We celebrated a fantastic term of re-connection and celebrations during Term 3. It is fitting that our Spring seasonal Festival was focussed on connection to the country. Our “Dreaming Festival” was a time to reconnect and celebrate this wonderful School and its connection to the land. There was a wide array of activities in which all students from Prep to Year 12 participated. The level of engagement and participation was outstanding, and I thank Cara Shipp, our Head of Senior School, for her tireless energy in coordinating the Spring Festival across the School.  

At the end of Term 3, our teams across the school start their annual review and planning cycle. We have identified the areas we will develop to enhance the clarity of learning growth using The Silkwood Way Learning Design for Advisors, students, and parents across the next 12 months. In addition, our new Educational Management System - SEQTA, will enhance the visibility of students’ progress as we develop our pastoral reporting processes.

Our learning at Silkwood is framed around seven different pathways of learning that guide their journey towards achieving our ten unique 21st-century Aims – we call these Silkwood’s Learning Continua. They are:

Each learning continuum comprises learning objectives and content relevant to achieving our Aims, from the Australian Curriculum and 21st-century capabilities. 

They differ from traditional curricula as they are not designed around standardised year-level subjects. Instead, each continuum has smaller learning pathways made up of Individualised and Developmental learning progressions. Students move along these at their own pace to achieve the Silkwood Aims.

As Spring envelops our School campuses, we look forward with eagerness to the upcoming term, with Student Exhibitions, the transition of some year levels to new learning communities and campuses, and our Summer Festival - which is always a student favourite!

I trust you have had an enjoyable school holiday break, and I look forward to seeing our students and families during Term 4.

Terry O'Hanlon-Rose

Our School Events page covers dates and events happening at Silkwood throughout the year; it is updated regularly and accessible anytime via our website or School App.  

Where families may need to know specific information regarding an event, our Community Relations Team will distribute information to families of the applicable year levels leading up to the event.

2023 SCHOOL CALENDAR

To help with your family's plans for 2023, below is a copy of the 2023 School Calendar. A printed copy will be sent home with all students when their school photos arrive.

Silkwood School has partnered with Edstart to improve our school fee payment options.

To provide additional flexibility with fee payments, we are transitioning families to Edstart Plus. In 2023, Silkwood School will only be accepting annual upfront payments.

With Edstart Plus, families will have access to more options with their school fee payments, including:

• Options to pay weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or termly by selecting the schedule that
• works for them;
• The ability to choose a preferred day for when payments are made;
• The option to spread your fees during the year over an entire 12-month period instead
• of 10 months;
• The flexibility to adjust payments at any time;

There are no fees or charges for using Edstart Plus for your Silkwood School fees and camps.

We recognised International R U OK Day across all of our campuses this year. From team shared breakfasts to a Middle School pancake bbq.

Our School is a place where asking the question “Are you OK?” really works. We can all create a culture where people feel confident asking and answering this simple yet important question. These conversations can make a real difference to staff going through a tough time.

Asking "R U Ok?" can get the conversations flowing in a safe and supportive way.

As School Team members, we find ourselves in a position where we are offering support to colleagues, students and families. These conversations can sometimes be challenging and difficult to navigate. However, the R U OK Day initiative builds confidence and empowers us as help-givers to contribute to a culture that ensures all members of our school community feel safe and supported. 

We are excited and grateful to acknowledge the kind donation given to our Senior School by the Council of the City of Gold Coast.

The GCCC has provided our Senior School with a generous rate donation as a non-profit organisation. This allows us to utilise the funds we would otherwise pay in council rates and sewerage charges towards learning resources and initiatives for our senior students.

Thank you to the City of Gold Coast for providing these savings to benefit our students directly.

Term 4 marks the beginning of our Playgroup Enrolment intake process.

Silkwood School Playgroup provides an opportunity for young children, from 15 months to 4 years of age, and parents to discover early childhood education in a nurturing environment that echoes the atmosphere of a Silkwood Prep classroom.

During the Playgroup Program, children and parents/guardians engage in:

• Home-like activities or simple crafts while children help or play nearby;
• Creative play with natural materials and objects that spark curiosity;
• Circle and story time that reflect the world of nature and seasonal changes;
• A rich learning experience through music and rhymes;
• Stories that nourish the imagination and provide rich material for creative play.

To find out more about our Silkwood Sprouts Playgroup Program, click the button below:

Playgroup Enrolment Process

Please read this information carefully to decide if our playgroups are right for your family. 

Our groups are more structured than regular playgroups, and this does not suit all families. If you have read the above information and would like to register for Playgroup, you must first submit an Application for Enrolment form for Prep at Silkwood and pay the non-refundable $100 application fee. It is important to note that this application is the beginning of our enrolment process and does not guarantee placement at Silkwood.

Once you have submitted an Application for Enrolment, you can then submit a Playgroup application form. This form will place you on our Playgroup waiting list until a position in a suitable group becomes available. There is no additional fee to be on the Playgroup waiting list. 

We endeavour to update Playgroup classes at the completion of each term and to contact all families on the waiting list with either a space availability or notification of continued time on the waiting list. It is your responsibility to advise the School regarding any changes to your contact details. Your place on the waiting list may be withdrawn if we cannot contact you or if you do not respond to correspondence from us.

Already enrolled at Silkwood?

If you have already submitted a Silkwood School Application Enrolment Form and would like to enrol your child into one of our Playgroup Sessions, please complete our Playgroup Application Form by clicking the button below:

In Term 3 we held our first 'Mud Day' for our Prep and Year 1 students, and what a day it was! Not only did the children make some special childhood memories, but it was also a day of letting out their creativity and learning in many different ways. 

Our Site Team created a big pile of mud for us, and some of us squished, dug, jumped, splashed and slid in the mud. Near the same area, a team of children created a muddy river, made mud balls, and threw them at a target board. We also provided a sprinkler where the children could splash the dirt off themselves, and they sang and danced as they did so. 

In a quieter area of the playground, imaginations were running wild as children moulded the mud into muffins, doughnuts, cookies and pies in our mud kitchen. Some children collected petals and created muddy potions and perfumes, while others experimented with different ways that they could add colour to the mud and make art with it. 

Research has shown that playing with mud makes you happy. It increases brain and physical activity, it reduces your susceptibility to depression and can reduce childhood anxiety and stress. It also reduces allergies and asthma symptoms and builds creativity, and children learn and test theories in maths and literacy. So many reasons for us to have another mud day in the future, and the children have asked us already 

"This is the best day of my life. Can we do it again?"

Each year our Year 3 students head off on their 2-night school camp adventure to Mt Tamborine. While there, they participate in a range of activities that help build their communication, independence and resilience. We work on  team-building skills, overcoming obstacles & fears, persisting and having a growth mindset!

Some of their favourite events were the tree climb, archery, hanging out in cabins, and a nighttime fire sing-along!

Thank you to our School community for your continued support in Term 3 as we work together to set our young people up for exciting futures!

It's been an action-packed term with:

• Rite Journey;
• Self-Defence classes with Arakan;
• Livin mental health awareness and R U OK Day;
• A visit from our local Councillor Hermann Vorster for schools' tree day;
• Year 10 Camp at Maroochy river;
• Pottery Emerging Young Women Leaders Business Skills masterclass at SCU;
• Extension gym program;
• Sports and Recreation traineeship;
• State Library of QLD Symposium for librarians and educators;
• Year 9 transition visit to Senior School;
• Year 5 visit to Robina.

Student Shout outs to:

• Year 11 students Adam de Hombre, Will Noending, Cayden Lucas, Frasah Masters and Ella Batten for helping as Senior leaders on transition days for Years 5 and 9;
• Max Baldock (Year 10) had a zoom interview with published author Jack Heath;
• Elijah Barrett (Year 11) has taken off with his new business idea and website after finding a fantastic mentor;
• Marisa Skrobar (Year 12) secured an internship at Melbourne Fashion Week;
• Rooney Thorne (Year 12) is building his mushroom packaging business for sustainable marketing.

We are looking ahead to:

• Open Parachute social and emotional learning program; 
• Neta-Rie Mabo (granddaughter of Eddie Mabo, land rights activist who overturned 'terra nullius') collaboration and art mural with Year 11;
• Year 12 Exhibitions, Formal and Graduation!
• Dreaming Festival: guests Mark and Balin Williams, Kalindi Brennan, Linda Biumaiwai, Justine Dillon of Ngarang-Wal Aboriginal Corporation, Melony's Arts, Norton Fredericks of Retritus (sustainable fibre artist and botanical silk dyeing), Pacific Arts and Paul Craft; bushtucker shared lunch for Middle and Senior School.

Thanks to our amazing Advisors, Wellbeing Coordinator Danielle and Real World Learning Coordinator Tai Hood, for making all this happen.

We're looking forward to a busy and rewarding term ahead!

Cara Shipp

Head of Senior School

If you're a Silkwood Senior school family, join our Silkwood Senior School Facebook page for regular updates on what we're up to!

REAL WORLD LEARNING NEWS & STUDENT SHINES

Bailey Curry - SAE Bachelor of film

Congratulations to Bailey Curry in Year 12, whose passion for filmmaking led him to be offered early entry into SAE’s Bachelor of Film! So great knowing he has a place secured after Year 12 already! Well done, Bailey!

Bodhi Bursle - Graduate of the Year

Congratulations to Bodhi Bursle, who was awarded TAFE at School’s 2022 Graduate of the Year. According to his teacher, he achieved this award by consistently demonstrating good time management skills, diligence, articulation in his assignments and exhibiting leadership qualities while helping other students. What a fantastic ambassador for Silkwood! 

Marissa Skrobar - Certificate II in Applied Fashion and Technology

Congratulations are also due to Marissa Skrobar, who completed her Certificate II in Applied Fashion and Technology. She has been pursuing her passion for fashion for the past two years, exploring Haute couture for her Senior Thesis Project and mentoring younger students with the same interest.  Later this year Marissa will complete an internship at Melbourne Fashion week! We are so jealous! 

Internship Insights  

We have had many senior students assist with the Gold Coast Eisteddfod this term, working in various roles such as adjudicator’s assistants, front-of-house ambassadors and runners across several locations such as HOTA, Glow Church and the Robina Community Centre. This has provided an excellent opportunity to develop their skills in technical theatre and make connections with adult mentors in the areas of music, dance and drama. 

Thanks to Kai Ramsay, Lara Hardy, Andrew Pofandt, Matilda Miller, Avery Kinnear, Ashton Atkin and Adam de Hombre for their participation!

QATSIF Scholarships

Lastly, a massive congratulations to Izziana Auld and Mya-Rose Cruse on being awarded a QATSIF Scholarship for 2022!

Launching our Senior School Campus

At Silkwood School, we like to focus on our Learning Program and show images of our students engaging in their Silkwood learning journey. However, we realise it is also good to paint a picture of our student's learning environment.

For this reason, we would like to share a selection of images of our Senior School Campus facilities. 

Our Senior School STEM students have been busy this term with some exciting initiatives and activities...

Entrepreneurial Thinkers Workshop

Students participated in the Entrepreneurial Thinkers Workshop delivered by Griffith University. They explored the mindsets of an entrepreneur, designed a new sustainable product to solve a problem at the school and pitched their ideas to the class. The students also had 1-1 conversations with the fabulous mentors and explored their values, skills and current professions or careers they are interested in. 

STEAM Powered Kids came in to do a workshop with the STEM class to build sensors that detect movement and emulate a human hand using small microcontrollers.

Our visit to the Defence Force Recruiting Centre...

Our STEM students visited the Defence Force Recruiting Centre in Robina and attended the Gold Coast STEM Activities Day, where they learned how to code DJI Robomaster1 and enjoyed controlling the movement to race around a track. 

Growth

Silkwood Distance Education started in January 2022 with a small number of excited students. We are seeing steady growth and welcome new families to our group on a regular basis. It is a pleasure to work in partnership with our parents.

Routines

We are very proud of how our Distance Education cohort is managing their daily routines. It can be a tricky business remembering to log in to lessons several times a day. Our students log in for our advisory Discovery Learning sessions first thing in the morning and then again at several points during the day for short online lessons. Music and Italian are a highlight on the timetable. We aim to run our learning programs parallel to the on-campus programs to stay true to our Silkwood Vision.

$20 Boss Project

Our students did exceedingly well in this project and most certainly employed their entrepreneurial skills to run their stalls. It was good to see them join our on-campus students for a day of fun and frivolity.

Abbey Museum excursion

We started our Exploring unit on Ancient Civilisations with a visit to the Abbey Museum. Our students took part in a Roman dig where they unearthed interesting artefacts - one was a human skeleton! They also role-played the Egyptian mummification procedure. Our visit included in a tour of the old Abbey to explore the historical stained-glass windows. The afternoon concluded with archery. A great day of learning was had by all.

Weekly Social Gatherings

Our families enjoy meeting up Friday afternoons for social engagement.

Exhibitions

Our first exhibitions ran online and were well received by our families. Our students worked hard to prepare for their exhibitions and delivered their presentations very well.  

Hi Everyone

We had a super busy Term 3 in the music department with getting our music uniforms, having our music photos taken, and performing/prepping for the Mini Concert and Eisteddfod!

Well done to all those who performed at the Mini Concert in week 3 – it was a spectacular afternoon of magical music making from all the music groups – the music team is s very proud of all our budding and accomplished musicians spanning from years 1 – 12 that participated. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MINI CONCERT

We were excited to perform live at Eisteddfod for the first time in 3 years! The Intermediate and Senior String groups performed admirably – just out of the places but still achieving honourable mentions and levels of Silver (Intermediate) and Bronze (Senior). I am incredibly proud of them, especially considering they had one term less for preparation than every other school, AND we had five essential players missing due to sickness – so a mighty effort from those that could represent Silkwood on the day. Choirs also did a fantastic job at this year’s Eisteddfod, with Hummingbird choir achieving Highly Commended Silver placing and Junior Sparrows getting our overall best result with 3rd place and a Gold rating 😊

We are also very excited to welcome Amanda L back from her studies overseas – she officially started back on Monday, the 15 September, just in time to assist Lucy with the choirs at Eisteddfod. We are delighted to have her back and also to have Patricia and Lucy remaining as part of the music team – what a fantastic team we have, not to mention all our external providers, Dean (Guitar), Zandra (woodwind), and Amy back with us teaching piano 😊

Finally, we are delighted to have the finished link for the 2021 Summer Music Concert available – we apologise for this taking so long, there have been several technical problems along the way as well as the impact of sickness with key individuals working on it, but it’s finally done.

Thank you so much for all your support throughout a busy Term. We look forward to seeing you around the school and at the Summer Concert 2022 on November 17th at the Nerang Bicentennial Hall.

Mel and the Music Team

In the second half of 2022, we were fortunate to have many students in the library to intern and volunteer, and Brandon and Maddie continue to add so much value to the library through their traineeships.

We want to give some shout-outs to those inspiring and supporting our younger students and Silkwood Team through service in the library:

• Riley M-J (Year 10) brings passion and enthusiasm for library work and for helping students find ‘their’ book each Tuesday on internship. 
• Josh (Year 9) for the assistance, commitment (giving up so many lunch breaks!) and excellent communication around volunteering for the Duke of Edinburgh Award. 
• Anika (Year 9) for being a wizard with shelving and an all-around invaluable library assistant 2 afternoons a week.
• Hunter N (Year 10) for MC duties for Junior Primary & Primary Book Week Celebrations, showing leadership in the lead-up planning and at the events. 
• Sienna K (Year 9) for collaborating and working with the Silkwood Marketing and Community Relations Team, volunteering time photographing and editing at Junior Primary, Primary and Middle School Book Week celebrations. 

• Josh K (Year 6), a behind-the-scenes and always willing helper, often assists at the end of the day with tidy-up tasks and room preparation for workshops and events. 
• Finally, for Book Week leadership Cassie, Ethan, Hunter, Jack A, Julita, Mya, Tilly, Will, and Xaqira, you were all flexible, fun, creative and welcoming to the younger students. 

Not forgetting

Tai Hood, our Real World Learning Coordinator, for supporting and promoting opportunities for students to engage in work in the library. 

Talking of Book Week...

In the lead-up to Book Week, we had visiting author Remy Lai working her magic in the hall with workshops for P-1, 2 -3 and 4-5. Remy is an author and illustrator of graphic novels and hybrid graphic/prose novels. Her books are bright, colourful and fun whilst dealing with common themes for young people and the world we live in. Whilst her collection of books covers different themes, they all encourage empathy for others. Remy had the students happily following along, sketching characters from her books, playing drawing games and drawing characters of some of the students, and talking about her journey as a Writer/Illustrator. Remy was a big hit with the students and spent ages with them after the workshops, drawing little sketches for them and looking at their work. We look forward to welcoming her back next year with workshops based on her new 2023 book releases. 

Primary School Book Week Celebrations

 At Primary we held a reading fare this year, and after its success, we will be adding that as a regular part of Book Week. The School Team and community members held reading circles across the oval and read books with students. The advisories created fantastic door displays of all kinds; some were crafty, and some were multi-modal with QR codes. We also held a Scholastic Book Fare and are now able to give a big boost to classroom readers due to our community's generosity. Thank you for supporting your child’s reading and helping us fill the junior classrooms with new engaging readers and early chapter books. The advisories also ran fun and engaging workshops throughout the week to encourage and celebrate the love of reading. Thank you to our Advisors, who always put so much passion into Book Week. 

Middle School Book Week Celebrations

In the Middle School, we celebrated Comic-Con style, and the Advisors and students fully embraced the theme. We were pleased to host Jaymee-Lee Keable, a Silkwood Alumni, who is a professional animator and character creator. The workshops were booked out, and Jaymee-Lee presented a great session, handing out resources and feedback on individual projects and mentorship opportunities going forward. Thank you, Jaymee-Lee. 

Senior School Book Week Activities

At Senior School, we hosted Paula Weston. Paula has worked as a print journalist and government communication specialist and is now one half of a writer-designer consultancy. She has been writing fiction for many years, finding her niche penning gritty young adult speculative thrillers with an Australian flavour. Paula talked to our senior students about her journey and how she has connected real-life experiences to writing. Paula then ran a smaller, bespoke writing workshop for students interested in writing. With hands-on activities and her wealth of knowledge around writing and books, it was an engaging session with a senior flavour, a catered workshop in the Senior School boardroom. 

We were thrilled to have some of our Silkwood students attend their first Taekwondo grading this term. They all successfully completed their Yellow Belt Grading with flying colours.

We look forward to seeing what they can achieve during Term 4!

Bush Path Adventures

During August, the bush path was fixed, and mulch added, allowing the track to be re-opened for the first time this year. This was a fantastic opportunity for the Prep children to experience the wonderful bush track for the first time during the mornings. The Prep children of 2022 had not yet experienced the bush track during the morning walks as it had been closed since the start of the school year. This is usually one of the highlights for the Preppies in previous years as they walked to class, so they were very excited to discover a new path to be immersed in their environment.

They began to learn more about the world around them and how amazing their environment really is. During our morning walks, the children have been discussing what they can see and hear along their journey, noticing the singing birds and trying to locate where they are, being amazed by the beautiful purple flowers along the track and being excited to show others about the new space they have discovered. This has been a great way for the children to show how they care for their environment and why it’s important, demonstrating awareness for the world around them and the appreciation and respect they have whilst also demonstrating awareness of the sustainable practices currently in place through the care and connection to the land. This has made the morning walks to school a very peaceful journey and a great way for the children to begin their day. The bush track will continue to be used, and the children will have the opportunity to have early morning creek play as they travel along the bush track in the mornings.

OCEAN LIFE EDUCATION 

The service was selected to take part in an extended learning activity that would visit the service every Tuesday for three weeks. The incursion selected was Ocean Life Education. This was a great way for the children to immerse themselves in the world around them, and learn more about the wonders of the ocean. During the afternoons, the instructor had many discussions with the children about how to care for the ocean through recycling, reusing and reducing waste. They discussed what impacts waste can have on the ocean, marine habitats and the marine life within them. The children shared their knowledge with one another and their instructor while being excited to learn more. Another way the children were able to learn about the ocean was through the many different activities that had been brought into the service, from shark jaws, images that prompt conversations, and displays of rubbish, nets and live animals.

The children were very excited to engage with the animals that had been brought into the service, connecting with the world around them in a new and exciting way. Many of the children were excited to learn and discover more, as they showed care and kindness towards the animals; this activity was a great way for many children to feel included as they were able to observe and learn from the animals through touch, sight and curiosity with questions.

National Science Week

During National Science Week, the children were excited to learn and explore the world of science through many different experiments. The children took part in experiments that tested gravity and the power of a vacuum seal as they watched a jar of water be tipped upside down with only a laminated piece of paper to be a sealed lid. This experiment had many components as this experiment was a hot and cold water separation test. Once the children had been dazzled by the vacuum seal, they then watched as the hot water, with red food dye, was placed on top of the cold water with blue dye, and the two colours remained separate. In the final stage of the experiment, we swapped the order of the two temperature liquids. The cold water was placed on top of the hot water, causing the two temperatures to mix as the hot water rose. The children discussed how the hot particles move faster within the water, causing the two colours and temperatures to mix. The children enjoyed making many discoveries and predictions during the science activities they were exposed to, exploring new learning paths and taking joy in the world of science.

Our Term 3 School Holiday Program

We have prepared for an adventurous, engaging, and fun school holiday program with Helping Hands!

Each of our Holiday Programs is created from within the service, which ensures that every club-based day, incursion, and excursion is tailored directly to your child’s interests and age.

We have many opportunities for children to be active these school holidays, to create new connections with other children, and to explore their interests by having fun in a safe and inclusive environment.

Check out the Holiday Program for Helping Hands Silkwood by clicking the button below, or by heading to our website and looking for your service where you’ll always find the most up-to-date holiday program details.

Our educators have been busy planning a program that is guaranteed to keep your kids engaged! There will never be a dull moment at Helping Hands these school holidays!

Secure your child’s place now!

10% Discount for Silkwood Families

To support our families in navigating the ever-changing online world, please find a link below to some valuable resources provided by the eSafety Commission.

Silkwood School is required to share government health advice with families in our community, including student immunisation information. Below are the latest contact details and a link containing the most up-to-date school immunisation program information.

Silkwood School does not participate in the In-school Immunisation Program.

The Gold Coast Public Health’s immunisation team provides vaccinations to students for immunisation against a number of viruses. You can contact the Qld Health Department at Gold Coast through the following email or email: admin.immunisegc@health.qld.gov.au. You can get more information by calling Gold Coast Public Health’s immunisation team on 1800 940 750 or visit the Gold Coast Health Website below: