Welcome to Wenona
Starting a new school can be daunting, but at Wenona, you are only new for a day! It’s been wonderful to welcome Wenonians old and new, and to see everyone settling in well to Term 1.
Kindergarten and Years 3, 5 and 7 started back at School on Tuesday and by Day 2 - when they were joined by the rest of the School - the majority had adapted well to new routines, new classrooms, new teachers and new friendships.
In Woodstock, Miss Bouterakos’s Kindergarten students have made a very smooth transition to ‘big school’.
They started off by reading Mem Fox’s book, Where’s the Green Sheep? Before setting off on a treasure hunt around the School gardens, where they were very excited to find laminated pictures of green sheep in all manner of weird and wonderful places.
“We played piano in the Undercroft, said ‘hello’ to the fish in the pond, met so many new people and were very excited to hear that the School had a pet dog (Maggie, who keeps students company when they visit the School’s clinic),” said Miss Bouterakos.
Sophia said, “Art and finding the green sheep on our walk around the School was my favourite.” Pietra said, “I liked the crafts, having walks around the School and having fun.” Ismay said, “Making friends was the best.”
Miss Bouterakos said, “After a short first day, students were surprised to realise that Kindergarten wasn’t over and that they have a whole year to go. They celebrated by cheering when they heard that they would also have school the next day!”
On Day 2, Kindergarten investigated the numbers around them. “We went on a number hunt in the piazza. We found so many ways of representing the numbers 1, 2 and 3 and created our own number animals,” explained Miss Bouterakos.
Audrey said, “I liked learning everything.” And Bridie said, “My favourite thing was finding friends to play with.”
The only sticking point was when they had to cross the new bridge on their way to their first Assembly. Miss Bouterakos had a very hard job convincing Kindergarten that they were not on their way to the airport! Despite her protestations to the contrary, they remained dubious, particularly as the builders working on Wenona’s new STEM and Sport building (which is due to open this year) were wearing the same ‘Hi-vis’ vests as people working on the runway at the airport!
By Friday, when Head of Junior School, Ms Lind called in to see them, Kindergarten were adamant that their absolute favourite thing about School was Sniffy - the stuffed dog! Long live Sniffy!
Our new Year 3 students have also settled in well and have really enjoyed making friends both in the classroom and the playgroom.
Over in Hooke House, Year 6 have moved upstairs and are loving their newly renovated space.
On Thursday, Year 7 had fantastic day together in the Big Gym doing an Enlightened Education workshop. They worked together on a range of fun activities, including designing their own journals.
Year 7 Coordinator, Ms Poole said, "Year 7 have had an incredible start to the year. There has been a lot to learn already and they have taken this in their stride. They have formed new friendships and are gaining a solid foundation to prepare them for the year ahead. It has been a privilege to watch the girls navigate this journey with grace and courage."
New year. New possibilities. New adventures. New goals. Welcome to Wenona everyone!