The term is speeding by and Year 9 students have been working fervently on preparing for assessments, getting assignments and projects completed as well as striving to stay on top of their homework. We have seen a number of boys making use of the Academy of Global Competency (AoGC) facility in the afternoons, and we would encourage many more boys to make use of this space, to work collaboratively and to prioritise getting their work done before going home. We also have a number of teaching staff on duty in the AoGC to provide support and assistance in various subjects.

In our Year Meeting this week, my message to the boys was the power of a positive word (affirmation) on a person’s psyche. We watched this video which shows what the impact of a group of students passing constructive comments (and vice-versa – the negative impact of an unhelpful comment). We are so quick to pass judgement and make comment, when we could be working together to speak confidence and positivity into others’ lives.

Mr Openshaw and I also felt it was time for a gentle reminder of the mobile phone policy at school. Mobile phones should be kept in locked student lockers during the course of the school day and should not be brought to class. If you do need to contact your son urgently for any matter, we would advise you contact Mrs Hodgson in the SAO’s office, as she can ensure the message is delivered as quickly as possible.

I know a number of parents have been contacting the school for updates on the Coronavirus situation, and the impact on classes and Cadet Camp (AFX). The Headmaster and the Executive Team are meeting regularly to discuss the situation and review the most up to date information provided by the Department of Health and Department of Education. In relation to AFX, we continue to monitor the situation, and should the arrangements change, an update will be provided. We also encourage all students to practice good hygiene during this time, by washing their hands and using hand-sanitiser regularly.

Craig Milligan

After the spectacular send off the CAS Swimming and Diving Team had at the assembly yesterday it was great to see them come back with the Thynne Shield for the fourth year in a row. Well done to all the participants and spectators but especially to Year 9 swimmers and divers.

Just a reminder that your son’s school photos can now be accessed from Melba Studios. To download your son’s portrait and Year Group photo, please go to Melba Studios.Then select SCHOOL ORDERS and enter the password (which is available below). This will lead you to the screen where you enter your son’s Student ID number and select Year 9 and submit. If you have any questions relating to the photos, please contact Melba Studios on 9438 4566.

Password: KNOX

Next week Elijah Luscombe, Luke Marles, Joel McDonald, Jude Murray and Michael Wells will be competing at the Inter-schools Mountain Bike Championships in Thredbo. Good luck boys and we look forward to hearing about your achievements.

Finally, thank you for your donation of Easter eggs and pots of flavoured noodles so far. The table in the SAO office is slowly starting to fill up with all your kind donations. Please keep them coming as this supports the Wesley Mission provide for the homeless. Further information can be found in the Community notices below.

Crystel Hodgson, Tel: 9119 0881

Our current Prefect Executive group and Prefect body have put a strong emphasis on mental health awareness and literacy. They established ‘Mateship, Service and Culture’ as their three focus areas for 2020 and have set about providing initiatives to promote these ideals.

To that end, we have been working with Gotcha4Life and Head Above Water to create a unique and meaningful Knox community event. The Knox Head Above Water 12 Hour Swimathon/Challenge, based on the original 24 hour version of Head Above Water that now runs annually at Collaroy, will take place on Sunday 29 March from 6am - 6pm in the Knox Aquatic Centre. We are hoping to raise awareness and some money for these wonderful organisations whilst proactively promoting our own Total Fitness model.

Our Total Fitness model and current emphasis on ‘Mateship’ is synonymous with the mission statement of Gotcha4Life:

"Gotcha4Life was established because we do not accept the alarming statistics surrounding suicide in Australia, with eight people taking their life every day.

We believe in the power of prevention through connection and champion the idea of proactively building mental fitness and the resilience required to deal better with the challenges that life throws at us.

We trust the concept of starting meaningful conversations by developing better social and emotional connections with mates, family and community."

Gotcha4Life is a not-for-profit Foundation raising awareness of the importance of identifying a close friend in your life, someone you can speak openly and honestly to when times are tough. We fund educational workshops and innovative training programs throughout Australia that build mental fitness in individuals and communities to activate strong, open and binding relationships.

The founder of Gotcha4Life is media personality Gus Worland (OKG86). Gus will be presenting to the School at Assembly on Thursday next week to speak to the values and desired outcomes of Gotcha4Life together with promoting this first time Knox event. Head Above Water is an activity based fundraising group which supports Gotcha4Life as a registered charity. Its founder, Andrew Ward, established this group as a result of having to rely upon others in order to deal with some extremely challenging and unforeseen issues in his own life.

We will be asking current Knox students, their friends and families, Knox Old Boys and other CAS/local schools to register and get involved with this fun and community oriented inaugural event. With the option to register and/or donate, we hope that all members of the extended Knox community will participate and show their support.

You can register according to your swimming ability and there will be relays for those interested between 1pm and 2pm, as per the registration portal. There will be a BBQ, music and other activities running throughout the day as well, with a short post event function at 6.15pm.

Registration is $20 as an individual (you register for a half an hour time slot) and $40 per relay team of four (team captains to register and pay for their team on the registration portal). Those that register will receive a Knox Head Above Water swim-cap when they sign in on the day.

To register or donate click here and please email me should you have any questions about the event.

Sam White

Thursday 19 March - Saturday 21 March

'The Importance of Being Earnest'

Sunday 29 March

Head Above Water, 12 hour challenge

Thursday 2 April - Thursday 9 April

AFX camp

Thursday 9 April

Term 1 concludes

Friday 10 April

Good Friday

Sunday 12 April

Easter

Monday 27 April

Term 2 commences 

The Uniform Shop will be holding a $5 donation flash sale on Monday 16 March for one week only. This will include most second hand uniform items that have been donated by parents or have been in second hand for over two years.

If you have any items of uniform you would like to donate please ensure they are clean and in good condition.  Drop them off to the Uniform Shop at 10 Borambil Street from Thursday 12 March.

Due to hygiene reasons we cannot accept socks, bags or hats.

All proceeds of items sold will be donated to the Rural Relief Program nominated by Mrs Helen Clarke. This program offers financial assistance to families that live in rural communities that have been impacted by drought and bush fires. 

For the past 12 years the Knox community has been supporting the Wesley Mission each Easter with gifts of Easter eggs and pots of noodles for Sydney’s homeless. This small gesture for those who are struggling and isolated brings a lot of joy and appreciation.

Please bring your donations along to the SAOs or to Room 15 (Mrs Helen Clarke in the Social Justice Office). 

The Science Department is organising participation in the Big Science Competition this year. An email was sent to all parents and students at the start of the week with relevant information attached.
The Big Science Competition is mandatory for all Years 7-10 da Vinci Science students. Any students who are in a Year 7-10 Core class and wish to participate in this competition are required to self-nominate.

All parents must accept their son’s participation in this competition on Parent Lounge which can be located via the School Portal by Tuesday 31 March.

Ingrid Tuktens

Winter uniform
As we approach the halfway mark of the first term we would like to remind all parents that Term 2 changes over into winter uniform. For further information on what the changes are, please refer to the Uniform Policy which is available on the Knox portal here. We strongly recommend purchasing the winter uniform earlier rather than later. Do not wait until the last week of the holidays as we cannot guarantee the sizes that will be available.

Special orders
Any special requirements regarding winter uniform items should be discussed with Uniform Shop staff as soon as possible. Occasionally, we have students that have allergies/sensitivity to wool and in these instances, time permitting, we can get winter trousers lined and jumpers made in a cotton/nylon blend. As these are special orders we need four weeks' notice for the trousers and up to eight weeks for the knitwear.

Other instances include if your son is not a standard size (for example, very tall but slim and may require extra length or he may be of a more solid frame like a Rugby player) then the standard sizes may be disproportional.

Please contact the Uniform Shop on 9487 0191 or email us.

Mrs Julie Blackburn, Knox Uniform Shop Manager

Congratulations to Gus Rowe, Matt Fisher, Niall Yeowell, Sam Stone and Antony Li who were among the students who participated in the World's Greatest Shave event this year. Gus, Niall and Matt along with the Headmaster, Mr James, and PDHPE teacher, Mr Moloney, got their heads shaved on Tuesday in front of a packed audience of boys in the Knox Cultural Centre.

To date the students have raised a staggering $29,053.14 and you can still donate to help the team reach its goal of $30,000 by clicking here.

Congratulations to the 241 performers from Years 7-12 who featured in the 2020 Bandstand Concert that took place on the evening of Tuesday 10 March. I believe that the concert was sensational to the delight of all the parents and friends that were part of this audience. Well done to Mr Brice and his team.

Congratulations to the Knox CAS chess team who were crowned CAS Chess Champions for the third year in a row against perennial rivals Trinity. The friendly rivalry with Trinity has grown over the past decade and is always characterised with good sportsmanship and mutual respect between all players. This year it went down to the wire again with Knox winning The CJS Purdy trophy by 1.5 points out of a possible 48.

Louis Tsui, Alex Smith, Aarav Masrani, Keshav Shankar and Joel Jacobson were delighted to represent their school in the 1sts Chess team under the enthusiastic leadership of Captain of Chess, Aleksy Ginovic.