When Veronica takes her year three students into the forest next to the school to teach them about forest spirits, two students meet an aggressive creature. The apparition is angry about "changes to the forest".

At the same time, the building of a new wing to the school to house the new Machine Magic department is facing trouble. Building plans are magically altered and materials go missing.

And Veronica, tasked with finding teachers for the new department, finds herself flooded with candidates from all over the magical world.

Are these things related?

Yes, but it will take some unconventional thinking to get to the bottom of it.