Dear Parents

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

It has been a busy week for Year 9. Their move into the new locker facility went smoothly on Monday. While the finishing touches are still being added, the boys have settled in well. Yesterday was the start of the Yearly Examination period and the boys are to be commended on their conduct. I have no doubt they will be busy studying this weekend!

Our Peer Support leaders represented the Year Group and the School exceptionally well today as they welcomed the Class of 2025 during their Orientation Day. They are all to be commended on the manner in which they conducted themselves.

On Monday 25 November, Paul Dillon will be talking to Year 9 students in periods 1 and 2. The session addresses 'Young people, alcohol and risk taking: Looking after your mates'. The talk is 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’.

Paul will also be running a parent information session on the evening of Monday 25 November. The session will be held in the Great Hall, commencing at 6pm and will 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?' Should you wish to attend the parent session, please register using this link. 

Elizabeth Ruff

A great attitude becomes a great mood. Which becomes a great day. Which becomes a great year. Which becomes a great life.

As we welcomed Week 5, there was excitement amongst the Year Group as we moved into our new locker space for the remainder of the year. The boys are enjoying being reunited and back together with their friendship and Mentor groups.

Monday also saw the boys come together as a school community along with our Old Boys' Association to commemorate Remembrance Day. As we listened to the last post, the silence which drew from it was a timely reminder for many of our boys of the service, sacrifice and commitment to the World Wars we fought in. Remembrance Day provides our boys in particular an opportunity to reflect on what it means to serve your country, school and community. As Australia’s largest school Cadet unit, our students are lucky to be offered such memorable experiences to truly understand what it means to work together and be part of a company for a greater cause.

A key part of the PDHPE program in Term 4, is the Dance unit. Each week during the term, the boys have been practising their dance skills and choreography. The highlight of this unit is the connection with Pymble Ladies' College who arrived on Tuesday to partner up and use their new dance skills with the girls. Each of the students enjoyed the chance to socialise, test out their knowledge and put their moves to the test! A great time was enjoyed by all students with a BBQ lunch finishing the incursion with the girls.

The remainder of the week allowed the boys to begin preparing themselves for upcoming assessments both this week and next. During Mentor sessions this week the boys were able to utilise their study timetables, reflect on goals for final assessments next week and focus on revision strategies. As the students continue to revise for assessments next week, an article recently written by our Director of Wellbeing, Mrs Amanda Pooley, outlines the importance of how eating well can affect our mood and relationships in the lead-up to busy times of the year.

Good luck to all of the boys next week.

Margie Raymond

Good luck with your exams next week. Science done and dusted and English come Monday. Be sure to study, however, it is also important to rest and be social.

2020 Knox Grammar Resource lists can be accessed here. When ordering online you will need to use the following Access Code: 'D69G'. Please place your orders with Campion by Friday 6 December for home delivery before school commences in 2020. You can create an account which allows you to make changes and check on the status of your order. All orders placed online will be delivered to your home, office or any designated address. The parcels will be delivered the fortnight ending 17 January 2020. Boarders can select the option for Boarding School delivery. Digital items, where selected, will be available via Campion Educations MyConnect Platform. These accounts will be created and available in the fortnight ending 17 January 2020. You will receive an email that week with download and access information.

Come along to the Social Justice stall at the Knox Christmas markets this afternoon from 4pm in the Great Hall. We will be supporting our drought impacted farmers via Drought Angels and the Uniting Church- Everything in Common.

Please click here regarding the upcoming Warrawee Station upgrade.

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

Rebecca Smith Tel: 9119 0882

Student absences on the day of a Yearly Examination:

Please contact myself and your SAO if your son is sick or you anticipate your son will be absent for a Yearly Examination due to illness, at your earliest convenience. Make-up sittings of Yearly Examinations must take place on or before Friday 22 November and will typically be administered in the Great Hall. 

In order to allow your son to re-sit the task in a timely manner, and without the standard mark reduction for late completion of a task, you must submit a completed and signed Illness Misadventure Appeal (IMA) application. 

Note: IMA applications generally require relevant documentation that justify the absence - this ensures an increasingly equitable experience for all students and safeguards against boys gaining additional study time by staying home from school.  

Contact myself or your SAO with any questions about our IMA and Leave application process. Also, please view our complete Assessment Policies and Procedures handbook on the portal for information about our assessment program, a student’s responsibility in relation to assessment tasks, and the updated Exam Code of Conduct (which was distributed in last weeks newsletter). 

Jake Plaskett

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

See attached prospectus for more information, including eligibility criteria. 

To apply, please complete application form here. 

Applications will close on Thursday 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 PEAK. 

Kieran Donohue

Friday 15 November

Knox Christmas Markets, Great Hall, 4pm - 8pm 

Monday 18 - Friday 22 November

Yearly Examinations continue

Wednesday 20 November

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

Monday 25 November

Paul Dillon addressing Year 9 students P1 and P2

Paul Dillon - Parent seminar, Great Hall, 6pm

Friday 29 November

Ride for Richter, 3.30pm-6.30pm

Friday 29 November

Boarders' Christmas Carol Service and Banquet - 6pm

Saturday 30 November

Knox in Concert, the Great Hall, 6.30pm

Thursday 5 December

96th Annual Presentation Day, 1pm

Term 4 Concludes

2021 Scholarships
Applications for our 2021 scholarships are now open. Applications close 7 February 2020, with scholarship examinations to be held in Sydney (21 February 2020) and Dubbo (24 February 2020).

The scholarships available for entry to Knox in 2021 are:

• Academic 2021 Scholarships
• Music
• All-Rounder 2021 Scholarships
• Sons of Old Boys
• Boarders (from Regional areas)

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

The Annual Sony Foundation ABBOX of Fun CAMP for Children with Special Needs will be held on 6-10 December 2019. Food/baking donations needed.

This year marks the 12th annual ABBOX Camp - the Sony Foundation Holiday Camp for Children with special needs. The camp offers a much needed break for families and a fun time for the children. The ‘campers’ are cared for by a large number of our wonderful Knox and Abbotsleigh Year 12 student volunteers and staff.

We need parents to help us with the many morning and afternoon teas supplied during the camp. No nuts please, and some gluten free options are also requested. Suggestions of fruit, cupcakes, biscuits, slices, dips etc. A list of ingredients on each item is necessary as many of the children attending the camp have a variety of allergies.

If you can help, there will be a sign up link published in upcoming newsletters.

Each year the Knox community supports those in need in the lead up to Christmas. We ask the Knox community to donate food for families who will struggle to provide for their families this Christmas. 

Suggested items:
Tinned ham and/or turkey 

Long-life custard and/or cream

Christmas pudding/fruit cake and/or mince pies

Tinned tuna/salmon

Tea/coffee/Milo/hot chocolate/Nesquik

Canned fruit, savoury snacks, pretzels/chips (no nuts please), jelly lollies preferred as chocolate melts

Table trimmings such as bon bons.

In early December, we will arrange to take all the donations into Wesley Mission in the city for distribution to these struggling families.

Donations can be handed in to Room 19 or Mrs Clarke’s office (Room 15).

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 Ms Smith 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.

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 every morning at both main gates with all money raised going directly to Movember (Make sure to bring a gold coin!)