Dear Parents

Over the school holidays, one of our Year 12 2020 students, Alex Richter, sustained a serious spinal cord injury whilst mountain biking.  Alex is in good spirits and is continuing to receive care in hospital.

As a school community, we are rallying together to support Alex and his family at this time. Alex has a brother, Josh, in Year 9 and a sister at Ravenswood. The family faces many challenges including modifications to their home and on-going medical and treatment costs.

In order to support Alex and his family, the Class of 2020 is organising an initial fundraising event for our students called ‘Ride for Richter’ on Friday 29 November from 3.30pm to 6.30pm. 

This fun event will include exercise bikes to ride for sponsorship, a sausage sizzle, baked goods and many more carnival activities. Please look out in the newsletters for more information in the next week.

If you wish, you can also contribute via the Knox payment portal, select ‘Other School Activities’ > ‘Support the Richters’.

Thank you for your support of this event and Alex and his family. 

Scott James

The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you're made of, not the circumstances - Mel Robbin

As we approach the Yearly Examination Week, the perceived pressure of performance might well feel like boiling water for our boys. The pressure you feel should not be a 'comparative' pressure, but rather a 'personal best' pressure. A student will rarely taste the joy of success if he is always comparing himself to others, and this can be the cause for anxiety and stress in a student’s life. I would like to challenge each student during this examination period, that your motivation be to beat your personal best. Parents: this may also mean you have to adjust your expectations and hold your son to account on the effort and personal goals he has set himself.

It is also important to remember that Yearly Examinations in Stage 4 of Senior School are more important for setting and shaping good study habits and techniques rather than actual results. Making use of the staff and resources available to each student are critical for success in building these foundations as your son moves through the stages towards the HSC in a few years’ time.

Please read through the Knox Examination Code of Conduct with your son to ensure he is aware of expected behaviour during the Yearly Examinations.

I would also like to remind everyone that school continues as per normal during and after the examinations, in terms of our standards and expectations. The long summer holiday break is just three weeks away and it is vital that each student finish the year strongly. Work in the classroom continues as we strive to complete the set curriculum for each subject and afternoon co-curricular activities should continue seamlessly. It will be a wonderful celebration at the end of the year if we are all able to acknowledge our boys' personal successes and observing how each one has matured and grown in his learning and self-awareness.

Craig Milligan

It is definitely that time of the year when everyone is approaching the finish line and the much-needed Christmas holidays are just around the corner. However, before we can put the pens down, loosen the ties and put our feet up, our boys must navigate their way through the Yearly Examination Week. Just like a 400m runner entering the final straight with the final line and accolades in sight, now is not the time to start to ease up. The upcoming examinations should not pose as a threat, but rather an opportunity to display the skills and knowledge acquired during the course of the year. Our Year 7 boys, both as individuals and as a collective, have conquered some major mountains during the amazing journey our boys have run. I encourage all boys to keep working hard until the finish line in three weeks’ time and wish them all the best next week. A reminder that all sport and co-curricular activities will continue to take place throughout the examination period and attendance is compulsory.

This week has also been a time of great change for the Year 7 boys after moving into the new locker area. On behalf of Ms Robinson and I, we would like to thank every boy for their help and cooperation to ensure that this move occurred without a hitch. Moving around the locker space during the breaks, we sense that the boys really enjoy their new surrounds and are slowly getting accustomed to their new locker locations and the changes this move has brought about, in regards to moving around the School in between periods.

I would like to make special mention of Harry Cluff and Simon Kinsey who spoke to the boys about the hardships being faced by farmers as the drought intensifies. Both boys spoke honestly at our Year Meeting this week and suggested ways that our boys can help support our country communities. These ideas will tie in closely with the ILA Task that all boys will be completing after the Yearly Examinations. More information on this task will be provided by Ms Charlton in due course.

Finally, I would like to take the time to farewell Ms Katy Thompson as she leaves Knox this week. Ms Thompson has been a valued member of our Mentor Team and she will be missed by both the boys and families. Over the past three terms, she has developed a strong bond with her group of boys and I would like to wish her every success as she embarks on the next stage in her career. I would also like to welcome Mr Richard Winstanley to the Class of 2024 Team as he takes on Ms Thompson’s Mentor Group.

I wish every boy the best of luck next week. Study hard, get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated and make sure you get some exercise every day. Let’s stay positive and work hard because you never know how far your dreams and talents will take you!

Julien Manuel

On Saturday evening I attended the final performance of 'Oliver!' The musical was outstanding. I was extremely proud of each and every Year 7 student who participated in the production. Congratulations to you all.

There have already been overwhelmingly generous Year 7 donations for the Wesley Mission Christmas collection. The Christmas tree will be up in Room 107 on Monday and ready to receive non-perishable hamper items and wrapped children's gifts. Our aim is to be unable to see the tree at all by the end of term! Thank you so much to those families who have already donated.

A reminder to the boys that they have obligations in relation to the way they wear their school uniforms. Shirts should fit and be tucked into their pants/shorts and top buttons to be done up at all times. Boys must wear ties and ensure that it covers the top button. Socks must be pulled up. Blazers and boaters are to be worn to and from school each day. Mobile phones are to remain in boys' lockers throughout the day.

Parents and guardians are reminded of the procedure 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.

Wishing you all good luck for the upcoming examinations.

Renee Willson Tel: 91190886

Pathways for Elite Athletes at Knox  (PEAK) Program – 2020 Applications

We would like to invite students who have competed at the State/National level to apply to join the PEAK program for the 2020 intake.

PEAK is in its second year of operation and is designed to support high performing student-athletes to achieve excellence in sport, whilst achieving their best in the academic environment.

The PEAK program is a holistic wellbeing program, which includes:

One on one mentoring with Knox high performance coaches, including the development of an Individual Performance Plan (IPP)

Keynote speakers focusing on the Total Fitness pillars, including: 

o   Academic Fitness – covering themes such as time management, goal-setting and habits for academic success

o   Physical Fitness – covering effective nutritional practices for athletes, sleep for recovery and effective rehab/prehab

o   Spiritual Fitness (Personal Development) – covering communication, mental preparation and leadership

o   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

See attached prospectus for more information, including eligibility criteria or visit the website here.

To apply, please complete application form here.

Applications will close on Thursday 5 December (last day of Term 4), with successful applicants to be notified before school resumes in 2020.

If you have any questions, please email PEAK.

Kieran Donohue

Tuesday 12 - Friday 29 November

Industrial Evolution Works by Jasper Knight.

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

Campion Education would like to let you know that booklists for 2020 are now available and can be completed online at www.campion.com.au. Please place your order by Friday 6 December 2019 for home delivery before school commences in 2020.

When ordering online you will need to use the following Access Code: D69G

Simply click on this link: Knox Grammar 2020 Resource Lists to bypass the code. You can create an account allowing you to make changes and check on the status of your order.

All orders placed online are delivered to your Home, Office or any designated address. The parcels will be delivered the fortnight ending Friday 17 January 2020. Boarders can select the option for Boarding School Delivery.

Digital items where selected and available will be available via Campion Educations MyConnect Platform, these accounts will be created and available in the fortnight ending Friday 17 January 2020, you will receive an email that week with download and access information.

Placing your order online by the due date is the best was to ensure students will receive all available items in time for back to school 2020!

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.

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.

Students and staff from our three campuses came together in the Great Hall today for a huge whole of school celebration of the joy of Christmas. There were Christmas carols, messages from the Bible and one very jolly visitor.