Parent & Student Matters
- Year 7 to 10 Parent/Teacher/Student Meetings
- English
- Lights Camera Pius!
- Write-a-Book-in-a-Day
- Year 8 Lino Printing
- Bronze Duke of Edinburgh
- Strength and Conditioning
- Lifeline - Sydney's Biggest Book Fair
Year 7 - 10 Parent/Teacher/Student Meetings
Please see the link below for information on the Parent/Teacher/Students meetings on Thursday 22 June and Friday 23 June.
English
Microfiction Competition
This year’s Microfiction Competition has begun! Last year’s competition drew over one hundred entries over two rounds and we are expecting this year’s to be even bigger! Students and staff are invited to submit a story that contains no more than 100 words and the unique word “blossom”, as well as the action of “skipping”. There is only one entry per student and the best of the best will progress to the final round in Term 3. The final round will be held as a live event at school, with students getting an hour to compose their story to the unique parameters set.
The first round will be open until the end of Term 2, so there is plenty of time to craft your story and enter.
Mr Daniel Quilty - English Coordinator
Lights Camera Pius!
Exciting news for the 2023 Lights Camera Pius! Film Festival!
This year the festival will be screened at Hoyts Cinemas – a fabulous opportunity for our young filmmakers to see their work on the big screen. Entries close on Friday August 25. All boys are encouraged to make and enter films. The films could be ones made for school projects or films made outside school. The holidays are a great time to plan and shoot a film. Films should be no more than 2 - 3 minutes and can be in any genre – action, thriller, documentary, comedy, romance, animation etc. Films should be PG rated. There will be prizes for different age groups. The Film Festival has now become quite a tradition at the College. It is organised by the boys and is another great creative opportunity open to all.
Ms Frances Doyle - Visual Arts Coordinator
Write-a-Book-in-a-Day
Five teams from Years 8 to 10 took part in the National Writing competition of ‘writing a book in a day’ for children with cancer.
At 8:00 am teams were given some story-defying parameters to include in their 3,500 to 5000-word books.
Just imagine having to include this:
The characters: a yoga instructor, a politician, and a pig
The setting: the harbour
The issue: renovating the house
This was Year 8s challenge (Liam, Zac, Myles, Josh, Aiden and Harry pictured). And they produced a dramatic story, The Battle of Two Neighbours (And A Pig).
The team’s writers were supported by two talented illustrators, Samuel Bewley and Harry Moran and the editorial eye of Liam Spatola. As well, Aiden Lindsay produced a graphic icon, featuring the team’s name, the Woodchatta Boys, to add to the appeal their book.
For many students, the challenge is created not just by the story parameters but by the need to work productively in a team of ten; students’ collaborative skills are tested just as much as their creative and critical thinking.
We have participated in Write a Book in Day since 2017 as it’s 21st Century in action, including:
- critical thinking
- creative thinking
- communicating
- collaborating.
These ‘4C’s of 21st Century Learning’ are embedded in the Australian Curriculum as essential requisites for success in future workplaces. Not only is the Challenge packed with educational benefits but it’s seriously hard fun. In fact, many participants leave at the end of day eager to sign-up for the next year.
Thanks to the support of our College Leadership Team, this is an annual event on calendar enabling many more students to benefit. I’d like to thank all the College Leaders and teachers who supported Write a Book in a Day 2023, many are featured with teams in this photo-gallery.
Mrs Karen Keighery - Library and Information Services Cooridnator
Year 8 Lino Printing
Over the past few weeks, we have enjoyed creating and learning about lino printing in class. We got to carve, paint and print four different designs. Making these prints allowed us to be creative, experimenting with different techniques and colours. It takes a lot of precision and patience to create a detailed image, but it is very rewarding to see them framed and up in the art room corridor.
Jake Swan - Year 8
Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey
On the weekend, 29 Year 9 students hiked the 25km from Mt Kuring-Gai to Cowan via Brooklyn as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award. The boys completed this Adventurous Journey in two stages with a train trip between Berowra and Brooklyn. A crisp night was enjoyed by all at Brooklyn Dam with the boys enjoying the warmth of their tents to combat the cold weather. Congratulations must go to all the boys who have now completed this component for their Bronze Award. This is the last of our College owned Bronze Adventurous Journeys for 2023.
A very big thank you to our Old Boys: Ben Cullen, Nathan McAdam, Denis Webber, Daniel Butler and Jack Schyvens. Also thank you to Mrs Gunns for her coordination of the Duke of Edinburgh Award at the College. These hikes would not occur without their generous contributions to our Outdoor Programs. Finally, a big thank you to our College Leadership Team and P and F for supporting these “homegrown” initiatives.
Paul de Silva - Outdoor Education Coordinator
Strength and Conditioning
Testing week. It will give you direct feedback on how you are tracking with your training, and it also gives us a really good indication of how we are doing as program. This week influences where we steer the program over the next few months. Below is a breakdown of the tests and how they should be conducted. The testing will occur over the week and it’s important to understand that these sessions are not workouts, they are all-out efforts. This is the part where you find out where you really are compared to where you think you are. Do these tests in the order they are displayed in the link below and you should have a decent day out! To record your scores you must add your data into the first Thursday of November in your calendar OR add to excel spread sheet a coach will have. Take your time with the testing, don’t rush it like a session or a normal workout. Don't complete all in one session. Record your data in the excel spread sheet in the laptop in the gym.
TESTING
3RM trap bar
3RM back squat
3RM bench
Bike Erg (Max Meters in 30 sec)
Row Erg 500m (for time)
Ski Erg (for distance in 30 sec)
Max push up
Max box jump effort
Ms Laura Coombe - Strength and Conditioning Convenor
Lifeline - Sydney's Biggest Book Fair
The Lifeline book fair is returning to Knox Grammar School, Wahroonga. It will be held on Thursday 13 July and Friday 14 July from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm and Saturday 15 July and Sunday 16 July from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in the Weeks Senior Academy at the southern end of the school.
There is free undercover parking available in the school car park in Borambil Avenue and the venue is only a 2 minute walk from Warrawee Station.