Diaries / The Headmistress’s Term Journal

The Headmistress’s Term Journal

A term at the academy on The Corso: opening day, the Blood Eclipse, the youngest apprentices, a great deal of sand and some very pointed letters to an owl.

Fiction. The diaries, legends, reports and some of the staff are invented. The academies are real.

17 November 2027Punctual · The Builders Are Busy AgainHeadmistress Selene hears that the builders who made her academy are working on another chapter of the castle’s story, and declines to speculate. Mostly.
15 September 2027As expected · A littleStepping Out of ClassAn apprentice needs a breather halfway through the final test, and Headmistress Selene explains how anyone can step out of Magic School at any time.
12 August 2027Rust-red · ConsiderableA Word for the OwlHeadmistress Selene marks Magic University’s first year with some encouragement for Corvus, and explains how her own academy differs from his.
16 June 2027On time · EverywhereNews of a Northern CastleHeadmistress Selene hears The Wizard's Chamber is planned for Brisbane in the first half of 2027, and reads the sorcerer’s fretting about it in his margins.
14 April 2027Slightly early · A littleCloaks in AutumnThe autumn school holidays fill Magic School with home-made cloaks and pointed hats, and Headmistress Selene judges an unofficial costume parade.
17 February 2027Behaving · Reading Aloud in ClassBack to school in February, and Headmistress Selene explains how much reading her academy needs, and how apprentices who are hard of hearing join in.
19 December 2026Behaving · ConsiderableOne Year of EclipsesOn Magic School’s first birthday, Headmistress Selene looks back on a year of apprentices, eclipses and final tests, and writes a short report card.
9 December 2026Slightly early · ConsiderableEnd of Term by the SeaAs the year ends, Headmistress Selene notices how many parents are wrapping up a lesson at Magic School as a present, and approves of the idea.
22 October 2026As expected · Why We Keep JournalsHeadmistress Selene explains why she and Corvus the owl keep journals, what is in them, and the margin-scribbling sorcerer she refuses to take seriously.
12 August 2026Slightly early · News from MelbourneHeadmistress Selene hears that a professor has vanished on day one at the new Magic University in Melbourne, and sends his owl her advice.
16 May 2026As expected · SomeA Birthday at the AcademyA ten-year-old spends her birthday at Magic School with five friends and a cake shaped like a spellbook. Headmistress Selene approves, mostly.
11 March 2026Slightly early · SomeSix Is a Full ClassA class of nine turns up at Magic School, and Headmistress Selene explains why six is her limit and how bigger groups split across rooms that start together.
14 January 2026Rust-red · The Youngest ApprenticesSummer holidays bring Magic School its youngest apprentices, and Headmistress Selene explains who may enrol, who needs a parent, and how spooky it is.
19 December 2025Behaving · ReturningThe Eclipse on Opening Day19 December 2025: Magic School opens at Escape This Manly, the Blood Eclipse rises on cue, and Headmistress Selene sets her apprentices their final test.
8 December 2025As expected · Moving Into the CorsoEleven days before Magic School opened in Manly, Headmistress Selene moves her academy into rooms on The Corso and has every corridor aired.