Life IN THE WILDERNESS Issue Number 9 17 September, 2010 DADS & DAUGHTERS BRAIN GYM Junior School Dads and Daughters Evening On Monday 6 August Wilderness dads and their daughters packed the “Brain Gym” to parti cipate in the annual “Dads and Daughters” evening. The evening, for Year 3 to Year 6 girls, was organised by the Junior School staff to celebrate the magic of games and the criti cal and creati ve thinking skills and habits of mind that are developed when playing higher order thinking games. Girls also enjoyed spending some special ti me working interdependently with their dads to tackle the array of challenging games, including bee bots, French puzzles, dominoes, Abalone, Cartagena and Goblet. The Junior School was proud to showcase the new Years 3 and 4 Mind Lab curriculum, sponsored by our Parents and Friends, following the successful implementati on of this program in Years 5 and 6 in 2009, which has resulted in girls applying specifi c problem solving strategies across the curriculum.

Andrew Mair, who is the founder of our WD-30 Wilderness dads’ group, which organises social acti viti es for Wilderness dads and their daughters, commented that “It is great to see so many dads being involved and having fun with their daughters.”

To fi nd out more about WD-30 events or to make suggesti ons for future events please contact Andrew through the Parents and Friends secti on of the Wilderness website or by email at [email protected]. Katherine Zollo Head of Junior School “My Dad really loved the present I made for him.” Alice Elfenbein

“I liked having Dad at the breakfast because I got longer with him in the morning.” Tori Paddon- Jones “I had lots of fun and I did an acti vity with my Daddy watching.” Suneli Athukorala

“I loved eati ng the chocolate balls we made for Dad. He let me have 2.” Holly Goodchild

“We got to share food together while I was sitti ng on his lap. I really loved it.” Lily Sibley

“I liked that Dad “I loved being “I liked playing with my Dad at Father’s could stay with me with my Dad.” Day breakfast.” Charlott e Cavill at school for a bit Natasha longer. When he got Coulls the chocolate balls, he ate them all!” Madeleine Morris

“I liked “It was great having talking to Dad here because I Dad. It was got to show him the fun and I sandpit and I got to liked playing give him the present games with I made for him.” Elle him.” Emma McGill-Couper Jolly YOUTH ENVIRONMENT CONFERENCE Wilderness School is one of more than 35 schools from across SA parti cipati ng with 350 children in an environment and educati on event to be held in on 14 and 15 September. The Junior School Environment Committ ee, led by Nikita Dahm in Year 6, was selected to make a presentati on to the other children at the event. Other members of the Committ ee are Rachel Neef, Bronwyn Meredith, Amy Wellalagodage, Sophia Nery, Rhianna Pendergrast, Kathryn Sheridan and Lulu Xiao.

The Year 6 students have been working with an expert mentor and teachers to research an environment topic and come up with a creati ve way of presenti ng it to their peers at the conference. The Wilderness School presentati on is on the topic of the environmental benefi ts of eati ng and growing local fruit and vegetables.

In additi on to the presentati on by our school, other topics being addressed by students are saving the Southern Right Whale, the importance of frogs and malleefowl, the important role of wetlands, how to help save Kingston-on-Murray, how to improve waste management, the impact of fl oods and how to conduct a carbon footprint audit.

The students will join over 350 other students from Years 5 to 11 at the 2010 SA Kids Teaching Kids Conference. The event aims to increase awareness and knowledge about their unique natural environment, river systems, resources and indigenous culture.

They will join the ranks of over 20,000 Australian students who have been part of similar internati onally- recognised and innovati ve “Kids Teaching Kids” events, where they teach each other through novel, interacti ve, informati ve and fun workshops.

As well as presenti ng and listening to other students speak, the Environment Committ ee will be taken to Larati nga Wetlands, Mt Barker to parti cipate in an Environmental Project Day. The students will engage in hands-on acti viti es such as making their own recycled environmentally friendly pots, creati ng the ideal habitat for frogs, planti ng trees, grasses and ground covers, water testi ng, bird box building and working out the cultural uses of plants.

It will be so exciti ng for our students, who have worked so hard on their presentati on, to be part of an event where ‘kids teach kids’ about the environment – and see just what kids can do when they put their heads, hearts and hands into making a diff erence.

Katherine Zollo Head of Junior School CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENTS If you would like to share your daughter’s out of school achievements we would love to publish them in this secti on of LITW. Please email details to btrott [email protected] or mbader@wilderness. com.au. ‘Life in the Wilderness’ is published three ti mes per term. Apologies to Hanna Mitchener (Yr 10) who has been selected as goalie for the State U16 Water Polo team, not the Nati onal U16 team as reported in the last editi on of ‘Life in the Wilderness’. Congratulati ons to Claudia Janowski (Yr 12) who was awarded the Blessed Frederic Ozanam Social Justi ce Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service. It was presented to her on 1 September at the 2nd Annual Vinnies Social Justi ce Awards. Claudia was presented with her award by the Hon Kelly Vincent MLC, the youngest person ever elected to SA Parliament.

Claudia with the Hon Kelly Congratulati ons to Julia English (Yr 8) who gained 1st and 2nd prizes at the Apex Vincent MLC Teenage Fashion Awards (AATFA) State fi nal. Julia will now compete in the Nati onal fi nals in on 2 October. Good luck Julia! Congratulati ons to the following students of Urszula Gruszewski on their amazing achievements in the recent Piano Eisteddfods: Kathryn Jannes (Yr 6) achieved 2nd place (Under 12 18th Century), 1st place (Open Piano Solo) and 2nd place (Under 13 Saxophone: Woodwind). Nicola Jannes (Yr 4) achieved 1st place (Junior Piano). Alyshia Vu (Yr 3)achieved 1st place (Sub Junior) and High Disti ncti on (AMEB Piano Grade 1). Yekaterina Hubczenko (Yr 4) achieved 2nd place (Junior Piano), 1st place (Piano Duet), eleven 1st places and one 2nd place (Piano) and was Overall Aggregate Winner (Under 10). Tatyana Hubczenko (Yr Julia’s winning garments 7), in additi on to her outstanding results outlined in LITW No 8, gained 1st place (Intermediate Piano) and was winner Overall Piano Championship. UNSW Spelling Competi ti on On 21 June parti cipati ng Year 4 and Year 6 girls entered the Internati onal Competi ti ons and Assessments for schools (ICAS) Spelling Competi ti on, conducted by Educati onal Assessment Australia, University of . Students from twenty countries parti cipated in the event. The spelling of words is assessed, ranging from words with simple spelling patt erns to words with diffi cult or unusual spelling patt erns in the four diff erent contexts of dictati on, proof reading, error correcti on and applicati on of rules and conventi ons. Congratulati ons to the following girls who achieved excellent results. Year 4 Disti ncti ons: Year 4 Credits: Erica Turner Year 6 Credits: Karen Chiu Gemma De Nichilo Year 6 Disti ncti ons: Gabriella Belperio Yekaterina Hubczenko Eliza Duncan Hannah Bransbury Marchand Aditi Kamath Zara Fenton Mair Nikita Dahm Alexandra Selley Zi Jun Lim Imogen Lesicar Rachel Neef Grace Williams Edwina Traynor Danae Mavrakis Congratulati ons to the following girls who, on Thursday 2 September, represented Wilderness School in the IPSHA Poetry Recital Competi ti on which was held at PAC: Imogen Lesicar and Edwina Traynor (Yr 4), Eugenia Rapti s and Lily-May McBain (Yr 5) and Annabel Denbigh and OIivia Duncan (Yr 6). Lily-May gained a 3rd place for her category and Annabel Denbigh gained 1st place. Congratulati ons to Victoria Marchand, Ashleigh Bradford and Georgie Cufone (Yr 6), Sarah Damin, Amelia Craig, Reshma Berggren and Eugenia Rapti s (Yr 5) who are members of Team 1 which won the Primary Language Literature secti on of Tournament of Minds held at Flinders University earlier this week. Team 2 comprising Rachel Neef, Olivia Duncan and Michaela Rossi (Yr 6), Isobel Keen, Joyce Fang, Elisabeth Wellings and Laura Klovekorn (Yr 5), also competed very strongly in this competi ti on. Team 1 will now compete in the Australasian Pacifi c Finals to be held in Darwin in late October. Good luck girls! OOn 25 Auguust, thhe Wilderneess Annnuual Music Conccert wwas heeld in EElder Haall. It wass a woonderfful evveeningg that ddispplaayed tthhe maany taalents of ouur studdennts and was ennjjoyedd by all those who att ended. AAn evveningg such as this is noot achhievved withoout trrainingg, praccti singg and orrgannisati on. We sinceerely tthank all the sstudeents who peerformmed annd thoose staaff meembers who helpped thhem to aachiieve suuch high staandards. It wass an evvening to reememmber aand chherish. Gennevieve Monkk

BBookook WeekWeek 22010010 “Across the story bridge, into the land of.....”

During Book Week this year the Junior School held its own electi on to vote for our favourite books from the Short Lists for Book of the Year, 2010. We thought about how best to persuade the girls to vote for their favourite, sharing and considering all the books. The girls voted in Week 5, using offi cial procedures and fi lling out preferenti al ballot papers. They impressed us with their thoughtf ul deliberati ons, positi ve campaigning and ethical behaviour.

On the Tuesday, the ELC celebrated Book Week with shared stories and morning tea. Mamie girls dressed up as beauti ful fresh fruit and vegetables, refl ecti ng Term 3’s garden theme. The Annie girls turned into magical fairies. Mrs Silva and Mrs Dobie enjoyed being part of this wonderful occasion.

Tanya Batt was our guest author and invited the Recepti on to Year 6 girls across many story bridges with her storytelling. The girls were fascinated with her vocalisati ons, creati ng many diff erent voices and eff ects to transport her listeners. Everyone was spellbound by the power of story to explain and explore our own and others’ worlds.

Our Book Week Parade was outstanding! As you can see from the photos, many classes chose their Short List Book as their theme. The Junior School Library Committ ee presented each class and announced the offi cial winners of each category and our own electi on results.

In the Senior School, Year 7 and 9 students enjoyed some very rewarding literature sessions with visiti ng book consultant Beryl Siemionow. The girls were able to share their reading preferences and be exposed to a variety of old and new book ti tles which generated great excitement and chatt er as they browsed through them. The Library Committ ee created a Book Week display in the entrance of the Senior Library and a survey was conducted to discover the top 10 favourite authors and ti tles of our Middle and Senior students.

The fi nal list was displayed in the Senior Library and included fantasy, gothic, realism, mystery and science fi cti on. This shows that the students are reading from a variety of literary styles.

Merran Walsh & Kati e Silva STEP INTO SPRING On Wednesday 8 September, the Community Care Committ ee organised a Book Swap and casual day for all Junior School girls to wear bright spring clothes. Girls brought a gold coin donati on and a book to swap with someone else.

In the morning the Community Care Committ ee collected the books and donati ons. They set up tables and laid out all the books. Then each year level had a set ti me to come and collect a diff erent book.

The money from the donati ons is going to indigenous children living in remote areas. It will buy these children literacy supplies so they will have a bett er learning opportunity.

The day was a great success with everyone looking great in their bright spring clothes raising a total of $365. Junior School Community Care Committ ee KNOW YOUR STAFF We welcome Ms Lisa Dancaster who commenced as Manager, Human Resources, on Monday 6 September. Lisa has recently arrived with her family from and has vast human resource experience in a range of contexts, including independent schools.

Ms Gayle Chapman will be reti ring at the end of this year. Gayle began teaching in the Junior School on 1 February 1984. In the 26 years Gayle has taught at Wilderness she has touched the lives of hundreds of girls and their families. I’m sure you join with me in thanking Gayle for her enormous contributi on to Wilderness School.

Ms Libby Worrell has been appointed Acti ng Head of the Junior School for 2011 whilst Katherine Zollo is on parenti ng leave. Libby is a member of the Senior Management Team in the Junior School, is the Director of Learning and Teaching for the Early Learning Centre and has acted as Head of the Junior School on a number of occasions. Libby will spend ti me in the remainder of 2010 learning the role and working alongside Katherine.

Library Services in the spotlight......

Merran Walsh began her early teaching career as a teacher-librarian and music teacher in Catholic Parish schools in Adelaide, Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend. Before coming to Wilderness she spent 14 years as Teacher- Librarian at Loreto College.

Apart from her passion for literature, music and travel, Merran has had a lifelong dedicati on to dance. She was lucky to be able to operate her own dance school for 10 years. Ballet has always Merran, Ruth, Julie and Kati e in ‘Book Week’ style been her favourite form of dance. She believes that once dancing is in your blood it is there forever and she has greatly enjoyed the challenge of parti cipati ng in a variety of dance forms over the years, such as tap, jazz, contemporary, liturgical, belly dancing, bollywood and heritage. Since hanging up her dance shoes, Merran has become more involved in yoga.

A sti nt as Director of the Heritage Dancers of fuelled her interest in historical costuming. She has been able to use her library and research skills to research dances and costumes of the past.

Merran believes that a school library should be a welcoming and happy place where staff and students can not only come to work, but also enjoy some socialising, ti me out and relaxing reading ti me.

Julie Dearman began working in the library in 1990 while undertaking Library and Informati on Studies. During this ti me she has seen many changes, from card catalogues to computerised library systems.

Julie has three children. One son is in the Police Force, the other is a Draft sman in an engineering fi rm. Her daughter att ended Wilderness from 1994 and completed Year 12 in 2006. She is working as a secretary in a law fi rm while considering which area of study she would like to undertake.

Julie is a netball/shopping fanati c. When she isn’t playing netball, she’s shopping! She plays netball three nights a week. All this keeps her in practi ce for the masters competi ti ons. Since 2002, Julie has competed in several masters games - World Masters, Australian Masters and the Alice Springs Masters. Having 3 grandchildren keeps her very busy and playing so much netball helps her keep up with them! Ruth Lim hails from where she was a teacher. Ruth and her husband lived in England for a year, where she enjoyed travelling round England, Europe, the US and Canada.

Before coming to Wilderness, Ruth reti red from teaching and worked for a number of years as Manager of a Dental practi ce, but her love of books and working with young people brought her back to a school environment. Ruth considers herself fortunate to be working in the Wilderness School library where she can indulge both her passions.

Ruth has two daughters who are old scholars of Wilderness and have studied Medicine in NSW. She also has a pet beagle, Astro. She enjoys reading fi cti on and biographies. Besides reading, Ruth loves travelling, enjoys singing, playing tennis, shopping and is a member of a gourmet food club.

Kati e Silva is the newest member of the Library team, having joined at the beginning of 2009. Although she has only been a teacher for 2 years, she has taken a rather twisted journey to end up at Wilderness. Having graduated from her Librarianship degree aft er high school, Kati e worked at the State Library in the Mortlock Library of South Australiana and then for a Library soft ware company.

The arrival of a daughter and then a son dictated a change of prioriti es to playgroups and part ti me work at the UNISA libraries. A mad impulse led to running a children’s party shop, making over 100 piñatas and hosti ng Christmas parti es at the Magic Cave in its last year at John Marti ns.

Volunteering at her children’s school, led to managing the Library and supporti ng students in Literacy and Numeracy. Many Book Weeks and other events later, Kati e returned to study to become a qualifi ed teacher, completi ng her fi nal practi cum at Wilderness School in 2008.

Other things you need to know about Kati e Silva: • Her Mum was a Wildy girl who sti ll hasn’t forgiven her for being in Sparaxis instead of Antholiza • At a high school disco, the live band performing was ‘Cold Chisel’ • As a child, Mrs Silva did ballet with a number of girls who are now Wildy mums • She has an Australian Terrier called Justi n who, at of 11 sti ll expects to grow up to be a big dog • Has so many books that the family is building a new house to accommodate them all!

Sparaxis House sends out a heartf elt thank you to our Wilderness families for all the wonderful book donati ons for our book drive. Parti cular thanks to the Junior School girls and their parents.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO EXPERIENCE BEING A HOST FAMILY? A family is being sought to host a Southern Cross Cultural Exchange student from France who is currently att ending Wilderness as a Year 10 student. If you would like more details please contact the Registrar Mrs Elizabeth Marks via email [email protected]. A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT At the dawn of ti me, or maybe just a few years ago, SRC Presidents gave speeches on what the Year 7 to 12s had been up to during the year. Now I know ‘moving forward’ is all the go at the moment, but I thought I’d go the other way and bring back the old traditi on. This is ‘2010 In Under 10 Minutes’. For the older girls, it might be a trip down memory lane, and for the younger ones it’s a taste of what’s to come.

While it may have been scary for the Year 7s to take their fi rst steps out of junior territory, they have really enjoyed their fi rst year in the Middle School. I’m sure most older girls will remember the fun of introductory camp at Normanville, and you’ll be pleased to know that there wasn’t a dull moment there again this year. Terms 1, 2 and 3 have raced by, with The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, crystal making, NAPLAN testi ng, knitti ng and Sim City 3000 fi lling their days. There’s a buzz around the Year 7 courtyard at the moment because their big Canberra trip is in Week 10. It’s defi nitely one of the highlights of the year girls, and don’t let the dreaded ‘Canberra exam’ spoil your fun – it’s really not that bad!

The Year 8s also had a camp early in the year, heading down to Victor Harbor for a mix of bush walking and ti me at base camp. While it sounds like the surfi ng, night walks along the beach and bike riding were enjoyed by all, the 20 kilometre walk with 13 kilogram backpacks was not as easy – we all remember that pain don’t we! Back at school the girls learnt about leadership and interviewed some of the senior SRC about their positi ons, as well as parti cipati ng in a bridge building competi ti on (on a miniature scale of course). They also made the most of their fi rst year of Form in House groups by holding weekly breakfasts and going for walks around the suburbs to refresh their minds.

The essay-length list of acti viti es I received from one of the Year 9s tells me they’ve kept busy too. Many girls made the most of being off ered Fibs and Fabs and Trek for the fi rst ti me. While one lot made pencil cases, the other went surfi ng, kayaking and rock climbing. The rowers were all consumed by preparati ons for their fi rst Head of the River, Drama students had parents and friends crying with laughter at their comedy night, and English lessons were eaten up by the Shakespeare Festi val and ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Like the Year 7s, the 9s are eagerly awaiti ng their own big camps. What could possibly be bad about three weeks away from school and home at Realise? That’s right – no Facebook. Good luck!

The Year 10s had an excursion fi lled fi rst semester, with trips to St Vincent’s in Fibs and Fabs to make dresses out of old material, a walk around Centennial Park in History and an Art visit to the Gallery. They were also involved in the Shakespeare Festi val, a leadership camp at Nunyara in Belair and a Trek rock climbing camp. Some girls branched out and went on the Europe Music and Literature Tour (a highlight was seeing where the sick bay in Harry Pott er was fi lmed), while others put on skis and even bungy jumping ropes on the excellent Trip. The second half of the year saw a focus on careers, so interviews, SACE info and subject choices have been coming out of their ears. I’m afraid there’s only more of that in Year 11 and 12!

The Year 11s found it tough to get used to their increased workload in Term 1, partly because all of their ti me was spent talking about, then looking at, photos from their fi rst Formal - that’s something all of the younger girls have to look forward to! The new SACE and PLP presented some problems (luckily the Year 12s are spared all of those changes) but excursions to the Clipsal 500 in Physics, surfi ng in PE, and snorkelling and a sleepover at Monarto and the Zoo in Biology made the terms more exciti ng.

Finally, the big Year 12s. It’s hard to sum up the experiences of all 75 of us because we have diff erent subject combinati ons. But a few things stand out for the whole year level. As it did for the Year 11s, the Formal stole the spotlight in Term 1 and defi nitely lived up to our expectati ons. The common room as a novelty has not worn off . Whether you want to sleep, eat, chat, eat, or gaze at the wall of celebriti es and pick who’s the best looking, it’s the place to be. Essays, tests, assignments and pracs have blurred into one now, and our countdown on the blackboard went from ‘32 weeks left ’ to ‘3’ in the blink of an eye. We’re all starti ng to see the light at the end of the tunnel now, which is university or a gap year, and whether we like it or not, our days in Wildy uniform are numbered. So hang in there girls, and keep telling yourself that life is amazing… even when you have 3 major assignments due on one day.

So I hope you’ve learned something new about your fellow students. And I hope you remember 2010 as a year when friendships across diff erent year levels blossomed, costume days and cake stalls were taken to new heights, Thursdays suddenly had 9 lessons, and most of all, you were a busy and happy Wildy girl. Thank you.

Mati lda Conlon SRC President

How to accept and channel anxiety to achieve peak performance

Alexandra Frost Director/Principal Psychologist

The prospect of Year 12 exams looming for students gave me and my colleague Liz Kernahan, the idea to provide an introductory seminar on reaching peak performance to help build skills that will be invaluable in coping with the exam period ahead. A big thank you to Rhonda Masters, School Counsellor, who also agreed that some specialist input on building skills in managing performance anxiety would be welcomed, and invited us to speak to all of the Year 12 students recently who welcomed us and parti cipated acti vely. As a clinical psychologist and professional singer, a core part of my work over the last 13 years has involved working with students and performers of all types. All performance situati ons require us to face a personal or professional challenge and exert pressure on us to prove our ability, competence or character, resulti ng in feelings of panic, anxiety and depression. As a parent, watching your child suff er with anxiety is very painful and when their performance does not match up to their true ability it is oft en devastati ng for all concerned. Wouldn’t it be great if your daughter were able to truly achieve her full potenti al in her exams in spite of this pressure and learn skills that will prepare her for performance situati ons in the future? Students learnt several practi cal tools to help them face these feelings willingly, detach from any thoughts that get in the way of their focus and learnt how to channel their anxiety to achieve peak performance. To help maximise the chances of your daughter reaching her potenti al, individual counselling provides an opportunity for more tailored individual support and skill development. For more informati on about our psychology services , feel free to visit www.att unedpsychology.com or to make an appointment call 08 8361 7008 during business hours. giddy up!

2010 Cup Lunch

Tuesday 2 November - Wilderness School Hall/Gymnasium Sparkling wine on arrival, canapes, scrumptious lunch matched with stunning wines and beers, silent auction and Melbourne Cup sweep. Lunch from 12noon

Tickets are $90 each or $900 per table of ten. Please phone Marg in the Development Office on 8344 1191 to secure your booking. DATES TO REMEMBER

Monday 20 September Realise Camp 1 conti nues Year 10 Work Experience Week Yr 5 Camp - Wirraway departs Tuesday 21 September 6.00-7.30 Wilderness Lacrosse Club AGM - Gym Foyer Wednesday 22 September Yr 5 Camp - Wirraway returns Friday 24 September Realise Camp 1 returns Term 3 ends Year 7 Canberra Tour returns HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

UNIFORM SHOP NEWS

SUMMER DRESSES The Uniform Shop has received a small number of Junior dresses in size 8J and 10J. However, the majority of the summer dress order that was delayed is now expected in the fi rst week of the school holidays. The Uniform Shop will be open during the following ti mes:

TERM 3 HOLIDAY HOURS TERM 4 OPENING HOURS Thursday 7 October, 8.30am to 4.00pm Week 1: Normal opening hours Tuesday to Thursday Monday 11 October, 8.30am to 12.30pm Saturdays: 16 and 23 October, 9.00am to 12noon

LAST DAY OF TRADING for 2010: Monday 6 December, 8.00am to 9.00am

CAFE NEWS

Next term our menu will off er the new spring/summer selecti on of fresh food. The menu will be distributed to Junior School girls via their class teachers before the end of Term 3. Junior School Lunch Orders When ordering lunches, please ensure you place the correct money in the tuckshop lunch bag. Survey A broad selecti on of students have been surveyed to gain feedback on the food served in the cafe and where they would like to see change for the upcoming spring/summer menu. We are excited to incorporate, in next term’s menu, suggesti ons from the students for menu ideas and daily specials.

Hamish McLean Chef/Cafe Manager

The safety of our girls at drop off and pick up ti mes is in your hands. Please help to avert a tragedy by observing the traffi c rules and insisti ng that your daughter uses the crossings.

Editorial team: Heads of School, Briony Trott er & Marian Bader