Last Friday, we welcomed all the 2024 Year 7s to the Middle School with a morning of activities, House meetings and a valuable Q&A session run by the Middle School SRC. On Monday, we then welcomed the remainder of the new Year 8 and 9 Middle School girls for the start of their transition into Middle School life at Wilderness. We hope that all our new students are looking forward to joining the Wilderness community next year and had a wonderful time meeting their buddies, other students and staff.

Here are some of the similes shared by the 2024 Year 7 girls following their Maths Escape Room Activity:

Math is like ... the universe. There are infinite ways to solve problems and go about finding different solutions.
Math is like ... an ethical problem. Is there really only one way?
Math is like ... when the sun comes out on a rainy day.
Math is like ... a big adventure. You have to experience each step along the way.

Chinatown Excursions

Over the past two weeks, the Year 8 and 9 Chinese students have all visited Chinatown. The Year 9 students completed an “Amazing Race” and celebrated with dumplings at the end.

The bustling streets of Chinatown became a vibrant classroom for two Year 9 Chinese classes on an unforgettable excursion last Friday. The students embarked on an exhilarating adventure, participating in an amazing race that combined cultural exploration with language learning. Armed with clues, we navigated through the maze of Dumpling King, Hong Kong Supermarket, Chatime and more.

The challenges were as diverse as the surroundings, requiring us to order a meal in Mandarin and provide thoughtful ratings, showcasing our language proficiency and culinary discernment. Along the journey, we discovered hidden gems of Chinatown and eagerly explored new bubble tea shops whilst expanding our palate with exotic flavours.

Adding a modern touch to the excursion, we documented our escapades through video, capturing the essence of our cultural immersion. The vibrant tapestry of Chinatown served not only as a backdrop for language practice, but also as a rich canvas for fostering teamwork and cultural appreciation.

This immersive excursion left an indelible mark on us, blending education with excitement and creating lasting memories of a day filled with exploration, collaboration and the joy of discovering the cultural treasures of Chinatown. Thank you Mrs Tansy Chen and Ms Angela Sciberras-Xiong for organising this unforgettable experience. – Caitlin Hardin

The Year 8 students completed a scavenger hunt in Chinese and enjoyed lunch after it was completed.

Rushing around the packed streets of Chinatown, camera in one hand, envelope in the other. Teammates gather around as you crack open the sealed envelope, revealing the clue inside. It is in Chinese characters, which you skilfully translated in earlier classes. You read the pinyin, speaking every word with confidence, smiling into the camera. Everyone understands you as they all run to the next destination. While this sounds like an action movie, it is actually a Chinese excursion!

Our amazing race took place in Chinatown, and girls from both Mr Brad Waller and Ms Tansy Chen’s classes participated. The clues were given to us one at a time in earlier lessons to decipher, which was harder than it sounds as we could only use a Chinese dictionary (sorry, no Google Translate here!). The clues ranged from ordering a meal in Chinese, to counting how many teeth the lion had!

Once the day of our excursion finally came, we all hopped off the bus and started our journey. After our clues were completed and the race was won, we were free to roam! We visited Chatime, Breadtop, Millionlife and many more exciting stores. Lunch was a huge highlight for me as my fried pork dumplings came out hot, fresh and delicious. This experience was very valuable and really helped me practise confidently speaking Chinese in a public setting. – Bella Pasin

Sporting Achievements

Congratulations to Bella Pasin (Year 8), who has been selected by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) for its Team Future Athlete Categorisation for 2024. The AIS program identifies Australian athletes with the capability of delivering high performance outcomes in future Olympic Games. Bella is currently the highest ranked South Australian rhythmic gymnast in her age division, and she will be attending training camps at the AIS in Canberra next year.

Middle School 2024 SRC

The process for electing the next Middle School SRC is well underway. The current Middle School SRC spoke to the Year 8 students about each of the positions available and the responsibilities and initiatives they have been part of this year. It is hoped that this will help girls decide if they would like to nominate for positions and have any questions about the process answered. Applications have now been submitted and next week, the girls who have nominated themselves will have a chance to give a speech before voting occurs during Form.

We look forward to announcing the names of the successful candidates to the girls and the presentation of their badges at the first Middle School Assembly next year.

Changes to Camp Preferences

Thank you to the families who completed the online form to inform the School of potential clashes with their commitments and the Year 8 Camp and Year 9 REALISE experiences. Please email Dr Rhiannon Giles over the Christmas holidays if there are any changes that need to be made to earlier preferences. Changes to core groups at the beginning of the year will be incredibly challenging, so it is best that any changes are made before timetables are distributed at the start of the 2024 academic year.

Conversations about Vaping

Parents looking for information and resources to have conversations with young people about vaping are encouraged to look through those available on the Quit Victoria website.

Year 9 Antholiza

Congratulations to the Year 9 Antholiza Form, who did an excellent job creating "Welcome to your Home" care baskets for Anglicare as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Cedar House Birthday Celebrations and CREWS

Cedar House celebrated 16th Birthdays in 2023 with a competition to design a ‘16th Birthday Cake’. From intricate decorations to innovative flavours, this creative – and delicious - competition encouraged students to connect with their peers and showcase their artistic talents and culinary skills as they designed the most imaginative and delectable birthday cakes.

2024 Cedar House Captains Lulu Detmold Cox and Grace Dixon (Year 11) have launched an exciting initiative in House called CREWS. This initiative groups girls in Cedar House from Years 7–12 in a crew for House activities, fostering greater connection, support and friendships between year levels. The first activity saw crews compete against each other to construct the tallest marshmallow tower!

Andrew Mittiga
Acting Head of Cedar House

REALISE

Core Group 4 were treated with lovely weather throughout the three weeks of their REALISE experience to end their Year 9 journey. The girls were faced with daily challenges, building resilience and strengthening relationships with their peers. Some key highlights within the program include the two beautiful balmy days spent rock climbing at Dyuritte (Mt Arapiles) in Victoria where all students pushed themselves outside of their comfort zones, braving a fear of heights and excelling in teamwork skills and cooperation.

Our expedition changed slightly due to winds on the Coorong; however, the girls adapted to this well and spent one day walking on the Nukan Kugan Hike and camping at 42 Mile Crossing, followed by a day paddling on the Murray River near Wellington and Tailem Bend, spending the night near the boat ramp at Hooded Plover and Malleefowl campground. For the final day of expedition, the Coorong calmed enough for us to enjoy a beautiful, glassy paddle across to the dunes on the Young Husband Peninsula for lunch.

Overall, during the three weeks, the girls developed their knowledge about themselves, others and the environment, and demonstrated growth, independence and resilience.

Kate Woodbridge
Teacher of Outdoor Education