It was wonderful to welcome the girls back to Term 2 after their Easter break last week and to hear all about the many different things they enjoyed doing with their families during this time.

The Junior School Cross Country, held last Thursday 22 April, for Years 3-6, was a great success. Our Junior School House Captains led their Houses well with warm-ups to begin before the girls took their race starting places. Running a 2km track, our staff were most impressed, not only with the effort and persistence the girls showed in their running but most particularly with the support they showed one another. Girls were congratulated and cheered on by their peers, which created an atmosphere of positivity and enjoyment. Enormous congratulations must go to our place winners who are listed in the Sport section of the newsletter.

Thank you to the Junior School PE Faculty for their excellent organisation of the event, both in the lead-up and on the day.

Anzac Day Dawn Service

On Sunday 25 April, Junior School SRC President for Semester 1, Eva Baggio, Semester 2 President Annika Ganesh and Semester 1 Secretary, Sarah Mah, attended the Anzac Day Dawn Service at the Walkerville Memorial Lawn. Arriving in the darkness, the girls met Head of Junior School, Ms Liz McCarthy and gathered amongst their counterparts from other local schools, waiting in silence for the service to begin. The morning was one of solemnity, and an opportunity for reflection on the many servicemen and women who gave their lives throughout not only World War I but the many conflicts the Australian Defence Force have participated in throughout the past 100 years. The girls laid a book at the cenotaph on the history of war conflict, to be donated to the Walkerville RSL and represented the Wilderness community with great respect and pride.

The Iceberg of Culture

Last term in Humanities and Social Sciences, the Year 6 classes focused on countries in Asia. We were all given a country located in Asia to study and presented our thinking by creating an artefact. Each artefact was unique and included the underlying beliefs and values of each chosen custom, demonstrating our perspective on intercultural understanding.

We both focused on Iran. Manha created her artefact to represent Yalda Night. Yalda Night is a widely celebrated Iranian festival used to commemorate the victory of light against darkness. This celebration is marked on the longest and darkest day of the year. Saanvi made an artefact to symbolize the Iranian festival of Sizdah Be-Dar, also called Nature Day. Saanvi made a landscape that included different festivities, which make up an important part of the overall festival. Sizdah Be-Dar is an Iranian festival that marks the end of Nowruz's (Iranian is also known as Persian New Year) festivities.

To celebrate and share our learning, the Year 6 cohort then held an exhibition. It was fascinating to read everyone's explanation of why they created their artefacts and the underlying reasons for various customs and traditions in different Asian countries. This helped us understand other cultures and customs and, therefore, value and respect their differences.

Saanvi Khanna and Manha Abaid

Mother's Day Breakfast

By the time you read this article, the girls will have completed precious gifts to be shared with you at our Mother’s Day/Special Adult Breakfast on Tuesday 4 May, from 8.00am – 8.30am. We look forward to you joining us with your daughter for a light breakfast and celebration. Please feel free to send someone in your place should you not be able to attend.