On Monday we commemorate Remembrance Day by holding our annual Knox Grammar School Remembrance Day Commemoration and OKGA Honouring Service between 10.30am - 11.10am. The service takes place on Knox 1 and students will be seated in the Knox 1 stand.

Please remind your sons that:

• Cadets involved in service are to wear their bush hat (wide brim).
• All other students wear a Knox hat or cap.
• All students should apply sunscreen prior to coming to school and bring sunscreen to school to re-apply at recess.
• Drink plenty of water at recess to remain hydrated.

Your assistance in encouraging your son to be ‘sun smart’ is greatly appreciated.

Phil O’Regan

What makes up a person’s character? This is an idea the Year 7’s will be exploring during their upcoming Mentor lessons. Your character is a combination of your values, thoughts, words and actions. Character traits are aspects of a person’s behaviour, in which we all have stronger and lower strengths. These strengths can change over time, depending on different stages in a person’s life. It is important for our boys to realise that we all have different strengths and as a year group we want the students to learn from each other in a safe and positive environment.

Already this term, Mr Manuel and I have had some great conversations with many of the Portfolio Leadership Teams, with regards to how they want to lead their year group and leave in 2024, with a legacy to be proud of. The Mentor Group Leaders were also announced this week. The eighteen boys will be a spokesman for their individual Mentor class and I look forward to working with these Year 7 leaders in the near future.

We have said it many times before, but the Year 7 Team are truly so fortunate to have such an outstanding group of boys to mentor.

On that note, it is important to remind the boys of the high standards that we hold for each and every one of them, with regards to their uniform, manners and behaviour in and out of the classroom. We are soon moving into Week 5 of Term 4, where tiredness is kicking in, energy is dropping and everyone is itching to get to that long summer break just on the horizon. As a year group, we must finish off strong and end the way we started. We don’t take our foot off the pedal, we keep going and striving for success, right up to that last day of term.

The Year 7 Team are all here to support your son, so if we can be of any assistance please do not hesitate to get in touch with your son’s Mentor or the Team Leaders. 

Carly Robinson

This week the boys reached a significant benchmark for them, their last immunisation! Although the event may not be that significant, the change in maturity they showed on Friday, certainly reflects the significant progress they have made since the start of the year.

If you would like to purchase your Christmas pudding from the famous Pudding Lane Company who will be present at the Knox Christmas Markets, place your order here and collect it at the markets.

Thank you to those families who have made donations for the Christmas Food Drive. Please keep sending non-perishable items that you would have on your Christmas table to Mrs Clarke in Room 15. In early December arrangements will be made to take all of the donations into Wesley Mission for distribution to these struggling families.

I hope that the boys have all taken the time to review the Examination timetable and have started to plan their revision schedule. We strongly encourage parents to please avoid scheduling appointments or private music lessons at the time your son is scheduled to sit his examination. If your son is absent on the day of an examination, please complete the attached Illness and Misadventure form and email it to myself or the Junior Academy mailbox.

I am looking forward to seeing 'Oliver!' on Saturday evening. A number of staff and boys have said what an outstanding production the show was. Congratulations to Mr Michael Griffiths, Mr James Brice, the Production Team, Tech Crew, Orchestra, Senior Ensemble Cast and the Junior Ensemble Cast, Kisho Carlino-Mizuno, Torben Cook, Henry Dennis, Darcy Dwyer, Flynn Fernando, Will Firth, Nick Gallagher, Aryaan Ganeshan, Hendrix George, James Harden, Jake Henderson, Alan Huang, Douglas Hutchinson-Smith, Connor Jago, Ryan Jones, Charles Kellahan, Sebastian La Hei, Angus Lui, Alex Matthews, Ethan Ong, Callum Parkinson, Lachlan Petty, Ethan Phipps, Kailoh Ramcharan, Rohan Rao, Oscar Rocks, Daniel Schafer, Darcy Welsh, Michael Wilkinson, Charlie Wilson, Henry Wong and Nicholas Woodbridge.

Happy weekend to you all.

Renee Willson Tel: 91190886

Yearly Examinations are almost upon us and will take place in the Great Hall in Week 6 (Monday November 18 to Friday November 22). There is also an additional paper for da Vinci Maths students only, and they will sit this exam in their usual Maths classroom on Wednesday November 13.

Mentors have gone through exam block preparation strategies with the boys this term, including using a weekly planner to schedule study. In Year Meeting this week I spoke to the boys about the benefits of interleaving their revision and the impact of spaced retrieval on memory. We viewed a fantastic video created by Mrs Watts’ Mentor group that showcased the boys demonstrating a variety of ways to study. We strongly encourage the boys to take advantage of the academic help available to them after school on Mondays-Thursdays in the JAPAC Lounge.

In Week 7 the boys will be sitting online PAT (Progressive Achievement Tests) which we administer at the end of each year to provide objective, norm-referenced information about our students’ skills and understandings in a range of key areas and to measure student growth. The PAT tests will be administered in a subject lesson in the normal classroom and will be scheduled by the subject teacher, who will inform the boys of the day and time of the test. The boys will need to ensure they bring to school each day a fully charged laptop and a set of corded earphones.

Janelle Charlton

My name is Andrea Wiffen and I am the newly appointed Director of Student Development for Stage 4. Last term I had the rewarding experience of finishing off my team leading experience with the graduating cohort of 2019 before starting this role. This new role is focused towards engaging students and aid their development throughout the breath of experiences offered in the Knox Junior Academy. This includes Camps, Expeditions, Tours, Co-Curricular, Leadership, Cultural and Social Justice programs. My key focus is helping to ensure students find their place to thrive in the Senior School in their area of interest and strengths. Through engagement in the variety of options provided at Knox, students will develop their own sense of identity and understanding on how they fit into and contribute to our Knox community. So far I’ve enjoyed getting to know some of boys around the playground and I’m looking forward to this continuing for the remainder of this term and into next year. I will be in touch shortly with activities and exciting options for your sons to be a part of. If you would like to contact me in regards to your son and his school participation or engagement, please do not hesitate to call me on 9487 0492 or email. 

Andrea Wiffen

Tuesday 12 November

Volunteer Thank you Celebration. Seniors' Terrace, WSA,  7.30pm -9pm.

Tuesday 12 - Friday 29 November

Industrial Evolution Works by Jasper Knight.

Thursday 14 November

Industrial Evolution Works by Jasper Knight opening night. JAPAC, 6.30pm.

Monday 18 to Friday 22 November 

Yearly Examinations

Friday 15 November

Knox Christmas Markets. Great Hall, 4pm - 8pm 

Wednesday 20 November 

Parent Seminar: Raising Boys in a digital world, Wenkart Theatre, 6pm-8pm

Saturday 30 November

Knox in Concert. Great Hall, 6.30pm

Thursday 5 December

Knox Presentation Day

Term 4 Concludes

The Knox Christmas Markets are being held on Friday 15 November from 4pm - 8pm in the Great Hall.

Once again, Pudding Lane are kindly donating 40% of all pre-orders to the Knox Parents’ Association (KPA), so if you would like to pre-order a Christmas pudding or cake, please see attached “pudding flyer” for details. Pre-orders need to be placed by Friday 8 November.

Please click here to place your order.

Each year the Knox community supports those in need in the lead up to Christmas. We ask the Knox community to donate food for families who will struggle to provide for their families at Christmas.

Donations can be handed in to Mrs Clarke’s office (Room 15)

Suggested items:

Pasta & pasta sauce

Breakfast cereals (no nuts)

Long-life milk

Tinned ham and/or turkey

Long-life custard and/or canned cream

Christmas pudding/fruit cake and/or mince pies

Tinned tuna/salmon

Tea/Coffee/milo/hot chocolate/nesquik

Canned fruit

Cordial

Savoury snacks (no nuts)

Table trimmings (such as lollies, chocolate or Christmas bonbons)

In early December we will arrange to take all of the donations into Wesley Mission in the city for distribution to these struggling families.

Raising boys in a digital world
An evening with Dr Kristy Goodwin

When: Wednesday 20 November 2019, 6pm-8pm
Where: Wenkart Theatre, Junior Academy and Performing Arts Centre, Senior School
Who: Knox Prep, Wahroonga Prep and Knox Senior School parents of students in Years 5-9

Dr Goodwin will provide practical and effective strategies to ensure your son’s online safety and healthy technology habits.

Please RSVP by 15 November here. For more information, email Amanda Pooley.

Parent seminar - Raising Boys in a Digital World flyer

Cadet Tech takes place every Thursday afternoon from 3.15-5.15pm in R33 and is a student run program.

Our focus is making electronic devices for cadets, for fun and for competitions. Everyone who joins is taken through a training program and gets to learn how to put together a variety of electronics projects. We also support cadets in making and maintaining electronics for use in activities, including the CMAPS GPS system.

All students are welcome to attend.

For further information, please contact Ms Melinda Valent or Ms Emma Douglas.

Don’t throw out good school shoes!
We have restarted the shoe collection to help needy children in The Philippines this term. Please have a look at home to see if you have any shoes that are still in good condition that you can donate. These can be school shoes, sports shoes (runners/football boots), sandals or crocs, both for boys and girls. These shoes really make a difference to many poor children and importantly, allow them to attend school. Andrew O’Brien (Year 9) and Mrs Helen Clarke are coordinating this initative. Please drop off your donations to Mrs Clarke in Room 15.

Over the past two years we have developed a student-led recycling and sustainability program. The boys are passionate about furthering commitment to this program. We are working towards a week of recycling events for National Recycling Week.

Speak to your son about the importance of recycling and being mindful of reducing individual waste.

We will be adding to the committee, so please encourage your son to contact Mrs Helen Clarke to join the Recycling Committee.

Welcome to the back end of Term 4 PDHPE. I just wanted to touch base with you with all to explain what will be happening in Year 7 PDHPE during the second half of Term 4. During our practical lessons commencing next week (Week 5), we will begin our Aquatics Unit. Students are required to bring their swimming gear to every practical lesson for the next three weeks. This includes:

• Speedos or swimming skins
• If students wish to wear board shorts, they must be the Knox quick-dry shorts that are worn in normal practical lessons
• Towel
• Goggles are recommended

I encourage you to please notify me if your son is not a confident swimmer as we can cater for every ability.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Moloney.

Joshua Moloney 

Over the last few weeks, boys at the Senior School have been making use of the incredible new iHub space (formerly the Francis Auditorium).

The space has been entirely renovated, reconfigured and reimagined as a new, dedicated space for technology, innovation, robotics and ICT integration.

The iHub, which is the home for our Senior School ICT Integrators, will be used by the boys within lessons and also for co-curricular clubs such as Computer Club and Robotics Club.

The centre-piece of this space is the Igloo Vision ‘Immersive Learning Space’, which will be used for experiential teaching and learning.

This truly remarkable project has been made possible through a generous philanthropic act.

The boys were required to design a trophy for a sport of their choosing. They have been working on their design and development of these trophies over the last eight weeks. The boys are extremely happy and proud of the work they have achieved and as am I.

Tara Hodgins

William Lloyd Acknowledgement of Country at the Boarder Chapel on Wednesday evening. He also was awarded the ConneXions Award. This award was for his contribution to the abiding house at all levels - relationship, application to his study, positive influence and leadership. Well done, William!