Building works on the new locker building are progressing well and we expect to be moving the lockers to the new space at the end of next week. Should work continue along the predicted timeline then, in preparation for the move, students will be required to completely empty their lockers on Thursday 7 November. Instead of attending School Assembly during Period 5 on Thursday, students will have this time allocated to cleaning out and packing up their locker. All their books and equipment will need to be packed in their bags and taken home on Thursday. We ask that students only bring essential items with them to school on Friday 8 November.

On Friday, their school bags can be stored in lockers until the end of lunch. For this day only, students will carry their bags to Periods 6 and 7. We recommend that students attach their lock to the strap of their school bag on Friday, so they do not forget to bring it to school with them on Monday. Locations will be provided for students attending Cadets to store their bags after school.

Lockers will be moved into the new building over the weekend and students will have full access to their locker again from Monday morning 11 November. There will be signage and staff on hand to ensure that students are able to quickly locate their locker in the new facility. Mentors and Team Leaders will be advising students in due course of their new locker number. Should your son be absent on Thursday, staff will be placing all contents of the locker in a bag which will be labelled with his locker number. The bags will be locked in a secure room and he will be able to collect his possessions upon his return to school.

14 members of staff will have offices in the new building, namely: Team Leaders, Assistant Team Leaders, Student Administration Officers as well as Student Management Officers. From Monday 11 November onwards, if you are coming to school to drop off items for your son or to submit forms, you will need to go to the new locker building (opposite the Great Hall) rather than Room 19.

We thank you for your patience and understanding at this time as we endeavour to make this transition process as smooth as possible.

Craig Milligan

The opportunities on offer to our boys at Knox never cease to amaze me, there is truly something for every single student. As a school, we are proud of the variety of opportunities provided for boys to discover their passions, develop their skills, and learn about themselves and the world around them.

This week in Year Meeting we heard from Mr Simon Day about the opportunity to be involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a broad program for students to develop their sense of service, their skills of leadership, their physical and mental resilience, and to be recognised for personal and artistic skills. On Tuesday 5 November there will be an information evening for parents and students in the KCC Auditorium at 6pm.  In the same Year Meeting we heard from Ms Lenore Kennedy about Kokoda Trek 2020 and from Ms Melinda Valent about Cadet Tech, a student-run co-curricular program for those with an interest in electronics and engineering to design devices for use in Cadets. Our School is full of staff and students passionate about providing opportunities for every single boy to pursue their own interests, and we celebrate the diversity that our student-body represents. I encourage all boys to get involved in these opportunities.

On a different note, the boys in Year 8 have been spoken to this week about their treatment of shared spaces. This School provides facilities that are second-to-none in NSW and perhaps even Australia. Of late, boys are not demonstrating an appropriate level of respect for the Year 8 locker room as well as the Junior Academy lounge, which is regularly littered with lunch scraps, packaging and other miscellaneous rubbish. As we move into our brand new locker space in the coming weeks, we hope that boys step up and show a sense of ownership and pride in this new space, cleaning up after themselves and encouraging the same of others.

With the Yearly Examinations around the corner, boys will really begin to see the benefits of their organisation throughout this year. To prepare, I encourage boys to look at the materials provided by Mrs Charlton in last week's newsletter for studying and organisation, and to seek advice from their classroom teachers and Mentors on how best to enter the exam block with confidence.

Alec Openshaw

Once again Room 19 came alive with the Halloween celebrations. The room was very nicely decorated and the boys enjoyed some lollies. It was great to have the boys stopping by to check out the decorations, eat some lollies and have a chat. It surely is one of the most popular days in Room 19 for the boys!

For those attending Oliver next week, please note that there will be no refreshments served in the Wenkart Theatre or foyer but cold water stations will be present on the terrace. We still have a few tickets left and if you would like to attend then please click here to purchase your tickets.

Just a reminder that if your son is going to be absent from Cadets on a Friday a Cadets Leave form must be completed. Further information on how to complete the form may be found here.

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 Room 19. Here are a few suggestions if you are stuck for ideas: Christmas puddings, bon bons, tinned ham, minced pies, shortbread biscuits, long life cream and custards. Thank you in advance for making the time to find something exceptional to donate to a family in need to make their Christmas special. In early December we will arrange to take all of the donations into Wesley Mission in the city for distribution to these struggling families.

In the last two weeks we welcomed exchange students Cameron and Ewan from Hale school in Western Australia to Knox and they very much enjoyed their time here and we wish them a safe trip as they fly back home.

Cameron and Ewan from Hale, WA

We wish Sam ten Pas and Matthew Neal a safe trip as they embark on their exchange destination to Western Australia early next week and look forward to hearing about their adventures on the western part of the country.

Sam ten Pas and Matthew Neal

I hope that you have all taken the time to review the Examination timetable and that the boys 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.

Finally, I would like to thank Alec Germanos for his wonderful contribution to the Photo Galleries section.

Have a fabulous weekend and enjoy the finals of the Rugby World Cup.

Crystel Hodgson, Tel: 9119 0881

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

Thursday 5 December

Knox Presentation Day

Term 4 Concludes

Join Alec Germanos, Harry Gordon, Adam Scott, Will Solomons, Brandon Tan, and the rest of the Knox Young Curators at the Industrial Evolution event below from Tuesday 12 November to Friday 29 November where the works of renowned artist Jasper Knight will be on display. Thursday 14 November is the official opening night from 6.30pm. The exhibition is open to everyone and entry is free.

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.

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.

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 Room 19 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.

The first Pop Up Library in the JAPAC last Friday was a great success!  The boys had an amazing selection of popular books to choose from, and were able to borrow and then eat their lunch with a good book to read. 

The Pop Up Library will be in the JAPAC lounge every Friday week B, See you then!

Mr Owers and the Young Curators had a meeting this week to talk about which of the Jasper Knight's artworks to select for the opening night being held Thursday 14 November.

In Mentor groups, the boys have been doing a wide range of activities; from studying for the Yearly Examinations which are almost coming up, to jamming on guitars.

Matthew Neal and Sam ten Pas have been looking after two exchange students named Ewan and Cameron. For the past two weeks, they have been understanding the culture of Knox boys and what they do. It has been a real pleasure having them over and Matt and Sam will be travelling to Hale in WA next week and learning what Cameron and Ewan do at their school.

The boys this week have been doing a wide variety of things at lunch time such as chilling out with their friends. They have been also looking forward to their new locker rooms which will be arriving soon and listening to our Academy Prefects at Year Meeting.