At Wilderness, we often speak of learning as a journey. This term, I have found myself returning to three simple, profound words from the Early Years Learning Framework: Belonging, Being and Becoming. They have taken on new meaning as I have watched our girls re-enter their learning community, navigate new friendships, and step gently into the next chapter of their school life.

Returning from holidays is not always easy. Many of our girls have come from the warmth and comfort of home, or the joy of family holidays, and must now reorient themselves within their home away from home, a place filled with many personalities and many possibilities for play. But slowly, joy returns. New friendships begin. Familiar rhythms settle in. Our buddy program with the Year 6 girls has reawakened, and it is a delight to see the care that grows between them.

This term has also marked a physical shift. With the opening of the Coach House, our girls can now make the walk through the school to visit the Learning Commons, glimpsing the playgrounds and classrooms they will one day join. Along the way, sisters find each other and it is beautiful to witness.

As educators, we have become more connected too. Our shared spaces are more than buildings. They shape how we teach, how we relate, and how we grow. I never truly understood the idea of the environment as the "third teacher" until now. From the original Mamie House to our modern Annexe, each space has held warmth, laughter and learning. We have simply brought that spirit forward, evolving with intention and care.

The girls may not realise it yet, but these experiences of finding their place, forming connections, and growing with confidence are shaping who they are becoming. We see it every day in small choices and quiet acts of kindness.

Wilderness is always growing. At the heart of that growth is a community that holds care, safety and wellbeing as its foundation, while dreaming boldly for the future.

Rebecca Williamson
Director of Early Years