Paul Dillon, the Director and founder of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) will be presenting to our Year 9, 10 and 12 students on Monday 25 November. Paul has been working in the area of drug education for more than 25 years. During this period, he has worked with many school communities across Australia to ensure they have access to good quality information and best practice in drug education.

The Year 9 session, “Young people, alcohol and risk taking: Looking after your mates”, focuses primarily on alcohol. This talk attempts to debunk some of the myths in this area, particularly around how to look after friends. Aimed at helping to ensure young people make healthier choices, accurate, up-to-date and credible information is provided, including the latest prevalence rates of alcohol and other drug use by secondary school students, with a focus on ‘positive norms’, i.e., how many young people choose not to drink alcohol or use other drugs. Basic life skills will also be discussed around alcohol-related emergencies, including knowing when to call an ambulance.

Parents of our Year 9, 10 and 12 students have the opportunity to hear Paul talk on the evening of Monday 25 November. The session, to be held in the Great Hall, commencing at 6pm and run for one hour with the opportunity to ask questions afterwards. Paul will address the topic “Teenagers, alcohol and other drugs 2019: What’s happening, what’s out there and how much influence do parents really have?” Using the most recent data available, Paul will examine the use of alcohol and other drugs by school-based young people. It will have a particular focus on the changes in patterns of alcohol use that have occurred in recent years, as well as any particular concerning trends around illicit drug use. There will be a close examination of the positive influence that parents can have on their child’s drinking behaviour, as well as the barriers that they may face during adolescence. It aims to empower parents with a positive message and assist them in having open and honest family discussions in this complex area.

Should you wish to attend the parent session, please register using this link.

Elizabeth Ruff

This time last week a group of Year 9 students, myself, Ms Ruff and Mrs Raymond all slept under the stars on Knox 1 to raise money for an organisation called Stepping Stone House. The night started with all the boys collecting their cardboard boxes and transferring them down to Knox 1 where they started constructing their shelters. Most structures survived the night with only one casualty along the way! Luckily Mrs Raymond came up with the great idea of setting up wind shelters where we were sleeping otherwise it could have been a sleepless night! We then heard from Patrick, one of the young people who was homeless and taken in by Stepping Stone House. Patrick spoke openly to the boys and thanked them for their efforts, explaining that their sacrifice meant more than just the money raised but went a long way in showing solidarity for young people who don’t have housing. I am really proud of the boys and even though it got a bit chilly at times, thankful for the opportunity to create awareness for such an important cause. Thank you to all of those who have donated. If you would still like to donate please click on this link.

This week the boys have started to focus on their Yearly Examinations in Mentor. The Mentor sessions focus on parent engagement, personal organisation, reflection, and managing expectations about academic performance. Research shows that conversations with a parent/carer about organisation and goals helps moderate expectations, lowers stress and anxiety, and supports better academic outcomes.

The boys will be spending some time next week constructing a study timetable and will be sharing this with you via email in the next 2 weeks. 

If you have any queries regarding the Yearly Examinations, please ask your son to check in with his teacher or contact the teacher directly yourself.

Have a wonderful weekend!!  

Vicky Cowell

Congratulations to the Year 10 team, comprising of Dhruv Hariharan, Tony Du, Kevin Park and Oscar Chen (Year 9), who were crowned the senior national champions of the Global Issues Problem Solving Competition – the highest honour awarded at the annual championships. The team is now invited to represent Australia at the International Championships in 2020 in the USA. The teams tackled the global challenge of ‘coping with stress’ by investigating and then creatively solving the social, economic and political impacts the topic might have in a hypothesised scenario set in 2043. 

Computer club takes place every Wednesday afternoon from 3.30 – 5.30pm. Although we are currently working in the new innovations building, we are just about to move to the new iHub - old music block (which will occur on the 30 October). Our focus for the term will be the Grok Code Quest competition which starts 28 October. All boys 7-12 are welcome to attend. For further information please contact Mr David McGowan.

I have included the Year 9 examination timetable below commencing week 5. For a larger, printable version, double click on the image.

Please note, there will be no after-school maths tutorials on Monday 28 October.

Rebecca Smith Tel: 9119 0882

Contemporary research and trend analysis highlight the importance of young people developing enterprise and entrepreneurial skills in order to rise to the challenges of our rapidly changing world. As such, Knox is committed to preparing our boys to thrive as global citizens and aims to extend our boys' capacity to engage in a world that is being shaped by automation and emerging technologies.

Our Year 10 signature program, Agent of Change, serves to meet the needs of our boys through a project-based experience that both leverages from authentic partnerships and exposes students to design thinking.

We are looking to engage parents, carers, members of our broader school community and beyond as potential ‘clients’ or industry mentors in this exciting educational experience.

 
Program Logistics:

 *The Agent of Change program will occur at Knox on 26-27 November.

 *Each Year 10 student will work collaboratively to build a prototype, design a product, and/or make a pitch to an external client.

 *External ‘clients’ will provide an authentic problem from their life or job that a student could provide/pitch a solution to.

We are specifically interested in projects that would engage students in art, graphic or web design, data analytics, programming, urban spaces, research, and marketing/advertising. We also invite you to join us for our Meet a Change Agent speaker series at lunch time next term.

Please contact Mr Jake Plaskett if you would like to be a part of this signature program or if you have specific questions about what types of projects might be suitable.

As an initiative introduced for the first time this year, I am overwhelmed by the great response to the upcoming Careers Insight Evening on Monday 28 October. The keynote address by James Hunter has shown to be the most popular and while some students have been unable to register, students are able to access a similar presentation given by Mr Hunter earlier this year to senior students.  

REGISTRATION:

Please click on the registration link here to register for the career sessions. Please note there are some minor changes to the program:

*Sport and Hospitality has been merged with Sports Coaching and is now referred to as “Sports Management and Coaching”.

*Police – due to unforeseen circumstances, there will be only 1 session for this career category, being at 6.30pm to 7.10pm.

*Business, Accounting and Finance – more spots are now available across all 3 session times.

A full program of events, including individual presenter biographies, is now available. Please click here to access the booklet. Hard copies will be made available on the night.

The Boater Café in the WSA will be open for light snacks and drinks until 7pm. Please do not enter through the Seniors’ Hall as students will be studying. Signage will be displayed to show the way.

I look forward to seeing many students and parents at this major careers event. 

Linda Gomez

Can you run? Can you swim? Why not give Triathlon a go?

For anyone who has ever wanted to get involved in Triathlon, but didn’t know where to start, Triathlon NSW are running a three day live-in camp with some of the state's best Triathlon coaches, in order to teach the skills required for the sport. It is also timed perfectly for athletes looking for a competitive advantage at the annual NSW All Schools event, held in February 2020 or one of the other many junior events being conducted around NSW.

The camp includes:

*Three day, live-in camp including food and accommodation.

*Mentoring and coaching from some of Australia’s best triathlon coaches.

*Held at Sydney Academy of Sport Narrabeen, utilising their high quality sporting facilities.

*Develop your triathlon skills and enhance your performance at the NSW All Schools Triathlon event.

*Culminating in a fully sanctioned race (included in your registration!) by commercial Race Directors, Mildren Events.

Please click here for further information or contact Mr Hart if you have any questions about the camp.

Saturday 26 October

Year 9 Parent supper

Monday 28 October

Careers Insight evening

Tuesday 29 October

OKGA Special Event: Tomorrow Man - a Night with the Blokes

Wednesday 30 October

Kokoda Trek 2020 information evening - 6pm in the KCC Auditorium

Thursday 7 November

Maker workshop: Build your own snake game

Thursday 7-9 November

Knox Musical - 'Oliver!'

Tuesday 12 November

Year 9 dance program with PLC Pymble

Thursday 14 - 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

Monday 25 November

 Paul Dillon - Parent seminar, Great Hall, 6pm

Thursday 5 December

Knox Presentation Day

Term 4 Concludes

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 boys are welcome to attend.

For further information, please contact Melinda Valent or Emma Douglas.

Students from Knox Grammar School will reprise the School's very first musical, 'Oliver', with a production of the much loved musical in the Knox Junior Academy and Performing Arts Centre from 7-9 November.

The production will be the first major show to take place in the new 750 seat Wenkart Theatre.

Performances
Thursday 7 November 2019, 7.30pm
Friday 8 November 2019, 7.30pm
Saturday 9 November 2019, 7.30pm

Venue
Wenkart Theatre, Junior Academy and Performing Arts Centre, Knox Grammar School, Wahroonga

Tickets
All tickets $35 at www.knox.nsw.edu.au/oliver

The production will feature a cast of 170 students from Years 7 to 12 from Knox Grammar School, Ravenswood School for Girls and Pymble Ladies' College, with a live orchestra and sound and lighting by a student tech crew.

Raising boys in a digital world
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.

Parent seminar - Raising Boys in a Digital World flyer

All welcome to join us for these upcoming events:

• OKGA Special Event: Tomorrow Man - A Night with the Blokes - Tuesday 29 October
• OKGA 2019 Golf Day - Wednesday 30 October

OKGA 2019 Golf Day 
When: Wednesday 30 October 2019, Lunch from 12.30pm; Tee Off 1.30pm 
Where: Avondale Golf Club, Pymble 

All members of the Knox community are warmly invited to participate in the 2019 Annual OKGA Golf Day.

Competitions to be held on the day include Individual Stableford + 2 Ball Team Event, Leavers’ Trophy ‐ Aggregate Four Ball, Father and Son, Mother and Son, Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin.

2019 Golf Day Invite

Please register online here by Friday 18 October. Contact the OKGA Office on 9487 0419 if you have any questions.

OKGA Special Event: Tomorrow Man - A Night with the Blokes
When: Tuesday 29 October 2019, Free BBQ from 6.30pm; Workshop from 7pm 
Where: Senior School Gymnasium, Lawson Centre 

The Old Knox Grammarians Association (OKGA) is delighted to be hosting a special Tomorrow Man event in conjunction with Gus Worland (OKG86), and Gotcha4Life.

Come and join with fellow men of the Knox community for ‘A Night with the Blokes’ - a space for a casual and honest conversation about the current man code and what tomorrow’s man might look like.

Throughout the night, we will explore how we can look after ourselves, our mates and families better while carving out our own version of the Aussie man.

Participants will leave this workshop with a deeper level of understanding and connectedness to their fellow men.

This event is open to all male members of the Knox community together with grandfathers, fathers, sons and brothers (under 16 must be accompanied by an adult male).

2019 OKGA A Night With The Blokes Invite

Register online here by Friday 25 October. 

Contact the OKGA Office on 9487 0419 or email okga@knox.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions.

This week's Basketball award winners were: Fergus Wyse, Leo Pacca, Ian Palmer David Sorrell, Angus Pinn, Josh Darley, Oliver Hill, Sam Bourgeois and Max Graham. Well done boys.

Freddo time. Happy Birthday to Ryan Lynch, Will Drayton, Caellum Cummings and Riley Janjis.

Well done boys on supporting Stepping Stone House last Friday evening on Knox 1.