We are so pleased in the response from the community so far in preparing for our Ride with Richter Cap Day on 24 November. Students from across the year groups are getting behind the initiative and many others have asked to extend the opportunity to purchase a cap. So, the online form remains open for parents to purchase a cap for their son until Wednesday next week. Boys will also receive a sausage sandwich on the day.

Boys can come to school on 24 November in casual clothes and will be asked for a gold coin donation either on entry to school or during their mentor lesson. Through the day we will have activities for boys to be involved with.

For more details, please refer to the Ride with Richter Cap Day flyer here.

Senior School Campus – Tuesday 17 November
Please be aware that the Senior School Campus will be closed at 5pm on Tuesday 17 November, unless students are catching the 5.30pm bus.

The Boater Café will be closed and no students will be on campus in preparation for the Year 12 Farewell Event.

Phil O'Regan

After weeks of preparing for our Yearly Examinations, the final examinations for 2020 are now upon our boys. There was a real sense of confidence and calm amongst the boys as they prepared to sit their first examination, Maths, on Wednesday morning. Throughout the locker space and at various points on the Boulevarde, boys were working collaboratively, sharing notes and testing each other to make sure they are best prepared for what lay ahead.

In my conversations with the boys over the past few days, I have reminded them that preparing for examinations is all about trusting the process of studying and that they should not become preoccupied with things that are outside of their control. The boys should always remember that the process of consistent hard work in the lead up in the examinations will always pay off when results are released later this term.

As the boys move through the Examinaton Week, it is important to remember some of the following points:

• Focus on quality study rather than quantity. Once you have understood a topic, move on to the next one.
• Get plenty of sleep. Do not stay up late to study as this will have a negative effect on your performance.
• Eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of water.
• Take study breaks and get outside for some physical activity. Go for a bike ride, swim or walk around the block.
• Don’t let yourself get stressed – these examinations are a great chance to find out what you know.

Examination Week aside, this has also allowed the boys to come together and pause to remember all of the men and women of the Australian Defence Force who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The boys were able to join other members in their mentor groups to reflect on the significance of the day and observe as Mr Bruce Craig (OKG77, Vice President of the OKGA Inc.) announced the Knox Service Roll presentations for 2020.

Finally, as we move into the final three weeks of the 2020 academic year, please keep an eye out for details regarding the end of year events. As with all events this year, these events will be different from previous ones and we will share information with all families as soon as they are released.

Julien Manuel

With Yearly Examinations underway, parents are reminded that if your son is away the day before or the day of an exam, we require an Illness Misadventure Form to be completed accompanied by a medical certificate. Also, any leave of three days or more requires a Leave Form to be completed, and submitted with a minimum of two weeks' notice.

Friendly reminder - Cadets
The next stage of uniform has begun for our Year 8 recruits. On Saturday 21 and Saturday 28 November, recruits may collect the rest of their gear from the Q-Store that will be on loan to them. The Q-Store will be open from 8am-4pm and the days are divided by company. Accompanying parents will need to follow the policy as per Saturday sport spectating and sign in with the QR code at Borambil gates prior to entry to collect the gear.

• Saturday 21 November 2020 – BRAVO, CHARLIE and DELTA companies
• Saturday 28 November 2020 – ECHO, FOXTROT and GOLF companies

Any questions, please email the Cadet Office.

The National Recycling Challenge
This week we launch the National Recycling Challenge for all year groups. The goal is to improve the use of our yellow recycling bins and the challenge is to see which stage recycles the greatest volume. There is a poster competition and all boys are invited to participate. Posters will be displayed at Year Meetings in Week 8 and a winner announced for each year group.

Wanted - items for Christmas hampers and gifts for families and children in need. Thank you to our Knox community for your continued support of families who find Christmas a particularly difficult time. For the last 13 years we have supported the following:

• Wesley Mission and Parramatta Mission through the Uniting Church Family projects will be supporting families at Christmas with basic food supplies and Christmas fare. Some examples of goods to donate include Christmas cakes, puddings, custard, serviettes, tins of ham, bon bons, long-life milk, cereal, tea, coffee and hot chocolate.
• STARTTS helps children who would otherwise receive no Christmas gifts without our support. The social workers continually reinforce what a positive difference our donations make to these children and their parents. Christmas gifts to the value of $10 or more would be most appreciated. Please wrap and indicate the appropriate age and gender of your gift.

Enjoy the rugby this weekend.

Renee Willson

Parenting in the holidays
With only a few weeks of the school year left, many of us are thinking about and planning for the holidays. For our boys, the school holidays present wonderful opportunities for relaxation and rejuvenation, quality time with the family and important social time with friends.

Holidays also bring large amounts of unstructured time, opportunities for greater independence, and a range of social activities, including parties - and for some, this may include an increased exposure to risky situations. Neuroscience tells us that the wise decision-making parts of the brain aren’t fully developed until young people are in their 20s. With that in mind, now is a great time to think about parenting your teenager over the holidays. Plan in advance for potentially difficult situations.

Remember that children of all ages require limits and boundaries - and that these should be adjusted as your child grows older. ReachOut has some great points about balancing trust and freedom with your teenager which may be accessed here.

As always, try to work on maintaining a strong, healthy relationship with your son - as the basis for all parenting. Find a way to keep the lines of communication open, and coach them to make healthy and helpful decisions. Discuss the expectations, and know that it is important and reasonable for you to know where they are when they go out.

For those parents wanting more support with managing parties and teenagers, Maggie Dent and Paul Dillon are presenting an online masterclass, 'Alcohol, Drugs, Parties & Teens' on Tuesday 8 December at 8pm. More details here.

Maggie Dent’s ‘Common Sense Parenting’ website also has other helpful resources on a range of parenting topics.

Tuesday 24 November

Ride for Richter - please click here for further details

Thursday 3 December

Term 4 concludes 

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.

Senior School Years 7-11 Presentation Day will be held on Thursday 3 December in the Great Hall, Senior School. Senior School Presentation Day will be structured into three separate events:

• Year 11 - 11am-12pm
• Years 9-10 - 12.30pm-1.30pm
• Years 7-8 - 2pm-3pm

Students will be dismissed at the conclusion of their Academy Presentation Day ceremony. Knox buses will run at 1.45pm for Years 9-11 students and at 3.30pm for Years 7-8 students.

All Senior School students are expected to attend on Thursday 3 December. Due to COVID-19 protocols and indoor venue capacity limits, we will only be able to welcome parents of prize recipients on-site. However, the service will be live streamed. The parents of prize recipients will be sent an invite to attend their relevant Presentation Day ceremony no later than Friday 27 November (prize recipients can only be finalised once exam marks have been collated). Parents of prize recipients will be required to pre-register to attend and register by QR on arrival.

If you have any questions about Senior School Presentation Day, please email Zsa-Zsa Monardo (Senior School).

New Reads

Some latest additions to the collection include;

'Butterfly Song' by Terri Janke

'When the Ground is Hard' by Malla Nunn

'Ghost Bird' by Lisa Fuller

'The Light Between Us' by Andrew Fukuda

'Poison Study' by Maria V. Snyder

'Wild Born Book 1 of Spirit Animals' by Brandon Mull

Reminders

Magazine Giveaway in Week 8. Come to the library for the free giveaway of this year’s magazines. 

Holiday Borrowing

You are welcome to borrow for the school holidays. Books will be dated to return the first week of Term 1 2021.

Returning Books

Have you received an overdue reminder? Do you need more time to read your selected book? Just come along and speak to the staff in the library or

email us to extend your loan.

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 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?

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

Waverley College
• 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

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

2020 Pipe Band NSW Solos
On Sunday 8 November, the Knox Pipes and Drums boys participated in the Pipe Band NSW Solos at Blackmore Oval in Leichhardt. It was good to see a high level of participation from Knox. Congratulations to the following Year 8 boys who did very well in their respective events.

Piping
• Lochlan Stevenson (Y8)

Snare Drumming
• Alexander Dunn (Y8)

Tenor Drumming
• Oscar Atkins (Y8)

Congratulations to all involved. It was a very successful day.

Ainsley Hart, Pipe Band Master