As we find ourselves amidst the flurry of activities and events that mark the end of another fulfilling year in our Junior School, I am thrilled to share the excitement and energy that have permeated our campus during this vibrant season.

The last few weeks have been bustling with an array of enriching experiences, from camps and excursions, opportunities to reflect upon the year’s learning and the preparations for our highly anticipated end of year events. Each of these form integral parts of our learning programs, fostering growth and camaraderie while building resilience and confidence in our girls.

Our Year 5 Educational Tour to Ballarat and Melbourne, as well as our Year 3 and Year 6 Outdoor Education experiences, featuring a beach camp and bike riding day trips respectively, offered invaluable opportunities for our girls to immerse themselves in hands-on learning experiences beyond the classroom walls. Whether it was exploring the wonders of nature, engaging in team-building activities or delving into cultural and historical discoveries, these adventures enrich knowledge, nurture curiosity and cultivate lifelong memories.

We were delighted to welcome the girls who will be joining our Junior School in 2024 on New Girls’ Day last Tuesday. Met at the gate by a set of highly enthusiastic buddies, our new girls joined a Junior School assembly to welcome them. Our Year 2 students led an informative and entertaining assembly item about ‘Life in the Junior School’, before all classes returned for an orientation day with their 2024 teachers. We are very much looking forward to our new girls becoming old friends next year.

Simultaneously, our teachers are diligently preparing end of year school reports, taking the opportunity to reflect upon each girl’s learning and growth across Semester 2. We look forward to releasing these in the week after school concludes.

Additionally, the excitement surrounding our end of year events is palpable. Commencing last night with our beautiful ELC Christmas Concert angels and Annies' Graduation, festivities will continue in Weeks 7 and 8 with our Musical Theatre Club Concert, Ballet Concert, Junior School Prize Giving and Year 6 Graduation Assembly. Last but not least, we look forward with great anticipation to our much-loved Christmas Concert to conclude our year together on the evening of Friday 8 December. Each in their own way, these events honour exceptional achievements across all areas of school life, highlighting our girls' talents and efforts; they serve as platforms for celebration and recognition of their dedication and accomplishments.

We understand that this busy period can be both thrilling and demanding for our students, and we commend their unwavering commitment and enthusiasm in embracing each opportunity presented to them.

To our wonderful parents and families, your support and encouragement play a pivotal role in fostering the success and wellbeing of our girls. We deeply appreciate your partnership and care as we work together and we also know that without your support, our celebrations would not be possible. Please be gentle on yourselves as you navigate what I know is such a busy time juggling so many competing priorities!

I wish each of you all the very best as another school year draws to a close and look forward to celebrating together in the coming weeks.

Congratulations and Farewell

I write to share news for 2024 of two of our much-loved Junior School teachers, Miss Lauren Trenerry and Ms Martes Micallef.

Having taught in a range of capacities at Wilderness over the past six years, most recently as a Year 3 teacher, Martes has been appointed as a teacher at a new school from 2024. Martes has been an instrumental member of the Junior School teaching team, both as a relief and class teacher. She has also been a wonderful support to our Outdoor Education team, assisting on many camps and treks with girls across Junior and Middle School. Martes has been known throughout her time at Wilderness as a supportive, diligent and hard-working teacher whose care extends to all—students, colleagues and families alike. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Martes for all she has given our community and to wish her every blessing as she takes this next step in her career.

Lauren has been a much-loved Reception teacher at Wilderness for the last two years and I am delighted to share with you that she has been appointed into a new position as our school’s Head of Extended Curriculum for 2024. Lauren brings significant experience, knowledge and expertise to this role, where she will oversee inclusive learning across ELC to Year 12. Supporting each of our girls to be the best they can be throughout their educational journey and beyond requires meeting their varying needs at different points along the way, whether through intervention programs, in class support and learning extension. We are very much looking forward to Lauren’s leadership in this area and congratulate her on this appointment.

Year 3 Camp

This term, the Year 3 girls went to Aldinga for their three-day Outdoor Education camp. The girls had an exciting time trying new things, making new friends and learning about themselves.

My favourite activities were when we were going on a bush walk and learning about the bush. I liked it because we got to try bush tucker and we learned how to survive if we were ever stuck with no home in the scrub. – Madeline KoKo Aung

My favourite part was meeting Trent, because he is a really good storyteller. It was fun to clay and cook the fish and learn about Aboriginal culture. – Lily Bolton

My favourite part was when Trent told us stories. It felt like I was inside the story! It was amazing! – Lilian Kesselaar

The thing I learned about myself on camp was that I am brave when I want to be and I think I could use some more quiet time once in a while. – Aiza Muazzam

I learned that I like to try new things and that I am a bit of a daredevil. – Elodie Spernat

My favourite part of camp was when we cooked the fish because we did it in clay and I thought it was unique because I have never seen anyone do it like that before, but it tastes really good. I ate the eyeball of the fish! – Edwina Jackman

My favourite part of camp is when I got to be with my friends in the dorms, because when I was scared, they helped me overcome my fear. – Adele Hannah

Year 5 Ballarat Educational Tour

Please enjoy this reflection from our Year 5 students about their educational tour to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat.

Day 1 – Flying Out

We all arrived at Adelaide Airport and said goodbye to our parents while collecting our boarding passes and checking our suitcases in. After that, we went through security so we could make our way to Gate 21. Once we boarded, we got headphones from a flight attendant and watched TV as our entertainment. When we landed in Melbourne, we got our suitcases and went to the bus, for a one-and-a-half-hour drive, which took us to our hotel in Ballarat! Once we got to our hotel (the Mercure), we got ready to have a delicious dinner! While we were waiting for dinner, some of us watched movies. When we got called for dinner, we ate our delicious food, then after – as a treat – we watched a fantastic movie called Annie! We had to stop halfway through the movie because we had to go to sleep so we would not be tired at Sovereign Hill the next day! – Katie Vaezi, Isha Wechalekar, Sharanya Reddy, Maim Jibran and Maarisha Emad

Day 2 – The First Day Of School

‘Apples, pears, peaches, plums; tell me when your birthday comes!’ sang our voices as we perfectly recited a game of jump rope in our prim and proper white petticoats, wrapped in our capes. It was 14 November 1854, Ma’am was patiently waiting ready for our lesson as we politely lined up in height order, after wonderful morning air. ‘Children should be seen not heard!’ she would declare, as she whipped her cane in a deadly fashion. ‘REPEAT!’ she yelled, and so it began again. – Alice Gao, Noor Jilaihawi, Saanika Singhal, Leila Nguyen and Jiaxi Huo.

Day 3 – The Second Day of School

In the morning, we got dressed into our costumes, which consisted of white pantalettes, a dress, a pinafore and a straw hat. At school, we practised writing in copperplate with ink and fountain pens; later that day, we did some needle work making bookmarks.

The inspector arrived at our school and was greeted by our door monitor, who took his hat and cane. He inspected our learning, our terrible housekeeping and, most horrible of all, reduced Ma’am’s stipend by half—again!

Later that day, Ma’am took us to see the Red Coat Soldier demonstration, where they fired loud gunshots to mark their victory over the miners. Ma’am also took us to try our hand at gold panning; then, Ms Alison Short and Mrs Katie Chataway let us fly free and buy souvenirs to take back to Adelaide. We ended our day by enjoying the rest of our movie. – Alessia Wojcik, Abigail McArdle, Adeline Wilson, Chloe Broster, Caitlyn Lau and Cedra Sawad

Day 4 – Back to Melbourne, then home

We woke up nice and refreshed, ready to pack for a loooong bus ride into Melbourne. We stopped at Scienceworks, a Science Museum, for a learning rollercoaster! We started by having a snack on the rainbow stairs. Then, we went in and placed some boundaries and went to go have fun. We explored running races, strength activities and then, after an hour of having fun, we got ready for an exciting show full of energy and fun. After the show, we had pizza and, when we were ready, we went back in for another hour or so, before hopping back on the bus to head to the airport. The flight back home felt so long, but fast at the same time. We landed to see all of our happy parents’ faces as we leapt into their warm arms. – Mia Gordon, Scarlett Drew Wallman, Angie Georgiou, Kensi Howland and Sophia Lehman