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 that 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 him 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

On Wednesday, Year 8 boys welcomed girls from Mount St Benedict College to Knox for a joint Dance incursion. Excitement and nerves hung in the air in equal measure but the ice soon broke and it was great to see our boys interacting with the visiting girls with such respect, enthusiasm and confidence. It was also great to see the dancing skills on display that they have been working on in PDHPE.

Our ‘Exploring our Traditions’ Year Meeting last week prepared our boys well for Monday’s Remembrance Day service, where we reflected on the sacrifice and service of Old Boys, and all soldiers. Our boys were brilliantly behaved during the service, during which we paid our respects to those who gave their lives in the service of our nation, and in the pursuit of peace between all nations. Our school values walk hand in hand with the notion of service; it takes an important place in our community.

This week we have moved into our brand new locker facility. The boys are to be congratulated on their smooth transition into this space, as they have, after a few gentle reminders, adhered to the rules of this new facility and treated this area with respect. The space is definitely an upgrade, and we look forward to seeing the boys continue to keep this area clean.

Last week's newsletter recognised our Year 8 boys who appeared in 'Oliver!', our school musical. I saw the show on Friday night and I wanted to add my own personal congratulations. While the sets, costumes and lighting were all first class, and all students involved are privileged to have access to these resources through these productions, it is the performances of these boys on which the show’s success hinges. And those performances were excellent!

I wish the boys all the best this weekend as they prepare for their examinations that kick off next week. It will be a challenging week that will put the boys’ organisation to the test, but I have confidence that all our Year 8 boys have the grit to come out the other side proud of the efforts they have put in. 

Alec Openshaw

Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend 'Oliver!' and I was so proud of the boys' on stage presence and performance. The production was second to none and I look forward to watching all the boys grow in their performing ability. 

Wow, the boys have had one big week this week! On Monday as I moved into the new SAO Office, I could see the boys eagerly entering their new locker space. It is a pleasure to work in the new offices and to see the boys walk pass early in the morning as they make their way to class and stop for a quick chat. I am now located right next to the boys locker area if you need to drop something in for your son. In addition to settling into their new locker area on Monday, the boys also participated in the Remembrance Day Commemoration. 

As we approach the end of the term please remind your son/s about the mobile phone policy. They are to keep their phones in their lockers and can only access it during recess and lunch time in the locker area to contact parents. If they do not have a lock and cannot keep their phone secure they can purchase a lock from me for the cost of $20 which will be charged to your school account.

A reminder that if you are planning to finish the school year earlier, please submit a completed Leave Application form for absences of three days or more. Please ensure you complete the same form if you will be returning back to school later than the scheduled first school day in 2020. In addition to your Leave form, if your son is missing a Cadets session during this period, then a Cadets Leave form needs to be completed and instructions on how to do so may be found here.

Warrawee Station will be undergoing some works to improve accessibility at the station. Further information about this building project may be found 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. 

Year 9 2020 Book Order through Campion Education

Campion Education would like to let you know that booklists for 2020 are now available and can be completed online via this website. 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'

Or simply click on  Knox Grammar 2020 Resource Lists to bypass the code (you can create an account too allowing 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 17 January 2020. Boarders can selected 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 17 January 202. 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! 

Christmas Food Drive

We are still accepting donations of non-perishable items  for the Christmas Food Drive. Please send in items that you would usually have on Christmas table to Room 15. A few suggestions of items that you can donate if you are stuck for ideas are: pasta and 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) and table trimmings (such as lollies, chocolate or Christmas bonbons). 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.

Congratulations to Leo Phijidvijan who was a finalist at the 14U Boys at the Rafa Nadal Tour tournament last weekend and won the Trophy of Values (Sportsmanship, Commitment, Fellowship and Effort), giving him the opportunity to compete in the Rafa Nadal Masters in Melbourne in January. Well done, Leo and good luck in your preparation for the event in January. 

The Yearly Examinations schedule for next week may be found here. It is just a reminder to please ensure that if your son is absent on the day of an examination, a completed Illness and Misadventure form is emailed to myself and/or the Junior Academy. Wishing the boys and parents good luck for the week ahead. 

Crystel Hodgson, Tel: 9119 0881

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: 

• 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

Further information about the program, including eligibility criteria may be found here. 

To apply, please complete this application form.

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

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the PEAK team. 

Kieran Donohue

Tuesday 12 - Friday 29 November

Industrial Evolution Works by Jasper Knight.

Monday 18 to Friday 22 November 

Yearly Examinations

Wednesday 20 November 

Parent Seminar: Raising Boys in a digital world, Wenkart Theatre, 6pm-8pm

Friday 29 November

'Ride for Richter'. The Boulevarde and Knox 1, 3.30pm - 6.30pm

Saturday 30 November

Knox in Concert. Great Hall, 6.30pm

Thursday 5 December

Knox Presentation Day

Term 4 Concludes

An evening with Dr Kristy Goodwin

When: Wednesday 20 November 2019, 6pm-8pm
Where: Wenkart Theatre, Junior Academy and Performing Arts Centre, Senior School
Who: Knox Prep, Wahroonga Prep and Knox Senior School parents of students in Years 5-9

Dr Goodwin will provide practical and effective strategies to ensure your son’s online safety and healthy technology habits.

Please RSVP by 15 November here. For more information, email Amanda Pooley.

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!

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.

Uniform Shop Opening Times 2019/2020

Normal trading hours - Monday to Friday: 12.30pm-5.30pm
Saturday (Terms 1 and 4 only): 9am-12noon

In addition, please note the following opening hours:

Term 4 2019

Thursday 5 December (Term 4 concludes): All Years 7-10 blazers being submitted for Honour Award Embroidery to be handed in by 5pm at the Lawson Centre.

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 there will be a sign up link published in upcoming newsletters!

On Wednesday the boys enjoyed the arrival of the girls from Mount St Benedict College to participate in the PDHPE Dance activity. The boys' behaviour were exemplary and they danced beautifully.

After nine months of planning and working up to this show, the boys have learnt many skills and have been really happy with the results. The opening night was really extraordinary with the Headmaster Mr Scott James visiting and Mr Max Germanos (head of 3:33 Art projects) and Mr Jasper knight (the artist who painted all the artworks) being there to the support the boys. There were many things onincluding a question and answer session and speeches from the young curators, Mr James, Mr Germanos and Mr Kinght. Overall the opening night was spectacular and well done to Brandon Tan, Alec Germanos, Harry Gordon, Will Solomons and Adam Scott for representing Year 8.

Students in Mr Aaron Nolan's French Class enjoyed a game of French balls 'pétanque' last Friday. It was a fun activity that all the boys enjoyed.