As a community, we have all shared Alex ‘AJ’ Richter’s journey since his accident last October which resulted in a significant spinal injury.

Part of this journey has been Alex’s desire to complete the HSC with his cohort, the Class of 2020. I am pleased to report that he is well on the way to achieving this goal. So far, he has completed all exams including PDHPE today. He has just the Engineering exam to write next week and then he is finished. Alex is a remarkable young man, this is an incredible achievement considering he has only been in class for five weeks since starting Year 12.

As a School, we would like to continue supporting Alex and his family purchase equipment that is vital for his continued rehabilitation. An initiative of the Prefect Executive is to encourage all boys to purchase a Ride With Richter cap. On Tuesday 24 November we will have Ride With Richter Day at Knox. Boys can wear their cap to school with smart casual clothes. There will also be other fundraising initiatives including a donation at the gates, a raffle and a BBQ lunch.

To facilitate the ordering of caps, if you would like your son to wear one can you please complete this order form before Friday 6 November. Caps cost $25 and this will be charged to your account. We encourage all boys to join this wonderful community connection experience.

Phil O’Regan

The Class of 2021 has found its rhythm as Year 12 students, settling into the hustle and bustle and academic rigour of the HSC journey. 

In order to best navigate this term, the mentor program has offered the boys to explore the notion of study stress. Through enabling the students to identify the factors that cause stress in these situations, and providing practical management strategies to assist in alleviating the impact and symptoms of these stressors, the boys will have every opportunity to perform at their best throughout the exam period and into next year.

As the boys progress through their HSC year there will be a plethora of information and opportunities for life after Knox. Mrs Gomez provided a very informative presentation to the boys in relation to an outstanding resource provided by the School in the form of the Careers Hub. This platform will provide valuable information, updates and resources relating to university courses, early entry opportunities, scholarships and multiple training courses. Ady Banik and Tony Du also presented about a valuable experience that they took part in during a Careers Evening event held last week. Similar events will be taking place throughout Year 12, so the boys are encouraged to actively engage with the Careers Hub for future opportunities. 

The Tartan Army has already set the tone for the term with an outstanding display at the Barker vs Knox Basketball fixture last Friday night. The boys encapsulated the spirit and drive that this sensational group exudes, and this performance was equally matched on the court with a business-like performance, skillfully captained by our very own Mitch Smith as they comfortably defeated Barker in the main game of the evening. This spirit continued over the course of Thursday and Friday as our newly appointed House Captains marshalled their Year 7 troops with aplomb, cheering them on during the Year 7 House Events. 

Finally, it is worth noting that a trend is starting to emerge with many students using backpacks and duffle bags whilst at school. Boys are reminded that they are provided with a locker to negate the need for a bag. However, in the event that a bag is needed, could we please request that you ensure that your son is using a Knox bag to and from school and not arriving with a bag of their choosing. 

Have a fantastic weekend and 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.

James Stubbs-Mills

I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Basketball games at Barker last Friday night. Well done to both teams on their successes!

Congratulations to James Sung (Bronze) who along with Harry Lawson and Nick Shannon (Silver), attained their relevant Duke of Edinburgh Awards presented in Year Meeting this week.

A reminder to follow the directions of the road signs with regards to 'No Stopping' and 'Kiss and Ride' signs. These support the community members in the local area while enabling the safe and efficient arrival and departure of Knox students. Following on from this, please ensure you have completed the Student Driver form if you are driving to and from school.

I would like to acknowledge, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Wahroonga, a congratulations to Xavier Knight and James Sung on their successful applications to the National Science Youth Forum in 2021. Congratulations to Grant McAsey on gaining his Pilot's license - a wonderful achievement. Well done, Grant.

Celebrating the In-Between Times - Maddison Taylor

Real life most often happens during the in-between times, when we are not celebrating a special occasion. Whilst celebrations are intended to honour life's more momentous occasions, much of real life tends to happen during the in-between times. While moving from one moment in time to the next is seldom considered a significant occurrence, it is during those in-between times that we are most in tune with life's most profound, albeit simple joys.

The in-between times are seldom about landmark moments. How you choose to celebrate them or which moments you choose to celebrate is up to you. You may want to celebrate the simple facts that every day is a chance to spend time with the people you care about or look at the good that exists in your life. Far too often, we can let those simple moments of awe pass us by. The in-between times are when life happens to us between the pauses that we take to honour our milestones occasions. Without the in-between times, there would be no big moments to celebrate. 

It is with mixed emotions we digest the news we heard this week on the appointment of Andrew Weeding (Head of Senior Academy) to Scots All Saints as the Deputy Head of College K-12 and Head of Senior School (9-12) from the start of 2021. l would like to personally thank Mr Weeding for his on-going and generous support with his time, advice and direction for our cohort and our team as we navigated our way through a tricky and hectic Y11 into Y12. We wish Mr Weeding all the best in his new role and will look forward to finishing off 2020 in a spectacular way!

Finally - and by no means least - we were thrilled to hear very exciting news on the arrival of a beautiful boy to our Assistant Team Leader Adam Shaw and his wife Amanda. Welcome Beauden Henry Alexander Shaw born 27 October - already known as 'Bowie'. Heartfelt congratulations from us all!

 Debra Barnard 

Friday 6 November  

• KAPA photos. Winter uniform. Wenkart Theatre 7am to 9am.

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

Monday 16 November 

• Melissa McGuinness Guest Speaker Incursion. Co-founder You Choose - Youth Road Safety

Monday 23 November 

• Paul Dillon Guest Speaker. Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) Incursion. Parent session online 6pm

Tuesday 24 November 

• Ride with Richter Day

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. Some donation ideas are:

• Christmas cakes and puddings
• Long life custard and milks
• Serviettes and table decoration items such as bon-bons
• Tinned ham
• Biscuits - both sweet and savoury
• Nuts
• Jelly and dessert packet mixes
• Milo
• Sweets - no chocolates please

Your generous support with this initiative will be most appreciated.

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. 
Please send in your donations to the WSA office.

The Knox Academy of Performing Arts is delighted to advise that 2020 Ensembles will occur on Friday 6 November between 7am-9am in the Wenkart Theatre. Dress for these photos will be winter uniform. Please note this will take some coordination and I thank you in advance for your assistance, understanding and accommodation. To assist with the smooth running of the morning, please arrive promptly by the times advised in the schedule below. 

KAPA Ensemble members will be greeted by their Ensemble Conductors/Directors in the JAPAC Foyer, where all students will unpack ready for the photos for which will be occurring on the Wenkart Stage. All enquiries should be directed to the Ensemble Conductor/Director in the first instance. 

On behalf of all in KAPA, we are thrilled to offer this opportunity for our dedicated KAPA students.

James Brice

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.

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

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 Great Hall, MacNeil and Lawson court will need to wait on 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?

St Aloysius’ College
• Indoor venues – 2 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Willoughby Leisure Centre – no spectators/parents/guardians

Barker College
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

Cranbrook School
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

Trinity Grammar School
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

Newington College
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

Scots College (Ruth Everess Aquatic Centre, Auburn)
• Public outdoor venue - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

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 Sports and Aquatic Academy here.

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

Martin Haywood, Head of Knox Sports and Aquatic Academy

After under a year of flying, 70 hours in the air, and approximately 150 hours of ground study for my Recreational Pilots Licence ground exam, it all came down to a two hour flight with the CASA testing officer last week on Thursday. I was very happy to find I had passed my Recreational Pilots Licence flight test which means I am now able to take passengers when I fly.

There were a lot of setbacks and challenges in my training due to being a Type 1 diabetic and therefore not be able to have the usual medical to allow me to fly solo and be pilot in command (Captain). However, as I have completed my exams I can proudly join the group of only 25 pilots in Australia to have an official Pilot's licence as a Type 1 diabetic. The next stage in my training is to move onto the Navigational part of training, obtaining the Private Pilot’s Licence.

Grant McAsey

Last Friday, we saw the full contingent of Cadets again for the first time. It was a wonderful sight!

Our new Swim Captain Josh Collett was involved in an NSWIS Relay event at SOPAC last Thursday night. Josh was a part of the Sydney Sharks 4 x 50m Freestyle team, competing against other Australian cities in a relay showdown. Josh was the youngest swimmer selected to compete against some of the fastest swimmers in the country – nailing a 22.04 sec for the 50m freestyle in his race. The NSW Shark team is currently top of the board in the intercity competition! Keep it up, Josh!