes are in great hands this year. Ahead of the rejuvenated house system coming into effect, the House Captains were also announced, and have been charged with fostering a sense of connection, inclusivity, perspective and a healthy sense of competition among their house members.

Three passionate young men were presented with their pinstripe jackets by Mr James yesterday - Ayden Yates, Lachlan Orth and Dom Cutrone. These boys are the 2021 leaders of the Tartan Army and will be leading a group of 50 men in cheering on our Basketballers at Barker College tonight. It should be a massive game, and Mitch Smith and the boys will go a long way to getting the desired result with their peers behind them. 

Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend, and a smooth and productive Week 3. Remember, please be sure to contact your son’s teachers, mentors or Team Leaders if you have any questions or concerns about your son’s progress.

Adam Shaw

With KAI meetings concluding there have been a few students who have dropped subjects to enable them to have 'study' periods. As explained to in detail in the Year Meeting I would like to reinforce that these are not 'free' periods but rather 'study' periods that are taken under supervision at school. Next year, paperwork will be sent to parents to approve if your son can arrive late or depart early should a study period fall in P1 or P7. This means a student cannot leave campus early or arrive to school late this term under any circumstance for a study period. I would like to emphasise that these P1 and P7 study periods for next year are a privilege offered to students with a good record of attendance and should not to be expected to be automatically approved.

The Assessment Booklet for Year 12 Term 4 2020 and Term 1 2021 is now available. The assessment chart can be downloaded as a PDF or Excel sheet. These are all accessible via the Academic tab on the Y11 Page on the portal.

Christmas Hampers 
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.)

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. If you wrap your gift, please label and indicate if it is for a boy or girl and the age appropriate for the present. All donations may be sent to me in the WSA office.

As this is our last Christmas we share together at Knox I would ask you give generously. Your support with this initiative will be most appreciated.

At this week's Year Meeting the new House Captains and Vice Captains were announced by Will Blackburn, Head Prefect House, followed by a roof raising welcome and war cry led by the new Tartan Army leaders in Lachie Orth, Ayden Yates and Dom Cutrone. Congratulations to all!

• Adamson - Captain Marlon Dosanjh, Vice Captain Tyler Krenkels
• Angus - Captain Lachie Orth, Vice Captains Greg Felton/Christian Smith
• Bryden - Captain Nick Tanna, Vice Captain Lachie White
• Gillespie - Captain Jack Craig, Vice Captains Sam Druce/Will Schmude
• McIllrath - Captain Declan Ravenhall, Vice Captains Matt Taylor/Tom Plasto (Y10)
• McKenzie - Captain Max Pike, Vice Captains Barnaby Clarke/Robert Ly
• McNeil - Captain Tom McCann, Vice Captain Kyh Samuelsson
• Montgomery - Captain Avinash Mirando, Vice Captains Nick Grattan/Peter Poulos
• Murdoch - Captain Patrick Bolger, Vice Captain Dan Brading
• Reid - Captain Cam Wilson/Liam Thomas
• Sinclair - Captain Shiv Suresh, Vice Captains Trystan Kennedy (Y10)/Joshua Darley (Y10)
• Turnbull - Captain Xavier Knight, Vice Captains Tom Nathan/Liam Gray

Finally, a massive 'Thank you' to the Co2021 for generously moving aside to allow the Y12 2020 students access to the Seniors' Hall for the HSC English exams that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and in anticipation for the Maths exam taking place on Monday next week. I am immensely proud of them as I have not heard one single complaint and they have been wonderful in their support. 

Debra Barnard 

Last week it was a pleasure to address the boys at the Year 12 Retreat organised by Mr White and the Team Leaders. One of the areas we addressed was Social Learning Cognitive Theory. Proposed by Albert Bandura in 1977, this theory of learning posits that observation and modelling have a significant influence on how people can acquire new information, values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. As Bandura pointed out (Bandura, 1977, p.22) "Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do," and "fortunately, most human behaviour is learned observationally through modelling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action."

The Weeks Senior Academy provides an ideal environment to embrace Bandura’s way of learning. Environment alone, however, will not necessarily ensure a positive outcome as there must be a cognitive element as well (Bandura, 1995). This includes a mindset including;

• wanting to learn and believing learning is possible (self-efficacy)
• expecting similar outcomes if actions are similar to what is observed (outcome expectancy)
• paying attention to positive role modelling
• having the cognitive capacity to process and permanently retain what has been observed
• reproducing what has been observed
• practising what has been observed

We know the boys will benefit from the positive modelling they will demonstrate over the next twelve months. It will be a privilege to have the opportunity to share this final year journey with the boys and their energetic and dynamic Team Leaders and Mentors.

Paul Dillon, the director and founder of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) will be presenting to our Year 12 students on Monday 23 November. Paul has been working in the area of drug education for more than 25 years. During this period, he has worked with many school communities across Australia to ensure they have access to good quality information and best practice in drug education.

The Year 12 session will address the topic “Last year at school: What do I need to know about alcohol and other drugs?” It aims to ensure these young drivers are as prepared as possible, with information about drink driving and the process of random breath testing (RBT), as well as roadside (RDT) or mobile drug testing (MDT) provided. Some basic facts about ecstasy/MDMA will also be discussed, including the impact that being caught with an illicit substance can have on a young person’s life, as well as the importance of seeking help as quickly as possible should something go wrong.

Parents have the opportunity to hear Paul talk on the evening of Monday 23 November. The session will be live streamed, and run for one hour with the opportunity ask questions afterwards. Paul will address the topic Parents, sons, parties, alcohol and other drugs: What's happening now and what can we expect in a post COVID world? 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 restrictions on teens and socialising and what effect the pandemic lockdown may have had on teen drug 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 your child's safety.

Information about how to view this online session will be communicated closer to the date.

References
• Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs.
• Bandura, A. (1995). Self-efficacy in changing societies, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Andrew Weeding and Greg Nunan

Students and parents are invited to attend the next online careers event, to be held on Monday 26 October, commencing at 6pm. Details are below:

Topic: Careers in Information Technology
Date: Monday 26 October, 6pm - 7pm
Venue: Online via Zoom. Registration essential by 12noon, Monday 26 October.

Students and parents will hear from three Old Boys:

• Paul Gladigau (OKG85) is currently CIO/General Manager of Institutional Banking and Markets Technology at Commonwealth Bank and is responsible for delivering major technology change programs.
• Ed Colyer (OGK13) is Head of Product at Clipboard and will speak about his current role working across the whole product and software development process, including design, planning, building and testing.
• Akhil Bonu (OKG16) is a final year student at UNSW studying Business Information Systems and will be speaking about his journey from high school to university graduate and how students can take charge of their self-development. In particular, he’ll be giving his insights into a career in technology and the countless possibilities it holds.

Students interested in a career in IT are encouraged to register to attend this upcoming careers event. More information may be downloaded here.

Linda Gomez

 Monday 26 October 

• Careers in Information Technology online event. 6pm-7pm. Register here by 12noon, Monday 26 October.

Monday 9 to Wednesday 11 November  

• Breaking the Man Code by Tomorrow Man. Online sessions from 6.30pm- 8pm. 

 Monday 9 to Sunday 15 November 

• National Recycling Week

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

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 the Great Hall, MacNeil Court and Lawson Centre will need to wait on the Boulevard until they may enter the facility. This will depend on finish time of previous fixture.
• Water Polo players will also 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
• Players plus only one spectator for indoor sporting activities
• Players plus two spectators for outdoor sporting activities
• Barker COVID-19 Sports Protocols

Cranbrook School
• 2 spectator parents/guardians per player for all outdoor sports
• 1 spectator parent/guardian per player for all indoor sports
• Cranbrook COVID-19 Sports Protocols

Waverley College
• 2 spectator parent/guardians per player at outdoor fixtures at Queens Park
• 1 spectator parent/guardian per player at indoor fixtures and tennis or any other fixture on Waverley College campuses

Abbotsleigh School – Aquatic area
• No parent spectators allowed

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 Sport Department.

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

Martin Haywood, Head of Knox Sports and Aquatic Academy

For many years the School has offered a ‘fees in advance’ program to enable increased flexibility of such payments. The program is attractive for many reasons, enabling parents to make lump sum payments for years ahead which attract discounts to the scheduled fees. To qualify, upfront full year payments must be made for a minimum of one year and the payments must be made by 13 November in the year before your payment program begins. Payments will only be accepted by direct funds transfer or cheque (credit card or BPAY payments are not permitted for this program).

Details of the Fees in Advance Program can be found here on the Knox website. Alternatively, you might like to discuss this in confidence with Betty Fowler from the School’s Accounts Department on 9487 0442.

On Wednesday 21 October, Year 12 Agriculture students had a visit from Luke and Jess Micallef from Camden valley farm as part of their studies of dairy production. The boys had the chance to ask detailed questions about the agricultural and business operations of a dairy farm and hands-on opportunities to milk a cow.

The CRU sausage sizzle lunch and games provided last Monday 19 October was a great success. This 'Welcome to Term 4 and the incoming Prefect body' was arranged by Will Feather (Head Prefect Faith & Spirituality), toegther with Prefects Ethan Ang (taking photos), Mitch Penn and Jimmy Wang.