As this is our final newsletter for Term 1, I am reflecting on nine weeks of rich learning, with one still to come. It has been gratifying to return to some of our pre-COVID-19 traditions in 2023—such as the Grooves on the Green concert last week on Memorial Lawn, as well as seeing girls take up opportunities outside of the school gates.

This week, two groups of students have represented Wilderness School on the national stage, competing in interstate finals.

Twenty of our rowers flew to Perth for the Australian Rowing Championships, held at the Champion Lakes course. Following a successful Head of the River regatta – where we took home three gold trophies and seven medals in the minor placings – this national regatta is a great chance for our Intermediate and Senior rowers to test themselves against the best crews around Australia.

Wilderness has entered a range of boats to compete, including some composite crews with Fremantle Rowing Club. We had a great start to the regatta when our two Senior pairs placed fourth and fifth respectively in the A final, while the bigger boats raced later in the week with the goal of booking a place in the weekend finals. Our two entries in the Schoolgirl’s Coxed Four recorded the fastest qualifying times in the heats, and the Under 19 Women’s Eight came second to reach today’s semi-final. We also have a single sculler competing today, along with the Under 17 Women’s Eight who begin their campaign later this afternoon.

Meanwhile, our Argo-22 SUBS in School team (who were victorious at last year’s state final) have been competing in the national final in Penrith. I am very proud to announce that this afternoon, they won their division in the ROV Development Class to be named National Champions. Out of the ten possible awards, they won seven—Best Sea Trial, Best Engineered CAD, Best Manufactured, Best Engineered, Best Graphic Design, Best Team Marketing and Best Team Trade Display. Congratulations to Diya Anup Kumar, Olivia Lai, Emily Nguyen and Madi Chau (Year 10) and their teacher Mr Thomas Keller on this exceptional achievement.

Interest in SUBS in Schools has continued to increase over the past few years at Wilderness; there are 36 Year 9 girls who will participate in this year’s state competition. SUBS in Schools enables girls to tackle practical applications of manufacturing and engineering necessary to create and produce technology, as well as graphic design, marketing and enterprise skills which are required to establish and sell a product. This gives students a taste of several emerging industries they may choose to pursue beyond school. The recent news about submarine manufacturing in South Australia means girls may have a significant career consideration close to home.

In recent months, we have proudly celebrated several of our old scholars who have found great success in STEM careers. In a previous newsletter, I wrote about Bridget Smart (2017), a mathematician who has been awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University. Coco Wong (2008) is currently working at Tesla in San Francisco, a company developing the future technology of our roadways. Phiala Shanahan (2007) has recently been in the media to discuss her remarkable career, during which she became the youngest ever Professor of Physics at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Soon, many of our current girls may join these old scholars in the STEM field as professional peers. For this reason, it is crucial to provide opportunities, like SUBS in Schools, to pique their interest in the field and facilitate practical experiences.

There is an aspect which links these two interstate opportunities together: they both encourage our girls to develop a strong sense of teamwork, whether it is to engineer a submarine below the water, or to move a quadruple scull above the surface. When students participate in interstate challenges like these, they operate outside of their typical routine; a strong bond must be developed ahead of time so that they can rely on each other throughout these experiences.

We are eager to facilitate opportunities for more of our girls to work as a team and participate in their areas of interest as the year goes on. For now, it is almost time for our girls to take a two-week break, before another term full of activity and learning.

I wish all families a wonderful holiday break, whether you are resting at home or travelling for a vacation. We will look forward to meeting the girls again after the break on Wednesday 26 April to begin Term 2.

Students will be dismissed at 1.05pm next Thursday 6 April, following the annual Easter service.

Road Safety Update

Many of you would be aware of the distressing incident which occurred at the pedestrian crossing outside of Marryatville High School last week, which resulted in one critically injured student and another in a serious condition. Our thoughts are with these students, their families and the entire Marryatville High School community at this difficult time.

Such awful incidents are a stark reminder to us about the importance of safety, especially considering that many of our staff and students enter the School by crossing an arterial roadway. With the prevalence of so many electronic devices, please remind your daughters to be vigilant when crossing Hawkers Road or Northcote Terrace to access the school grounds – to look up from their phones and remove their headphones/ear buds before crossing the road – to avoid distraction from their surroundings and potential danger.

As drivers, please be careful when dropping off and picking up students. We particularly request that parents do not attempt U-turns on Hawkers Road near the School, to prioritise the safety of both pedestrians and other vehicles. We hope that all parents will model responsible road usage to our students, and show respect and safety to fellow parents, staff and Senior students on the roads.