As a community, we have all shared Alex ‘AJ’ Richter’s journey since his accident last October which resulted in a significant spinal injury.

Part of this journey has been Alex’s desire to complete the HSC with his cohort, the Class of 2020. I am pleased to report that he is well on the way to achieving this goal. So far, he has completed all exams including PDHPE today. He has just the Engineering exam to write next week and then he is finished. Alex is a remarkable young man, this is an incredible achievement considering he has only been in class for five weeks since starting Year 12.

As a School, we would like to continue supporting Alex and his family purchase equipment that is vital for his continued rehabilitation. An initiative of the Prefect Executive is to encourage all boys to purchase a Ride With Richter cap. On Tuesday 24 November we will have Ride With Richter Day at Knox. Boys can wear their cap to school with smart casual clothes. There will also be other fundraising initiatives including a donation at the gates, a raffle and a BBQ lunch.

To facilitate the ordering of caps, if you would like your son to wear one can you please complete this order form before Friday 6 November. Caps cost $25 and this will be charged to your account. We encourage all boys to join this wonderful community connection experience.

Phil O’Regan

This week the boys have been focusing on the upcoming Yearly Examinations in Weeks 5 and 6 of this term. Older boys from the Academic Leadership Portfolio have joined Ms Charlton to share hints and tips about how to best prepare for these.

As in all schools, Yearly Examinations bring a variety of emotions, such as anxiety. The strategies we develop to deal with such situations positively include grit. Developing grit or perseverance is an important trait in all aspects of our lives, but is most critical in times of perceived stress. Helping students plan for a mental blank, an unexpected question or heightened stress can be just as important as effectively revising the subject content. As the boys prepare for these examinations at home, we encourage parents to sit down and talk to their sons about their individual preparation program and discuss ways to achieve their best. Always keep in mind that hard work always pays off in the long run.

I would also like to congratulate all the boys who received awards at our Year Meeting this week and make specific mention of the winning ILA Team of  Cameron Lucas, Hugo Ma, Simon Tan and Ethan Tham-Pich who were presented with their certificates and first place prizes of a Robotics Kit by Deputy Headmaster of Student and Teacher Excellence K-12, Mrs Yager. Staff were blown away by the overall standard of the ILA Tasks amongst the cohort.

A number of parents have contacted me regarding Presentation Day 2020. At this time, the School is constantly reviewing Government and Health Guidelines and more information about the precise format will be shared with parents in the coming weeks.

Please do not hesitate to contact Carly or me if you have any questions or concerns.

Julien Manuel

It was fantastic to watch our CO2024 cadets last Friday. For the first time they took part in the Induction Parade to welcome our incoming cadet leaders. The incoming CUOs were inducted into the unit by Mr James, Mr Ardron and Principal of Ravenswood School for Girls, Mrs Johnstone. This parade held great significance as the first female Senior Under Officer in the Unit's history, Emma Woodcock, was formally inducted into her new role. Well done to all the Year 8 boys - you looked magnificent out there on Knox 1 and made yourselves and Knox extremely proud.

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

• School participation in National Recycling Week

• Christmas Hampers
This term is when the Knox community generously supports families that find Christmas particularly difficult. For the last 13 years, we have supplied Christmas Hampers for struggling families through the Uniting Church Family projects. Our focus this year is on the Wesley Mission and Parramatta Mission. Both organisations aim to support families with basic food supplies and Christmas fare (Christmas cakes, puddings, custard, serviettes, tins of ham, bonbons, biscuits etc. as well as staple goods such as long-life milk, cereals, pasta, sauces etc.) Your support with this initiative will be most appreciated.

• Christmas gifts for children to the value of $10 (or more if you wish)
This has been a long-term project at Knox to support children from STARTTS who receive no gifts without our support. The social workers continually reinforce what a positive difference our donations make to these children and their parents.

All donations may be sent in to me.

A reminder to follow the directions of the road signs with regards to 'No Stopping' and 'Kiss and Ride' signs. These support the community members in the local area while enabling the safe and efficient arrival and departure of Knox students. 

To those families following the Bledisloe Cup, enjoy the game this weekend!

Renee Willson

 Upcoming assessment tasks:

Dates subject to change – check assessment task notifications for final dates and further details NOTE: PAT tests (Progressive Achievement tests) in Maths, Reading and Writing will be administered in designated lessons from Thursday 19 November - Friday 27 November.

Please click here to view the Yearly Examination Schedule.

Janelle Charlton

Monday 9 - Sunday 15 November

National Recycling Week

Thursday 3 December

Term 4 concludes 

Cadet Leave Form Instructions

To access the Cadet Leaver Form in the Knox app, please go to CONTACTS> SCHOOL CONTACTS> CADETS

The Knox Academy of Performing Arts is delighted to advise that 2020 Ensembles will occur on Friday 6 November between 7am-9am in the Wenkart Theatre. Dress for these photos will be winter school uniform. Please note this will take some coordination and I thank you in advance for your assistance, understanding and accommodation. To assist with the smooth running of the morning, please arrive promptly as per the times advised in the schedule below.

KAPA Ensemble members will be greeted by their Ensemble Conductors/Directors in the JAPAC Foyer, where all students will unpack ready for the photos for which will be occurring on the Wenkart Stage. All enquiries should be directed to the Ensemble Conductor/ Director in the first instance. 

On behalf of all in KAPA, we are thrilled to offer this opportunity for our dedicated KAPA students.

James Brice

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.

Thank you to all those students who entered into the Book Week Competitions. Some truly remarkable and colourful entries have been submitted.  Announcements of the winning entries will be posted and prizes awarded shortly.

Magazines in the Library

Some really interesting magazines which cater for a wide variety of interests are available to borrow. 'The Cricketer' was founded in 1921 and posts an exclusive interview with Steve Smith.

'New Scientist' looks at the rival claims to the best ever quantum computer.

'Cosmos' takes an in-depth look into the laboratory with the Virus Busters.

'Science Illustrated' shows how tiny creatures are amazing athletes.

In Week 8 the Library will be holding the annual magazine giveaway.

If you are looking for a place to study, remember the Library is open from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Thursday and on Fridays from 8.50am to 4pm.

Enjoy your reading.

Sally Thomson

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

Each school has a different policy with regards to the number of spectators, so it will be important to carefully read the information below.

1. Check the team list to see your son’s team – see the Knox app (download instructions)
2. Check the sports draw to see where and when your son’s team is playing – check the Knox app
3. Is he playing at a Knox Grammar School venue? If yes:

• 2 spectator parents/guardians per player at our outdoor venues.
• 1 spectator parent guardian per player at our indoor venues.
• QR code registration will be in place across all facilities at entry points, with standard health checks and questions.
• Players in all teams should turn up ready to play – no change rooms will be available.
• Canteens will be closed. Players should bring their own labelled water bottles and snacks if required.
• Players should leave immediately after completion of their fixture.
• Teams due to play in Great Hall, MacNeil and Lawson court will need to wait on Boulevard until they may enter the facility. This will depend on finish time of previous fixture.
• Water Polo players will also need to wait in JAPAC rec area for clearance to enter the pool area.
• Standard 1.5m social distancing for all spectators.

4. Is your son playing away? Which school is he playing against?

St Aloysius’ College
• Indoor venues – 2 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Willoughby Leisure Centre – no spectators/parents/guardians

Barker College
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

Cranbrook School
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

Trinity Grammar School
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

Newington College
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

Scots College (Ruth Everess Aquatic Centre, Auburn)
• Public outdoor venue - 2 spectator parent/guardians per player

Please ensure you follow social distancing guidelines at all times and leave immediately after your son’s game. As always, any sports cancellations due to wet weather will be announced via the Knox app (make sure you have subscribed to alerts for your son’s summer sport).

If you have any questions, please email the Sports and Aquatic Academy here.

Thank you and best wishes to all our students this weekend.

Martin Haywood, Head of Knox Sports and Aquatic Academy

Excellent Effort in Upholding the Knox Learner Protocols

Alan Huang, Lucas Joergensen and Trent Song.

Commendable Effort in Upholding the Knox Learner Protocols

Euan Choi, Ben Howard, Henry Hua, Connor Jago, Kieumars Jahromi, Derrick Jin, Thomas Johnston, Aiden Kwok, Jack Lambert-Hall, Oliver Nguyen, Zoltan Reed and Rory Shearer.

Outstanding Effort in Upholding the Knox Learner Protocols

Jonathan Chen, Samuel Elliott, William Firth, Florian Hess, Harrison Robb, Daniel Schafer and Henry Shepherd

ILA ‘EARTH 2.0’ CERTIFICATES 

Highly Commended

Henry Anderson, Kieumars Jahromi, William Lloyd and Rory Pattman

Equal second place

Jonathan Chen, Tomas Harsany, Denis Yahng, Andrew Ying, Derrick Jin, Samuel Lau, Nathan Wan and Ryan Wei

Winning Team

Cameron Lucas, Jugo Ma, Ethan Thampich and Simon Tan