The Year 7s have now completed their first set of Yearly Exams in the Senior School. When the students receive their Semester Two report in a few weeks’ time, it will be the perfect opportunity to spend time with parents and reflect, not only on Semester Two, but the academic year in its entirety. After reflection, the boys should note down their goals for coming back in Year 8. During our Year Meeting we played a clip which discussed a growth mind-set vs a fixed mind-set. We encourage our boys to adopt a growth mind-set in all walks of life, not just in their classroom studies. ‘I cannot work out the answer,’ can be changed to, ‘I cannot work out the answer right now.’ Please feel free to watch this clip again with your child; it is such an important part of learning.  

I would like to take this opportunity to remind students that during the final fortnight of this term, classes will run as normal; they should continue to come prepared and ready to learn for all of their classes. We encourage the boys to make good choices in all areas of school life and end the year well. All students are expected to attend school on Thursday 5 December for Presentation Day. This is a wonderful event which celebrates the achievements of students in the Senior School. The holidays do not begin until 3.15pm that Thursday, so please remind your son of the high expectations that we hold in the run up to the summer holidays. 

As it heats up, please ensure your son is being sun-safe and protecting himself from the strong Aussie sun! Mr Manuel and I look forward to the final two weeks of Year 7 with your boys and cannot believe it will soon be onwards and upwards to Year 8. How exciting!

The Year 7 team are all here to support your son, so please get in touch with the Team Leaders or your son’s Mentor if we can be of any assistance.

Carly Robinson

Believe it or not, the end of term and Christmas are just around the corner.

The boys' have now settled into their new locker space as I have into the new SAO office.  It is really fantastic to be sitting right next to the boys locker space as this gives me an opportunity to get to know them a little better and be on hand to assist quickly with any issues that may arise.

Many thanks to a number of the boys' who assisted me in decorating the SAO office in the Years 7 – 10 Locker Facility. The office has now been beautifully decorated with festive cheer. Boys are encouraged to place their gifts and cards for the STARTTS program and food items for the Wesley Mission program under the Christmas tree.

I would like to thank Ms Mawing from our Visual Arts Department who kindly allowed me to showcase some of the boys Sydney Opera House two-dimensional artwork on the cupboard doors behind my desk. They certainly have been a topic of much discussion.

On Friday 29 November Year 12 have organised a fundraiser to support one of their peers. The fundraiser is 'Ride for Richter' and this event will run from 3.30pm – 6.30pm. Alex Richter (Y12) was injured in a mountain biking accident in the holidays. This fundraiser is to raise money for the Richter family for medical costs and day-to-day requirements. 

Everything will be $2.00 – there will be rides, sausage sandwiches, cake stall and snow cones!

Below is a link where boys can sign up to ride a stationary bike for 20mins. In signing up, they are committing to gaining sponsorship where all money will go to support the Richter family.

Please bring cash on the day and hand it to Mrs Cherry (Y12 SAO) or Ms Smith (Y9 SAO) or donate the funds through the Knox Portal > Quick Links > Online Payments > Other School Activities > Support the Richters.

Please support this event and sign up here!

Our annual KAPA Showcase ‘Knox In Concert’ is just around the corner. We are pleased to advise that KAPA will be producing another high-quality professional recording of the concert, for which will be produced for sale after the event.  Please complete this order form for the DVD and digital download copies of the concert. Secure your copy now for Christmas! Please direct all enquiries to our KAPA Coordinator, Mrs Sami Culleton. 

Finally,  a gentle reminder to please remind your son/s to return any overdue books to the Library. If the book might have been lost then please ask your son to speak to the staff in the Library and they will gladly assist him.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. 

Renee Willson Tel: 91190886

Yearly Examinations

The boys are no doubt relieved to have finished their Yearly Examinations! Re-sits of examinations for absent boys were organised where possible. Results will be returned to the boys next week.

PAT (Progressive Achievement Tests)

Next week the boys will be sitting three online PAT tests. They 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 need to bring to school each day next week a fully charged laptop and a set of corded earphones.

Year 7 Integrated Learning Activity (ILA) – When the rivers run dry…

In their 2014 paper 'A rich seam', Michael Fullan and Maria Langworthy discuss the need for new pedagogies to develop the learning, creating and ‘doing’ dispositions that young people need to thrive now and in their futures. They propose that ‘deep learning’ tasks challenge students to construct knowledge, begin to use their ideas in the real world and develop key skills: tenacity, grit, and the proactive dispositions that pave the way to flourishing futures. They assert that students need to develop global competency – character, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, communication and citizenship - to meet the challenges of a complex, dynamic world. At Knox, every student in Years 7-10 completes an Integrated Learning Activity (ILA) which is designed to allow students to apply subject knowledge and understandings in new contexts and to develop skills in working as a team, creating innovative solutions, communicating, solving problems and using technology.

Next week our Year 7 boys will examine the threat of ‘Day Zero’ – when the water runs out – a possibility that currently threatens a number of Australian towns. The boys will investigate solutions and then design a model of a house that demonstrates how you can survive on extremely limited water, using Cospaces Edu (VR). We are aiming to give all students an opportunity to engage with our new iHub. The boys will work on this task in Week 7 during selected periods in English, Geography, Mathematics, Science and Technology. We are looking forward to viewing their creations!  

Janelle Charlton

The 1sts and 2nds Basketball will be playing their last home game versus Barker for this season this Saturday in the Great Hall at 10am (2nds) and 11.15 am (1sts). This will be a massive game for both teams, as they look to close out the term on a win. All Tartan Army members are required to attend if they do not have a clash with their own Saturday sport commitments, and we are looking to get the stands out to accommodate for a crowd. Whether you are in the Tartan Army or not, we would love to see you down there and supporting the boys on the floor. This will be the Tartan Army's debut versus Barker so let's make a good impression!

Can't wait to see you all there.

Nick Reynolds

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

2020 All Schools individual triathlon will be held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith on Wednesday 26 February. Boys will get the bus out to the Regatta Center from Knox and we will also look after the transport of your bicycle.

Race distances are as follows:

Juniors 12, 13, 14 years         400 m SWIM  10 Km CYCLE  3 Km RUN

Intermediates 15, 16 years    600 m SWIM  15 Km CYCLE  4 Km RUN

Seniors 17, 18, 19 years         750 m SWIM  20 Km CYCLE  5 Km RUN

The cost of $30 per person will be added to School fees. 

If you have any questions, would like to enter or would like to participate in the Triathlon training sessions we run here at school, please contact Mr Hart.

Triathlon NSW Talent ID Camp

If you are interested in taking triathlon on in a more competitive manner, then this 3-day camp run by the sports state body; Triathlon NSW, maybe the thing to help you develop the skills needed to take on this sport with three separate disciplines.  Expert accredited Triathlon Australia coaches will focus on skill development including transitions.

If you have any questions please see Mr Hart or email him - If you are planning to go to the camp, please also let Mr Hart know.

Tuesday 12 - Friday 29 November

Industrial Evolution Works by Jasper Knight.

Saturday 30 November

Knox in Concert. Great Hall, 6.30pm

Thursday 5 December

Knox Presentation Day

Term 4 Concludes

Industrial Evolution is open this Saturday from 9am - 2pm. This will be the last weekend that you can catch the incredible works of Jasper Knight curated by the Knox Young Curators. The show will remain open Mon-Fri, 8am - 4pm until Friday 29 November.

Campion Books has advised to hold off ordering text books until students receive their 2020 Year 8 Class Placements (including Language confirmation) after Monday 2 December.

If you have already placed your order this can be easily changed by contacting Campion on 8905 8691 after Monday 2 December when 2020 Class Placements will finalised. (Campion will not apply any late ordering fees to Knox students)

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 your SAO or 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.

For many years the Knox community have generously supported the STARTTS program. STARTTS is the acronym for the ‘NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors’.

The organisation provides a range of professional services to facilitate the healing process for refugees who have been exposed to torture and trauma, as well as access to health services for newly arrived refugees. The aim of the program at Knox is to provide your son with the opportunity to learn a little about the organisation and what it does, as well as to think about children of his own age who have had to cope with very real difficulties in their lives. It encourages the boys to think about demonstrating compassion in his life and how displaying that compassion is integral to our Christian compassion at Knox.

The boys are asked to make a Christmas card for a child who is currently being assisted by the service. It would be wonderful if your son could provide a small Christmas gift ($10 in value) to which his card can eventually be attached.

The gifts should be handed to the Student Administration Office by Tuesday 3 December. We intend to present the gifts to a guest speaker from STARTTS organisation that is coming to the School in the last week of term.

In previous years, the gift from our boys was often the only gift these children received. If possible, please wrap and label the gift indicating whether it is appropriate for a boy of girl.

We appreciate your support as always and hope that the boys will learn a great deal from their participation in this program.

For more information, please contact Mrs Helen Clarke.

For Term 4 the Honour Awards are presented to Year 7 – 10 students.

The awards entitle the student to have embroidery added to the bottom right pocket of the school blazer. This can only be organised through the Knox Uniform Shop and to facilitate this please note the following:-

1.      The list of Honour Awards and Colours will be on display on the breezeway notice board under the McKenzie Building from Monday 25 November. This is the responsibility of the student to find out if they have received an award. Academic Awards will be on display towards the end of the last week of Term.

2.     If students have any queries regarding the Awards, please direct all enquiries to Head of Activity involved immediately; all queries must be raised by 28 November, after this date they will not be considered.

3.      A member of staff from the Uniform Shop will be in the Lawson Centre at recess and lunchtime from Monday 2 December until Wednesday 4 December for students to confirm and sign off the awards presented.

4.      A blazer submission form MUST be completed and signed by the parent and handed in with the blazer after Presentation Day or last day of attendance. Without the completed form the embroidery will not be done.

5.      After Presentation Day, members of staff from the Uniform Shop will be in the Lawson Centre to receive the blazers. Your son must put the submission form in the top pocket of the blazer and put on a hanger on the rail.

6.      The last day for handing in the blazers is Friday 6 December at 1pm. Any blazers received after this time will not be accepted and the next opportunity to have them done will be end of Term 4, 2020.

7.      Please note the Uniform Shop will close at 2.30pm on the last day of term.

8.      The embroidery will be done over the holidays and the blazers will be available for collection from Friday 24 January from the Uniform Shop. If they are ready earlier, a notification will be sent via the Knox app.

9.  All embroidery will be charged to the student school account unless otherwise stipulated on the submission form. It is not compulsory to have the embroidery done but it must be organised through the Uniform Shop and not through an independent embroiderer.

Julie Blackburn

Uniform Shop Manager 

Staff right across Knox have been participating in Movember and with the end of the month fast approaching it’s time to take a stand for men’s mental health, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Click here to sponsor the various staff who are growing Mo’s for a good cause!!

The Social Justice Portfolio will be selling stick on Mo’s next week with all money raised going directly to Movember. Make sure to bring a gold coin!

This year marks the 12th annual ABBOX Camp - the Sony Foundation Holiday Camp for Children with special needs from Friday 6 December to Tuesday 10 December. The camp offers a much needed break for families and a fun time for the children. The ‘campers’ are cared for by Knox and Abbotsleigh Year 12 student volunteers and staff.

Parents are needed to help with the many morning and afternoon teas supplied during the camp. No nuts please, and gluten free options are also requested. Fruit, cupcakes, biscuits, slices, dips etc. (please list ingredients) are also requested for those children attending the camp who may have any dietary requirements.

If you are able to help, please click here!

We have a magazine giveaway starting Friday 29 November in the McKenzie Library! Students are invited to take their favourite magazine, up to three magazines per student. Our extensive magazine collection includes Australian Geographic, Australian Dirt Bike, Guitar, Australian Photography Bicycling, Cosmos, Cricketer, Delicious, National Geographic, New Scientist, New Zealand Rugby, Wheels and many more!  

Call out to volunteers to be Year 8, 2020 Parent Convenors! After two fun years of being parent year group convenors, Lara and Lisa are looking for new recruits! It’s a fabulous way to meet parents and to contribute to the Knox community. We have one keen parent, but it makes it more enjoyable and manageable if there are two. Please click here to contact Lara and Lisa express your interest or for more details. 

Thank you

Lara Bishkov and Lisa Butler

Within this practical printmaking unit students created a two-dimensional lino cut artwork of the architectural landmark Sydney Opera House. Students learnt how to use tools for carving a plate and printing with ink in order to develop their individual designs. Carefully layering their final images with leaf printed watercolour paintings the boys will present a refined lantern form which reflects an understanding of traditional printmaking practices. 7A1 learnt to work independently, recognising that responding to and making artworks involves exploring their own ideas of the Built Environment.

Leilah Mawing