I hope you have all enjoyed a wonderful holiday break. We are excited to welcome back students and parents alike for Term 2 in a few days’ time. Before the term commences, we have some staffing updates to share.

Congratulations to Ms Marnie Eddington, who has been appointed as Acting Head of Sparaxis House for Term 2 whilst Mrs Julie Grant is on Long Service Leave. Marnie has been a member of Wilderness staff since 2020, teaching and mentoring our girls across various year levels in Physical Education, Sport Science, Artemis and as a Form teacher. Ms Eddington is passionate about each student’s wellbeing and helping them reach their full potential whilst living happy and fulfilling lives. She is a passionate, caring and kind person and we are pleased she will be stepping into this important pastoral role where our girls will feel safe, supported and nurtured.

We welcome Mr Jason Forrest to our staff team, who will be teaching Drama and Media. Jason has 25 years’ experience as a Performing Arts and Media educator globally. During this time, Jason has directed and produced numerous theatre productions with primary and high school-aged students across a range of sectors, including a number of girls schools. Most recently, Jason completed his Graduate Certificate in Journalism and has continued to explore his interest in Creative Arts through the completion of radio, film and podcasting courses. He has especially applied his skills, experience and knowledge to the teaching of film analysis and production, most recently in Adelaide as Head of Drama and Film at Pembroke School. Jason’s long and varied career in the Performing Arts as a leader, teacher, mentor, director and performer is testament to his creative drive, which is led by his desire to provide young people with the necessary tools to prepare for pathways in the Arts and Creative Industries. We welcome him to Wilderness.

We gladly welcome back our Head of Art Mrs Brooke Porter, after a term of long service leave, and sincerely thank Mrs Lindy Neilson for acting in this role in Term 1. We are pleased to retain Lindy’s expertise in a teaching capacity this term. There are several exciting projects happening right now in our Art department – headlined by our Artist in Residence program, and a collaboration with the Outdoor Education team at REALISE – and it is an asset to have these talented, experienced educators guiding our girls to express themselves creatively.

In fact, each member of our staff teams brings something unique to the table; their expertise, care and skills contribute to the exceptional teaching we can offer our students. The wellbeing and growth of our staff is important to us and is carefully overseen by our Director of Leadership and Human Potential, Mrs Heather de Blasio and Director of Learning and Teaching, Mr Brad Snell. Just as our teachers build relationships with students to bring out their best, our staff collaborate for the betterment of the School.

Our mission is ‘to enable every girl to be the best she can be throughout her life’ and this inspires us to deliver an outstanding education for your daughters.

We look forward to resuming learning for our staff and students in a matter of days. Enjoy the remaining break together with your daughters, and we will see you soon on Wednesday 26 April.