It’s been a busy week for Year 9 - Yearly Exams have concluded and the boys have been completing their online PAT testing. I have been impressed with the behaviour, attitude and focus of the young men of the Class of 2023. The Middle Academy has still been filled with smiles and laughter as the boys work together to prepare for their exams. This morning, one of the boys explained to me that 'If you have a positive attitude towards things, you enjoy them a lot more.'

Last week our Peer Support leaders represented the year group and the School exceptionally well as they welcomed the Class of 2026 during their Orientation day. They are all to be commended on the manner in which they conducted themselves.

On Monday, Paul Dillon will be talking to Year 9 students in periods 4 and 5. 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’.

Elizabeth Ruff

I’m sure every boy in Year 9 is feeling a sense of relief now that their Exams are wrapped up. I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate the boys on their hard work and focus; it has been fantastic to see students huddled in small groups studying for exams, sharing notes and resources and working collaboratively, seeking feedback from teachers, debriefing together after sitting difficult papers, and just generally demonstrating the importance that they are placing on their academics.

As results start to roll in, a reminder for your sons to be kind on themselves when reflecting on results received. The important thing is to reflect upon the work they have put in and consider whether they’ve achieved their personal best. If they are happy with their efforts, then they have succeeded. I encourage students to work with their teachers in the next two weeks to consolidate their learning, to revise identified gaps in knowledge and skills, and to reflect on how their results reflect their preparation: the end of the year is a fantastic time to set goals for next year and to formulate plans, routines and strategies that will ensure success from the first day of Year 10.

I also encourage boys to look after their physical health too in the next two weeks. After two big weeks of stress, boys need to be focusing on restoring balance to their diet, catching up on missed sleep, and ensuring they are taking time to exercise and pursue their hobbies. While it has been a hard year in many ways, this year has seen so much personal growth and development for all of our Year 9 students. I look forward to finishing the year strong with two more great weeks in each other’s company as we charge towards the end of term.

Alec Openshaw

What a week it's been for our cohort! The boys were all relieved to walk out of their final exam on Wednesday and I am sure this weekend they will take the time to rest and recharge . Just because students have completed their Examinations it doesn't mean that the school term is over. We still have nine more days of learning to go before we can make the most of the summer break.

I would just like to remind you all that if you are planning to finish the school year earlier, please submit a completed Student Leave Application form for absences of three days or more. Should you be planning to return to school later in 2021 than the scheduled first day back, we will also require a Leave Application to be submitted.

Campion Books 2021
Mrs Yager provided the Year 10 book list a couple of weeks ago. Please be aware that decisions regarding da Vinci placements and Mathematics placements for Years 8 to 10 are made in Week 8, the last week of school. To avoid the need to swap texts please hold off submitting your order until you are notified of your son’s placement. The Campion deadline for orders is the 9 December 2020.

Social Justice - Items for Christmas Hampers and Christmas gifts for families in need
Thank you for all your donations do far for the Wesley Mission, Parramatta Mission and for the STARTTS program. Below I have included a picture of the donations we have received so far which is sitting nicely around our Christmas tree and it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in our office.

We are still welcoming donations of basic food supplies and Christmas fare to support families at Christmas. For example: Christmas cakes, puddings, custard, serviettes, tins of ham, bon bons, biscuits, cordial as well as staple goods such as long-life milk, cereals, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, canned meats, pasta, sauces etc. Your support this year will be most appreciated.

Gift donations for the STARTTS program are also still welcome. Please send in a wrapped the gift with a card to indicate the suitable age and gender of the gift to the value of $10 (or more if you wish).

All donations can be sent to my office.

PAT Testing Numeracy - Tuesday 24 November 2020
Just a reminder that the boys will be sitting their PAT Testing for Numeracy during their Maths lessons. Students are to have their laptops fully charged and they may choose to use a calculator for the test. Please make sure that your son arrives on time to his lessons especially if he has Maths in his first lessons.

Finally, don't forget that next Tuesday we will have the Ride with Richter Cap Day and students can wear their cap to school with smart casual clothes. There will also be other fundraising initiatives including donation at the gates, raffle tickets and a BBQ lunch.

Crystel Hodgson, Tel: 9119 0881

Body confident children and teens - free webinar for parents
Historically, research in the area of body image and eating disorders has focussed primarily on females. However, a quarter to a third of those struggling with an eating disorder are believed to be male. Additionally, disordered eating behaviors are increasing faster in males than females.

The truth is that body image issues affect people of all ages, genders and across all cultures and so it is important as parents and carers to aim to establish environments that support healthy eating habits and body image.

The Butterfly Foundation is the national charity for Australians impacted by eating disorders and body image issues, and for the families, friends and communities who support them. In conjunction with the Sydney North Health Network, Butterfly are offering a free webinar for parents on this important topic, titled ‘Body Confident Children and Teens’.

With a focus on prevention, this session provides information and practical tips to help parents and carers of children and teenagers better understand and promote positive body image and healthy relationships with food and physical activity in the home.

The webinar is being offered via Zoom on Thursday 26 November at 7pm. To register, click here.

Body Confident Children and Teens flyer

Some additional helpful reading in this area can also be found at the following links:

• https://butterfly.org.au/body-image/who-does-it-affect/
• https://childmind.org/article/boys-and-eating-disorders/
• https://www.nedc.com.au/assets/Fact-Sheets/NEDC-Fact-Sheet-Eating-Disorders-in-Males.pdf

Monday 23 November

Paul Dillon Talk to students

Paul Dillon Online Parent Seminar - 6.30pm

Tuesday 24 November

Ride with Richter Cap Day - please click on the image below to enlarge

Thursday 3 December

Term 4 concludes

Submission of PEAK applications due

Year 9-10 Presentation Day - 12.30pm to 1.30pm - Buses depart at 1.45pm for Years 9-11 students

Wednesday 27 January

Year 7 students and Year 10 Peer Support students and all new Year 8-11 students commence. Current boarders return.

Thursday 28 January

Term 1 commences

Friday 19 February

Scholarship Application closes

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?

Cranbrook School
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardian per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardian per player

St Aloysius’ College
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardian per player
• Outdoor venues - 2 spectator parent/guardian per player

Newington College
• Indoor venues – 1 spectator parent/guardian 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

Applications for our 2022 scholarships are now open.

Knox Grammar School offers an extensive range of scholarships with remission of tuition and boarding fees up to 100%. The scholarships are for boys entering Year 5, Year 7 and Year 11 in 2022.

The scholarships available for entry to Knox in 2022 are:

• Academic
• Music
• All-Rounder
• Sons of Old Boys
• Boarders (from regional areas)

Applications close Friday 19 February 2021. Scholarship exams will be held in Sydney and Dubbo in early March 2021.

For more information and to apply, please visit www.knox.nsw.edu.au/scholarships.

If you have any questions, please contact the Head of Enrolments, Mr Martin Gooding, or phone +61 2 9473 9768.

Future Events
The Magazine Giveaway is happening in Week 8. Please come to the library to take advantage of this opportunity to top up your magazine collection. Lots of titles are here for your selection and collection, including 'National Geographic', 'Science Illustrated' and more.

New Reads are available for you to borrow from the Fiction section and include;
'Sword in the Stars' by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
'The Great Unknowable End' by Kathryn Ormsbee
'The Survivors' by Jane Harper
'Tom Clancy’s Firing Point' by Mike Madden

Non-fiction books
Do you like reading factual information? Do you have a hobby or a particular interest? Non-fiction books are plentiful and remember you are most welcome to borrow these with titles ranging from Mathematics, Science and Psychology all the way through to History.

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

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).

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

Year 9 Photography students were tasked with capturing a chosen landscape on traditional film cameras. They were also asked to digitally design mirrored surfaces and geometric designs to further their depiction of ‘place’. Students developed their photographs using traditional wet photography process in the darkroom.

Tim Owers