Welcome to Term 3! It has been wonderful to see sports training back in full swing this week in preparation for the CAS winter sports fixtures this weekend.

Health screening and temperature checks continue this term. Students should be heading to the Boarders' Walk as soon as they arrive at school to complete this process. Student cards are required for scanning. If your son has misplaced his student card, he should see Mrs Hodgson to arrange for a replacement card to be issued. The locker area opens each day at 7.45am. Students who are participating in co-curricular and sporting activities that commence prior to this time should take their school bag with them and then visit the locker area at the conclusion of their activity. Students with PDHPE or PASS practical lessons in Period 1 should be travelling to school in their full winter uniform and changing into their PE uniform after they have completed the health screening and temperature checking process.

The Academy of Global Competency building is open after school until 5.15pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for students to engage in collaborative work with their peers or undertake independent study. After school Mathematics tutorials are running on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons in AGC112 and English writing sessions on Thursday afternoons. Each afternoon there are staff available to assist students with their studies. Please encourage your son to utilise the support that is on offer after school.

This week students have been reminded about our mobile phone policy. Currently students are able to keep their phone in their pocket if they have the COVID-19 app downloaded. However, they cannot use their phone during lessons (unless directed to do so by their teacher), at recess or lunch. Students using their phones during these times will have the phone confiscated. On the first and second confiscations (tracked from the beginning of the year) students are able to collect their phone in the afternoon and parents are notified on the second occasion. If their phone is confiscated for a third time, it will be kept for a longer period of time. Should there be a reason that your son needs to access his phone, he just needs to speak to a member of the Academy staff. Should you need to get a message to your son during the day, you are welcome to contact Mrs Hodgson who will ensure he receives your message.

Have a wonderful weekend and best of luck to all our sporting teams.

Elizabeth Ruff

Welcome back to the second semester for all our Year 9 students. There was an excited buzz in the locker room on Monday morning as the boys arrived back for the first day of the term, full of energy and enthusiasm and with stories to share from their holidays. It seems that the three-week break was much needed for all of us and I hope each student is able to start this new semester with renewed vigour. 

Hopefully you would have had a chance to read your son’s Term 2 report and discuss the content therein. We took some time in our mentor groups this week to reflect on the first semester academic results as well as the Learner Protocols and subsequently, set goals for the second semester. These goals will align with the Knox Total Fitness program which aims to support and improve the social, physical, spiritual and academic fitness of every boy. 

In Year Meeting this week, we introduced the third part of our Virile Agitur Man campaign, where our focus will be on Respecting Women. The foundation for changing social attitudes, behaviours and systems lies in being curious, becoming informed, and promoting discussion and self-reflective thought about this topic. We will be sending you a letter next week which outlines what the plan for the term is and as the Virile Agitur motto suggests, this is a brilliant way for our young men to use their great strength, under control, for good by championing women’s place in society.

I know many boys are also pleased to see the CAS winter sports season getting under way and I look forward to seeing our boys in action over the coming weeks. Good luck for this weekend’s fixtures against St Aloysius' College and I would like to wish you everything of the best for Term 3.

Craig Milligan

This year seems to be moving at a very fast pace and it was great to see all the students back on Monday, some happier than others but I'm sure that by now they are all used to their old routine of waking up early for school! On this note I wish to welcome you all back to Semester 2 and I hope you all had an enjoyable break and are ready to tackle what lies ahead.

As we embark on the beginning of the second semester, I strongly encourage you to take the time to have a look at the Assessment Task Schedule for the term so that you are aware of upcoming assessments. For a more detailed outlook of these assessment tasks please click here.

Food Drive
Traditionally in the winter months, Knox do a food drive of daily staples for Sydney families who are struggling and living in very challenging conditions. This will continue from now and into Week 3 of Term 3. The following non-perishable donations may be handed in to me or Mrs Clarke's office and please note, no glass items:

• Long-life milk
• Cereal
• Coffee
• Tea
• Cans of meat
• Cans of vegetables
• Cans of fruit and/or soup
• Cup of soup
• Dried fruit

Absence Notification

When lodging your son's absence in Parent Lounge please remember to include the nature of his medical condition in the comment section if you have selected Illness/Medical. Should your son be suffering from any of the symptoms of COVID-19, please follow the government advice regarding getting tested and keep your son at home.

Finally, I would like to welcome our eight new students and their families to the 2023 cohort who started this week. I hope you enjoy all that Knox has to offer and look forward to watching you grow from strength to strength.

Crystel Hodgson, Tel: 9119 0881

Welcome back to the resumption of most co-curricular activities at school. For information please click here or contact the staff member in charge.

Chuck Ardron

Tuesday 28 July

2020 Elevate Education Incursion

Wednesday 29 July

Knox Track and Field Championships

Tuesday 4 August

Battle of the Bands finals

Friday 25 September

Term 3 Concludes

Each term, Knox holds a Handwriting Course designed to help improve the speed, accuracy and neatness of students’ handwriting, reducing tension and fatigue when writing for long periods of time. In 2020 the classes will be held by Ms Lisa Norton, an occupational therapist, who specialises in the development of skills necessary for handwriting and the remediation of handwriting difficulties.

We are now filling places for our Term 3, 2020 course.

Our course will run on either a Tuesday or Wednesday or both mornings, starting at 7.30am, once minimum numbers are confirmed.

A minimum of seven students, and a maximum of ten, ensures individual attention. The course costs $300 for seven sessions of 45 minutes.

The Introductory seven week course includes a tub of theraputty, that is designed to improve hand muscle strength and fine motor skills. 

Availability of places is dependent upon a first come first served basis. All students who miss out on a place in Term 3 will be placed on a waiting list.

Should you be interested in pursuing this option for your son, please contact Rebecca Papageorgiou in the Learning Enhancement Department ASAP.

Computer Club is back on at a new venue!

Computer Club is back up and running and will take place in R34 (Reid Building) on Wednesday afternoon from 3.30pm-5.30pm. The club is open to any student who needs some computing help with their projects in Years 7-8 Technology, IST, or Senior Computing subjects. Students may also use the equipment in this room for any project that they are currently working on, as long as they have completed relevant safety training. Please email Mr McGowan (Software Design and Development Teacher) if you need any further information.

A warm welcome to our new students who have joined our cohort this term.