It has been a period of time filled with outreach, celebration and acknowledgement of achievement in our Junior School.

Last Thursday 14 September, our Year 5 students held a cake stall for students in Years 2 to 4. The purpose of the stall was to raise money and awareness for Head and Neck Cancer Australia, an organisation chosen due to the close connection that our Wilderness Junior School family has to this cause at present. This further supported the wonderful efforts of old scholars, Ashleigh De Silva (2018) and Christina Karapetis (2018), who were behind the wonderful initiative named ‘Run for Bella’, a team that participated in the City to Bay fun run on the weekend to raise funds for this same cause. Overall, the team raised an incredible $21,000—which our Year 5 girls felt understandably proud to have contributed to.

Today, our Citizenship Committee held a casual clothes day to raise funds for our enduring cause, the Bahadure School in Nepal. Girls in ELC to Year 6 were encouraged to wear casual clothes with ‘a touch of the 80s’ or bright colours in exchange for a gold coin donation. The girls looked fabulous in their brightest and best nostalgic colours!

National Computer Science School Coding Competition

Students in our Junior School achieved outstanding results in the recent NCSS (National Computer Science School), a competition designed to begin and then build upon students’ skills in computer coding and programming. While all results are highly commendable, of particular note was Year 6 student, Ariana Ng who received a perfect score.

Results were as follows:

NCSS Challenge (Beginners) – Year 3 Students

High Distinction

• Lily Bolton
• Aria Pasin
• Mishty Patel
• Zara Smit

Participation

• Niamh Pudney

NCSS Challenge (Beginners Python) – Year 6 Students

High Distinction

• Lana Huynh
• Monica Yao

Perfect Score

• Ariana Ng

Miriam Hyde Competition

Year 6 student, Jessica Mah, also achieved outstanding results, being awarded First Prize for the 2023 MTASA (Music Teachers Association of South Australia) Mirian Hyde Competition in the Junior Section (15 years and under). She played three pieces on the flute across three different periods, with one composition by the awards’ namesake and Australian composer, Miriam Hyde herself. Jessica received feedback highlighting her impressive musicality, hard work and talent. Congratulations, Jessica!

Year 6 Canberra Educational Tour

We are excited to farewell our Year 6 girls as they head off for their Canberra Educational Tour on Monday. Heading to our nation’s capital for the first time since 2019, the girls will be undertaking a broad range of experiences and visits to important landmarks designed to enhance their learning in the area of democracy and government. I look forward to being able to share details of the tour and subsequent learning in our next Life in the Wilderness publication.

Farewell Ms Brockwell

The end of Term 3 also sees us farewell Ms Lani Brockwell, one of our current Year 3 teachers and Assistant Head of Junior School: R–6 Curriculum. Lani has been a teacher in our Wilderness community since 2016, when she commenced as a Year 5 teacher. During her time here with us, she has worked across a range of year levels as a Junior School teacher, in the Middle School in English and, notably, as the pilot teacher in our highly successful SUBS in Schools program. Along with her close connections and strong relationships with girls, staff and family alike, Lani has brought a wealth of high-level academic knowledge and expertise across the breadth of her roles at Wilderness. It is this expertise that has seen her successfully win a position as a Literacy Coach for the Department for Education, which she will commence in Term 4. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lani for her dedication, care and incredibly hard work throughout her time at Wilderness and wish her all the very best as she steps into her new role.

Father's Day Breakfast

Please enjoy some photographs from our Lower Junior School Father's Day breakfast below.

Year 1 Outdoor Ed ‘Teddy Bear Adventure Picnic’

The Year 1 Outdoor Education Day Trip experience, named ‘Teddy Bear Adventure Picnic’, was held on a beautiful spring day at Morialta. It was a delightful journey into the heart of nature. The enthusiastic girls embarked on a memorable adventure following the whimsical path set by Michael Rosen's ‘Going on a bear hunt.’ They explored the lush surroundings, crossing babbling streams and venturing up to a ‘bear’ cave. Along the way, they were fortunate to spot koalas nestled in eucalyptus trees, a true testament to the rich biodiversity of Morialta. In tune with the natural wonders, the girls also indulged in creative pursuits—crafting intricate nature art pieces using leaves, twigs and colourful flowers they gathered, sharing a Teddy Bear's picnic and enjoying the adventure playground.

'We found something fuzzy and something prickly.' – Amara Dottin

‘I loved going on the playground, it was so much fun. There was a snake and we got to climb on stuff with my friends!’ – Sofia Cho

‘We went on a bear hunt and my favourite part was going through the river. It was really slippery and so much fun!’ – Alice Thewlis

‘I loved listening to the story and going on a bear hunt. It was a little scary going into the bear cave!’ – Ayra Farukh

‘I loved going on a bear hunt and going through the splishy, splashy creek!’ – Ivy Do

‘My favourite part was playing on the playground with my friends. I loved the big slide!’ – Evelyn Zhong

‘We saw a creek and we had to go through it, and we read a story in the cave.’ – Emma Bolton

Brenna Bence and Kate Snell
Year 1 Teachers

Year 7 2025 Scholarship Applications Now Open

If your daughter is entering Year 7 in 2025, you may wish to consider the opportunity for her to apply for a Music or Academic Scholarship. For more information, please read through the application details on the School’s Scholarships page.

Music Scholarship applications close on Friday 27 October 2023. Academic Scholarship applications close on Thursday 18 January 2024.