Silkwood School

For one morning, our Year 2 and Year 3 students swapped Queensland for Fiji. Meke dance, woven Salusalu and the stories of two special guests.

As part of their Inquiry Unit, Pacific Nature Tales, students welcomed Bola from our Site Team, and his daughter Jaelyn, a proud Silkwood Alumni. Together, they brought Fijian culture to life, sharing stories of the islands, performing traditional Meke, and showing treasured artefacts including the Salusalu and Masi. Students didn't just learn about Fiji. They felt it, through movement and connection.

At Silkwood, we believe learning should connect to the real world, not stay confined to a classroom. Jaelyn's return as an Alumni, sharing her culture with our youngest learners, is a beautiful example of that education coming full circle.

A huge thank you to Bola and Jaelyn for so generously sharing your culture with us.

This is The Silkwood Way.

This morning, our Year 2 and Year 5 families swapped classrooms for a morning outdoors, with their sleeves rolled up, ready to give back to the land that holds our school community. The morning opened with Year 2 and Year 5 each sharing a song with the crowd, little voices setting the tone before the real digging began.

Each student then planted three trees, working hand-in-hand with our Site Team, who prepped the ground and guided little green thumbs through every step.

But the growing didn't stop there. Students got creative decorating their own pots before potting up a plant to take home and turned dirt and seeds into seed bombs ready to be scattered and grown.

At Silkwood, we believe that caring for the Earth starts with getting your hands in it. Real World Learning isn't just a phrase on a page. It's a Year 2 student learning why trees matter by planting one and a Year 5 buddy showing them how.

Thank you to every family who helped this morning become one of connection, contribution, and growth.

This is The Silkwood Way.

Mud, wobbly logs, a prison break, and three nights under canvas…

Our Year 7 students headed to Emu Gully for their Real World Adventure. Three days of stepping outside their comfort zones and discovering what they're capable of.

They hit the ground running: volleyball, rugby, camp circles, wire traversing and an underground escape through a tunnel system. In between, students took on their own camp jobs - prepping meals, serving food and cleaning up after, swapping their beds at home for roll mats and a shared tent.

The real story isn't in any one activity. It's a nervous first attempt turning into a second go, a group figuring out how to work together when no one's quite sure what they're doing, or someone stepping up to help without being asked. That's the part of camp that stays with you long after the mud washes off.

At Silkwood School, we know some of the most meaningful learning happens far from a classroom. In the moments that ask a bit more of you, and the people who show up for each other when it counts. Our Year 7s did exactly that.

This is The Silkwood Way.

Last week, our choirs and orchestras took to the stage at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod and came home with three Silver Awards and a Gold, scoring between 75–95% across every performance.

But what stood out most wasn't on the scoresheet. Between performances, our students were watching other schools with genuine interest, listening closely to adjudicators, and cheering on musicians outside their own group. Respectful, generous, and genuinely present – that’s who our students are.

At Silkwood, music isn't just about the performance. It's about how you show up, how you support each other, and how you represent something bigger than yourself.

Congratulations to every Silkwood musician, choir member, and our Advisors who made this possible!

This is The Silkwood Way.

Good luck, Jasper!

This weekend, Year 10 Senior School student Jasper heads to Canberra to represent his electorate in the National Youth Parliament 2026. This national initiative will bring together 150 young people from across Australia, one from each federal electorate, for a fully immersive experience from 16th to 20th August.

Jasper was selected through a highly competitive process, with more than 2,200 applications received nationwide. Over the coming days, he'll take part in simulated parliamentary debates, work on real-world policy challenges, and connect with peers and leaders to build his understanding of Australia's democratic system.

This opportunity reflects Jasper's curiosity, initiative and willingness to step into meaningful real-world experiences, an important part of learning at Silkwood.

Good luck, Jasper! We can't wait to follow your journey as you represent your community and grow your voice as a young leader.

This is the Silkwood Way.

The Y Australia

What happens when a school believes in a young person before she fully believes in herself?

In Year 10, Tahlia sat through a botany excursion at Silkwood and felt absolutely nothing. Today, plants are her whole world.

Our Silkwood Alumni Tahlia now works full time at a nursery on the Gold Coast, working toward her Diploma in Horticulture, with her hands in the soil, doing exactly what she loves.

Her path wasn't a straight line. It took a change of direction in Year 12, the courage to trust her instincts, and a community that gave her the space to trust where she was headed.

Read the full story here:

Silkwood School Alumni: Tahlia's Story - Finding Her Roots | Silkwood School Read Silkwood School Alumni Tahlia's journey of finding her roots, in our latest alumni story.

Our Year 3 students recently spent a morning learning to draw Maggill, the Eastern Water Dragon, guided by local Northern Rivers artist Susy Boyer.

Maggill isn't just any totem. It represents Year 3's connection to Country. A reminder that, as the First Australians have always known, we don't just live on the land, we live with it.

Maggill guides our Year 3 students to communicate with confidence, listen deeply, tune in to the world around them, and express their ideas with creativity and courage.

Sessions like this help our students build a genuine connection to Country, and to the responsibility that comes with caring for it.

At Silkwood, we believe connecting with the land is one of the most important lessons we can share, and that lesson came through the simple, focused act of putting pencil to paper.

This is The Silkwood Way.

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Forget textbooks and worksheets. This week, our Year 6 students rebuilt Ancient Rome out of LEGO.

As part of their Inquiry Unit, students were tasked with designing and constructing their own Roman villages, drawing on everything they'd learned about how Roman communities were structured, built and connected. Roads had to lead somewhere. Markets needed neighbours. Every decision meant applying real historical understanding to an engaging, physical challenge.

What followed was energised and hands on - students negotiating design choices, solving structural problems on the fly, and defending their decisions to teammates who saw things differently. There was very little sitting and listening happening, and a whole lot of doing.

At Silkwood, we believe true understanding isn't something you're given, it's something you build, test and figure out for yourself. That's the difference between learning about something and actually understanding it, and it's exactly what this group of budding architects and historians proved.

This is The Silkwood Way. Curious learners, meaningful challenges and students taking ownership of their learning journey.

Last week, our Silkwood community came together for our Mid-Year Music Concert and what a night it was. Our choirs, orchestras (including our budding Year 3 Beginner Strings), and guitar students took to the stage, showcasing the repertoire they've been building this year.

From first-time performers finding their confidence under the lights to our more experienced musicians polishing their craft, the night was a genuine celebration of the hard work, practice and passion that goes on behind the scenes every week.

Several of our groups are turning their attention to performing at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod this week and taking their new items to the stage once again. To every student stepping up to compete, good luck! We can't wait to cheer you on.

At Silkwood, music doesn't just teach rhythm or technique. It's a place where students find their voice, build courage, and discover the quiet confidence that comes from putting themselves out there, one performance at a time.

This is The Silkwood Way.