On Wednesday 1 September, three Junior School students competed in the 2021 IPSHA Poetry Competition. This time-honoured competition sees one student from Year 4, 5 and 6 represent their school in reciting a set and a chosen poem for a live audience.

The 2021 competition, hosted by Seymour College, was well attended and high quality. The girls that represented Wilderness School were Grace Tully (Year 4), Selin Cinar (Year 5) and Manha Abaid, (Year 6). Each girl recited a set year level poem and one of choice. Each girl performed exceptionally well and displayed outstanding manners, grace and responded beautifully to their feedback from the adjudicators.

It is always wonderful to see our girls engaging in a healthy competition that requires such focus and rehearsal, where they each develop a deep understanding of the literary pieces they are sharing. Congratulations girls!

Muddy Puddles Excursion

Waking up to blue skies and sunshine seemed like a good sign for the Reception ‘Muddy Puddles’ excursion. The girls boarded the bus full of excitement for their trip through the hills and arrived at the beautiful Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens.

The morning activities consisted of making clay seed balls and a nature scavenger hunt. To make the seed balls, the girls and their teachers had to dunk their hands in cold, squidgy clay and mud, whilst they prepared a home to fold their seeds into.

The scavenger hunt had the girls exploring a lovely woodland area for various treasures such as summer coloured leaves, a fairy wand and a magical stone.

Everyone enjoyed lunch on large picnic rugs, before it was time to enjoy the lovely hillside. Sqeals of delight could be heard all around as the Reception girls rolled and ran down the grassy slopes.

The final activity of the day was a stroll around the gardens and stopping off for some leaf throwing before having cookies beside a pond covered in lily pads.

The girls then boarded the bus again, bound for home this time. A little muddy, a little tired, but happy to have enjoyed a fabulous day being truly Adventurous Learners. A big thank you to Ms Kate Mitchell and Charley Newton for organising such a wonderful outdoor education excursion!

“I liked the scavenger hunt and finding all the little things!” Jessica Yao

“I liked making the seed balls. We are going to put them in the garden at home!” Matilda Farhan

“I loved seeing the black swan.” Mia Smith

Teddy Bear Picnic

It was a cool morning when the Year 1 girls and their teachers, co-educators and outdoor education staff boarded the bus and set off into the actual wilderness to celebrate nature and teddy bears.

Using the story book ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosin and Helen Oxenbury, the girls showed their bears all the highlights of Morialta Conservation Park. The bears particularly enjoyed the sight at the waterfall when a beautiful rainbow appeared above the pool water at the bottom.

This was followed by a hike to the playground with the bears looking out for king parrots, frogs and tadpoles along the way. There was a sudden downpour of rain and the bears had to stay in the backpacks and the girls in their raincoats.

Finally, lunch was eaten under the shelters in the playground. After the bears enjoyed exploring the playground and all the fascinating pools of water that had been created from the rain. There were some tired teddy bears at pick up time, but everyone had an unforgettable adventure.

Doll's House Project

The Year 2 girls have been very busy this term using their design and engineering skills to plan and build two-storey doll houses. The girls applied their knowledge of measurement, materials, and simple machines to create wonderful and functional houses.

Some of the design criteria included finding a way to move their doll from one level to the other, at least two simple machines (for example a lever, pulley, wheel or ramp), furniture that would be the correct size for their doll, patterned wallpaper and functional windows and doors.

They are working collaboratively with the Year 6 classes, who are using their growing knowledge of electrical circuits to install two working lights in the girls’ dolls houses.

The girls have had to think flexibly, creatively and problem solve.

Book Week

The Junior School and Early Learning Centre have been intrepidly exploring the past, present and future with the 2021 Children’s Book Council of Australia theme of ‘Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds’.

During Book Week, we give our girls from Mamies through to Year 6 a voice by creating our own short list and voting for their favourite books. This is a well-established tradition we all enjoy and value. The Early Childhood Book of the Year category entertained and engaged the ELC, Receptions, Years 1, 2 and 3 who voted using pop sticks. Year 4, 5 and 6 girls used preferential voting to evaluate the Picture Book of the Year category. It is always interesting to note the choices of children in relation to the official judge’s preferences, prompting interesting discussions.

In Week 5 and 6, buddy activities were based on short listed books and saw the creation of flocks of birds, outfits for a bear, rock pools filled with wonderful sea creatures, and imaginative creatures hatching from eggs. Library lessons sparked even more creative ideas.

The highlight of our Book Week celebrations is always our Book Week Parade. We would like to highly commend and acknowledge the wonderful support of our families for making this year’s parade the amazing extravaganza of children’s books that it was. I’m delighted to report that all the girls and staff thoroughly enjoyed themselves and no one was eaten by a dinosaur!

Our Book Week celebrations finished with a read around, allowing teachers to share stories they enjoy with classes other than their own. I would like to acknowledge the incredible support of our school leaders Ms Jane Danvers, Head of the Library, Mrs Emma Phillips and our magnificent Library and Junior School staff for placing reading at the heart of our school.

Year 3 - 6 Swimming Carnival Program

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Years 3 - 6 Swimming Carnival on Friday 17 September.

Please find our digital program with details of event times, school records and general information about the day here.

Spectators

In line with current social distancing requirements, only one parent/caregiver per student will be able to attend and watch on the day. Adults must wear masks, check-in via the Aquatics Centre QR Code and socially distance when spectating. The pool no longer has individual seating in the stands, so it would be advisable to bring a cushion or towel to sit on.

Absentees

If your daughter becomes ill overnight, please ensure you notify the School of her absence via the Student Absentee Form located on the SEQTA Parent Portal Quick Links page.

Should you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact me at school or via email.