News gallery

Every day at Royal Far West School is different and fun! Here are some recent stories:

Student-initiated learning

One of our families had the thrill of visiting Taronga Zoo at the weekend and the children came back with news of all the creatures they had seen. Jo and Ella used this as the springboard to help the girls create Pete Cromer inspired paintings. What a beautiful job they did!

Appreciating our support staff

SASS (School Ancilliary Staff) week is a fabulous opportunity to celebrate our support staff. They are the engine which keeps our school running, whether it's as the friendly voice on the phone welcoming families (and all the related administration needs), engaging with students in the classroom or coming alongside our indigenous visitors with empathy and understanding. We really appreciate you!

Our versatile playground

You might think that it would be hard to have a great playground in a school set in the heart of Manly, but our playground on level 3 provides space for even the most active games. Staff change the equipment each recess so that there is always something to appeal to our students, whether it's a boisterous game of volleyball, or something calm like a spot of painting.

Celebrating Book Week

Blue group enjoyed the Children's Book Council of Australia 2026 shortlisted book, Frogs are our Friends. We made our own frog pond using only natural objects and removing pollutants, then we practised our fine motor skills by hopping the frogs into the pond. The teachers were delighted to see the students spontaneously created their own frog pond - such joy in learning!

Meanwhile, Purple group enjoyed reading Bob and Dob by Sean E. Avery, exploring sibling relationships, trust and knowing when to speak up. Students then designed their own unique character, considered their special qualities and brought them to life using paper clay. Green group read the book Ningaloo by Tim Winton and one student was inspired to use the story as the basis of his bag design.

Breathing beads

Emotional regulation is important for each of us to learn and it is taught in many different ways at our school. This week Aunty Caroline showed Blue group students how to thread beads in colours that made them happy, and use them in a mindful breathing activity. This connects with our school theme of yindyamarra - pause, breathe, be calm.

International Dog Day

This special day was a beautiful opportunity to celebrate Frankie our therapy dog, and his owner Kerry, who visit us every week. The children love Frankie's gentle personality and her affectionate response to their stroking. Blue group made her a special certificate and gave her a treat to thank her.

Science week explodes!

We've had an incredible time in Science Week!

Purple Group literally exploded making lemon volcanoes by mashing up the flesh of a lemon, adding liquid soap, food colouring and bicarbonate of soda and watching the chemical reaction go off.

Green group experimented with magnets in the playground (including making our own compass and learning about Mag Lev trains), created our own air-powered rockets and learned all about native plant properties and the indigenous connection to local flora. Aunty Caroline shared the story of Talara'tingi, how the flower flannel came to be, which reminded us that if we care for Country, Country will care for us and that flowers provide food and life for birds, insects and people.

Blue group made magic milk by adding dishwashing liquid and natural food colouring to a puddle of milk and watching it react with the fat to break the surface tension - and make very pretty patterns! They also grew rainbows.

SWAY school visit

On Tuesday 4th August, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Day, some of the SWAY team visited Roseville Public School. SWAY has been implemented at Roseville PS since 2022. The school is a sister school to Bourke Public School, and both participate in the SWAY program.

SWAY at Roseville is shared in their Year 6 and Kindergarten Buddy Program. The students work together on SWAY and the day we visited they were sharing Aunty Lois Rowing to School Yarn and were going to make their local community build from the SWAY program.

Upon arrival Aunty Lois (AEO), Aunty Caroline (AEO) and Juliana (ECT) were warmly greeted by school staff Sean Moran (Principal) and Sarah Lockhart (AP K-2) and welcomed into the school hall where all the students were waiting for us. Aunty Caroline was invited to pay respects before the activity began which she did by asking student leaders to join her and share their versions together to the group. Aunty Lois then shared her yarn to the students of how she went to school when she lived on Ulghandhi Island.

The students went outside to forage for items to add to their community build and then came in to start. There was a busy hum to the hall with students talking about what and how to make their local community creations. Seeing the year 6 students work together with the kindergarten buddies building and using their imaginations to make their local school community was wonderful. The SWAY team were eager to get in to help and chat to them about their communities.

Once we finished and then packed away, we were treated to a lovely morning tea in the staff room sharing and building connections through SWAY. What a memorable day and partnership.

Music therapy

Royal Far West students engaged in some music therapy with school counsellor/psychologists Cliona Mulloy and Georgia Braude. This involved learning body percussion, drumming, and chimes. Music is a valuable tool for supporting emotional regulation, social connection, hearing and listening, and co-ordination skills. Research into the neuropsychological benefits has found that music and rhythmic movements are a powerful tool to help children regulate stress. It's also a lot of fun for all involved!

Aboriginal astronomy

Purple Group participated in a rich cultural learning experience through story, shared viewing, conversation and hands-on exploration. In a fascinating video, Aboriginal astrophysicist Kirsten Banks demonstrated that for Indigenous people the dark spaces between stars are as important as the stars themselves. It shows when seasons and tides change and when certain foods are available. The position in the night sky shows when emu eggs are available for collecting.

Aunty Caroline shared her own story and memories of collecting emu eggs in Walgett, NSW. This personal storytelling created a meaningful connection between the learning experience and Country, family and lived cultural knowledge. Students were invited to hold and carefully explore a real emu egg – Dinawan egg. They observed its size, weight, texture and colour, and were encouraged to think about the importance of the emu within Aboriginal culture and the ways knowledge can be shared through stories and objects.

To conclude the experience, each student was gifted an emu feather to take with them as a reminder of their learning. The feather became a special connection to the story shared, Dinawan and cultural knowledge explored together.

Brilliant Blue

When students arrive in Blue group, their eyes widen with delight and we can see them thinking: where do I begin? Each day Jo and Ella set up the room with different activities to suit the interests of the individual students visiting, plus a few more to stimulate curiosity and imagination.

There are physical activities which help you learn your numbers as you jump from one red circle to another, dress-ups and a whole cafe, as well as hard hats and construction to mirror all the activity on the site next door. Then, when you just need a rest, there's a quiet corner with cushions and lots of beautiful picture books.

Living Our Truth | National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day 2026

Tuesday 4 August 2026 is an opportunity for all Australians to recognise and celebrate the strength, pride and potential of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. This year, we celebrate children as the next generation of leaders; confident, proud and ready to carry forward the strong voices, stories and knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities. Ruby reminded the students in Green group that we have the oldest surviving culture in the world - what a great thing to be proud of as the emerging generation of leaders.

National Tree Day

We love celebrating special days at RFWS and Blue group got right behind National Tree Day! After reading the story Last tree in the City, the children learned about the importance of trees in keeping the environment and us healthy. They loved taking inspiration from picked branches and leaves to create their own artworks.

Weaving stories

The Weaving Stories exhibition showcased a beautiful collection of collaborative First Nations artworks and traditional weaving pieces, celebrating creativity, culture, and community. As part of the Northern Beaches Saltwater program, this project culminated in a special exhibition and celebration at the Curl Curl Creative Space, featuring works by local artist Jodie Dowd, traditional weaver Karleen Green along with Bron and SJ staff and students from Stewart House.

The collaborative artworks included stunning stingray, jellyfish, and ghost net-inspired weaves, each reflecting the rich marine environment of the Northern Beaches and the enduring connection between culture, Country, and community. Every woven piece tells a story of learning, belonging and shared experiences.

The exhibition was a wonderful celebration of partnership between Royal Far West School, Stewart House, students, artists, and the wider community. Through creativity, collaboration, and cultural knowledge sharing, Weaving Stories continues to strengthen connections and wellbeing stories of Saltwater Country.

Life in Blue

Our youngest students in Blue group love expressing themselves with all the beautiful resources Jo and Ella make available. In just one morning they were able to run a cafe, dress up in dreamy costumes, paint pictures and decorate them with sparkles and enjoy listening to a story - and they hadn't even reached the playground yet!

SEPLA Conference

Our professional learning this term took place at SEPLA-CON 2026 at ICC Sydney, focusing on inclusive education under the theme Together for Tomorrow: Embracing Diversity, Enabling Success and highlighting the commitment to celebrating the strengths of every learner, fostering inclusive environments, and enabling all students to reach their full potential.

Deb Summerhayes, deputy secretary, Public Schools NSW, highlighted the fantastic work being carried out by schools, particularly SSPs and support classes in public schools. In the photo below she showed the significant number of students learning in regional, rural and remote areas. The students that RFWS supports!

Our teachers and support staff participated in a number of great professional learning sessions to further enhance our skills in the special education context. Already Aunty Caroline, our Aboriginal Educator, has had the opportunity to put learning from the Beyond the Behaviour – Identifying the Influences That Matter session which highlighted the importance of understanding the experiences and circumstances that shape behaviour. Recognising a visiting Mum was feeling overwhelmed, Aunty Caroline created a quiet, culturally safe space for a yarn. Taking time to listen with empathy and understanding helped strengthen trust and support the family's wellbeing, reinforcing their connection with RFW school community.

Bravery and friendship

Purple group joined Jonty, a young gentoo penguin who longs to find his true home at the South Pole. They loved cheering Jonty on his way in a captivating story of bravery, friendship and finding your place in the world. After Rose had read them Jonty's story, they created penguin artwork.

Gratitude

We are very grateful to the many people and organisations who give us gifts and services which enhance the work we love to do at Royal Far West School. Recently we received a magnificent donation of beautiful books which we've distributed through the classeses and SWAY and we have plans to start a library as well. Recently the Fairholme Quilters most generously gave us their prize winning quite A map of memories + imagination which children visiting Blue group love to use for interactive play. We are constantly grateful for the amazing volunteers at Sailability who take our students, many of whom have never visited the sea before, sailing around Manly. We treasure each of these wonderful gifts.

Measuring dinosaur bones

Fosicking through kidfetti sensory pellets, students in blue group discovered dinosaur bones! They were able to match the shapes and sizes on a work sheet and then measured each one. Such a fun maths lesson!

Turtles

With the abundance of marine life 200m away from us in the sea, it was great to celebrate World Turtle Day. Blue group looked at a real green sea turtle egg shell in our nature table and painted turtles as well as learning about animal life cycles.

Hapa zome

Hapa zome is an ancient Japanese technique of transferring natural pigments from leaves and flowers directly onto fabric or paper by pounding them with a hammer. Blue group loved watching the colours and shapes emerge - and we were surprised by the beautiful scent our hammering produced. We used our designs to decorate our take-home bags.

In-community assessment

Each year, we welcome many students from the Broken Hill region to our school. Tom, one of our Assistant Principals, travelled to Broken Hill with one of Royal Far West's multidisciplinary teams as part of an in-community assessment week. Visits like this provide a valuable opportunity to connect with local schools, strengthen relationships, and learn more about the communities we serve. This visit was no exception, with several schools visited and many positive conversations shared. Staff were interested to learn more about the support RFWS provides for rural and remote students and their families.

Royal Far West clinicians, including speech pathologists, occupational therapists and psychologists, also joined some of the school visits between assessment sessions with local children. Spending time in schools helped deepen their understanding of each community's strengths, priorities and local context, while further strengthening partnerships between schools and our multidisciplinary team.

We are grateful for the warm welcome Tom received and look forward to continuing to build strong connections with schools and communities across NSW.