As we move towards the end of Term 3, the importance of all girls looking after their personal health is vital as all students enter a significant assessment block in the next two weeks. Girls all have access to the online assessment calendars so they are aware of upcoming tests and assignments. Planning is vital, as is not leaving assessment pieces to the last minute to complete. Girls need to make sacrifices. Their social calendars must take a back seat for the remainder of this term to ensure that they are not burning the candle at both ends or they will run the risk of sickness and considerable pressure and stress.

At this time, the importance of perseverance cannot be underestimated. Sometimes when we look at the big picture, it is all too easy to become overawed and give up. If we break it up into smaller chunks, things become considerably easier to achieve.

Last week I enjoyed watching several of the Intercol teams play against Seymour. Congratulations to the Open A Debating, Soccer, Football and Badminton teams on their wins, which saw the Winter Intercol trophy return to Wilderness. What impressed me the most was the perseverance and humility that all teams demonstrated, whether they won or lost their respective games.

I was also pleased to learn of the success of the Wilderness teams that competed in the SA UNYouth’s EVATT competition. With their partners, the girls researched their allocated countries, and prepared to argue their response to current global crises and find a resolution. The day involved lots of problem-solving, compromise, diplomacy, public speaking and clear communication between individuals to pass a set of bills that appropriately resolved the issue. Congratulations to Lucy Lydeamore (Year 10), Natasha Lippett (Year 10), Zoe Velliaris (Year 12) and Isabel Graham (Year 12) who were successful in making it into the second round.

We welcomed yLead to Wilderness to work with the Year 10 and 11 girls last week with the key focus of these sessions on leadership. Thank you to Allegra Kleinig (Year 11) and Edwina Marshman (Year 10) for sharing their reflections as a student in these sessions, which are found in this newsletter. The timing of these sessions worked in well with the election of the 2023 Student Representative Council this week. Congratulations to those girls who were successful in gaining a SRC leadership position. We look forward to their leadership in 2023 and what they will bring to enhance the Wilderness community.

Unfortunately, this process will always leave some girls disappointed, as their nomination requires them to be brave and offer themselves for election. These experiences are a part of life, whether it be applying for a job or being selected in a team; there are always going to be times when we are successful and others when we are not. True leadership is so much more than a title, badge or tie and I hope that those girls who were not successful understand that they can still be a leader in Year 12, regardless of holding a formal position.

Next week, we look forward to the Interhouse Athletics Carnival on Thursday 8 September at the Salisbury Athletics Stadium. Hopefully, the weather will be kind and the true spirit of Interhouse competition will shine as the Year 12 girls experience their last House competition during their time at Wilderness.

Finally, thank you to Samantha Jersmann (Year 12 Parent Rep) for her organisation of the Year 12 Parent Reflection Evening held at the Wine Centre last Saturday evening. It was a wonderful night for Year 12 parents to celebrate their daughter’s final year at Wilderness and to enjoy each other’s company. It was fantastic to see so many of the Boarding Parents present on the night.

Year 10 yLead Experience

The yLead team worked with the Year 10s over two days to help us become our best selves and make a difference as leaders. Across the workshop, we participated in many hands-on activities and worked with people we may not normally work with. These activities showed us the importance of communicating as a group and using everyone’s strengths to work together effectively. Throughout these activities, we were able to discover ourselves as a leader, and we learned that ultimately everyone is a leader—with or without a badge. We thank the yLead team for their efforts and look forward to using the skills in the years ahead. - Edwina Marshman

Year 11 yLead Experience

On Friday 26 August, we participated in yLead, where we learned how a leader is simply the combination of character (who you are) and action (what you do). Through a pizza recipe analogy, we understood that although we cannot change the delicious dough and sauce – the Wilderness foundation – we can choose the toppings and create innovative change for our school and broader community.

Further team-building activities tested our problem solving. For one activity, we had the challenge of transporting our year level under a moving skipping rope. Although daunting at first, communication and creative thinking reduced our time from ten minutes to 2.9 seconds, exemplifying the importance of teamwork and innovation.

We ended the day by expressing our gratitude for each other. Using the pieces of paper attached on others’ backs, we wrote why we value or admire members of our year.

Overall, we left the program more connected as a year level and ready to make a positive difference in the world we touch. - Allegra Kleinig

Wildy Places Second in Team Challenge at South Australian Brain Bee State Final 2022

On Thursday 18 August, the South Australian Brain Bee State Final 2022 was held at Flinders University. This is a competition for Year 10 students to learn about the brain and its functions, learn about neuroscience research, find out about careers in neuroscience and to dispel misconceptions about neurological and mental illnesses. Four Wilderness girls participated, including Patricia Aquino, Thisagi Jayasekara, Victoria Phan and Livia Podreka. The girls are to be congratulated for coming second in the Team Challenge against twelve other finalist schools. This was after two rounds of live questioning on the day as well as individually scoring a high score on an online quiz prior to the final to qualify. Well done, girls!

Emily Lewis
Extended Curriculum Teacher