Micro-credentials validate learning, no matter where or when it occurs and are awarded based on submitted evidence of an action or achievement. This allows students to work at their own pace and place, and rewards all students, such as those who might not find success in academics. They validate the passion, knowledge, skills and interests that students already have, and encourage them to be agents of change and committed citizens who are altruistic and have the courage to move beyond their comfort zone. Students are looking for non-traditional ways to demonstrate what they have learned and done. This approach is placing our students at the centre of their educational journey and empowering them to own their learning.

Furthermore, employers and universities are now asking students to provide more than just an ATAR. As an official Knox certification, students will be able to validate what they have achieved and demonstrated beyond the curriculum. The micro-credentials will be recorded at the end of each semester on their reports. This ensures that Knox is not just espousing Total Fitness but enabling it to become a reality for every student. Our holistic model of education provides an ethical and moral base, and imbues students with confidence in their capacity to collaborate, work in teams and to creatively adapt to life’s exigencies.

The implementation of the Knox Certificate of Global Competency has been possible because of the support and actions of our student, parent and teacher teams. Furthermore, the Knox IT Team have developed the simple yet brilliant system for recording the credentials. The KCGC will be launched in Week 6 and is available to all boys 7-12. Margie Raymond will be coordinating the program.

As our Deputy Chairman of the School Council, David Caspari, said during our Parent Breakfast Seminar, “We can create a story for each and every boy and a unique story.” You may access a recording of the Parent Breakfast Seminar here.

Scott James

Knox is a school of opportunities and this week I had the privilege of joining the Year 9 Boarders for dinner at the Jai Ho restaurant in Turramurra. This outing was a great opportunity to get to know some of our new boarders away from the hustle and bustle of daily school life but also to see the boys experience food from different cultures. For many boys, this was the first time they had tried foods such as papadums and naan breads and they were keen to come back for more. Our Boarders add so much to the Knox community and I encourage all families to look to connect with a boarder, if possible, by inviting them for a home cooked dinner, taking out for the day or by simply offering them a lift to and from Saturday sport.

I would also like to remind parents that winter sport choices have been sent to the boys via email and these are due back now. There is only two rounds of summer sport to go before we launch into the winter trials and skill sessions in Week 7. We have reminded the boys that they will need to have all their equipment such as boots, shoulder or shin pads and mouth guards for these sessions so I encourage all families to take time over the next fortnight to make sure that everything still fits.

The next few weeks will be very busy for our boys as the assessment period for Term 1 kicks off so please keep an eye on their time management and encourage them to seek help from staff if they are unsure of the work covered. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your son’s Mentor or the Team Leaders if we can be of any assistance.

Julien Manuel

Saturday sport absences
A reminder that if your son is absent from sport on Saturday, please ensure the Sport Absence Form (via the Knox app) is completed. Please do not email absences as they can be missed and the Directors of Sport not notified. 

Year 9 SAO email
Please ensure your address book is updated with my new email.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Renee Willson

If a student is absent the day before sitting a task or submitting a task (this include the Friday prior to a Monday task), a medical certificate must be provided to cover the date of the task or the period being applied for by the student with a detailed explanation by the doctor. Unfit for school is not an acceptable reason.

A reminder that the Assessment Task Schedule and Policy can also be found on the portal under Year Groups > Year 9 > Academics Resources > Year 9 Assessment Schedule and Policy 2021.

Thank you for following this process. Please do not hesitate to contact me for further clarification.

Elective Changes Reminder
A reminder to all students in Year 9 that the absolute deadline for changing an elective is the end of Week 7, Friday 12 March at 3.15pm.

If your son does wish to change an elective, he will need to come and discuss with me in this regard.

Craig Milligan

The First Tennis team continue to push for top spot with a huge win at Trinity (7-1) whilst our 1st XI Cricketers also had a great win by five wickets at Trinity keeping them with a slight glimmer of hope for the CAS Championship.

The First Water Polo team remain undefeated with a huge win at King's (18-9) whilst our Volleyballers remain in 2nd place after a tough loss to the unbeaten Trinity.

Congratulations to three boys from Knox selected in to the NSWCIS Water Polo squad following trials hosted at Knox on Monday. Well done to Aiden O’Neill (Y11), Lucas Banfield (Y11) and Harrison Miller (Y11) - a great reward for a wonderful season.

Well done also to Ellis Merrett (Y11) who contested the NSW State 29er Championships last weekend. Competing in a huge fleet of 40 boats across 16 races, he came 2nd overall and first in Juniors (under-17) for the second year in a row.

NSW All Schools Triathlon
Calling all non-Cadet boys who are interested in giving this Olympic sport a try in 2021 - there is no team event this year, so to participate, you will need to be ready to do all three Triathlon legs yourself.

The 2021 All Schools Individual Triathlon will be held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith on Tuesday 30 March. This event is during the 2021 Knox Cadet AFX, thus we are interested in hearing from boys not in Cadets. Boys will travel by bus to the Regatta Centre from Knox.

Race distances are as follows:
• Juniors 12, 13, 14 years - 400m SWIM, 10km CYCLE, 3km RUN
• Intermediates 15, 16 years - 600m SWIM, 15km CYCLE, 4km RUN
• Seniors 17, 18, 19 years - 750m SWIM, 20km CYCLE, 5km RUN

The cost of $40pp will be added to School Fees with all registrations to be completed by Friday 12 March. Boys not in the Knox Swimming Program must do a compulsory 400m swim test at lunchtime on Wednesday 10 March.

If you have any questions, would like to enter or would like to participate in any triathlon training sessions we run here at school, please email Ainsley Hart.

NSW CIS Cup Round 1
Knox vs Redlands, 5-0.
Goalscorers: Cooper Stormonth (Y12) 3 goals, Caellum Cummings (Y11) 1 goal, James Plumley (Y11) 1 goal.



Knox came out firing in the first half with Copper Stormonth netting a hattrick in our first official game of 2021. Caellum Cummings and a 'top corner' shot from James Plumley rounded up a great performance by the boys. In Round 2, our opponent will be either be Emmanuel Anglican College or Lindisfarne, who still have to play their first round match. A great start to the season from our Cup squad and we are looking forward to Round 2 as we continue our preparation for the CAS season.

PEAK news
Continuing with our focus on the Academic Fitness module for the PEAK (Pathways for Elite Athletes at Knox) program, Knox hosted an Elite Athlete Program (EAP) mini-expo for a number of tertiary Institutions last Friday. Each year, over $3.9 million is made available to student-athletes through Universities’ EAPs through financial support and scholarships.

Benefits that students can receive through EAPs can include: Financial assistance/scholarships, ATAR support, individualised study schedules (and earlier access to subject choices), alternative access to the delivery of courses (including online and in blocks), individual or small group tutoring, Professional support services, elite sport infrastructure, access to training facilities and study grants.

These offerings are not just available for PEAK students, with many universities offering support to students who excel in sport, leadership, music or performance. For more information and contact details, please email PEAK.

Next few weeks
To help everyone understand what is happening across sport over the coming weeks as we transition from the summer season into winter trials, please note the following:
• This fortnight (Weeks 5 and 6) will be the final two weeks of summer sport. Its important to finish this commitment with regular attendance at training and Saturday sport.
• All sports choices for winter should now be complete. If your son has yet to choose his winter sport please email Sport ASAP.
• We move straight into winter sport from Week 7 through to end of Term 1 including midweek training, trials and an 'induction' for many sports.
• It is important to click on your son’s winter sport choice on the Knox app to get more detail on his new training schedule and details of the last few Saturdays in Term 1.
• Also coming up in the next few weeks is the CAS Swimming & Diving Championships. We are limited in the number of spectators we can take to Homebush so the boys will be asked to register their interest in Week 6. Unfortunately, we cannot take a full year group as in the past but I do know we will have great support behind this amazing team.

Process for Sports fixtures – Saturday 27 February
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
• Service NSW 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?

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

Shore
• Indoor venues - 2 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

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

St Ignatius' College (Riverview)
• Indoor venues - 1 spectator parent/guardians per player
• Outdoor venues - 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 Sport.

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

Martin Haywood

Every team starts with a practice topic and are given a project deadline. They gain feedback on their project which is submitted to the Future Problem Solving committee for assessment and grading against other teams from across other schools in Australia. After the practice topics, competitive topics are offered for regional/state or national finals which can qualify individuals for the International Conference. At the International Conference is the chance to compete and collaborate with over 2,000 other problem solvers from all over the globe.

If you would like to find out more, we will be holding a taster workshop on Tuesday 2 March in MO117. Previous award winners and Knox Old Boys, Oliver Weeding (OKG20) and Ben Bradshaw (OKG19), will take students through what it is to be a Future Problem Solving winner.

This Co-Curricular Club is held each week on a Tuesday between 3.20pm-4.30 pm.

Jane Day, Future Problem Solving Coordinator