With Term 2 now underway in our remote learning environment, it is a timely reminder of appropriate online conduct. Students are required to wear school uniform (either summer, winter or PDHPE) during online lessons. This not only gets them into a routine but it also ensures a standard dress code amongst students. We also encourage the boys to get into the habit of using proper email etiquette. That is, addressing the person (Dear Sir/Ma’am) followed by the message and a sign off (Regards, name). This skill will serve them well long after they leave the gates of Knox.

Ms Yuan and I popped into a few Mentor Zoom meetings this week to say hello to the boys on a smaller scale and it was great to see them eagerly sharing stories with one another, showing off their pet animals and playing trivia with their peers. We completely appreciate that the remote learning environment does have its limitations when it comes to interactions with peers; however, it has been absolutely fantastic to see the boys make the most of the opportunities they have. As Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunities.

We would like to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mums in our community! In the Stage Assembly this week, staff and students shared ideas about how to make something special to celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend and we look forward to hearing about what the boys did to celebrate their mums.

Lenore Kennedy

As week 2 finishes I hope the boys are managing to get back into the routine of remote learning. I, for one, am looking forward to the boys returning to campus in Week 4 on Tuesday and Friday, it will certainly bring some life and noise back onto the school grounds. A reminder when the boys do come back on campus, they will not have access to their lockers due to social distancing measures. The boys will be required to bring all relevant books/stationery needed for that day in their bags and carry them to each class. School canteens remain closed and boys are required to bring their recess, lunch and a drink bottle.

Students returning to campus will be required to be in full winter uniform. The winter uniform is black shoes, grey ankle socks, grey slacks with a black belt, white long-sleeved shirt, and tie. The students are also expected to continue to wear their blazers to and from school. Uniform orders can be made online through Flexischools.

A timely reminder to ensure all property that students bring onto campus is named/labelled, including school bags, shoes, sports clothes and text books. This makes it easier to return to the rightful owner, if it gets misplaced or left behind.

The Year 7 vaccinations have been postponed and we are awaiting a new date to be allocated by NSW Health. Once more details are known we will communicate that with all families.

Finally, I would like to wish all the Year 7 mums a wonderful Mother's Day on Sunday.





Bec Mitchelson  Ph:91190885

Effective online learning at home
Dr Salter has released a video series answering the most commonly asked FAQs to help Years 7-12 families make the learning taking place at home as effective as possible this term. You can access this series here.

The one hour session is broken into 17 bite-sized chunks of mini-videos. Topics covered include:
• How can families make the home environment a better space for learning?
• What if students have trouble learning this way?
• How can students stay motivated to do their schoolwork at home?
• What are the top tips for parents?
• What are the top tips for students?

Academic support after school
Boys are able to gain academic advice and support via Zoom. Please click here for the weekly roster of Stage 4 support that is being offered after school in Weeks 2 to 8.

Academic reports for Term 1 2020
We are very excited to introduce a reimagined academic report for Years 7-10. These reports will be made available through Parent Lounge at the end of Week 3. The new report format will include:

• The Knox Learner Protocols assessment and reporting tool;
• A refreshed grade distribution table that highlights where your son sits within the SOA/letter grade;
• New executive summary and subject specific pages;
• An abbreviated guide to interpreting the report; and,
• Personalised questions you might use in conversations with your son about his academic report.

Please note: more information about the Learner Protocols will be released alongside the academic reports.

We will be offering three online ‘parent-breakfast’ style sessions about interpreting the new report in Week 4. These sessions (hosted via Zoom) will introduce the Learner Protocols in more depth, unpack the intent of reporting against the Knox Learner Protocols, discuss how to interpret the new executive summary and subject specific pages, and explain quartiles in relation to the task average and graphs in the report. We expect the session will take approximately 15 minutes.

Specific questions about interpreting your son’s report or the Knox Learner Protocols can be directed to your respective Director of Studies; subject-specific questions should be directed to your son’s classroom teacher.

If you would like to join one of the online sessions with the Directors of Studies for Stage 4 and 5, please use this link to RSVP. 

You will then receive an email at the end of Week 3 with a link to the Zoom session. We recommend that you download the Zoom application on your device prior to the session and contact IT if you require assistance.

Upcoming assessment tasks for Year 7
There are no assessment tasks in Weeks 3 or 4.

Janelle Charlton

With the staggered return to school over Weeks 3, 4 and 5 for all year groups, the co-curricular program has had to make some adjustments. Please download the PDF document here for all the information for students to continue to be involved in these exciting programs.

Year 11 and 12 students attending school next week are not required to be at school until 8.20am and therefore are encouraged to participate where possible for parts of any morning co-curricular. All other regular co-curricular programs will resume either in Term 3 or later in the year.

For any questions or concerns regarding the co-curricular program offered in Term 2, please feel free to contact me via email.

Chuck Ardron

Sunday 10 May

Mother's Day

Tuesday 19 May

Year 7 students return on campus

Friday 22 May

Year 7 students return on campus

Monday 8 June

Queen's Birthday - Public Holiday

Friday 26 June

Term 2 concludes 

Please note the commencement dates for Terms 3 and 4 have been brought forward slightly to add additional teaching days to help cover those which were lost at the end of Term 1.

• Term 3 start date – Monday 20 July 2020
• Term 4 start date – Monday 12 October 2020

Full term dates for 2020 and 2021 can be found here.

All students are invited to join the CRU group who meet on Monday at lunchtime. CRU is a group of Christians (and those interested in learning more), who meet weekly to learn about Jesus as well as share and encourage each other and pray. Everyone is very welcome.

Please join us during lunchtime on Mondays (12.50pm–1.30pm) via Zoom.

Please contact Amy Keir for further information.

Winter uniform appointments
The Knox Uniform Shop is still operating on reduced operating times to assist customers that are unsure of sizing of winter uniform. The Uniform Shop will be open Saturday 9 May, 9am-12noon and then from 1pm-5pm on Monday 11 May, Wednesday 13 May, Friday 15 May. Note: we are running on a customer limited basis. Appointments are not required but we will only have two changing rooms operational so we ask parents and students to be patient as our team practise social distancing to keep our School community safe.

Whilst students continue to study online, they are permitted to wear their winter uniform if already purchased or their PDHPE/Sports uniform. When they are on campus, they are expected to wear the winter uniform.

Uniform is available to order online here if sizes are known and these orders can be collected on the dates above when we are open. Please disregard collection dates and times on the Flexischools app. Orders will not be delivered to the Prep School or Wahroonga Prep until Week 4.

Size charts are available online through the Flexischools website or the Knox app as a reference.

If orders cannot be collected during these times, orders can also be collected from Knox Reception during normal reception hours (8am-5pm weekdays). Please email the Uniform Shop to advise of your request.

From Monday 18 May, the Uniform Shop will resume normal operating times from Monday to Friday, 12.30pm-5pm. Please note we are not open on Saturday mornings during Terms 2 and 3.

Julie Blackburn

It has been great to see so many boys engaged in and enjoying the sporting experience we have been offering online. Last week, we had our experienced team of coaches conducting live sessions (and some recorded sessions) for boys to learn new skills and fitness tips. The feedback from the students and our coaches has been sensational. Please remember to help us ensure the boys don’t become complacent, and ensure they carry out any activities in a safe manner.

We cannot wait to have the boys back on our campuses over the next few weeks and we are committed to giving the boys a face-to-face experience as soon as we can. How exactly that will look will be dependent on advice and direction from the Government around sport in the coming days – this information will then be passed on to all families with more detail.

I am excited to direct all parents to a new area for the Sports Acadamy in the Knox Remote Learning Hub here.

These pages are designed to showcase the Sports Academy (KSAA); parents can see what is being offered across a wide range of sports, some weekly tips and videos of the boys, and much more. I hope you enjoy it and, as always, please do not hesitate to email any queries you may have regarding sport.

Have a great week.

Martin Haywood - Head of Knox Sport Aquatic Academy

Wellbeing, Support and Counselling
Knox psychologists are available for support of students and their parents by contacting us via email or phone (02) 9119 0828. A reminder that the Knox Psychologists have produced short videos for parents on such topics as:

• how to survive and thrive as a family
• online resources
• maintaining balance
• managing conflict
• staying socially connected
• motivating adolescents
• managing parental guilt

These videos can be found here. Password: WellbeingSenior

David Schofield

It is great to see so many boys sharing pictures of themselves enjoying time away from their devices and getting involved in many varied activities whilst at home. We've had boys out on bushwalks, beach walking, tap dancing and building. What a variety of things we can all do to keep busy and burn some energy!