Campion Books 2021
Please be aware that decisions regarding da Vinci placements and Mathematics placements for Years 8 to 10 are made in week 8, the last week of school. To avoid the need to swap texts please hold off submitting your order until you are notified of your son’s placement. The Campion deadline for orders is the 9 December 2020.

Year 8 Book List

Mrs Karen Yager

We take great pride in being able to share our students’  significant achievements and are delighted to learn of Stanley Zhou’s commitment to the St John Ambulance Cadets, having recently received an award for completing over 100 hours of community service. Congratulations Stanley! Additionally, a big congratulations to Daniel Rigby who competed at the State Swimming Carnival and won the 50m, 100m and 400m Freestyle as well as the 50m and 100m Backstroke. Academic achievements were also recognised in our Year Meeting this week with several of the boys receiving awards for excellence or most improved across their learner dispositions. We reminded the boys that with continued effort, results will follow. It is important they keep this in mind as we head towards the end of the year.

It is completely normal for Yearly Examinations to bring about a series of emotions. This is the boys' first of many examination blocks in the Senior School and we have been proud of how well they have been preparing for them. Developing perseverance and grit are two character strengths that have been our focus in Mentor sessions this term and are important during times of perceived stress. We encourage you to sit down and discuss your son's study plan with him and work on pathways which will help him close the year out in a positive way.

The weather is finally warming up and whilst skin cancer may be far from the boys' minds, it is important that they recognise the dangers of the sun and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves. This includes wearing a hat when outside, applying sunscreen regularly and seeking shade where possible.

Lenore Kennedy

We are now approaching the halfway mark of the term, and assessments and examinations are in full swing. Good luck boys for the busy weeks ahead! Congratulations to a number of students who received Learner Protocol Awards at Year Meeting this week. Please see the photographs in the gallery below. 

A reminder that we are accepting donations of long-life food items to make up some Christmas Hampers for our local charities being supported by the Uniting Church Family Projects in the lead up to Christmas. These items are distributed to many disadvantaged families over the Christmas period. Please drop any items to myself or Mrs Clarke. Knox continues to support STARTTS this year, as we have for many years. Information about STARTTS may be found by clicking here. Donations of a small children's gift up to the value of $10 (or more if you wish) can be given to me. These are so appreciated as often these are the only gifts some children will receive at Christmas. 

As a School, we would like to continue supporting Alex 'AJ' Richter and his family, to assist in the purchase of equipment that is vital for his continued rehabilitation. An initiative of the Prefect Executive is to hold a Ride for Richter Cap Day on 24 November at Knox. Boys can wear their purchased cap to school with smart casual clothes. There will also be other fundraising initiatives including a donation at the gates and a raffle.

 Enjoy the weekend!

Bec Mitchelson Ph: 9119 0885

As we enter the Yearly Examinations period next week, I would like to encourage each boy to strive to achieve his personal best. It is important to remember that Yearly Examinations in Stage 4 are important for building the foundations of good study habits and techniques that will be critical as your son progresses towards the HSC and beyond. Could you please read through the Knox Examination Code of Conduct with your son to ensure he is aware of expected behaviour during the Yearly Examinations.

A reminder that if your son is absent for any examination, you should inform his SAO as early as possible on the day of absence. We will endeavour to administer the missed examination on the next or subsequent day, where practicable. An Illness/Misadventure Appeal (IMA) application together with relevant documentation (such as a medical certificate or parent note) must be emailed here and a copy to the SAO by Thursday November 19 to avoid any task penalty. As per our Assessment Policy, late completion of an examination without an approved IMA or leave form may attract a 10% reduction of marks.

Janelle Charlton

As your child moves throughout his adolescence, one of the most common issues that he’d encounter is anxiety. There are many perspectives on anxiety and its function, and as parents it’ll be helpful to gain an understanding of this.

There is a free webinar being run by Dr Caroline Donovan through the 'Be You' organisation that will talk about anxiety in secondary education settings. The program will cover:

• What is anxiety and types of anxiety; identifying those with anxiety and internalised anxiety
• What underpins anxiety; treatment of anxiety
• The importance of the relationship with the school
• How schools can support the student with anxiety
• What teachers need to be aware of with anxiety - the avoidance cycle

If you’re interested in this, the details are below.

Understanding and Responding to Anxiety in Secondary School Settings
Tuesday 10 November 2020 (3.45pm-4.45pm)
Click here to register.

Does your child demonstrate avoidant behaviours when it comes to academic work?
The counselling Psychologists have put together some information here that discusses strategies to deal with procrastination, which is a common issue among students throughout Prep School and Senior School. As always, feel free to speak to your Mentor and/or Team Leader if you believe it’s a significant issue.

Tuesday 24 November

Ride with Richter Cap Day

Cultural Immersion Day

Thursday 3 December 

Term 4 concludes

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.

2021 Applications
We would like to invite students who have competed at the state/national level to apply to join the PEAK program for the next intake. We understand that COVID-19 may have impacted some state/national championships, so PEAK eligibility criteria has been extended to include the last 12 months, or the last state/national championship event that was run.

What is PEAK?
PEAK will be going into its third year of operation and is designed to support high-performing student-athletes who aspire to have a career in elite sport. We aim to develop healthy, resilient and capable students by supporting the holistic wellbeing of each individual, whilst assisting them to achieve their academic and sporting potential.

The PEAK program includes:

• One on one mentoring with Knox high performance coaches, including the development of an Individual Performance Plan (IPP)
• Keynote speakers focusing on the Knox Total Fitness pillars, including:

  • Academic Fitness – covering themes such as time management, goal setting and habits for academic success
  • Physical Fitness – covering effective nutritional practices for athletes, sleep for recovery and effective rehab/prehab
  • Spiritual Fitness (Personal Development) – covering communication, mental preparation and leadership
  • Social/Emotional Fitness – covering resilience, performing under pressure and respect and responsibility

• Small group workshops to further enhance each student-athlete’s skills and learning capabilities.

Please see the PEAK website for more information about the program, including a copy of the prospectus.

To apply, please complete application form here. Applications will close on Thursday 3 December (last day of Term 4), with successful applicants to be notified before school resumes in 2021.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email here.

Kieran Donohue, Director of PEAK

Thank you to all those students who entered into the Book Week Competitions. Some truly remarkable and colourful entries were submitted.  

The results are in and the winners of the Book Week 2020 Wild Creative Writing and Graphics Competitions are;

Creative Writing

First place: Joseph Guo (Y7)

Second place: Marcel Rudas (Y7)

Wild Graphics

First place: Brodie Shearer (Y7)

Second place: Hugo Hoskins (Y9)

These students will each receive a $20 book voucher from Novella Bookshop, Wahroonga Village. All entries are available to view in the McKenzie Library.

Thank you to all who entered.  

Future events

Magazine Giveaway in Week 8. Come to the library for the free giveaway of this year’s magazines. 

Holiday Borrowing - you are welcome to borrow for the school holidays. Books will be dated to return the first week of Term 1 2021.

Returning Books - have you received an overdue reminder? Do you need more time to read your selected book? Just come along and speak to the staff in the library or email us to extend your loan.  

Enjoy your reading.

Sally Thomson

During the holidays I was in touch with a number of organisations who are seeking to support the increased needs in our wider community. These organisations reported of families impacted by loss of jobs and some who are struggling to make ends meet.

This term we will undertake the following planned three key annual events:

• School participation in National Recycling Week
• Providing Christmas food hampers for families in need
• Providing Christmas gifts for the Children who are supported by STARRTS

All donations may be dropped off to Mrs Mitchelson.

Has your son outgrown his Football or Rugby boots? We are supporting a community in the outback who have no access to any sporting equipment. They are particularly keen to receive Football or Rugby boots as most cannot play as they have no boots. Donations may be dropped to Mrs Mitchelson or to Mrs Clarke. Any clean Football socks would also be appreciated.

Helen Clarke, Head of Diversity, Justice and Stewardship

Learner Protocol Awards handed out at Year Meeting this week. 

During the Year 7 House Activity Days held last week, each house put on a short drama performance. Congratulations to the winning house, Reid!  This is the first time the House Drama Cup has been awarded since 1972. Well done.  Overall winners were MacNeil.