Where has 2022 gone? The last two weeks have flown by as the Year 12 cohort of 2022 counted down the final days of their secondary schooling. This week, the girls have enjoyed the range of celebrations and rites of passage that mark their journey including the House Breakfasts, the Walk of Honour and Final Assembly. Last week, it was wonderful to welcome back a number of recent old scholars to share their experiences in the early days after leaving school at the ‘Welcome to Old Scholars’ breakfast in Hender Hall. As an educator, there is nothing more rewarding than to hear what old scholars are doing after school and to witness the growth and resilience they have achieved.

We also held our SRC Changeover Assembly, which saw the handing of the leadership baton to the 2023 leadership group.

The Year 12 girls have expressed a range of emotions about leaving the gates of Wilderness for the last time. For some students, it is all that they have known for the past 13 years of their lives; for others, it has been a small part of their total education thus far. However, for all students, I am sure there is a sense of nervousness and excitement as they step out into the next stage of their lives. Good luck to all Year 12s as they close one door and begin the next exciting stage of their lives. We look forward to following their journeys over the years ahead.

As we head towards the end of the year and the assessment period begins to heat up, there are some students who inevitably end up in my office. They leave things to the last minute, or they do not start their assignments early enough through a lack of time management. Sometimes this frustrates parents and teachers because they know the girl "could do much better!"

The fact is that girls know full well they are not pushing themselves. Kirrilie Smout (South Australian Child Psychologist) highlights how there are good reasons for students to try harder and make some sacrifices. These are as follows:

1. When your daughter "pushes herself" at school, she develops BRAIN STRENGTH.

Our brains can be thought of as being made up of lots of little muscles and groups of muscles. Every time we use one of these muscle groups, that group gets stronger. Every time your daughter forces herself to concentrate, try harder and start sooner on a project or work for a bit longer, she is growing the areas of the brain which are responsible for these things.

2. When your daughter tries her best, she will often feel good about herself.

Psychologists have found that people who believe they are achieving at the highest level they can – in study, school, work or sport – are happier than people who feel like they have not achieved as much as they can. Students who try hard at school and with homework – whether they get a B or A – have a better mood, feel more positive about life and like themselves more than students who do not.

3. When your daughter tries her best, she will make other people feel good and less irritated.

Students who are not really pushing themselves at school have irritated, nagging parents and frustrated teachers. This becomes annoying for them, and gets in the way of them enjoying life and having good relationships with people around them.

In the end, it is only the child who can decide whether it is worth pushing themselves at school. They need to weigh it all up and make a choice based on all the information that they have in front of them. As parents and teachers, we need to be there to guide and support them, however, ultimately it is up to them.

End of Year Examinations

A reminder that Year 12 SACE exams will begin on Monday 7 November with Mathematical Methods in the morning. All Year 12s have been provided with the exam schedule. Girls are welcome to attend school during SWOTVAC to meet with their teachers or to study at school.

Year 10 and 11 exams will take place during Week 7 (Monday 28 November – Friday 2 December) with SWOTVAC beginning on Friday 25 November.

Silver Duke of Edinburgh Glenelg River Canoe Camp

Please enjoy a short recap of the camp from Lucy Lydeamore.

During the first week of Term 4, 22 Year 10 students participated in a Silver Duke of Ed Adventurous Journey, canoeing on the Glenelg River in Victoria. We had perfect weather; lots of sunshine and glassy waters. Although much of Victoria was having problems with flooding, we were lucky to avoid that with almost no rain on the trip and the majority of our campsites being dry and flat.

The first afternoon was one full of learning, as each pair navigated how to steer and stay in time with each other. Although over the first couple of days many pairs ended up in the reeds and bushes, by the end of the trip we were all able to paddle smoothly and even manoeuvre ourselves under arches made by trees on the river. Sometimes canoeing could be difficult, particularly on longer days where we paddled for up to seven hours (with breaks for snacks and lunch). However, in the evenings our group leaders of the day would bring us together to reflect on things that went well, and things we could work on as a group the next day. This was followed by Trangia dinners, cooked with food we had bought in pairs prior to the trip. Over the course of the week, this went from being a chore to being a fun time when we would share ingredients and try each other’s meals.

One of my most special moments on camp was stargazing on the fourth night on the jetty. During camp, each pair took turns taking ‘interp’ sessions that were prepared before camp and taught the rest of the group something new about nature, animals, birds or culture surrounding them. On this night, we looked for the Scorpio, Seven Sisters and Orion constellations. The sky was so clear that we were not only able to see thousands of flickering stars, but we could see the stars reflected in the water, coating everything with sparkling light. We were also lucky enough to spot several shooting stars and watch satellites move across the sky, a moment I am sure we will remember for long to come. As a group, we also enjoyed some swims in the beautiful but freezing river and some watercolour painting on the jetty.

Overall, the camp experience was one I will treasure, not just for the canoeing and camping, but for the little moments of beauty and for the friendships I both made and strengthened.

Round Square International Trip: Student Reflection

The Round Square International Conference was an incredible opportunity that allowed students across the world to come together to learn about how to do their part to make the world a better place, following the motto ‘Take Less, Be More.’

The 2022 Conference was held in Oxford, UK where different schools were at various campuses at Oxford University. Wilderness School students were fortunate to be accommodated at St Edmund Hall. The grounds were stunning with incredible architecture that allowed us to reflect on how lucky we were to have had this opportunity.

An especially valuable aspect of the journey was going to New Theatre Oxford, where most of the events were held. We found that when listening to the panel of speakers talk about their stories and how they implemented ‘Take Less, Be More’, they 'expressed the ways in which service operates in these realms and how when we give, not only do we get, but we also change’ (Nidhi Karachur, Year 11). It opened the idea that we can make that change, no matter how small the action is. When leaving St Edmund Hall, some of our key takeaways were how 'important [it is] to take risks and try new things to truly enjoy the experience', because as many of the speakers outlined, you must take that first step to make a change.

The next day, we listened to Ben Fogle, an adventurer and filmmaker who talked about his inspiring journeys through the Atlantic Ocean and dangerous climb up Mt Everest. Ben spoke about the requirement for persistence and courage when taking risks. He left us with many inspiring messages, including that ‘failures are a part of who we are’ and that it is okay to make mistakes; it is how we get back up that matters. Learning about Ben’s journey climbing Mt Everest was personally inspiring and helped me consider how I could climb my Mt Everest.

Sarojini McGrath
Year 11

Important Dates

Please see the list of important dates for the term.