It has been a productive and busy number of weeks in the Junior School with girls participating in a range of activities to enhance and support their learning.

On Monday 17 May, eight Year 6 students competed in the 2021 Da Vinci Decathlon, held at St Peter’s Girls School. The Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the higher order thinking of students across ten disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics, Code breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography and Legacy.

The students are given their ten provocations/problems at the start of the day. Without adult guidance or support, they must collaborate in their teams to ensure they produce a response or solution for each discipline.

It is with great pride that we announce that our Wilderness Year 6 team won overall first place out of the 23 schools entered in the competition, achieving some of the following outstanding results:

• Engineering 1st place
• English 1st place
• Art and Poetry 3rd place
• Ideation 3rd place
• Creative Producers 3rd place
• Science 4th place

The team was comprised of the following students Aahana Anand, Alexandra Pringle, Sarah Mah, Annika Ganesh, Eva Baggio, Grace Quick, Bella Pasin and Saanvi Khanna.

Congratulations, girls, on your exceptional collaboration. Congratulations and thanks also to Ms Alison Short, Extended Curriculum Program (ECP) teacher, who guides and supports the girls with opportunities to develop and enhance the skills that enabled their success.

Year 4 Camp

In Week 5, the Year 4 students spent three days and two nights amongst nature, camping at ‘Douglas Scrub’ in Mclaren Vale with each of the girls sleeping one night in a tent and the other in a dorm. We made the most of some amazing Autumn weather and spent almost all of the time outdoors, including completing a hike in the Onkaparinga Gorge, which had some very challenging terrain. We were very proud of their resilience and determination!

Other highlights included playing in the gorge, making candles, cooking and eating damper, campfire games, an interactive visit from Ngarrindjeri Elder, Uncle Moogie, outdoor nature play, the bouldering wall, and magic spots to write in journals. Here are some quotes from the girls:

“We thoroughly enjoyed our hike into the really steep, narrow gorge.”

“Playing campfire games with my friends was so fun, the best game was ‘bang bang’.”

“We were very adventurous playing on the rocks down in the gorge – some of us got our shoes wet in the rock pools, but that made it even more exciting!”

“Setting up the tents was a new experience for me, and sleeping in it was really cold!”

“We made damper by mixing our ingredients, kneading the dough and cooking it on the fire – delicious!”

“Watching Mr Rice dance like a kangaroo with Uncle Moogie was hilariously funny.”

“While we were exploring the natural surroundings, we made up games using sticks and rocks and had a really good time.”

“Climbing up from the gorge gave us sore legs and made us puff and pant but having a short break every now and then helped us get back to the top.”

“It was hard to stop ourselves from chatting in the tents with our friends!”

“Not sleeping in my comfortable, fluffy bed was a challenge because we slept on very thin mattresses, so we used our sleeping bags as extra cushioning.”

“Sleeping in the tent was a bit squishy, but we were so tired after the hike that we got to sleep pretty quickly.”

“It was a bit tricky without our usual bedtime routines, and I missed having Mum and Dad saying good night to me. There may have been a few tears on the first night.”

Many thanks to our amazing Outdoor Education staff, Ms Kate Mitchell, Ms Charley Newton and Ms Rosie Smith, plus our three Year 11 students who came to assist as part of their Gold Duke of Ed Award – Zoe Velliaris, Catherine Portolesi and Martha Beasley.

Heather Davis and Nathan Rice
Year 4 Teachers

Reception Assembly

Our Reception girls presented their first assembly this week, sharing their knowledge about the seasons. The first Reception assembly is always a special milestone for the girls, and the confidence with which they are able to stand in front of the Junior School and speak is always a source of amazement. Developing these skills and making them the ‘norm’ in our girls at this very early age is something we value greatly at Wilderness. Having a voice and the agency to use it holds such enormous benefits for our girls as they move through their schooling and indeed into the world. Well done, Receptions!

Year 2 Outdoor Education Day Trip

Our Year 2 girls finally attended their previously postponed day trip to Cleland Wildlife Park today. With a strong Outdoor Education focus, the girls independently prepared and packed a Nude Food lunch together before leaving school. At the park, they were able to engage with wildlife keepers to learn about conservation and the care undertaken to ensure the well-being of the animals that reside there. A bus full of tired and happy little girls arrived back at School at hometime full of stories and ready for the weekend.

Code Camp

Join Australia’s favourite school holiday program! Spark (Ages 7-12) and YouTube Creators (Ages 8-13) will be held at Wilderness School this Winter.

Monday 5 to Wednesday 7 July
9.00am - 3.30pm
Click here to learn more.
Save $25 using the EARLYBIRD25 discount code (valid until Sunday 30 May).

Upcoming Social Events

Year 3

The Year 3 Wilderness Picnic Play Date will be held on Saturday 5 June from 11.00am – 2.00pm at Klemzig Recreational Playground on the corner of OG Road and North East Road Klemzig.

Bring your family, a picnic rug and a plate to share. We ask that those with last names from A-M please bring savoury food while last names from N-Z please bring sweet food.

RSVP to Alyce Costoglou on 0411 850 704 by Friday 28 May.

Year 5

Firstly, a reminder about the Year 5 parent only Bottle & Plate event on Friday 4 June at 7.00pm at Jo Lydeamore's Home.

Year 5 Dad and Daughter Bowling will also be held on Sunday 25 July with check-in at 1.30pm and bowling starting at 2.00pm

Finally, don’t forget about the Year 5 Mum’s lunch at the Old Lion Hotel on Sunday 15 August at 12:30pm.

Joanna Lydeamore (Edie's mum), Edwina Hicks (Jemima's mum) and Alicia Li (Zixu's mum) are the Year 5 Class Representatives in 2021. Please feel free to contact them, should you have any questions about the above events.