What a delight it has been to return to Wilderness and our Junior School this week after my time away. An enormous thank you to Gina Kadis for her care and commitment as Head of Junior School throughout Terms 2 and 3. Ably supported by the Junior School leadership, teaching and professional support team, Gina ensured a smooth and connected transition for our girls and families and we wish her all the very best as she concludes her time with us.

Following on from our Year 6 Canberra Educational Tour (see below) a number of weeks ago, our Year 5 girls have spent this past week on their Ballarat Educational Tour. Complementing their unit of learning on the Gold Rush, the girls flew to Melbourne Monday morning before catching a bus to Ballarat. Here they stayed at Sovereign Hill, engaging in the Costume School, an immersive museum experience where they were able to experience first-hand the day to day lives of school children in this era, wearing the same types as clothing they would have worn and undertaking the same school lessons. The girls then caught a bus back to Melbourne on Thursday morning and visited ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image), where they enjoyed the many exhibitions relating to animation, film and television in Australian history. I would like to thank the staff team attending the Educational Tour with the Year 5 cohort for not only their care for and of the girls during this week, but for their significant preparation and planning in the months leading up to it. These out of the classroom learning opportunities are invaluable for so many reasons and without the commitment of staff, they would not be possible. We will be sure to include reflections from the Year 5 students about their time in Ballarat and Melbourne in our next edition of Life in the Wilderness.

Before the end of term, Mrs Ruth Shrimpton will be sharing information relating to colour requirements for the girls to wear for the Christmas Concert. While this seems very far away, we felt it may be helpful for families to have this before the break and with plenty of time. Please look out for this information next week.

As Term 3 draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to wish each of you a wonderful upcoming break. With the warmer weather starting to make its presence felt, it is always a term break that feels both timely and optimistic. I look forward to welcoming you back at the commencement of what is always a very busy Term 4.

Year 6 Canberra Trip
The Year 6 group recently undertook an educational tour of the national capital, Canberra. We had the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs focusing on Australia's history, culture, heritage, and democracy.

Learning about our nation’s capital was an experience we will all remember. It was fun and engaging to learn about our government system and more about Canberra. However, democracy wasn’t the only focus—the fun and history of our capital played a big role in our enjoyment.

The Australian Institute of Sport was a great place to visit. We got to see the pool where Olympians train. We also saw gymnasts and volleyball players in action. But the best part was trying out sports for ourselves.

“I liked that we got to see all the different training spaces of the athletes at the Australian Institute of Sport.” – Chloe Broster

One of the best parts of camp was Questacon. We learnt so many amazing things there and got to experience an earthquake of 5.8 magnitude. But the highlight of Questacon had to be the drop, which was a sensational experience.

“Coursing through all the rooms was really exciting, especially learning about science!” – Sharanya Reddy

Another significant place we visited in Canberra was the Australian War Memorial. Here, we learnt about the courage and sacrifices made by Australian soldiers and their families, who fought for their nation. While at the War Memorial, all Year 6 students contributed to a special wreath-laying ceremony. Our SRC girls laid the wreath and read a passage dedicated to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We all shared a minute of silence to commemorate and respect those who fought in the war.

“I loved the visual dioramas of the scenes of the war at the Australian War Memorial!” – Sophia Lehman

A highlight of our trip was visiting Parliament House, where many famous politicians have held office. Seeing the portraits of our past leaders in Parliament was inspiring for all of us, not just in terms of leadership in Parliament but also as leaders in the Junior School.

“Learning about the House of Representatives in Parliament House was really fun because we got to do a role play!” – Alice Gao

Government House was also an important tour. We first met a soldier who answered all our questions about the different medallions that can be achieved. Unfortunately, we didn’t see the current Governor-General, but that didn’t stop us from reflecting on the role of the Governor-General and the significance of Government House.

“Talking to the soldier and him showing us the different types of awards was really fun and interesting!” – Addy Wilson

The Royal Australian Mint was another fascinating stop, where we saw Australia’s sole producer of coins. Watching the millions of coins being made in the factory fascinated the entire year level. And we can’t forget the best part—the gift shop! We were able to mint our own unique coins, which aren’t being released to the public!

“At the Royal Australian Mint, I learnt how coins that we use every day are made.” – Hannah Fang

Thank you to the staff for the amazing experience, one we will all never forget!

Skyler Luong, Angelina Georgiou and Honey Patel

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding to Wilderness in the amount of $90.00 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Liz McCarthy
Head of Junior School