Dear Parents,

It has been reported that we have one case of a student with Whooping Cough in Year 9. The student is recovering at home. Should your son experience persistent bouts of coughing please keep him home from school and seek medical advice before he returns.

The text below includes information about pertussis and a link to the NSW Health pertussis factsheet.

WHOOPING COUGH

What are the symptoms?

In vaccinated cases pertussis may present as a very mild illness with very few symptoms, for example a mild cough at night.

Some cases may have a more typical presentation including a persistent cough that comes in bouts. Bouts may be followed by vomiting and a whooping sound as the child gasps for air. Pertussis can cause a severe illness in young children particularly those aged under 6 months.

How is it spread?

Pertussis is usually spread by direct contact with the droplets from the nose and throat of an infected person produced whilst coughing. People at greatest risk of getting the illness are those who have had a considerable amount of face-to-face contact with a person with the disease. Pertussis can occur in people previously vaccinated.

What should parents do?

Anyone developing symptoms should consult their local doctor and mention that there has been a case of pertussis at the school. Children who are diagnosed with pertussis cough need to stay away from school until they have taken 5 days of a special antibiotic.

For further information please refer to the NSW Health pertussis factsheet or contact the Northern Sydney Public Health Unit on 9477 9187.

Phil O'Regan

What an amazing weekend of sport that certainly kept the nerves on edge! The boys won Water Polo on the buzzer, Cricket by a wicket, Basketball after a close match and Table Tennis after defeating a previously undefeated King's. Tennis continued to dominate and Knox were crowned Squash champions with Adam Soonius winning Premier Division 1! Many teams are now in the running to be CAS Champions which is very exciting. A special good luck to the Water Polo boys as they inch closer to taking out the CAS/GPS title which has never before been won by Knox. As the final summer sport season begins to wind up, the boys will be feeling nostalgic walking off those courts and fields for the last time. It is the ideal time to reflect on the opportunities they have been given at Knox and to express gratitude to their coaches and mentors who have guided them through the ups and downs of their school sport.

It is a particularly heavy assessment period at the moment, so it is important that the boys get enough sleep and exercise coupled with a good diet and some relaxation time. There are some very tired looking boys around at the moment! Managing expectations and keeping things in perspective can be hard during Year 12. If you have any concerns, please contact your son’s mentor so we can assist your son in the most appropriate way.

A conversation I had with one of the boys this week reminded me of how far this year group have come in terms of their collegiality. This particular student was speaking on behalf of his group of friends and was expressing gratitude towards another quite separate group of Year 12 boys who were helping them with their academics. He indicated that he felt bad that this help couldn’t be reciprocated. He came to understand that by giving these boys an opportunity to teach, they were in fact helping them as this is one of the best ways to learn. This peer group learning is what we try to encourage in the Senior Academy and I couldn’t be prouder seeing the year group come together to help one another achieve in academics or other facets of school life. One way the year group can come together soon is at the CAS Swimming and Diving Championships on 12 March. This is often a highlight of the year for Year 12 and boys in the past have expressed disappointment at missing this event. Please encourage your son to grab a group of friends to go out to support the team for the final time.

Have a lovely weekend.

Beth Goddard

Robin Cherry 9119 0884

Monday 2 March

• Battle of the Bands - heats commence

 Tuesday March 3

• Knox International Womens Breakfast

  7am - 8.15am,  Great Hall Foyer

  Guest Speaker - Sallianne McClelland the Development Director Women's Community Shelters and founder of ‘Mobilising for Mogo’

  $20pp - Payment can be made by clicking here then scroll down to the International Women’s Day Breakfast

   This is a Parent and son event!

 Tuesday 10 March 

• World's Greatest Shave

       Join the Knox team - sign up today. If you are not brave enough to shave please sponsor someone and donate generously for those that are!

Thursday 12 March 

• CAS - Swim & Dive Champs -   SOPAC

Monday 15 March

• Click here for more information

Monday 23 March 

• 10.30am -Parent Morning Tea - Great Hall Foyer

 • Parent Teacher Evening - Great Hall - Times to be advised

Thursday 2 to Thursday 9 April  

• AFX Cadet Camp

Thursday 9 April  

• Term 1 concludes

The tuckshops are in urgent need for help on Monday 2 March. If you are able to assist  please use the link for signup or email Caron Suleyman on tuckshop@knox.nsw.edu.au.

Thank you!

Please see attached important information regarding the 2020 Student Residential Address and Other Information notice. 

Knox Theatre Ensemble presents ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’

When: Thursday 19 – Saturday 21 March 2020, 7.30pm
Where: Drama Theatre, Junior Academy and Performing Arts Centre, Senior School
Cost: $20 per ticket (limited tickets)

Please click here for tickets. 

Winter uniform
As we approach the halfway mark of the first term we would like to remind all parents that Term 2 changes over into winter uniform. For further information on what the changes are, please refer to the Uniform Policy which is available on the Knox portal here. We strongly recommend purchasing the winter uniform earlier rather than later. Do not wait until the last week of the holidays as we cannot guarantee the sizes that will be available.

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