Environment and facilities

After 30 years on leased premises in Leura, Korowal has purchased its own school property, the historic Oaklands estate in Hazelbrook. Oaklands is an inspiring heritage-listed property on an 18-acre site between Lawson and Hazelbrook. We renovated the school and moved at the end of 2008.

Owning our own school provides us with long term security, and allows us to work towards our ideal of becoming a sustainable school - environmentally, socially and educationally.

Natural environment

Korowal is set within garden surroundings, and a beautiful northerly outlook across Blue Mountains National Park. We aim to take advantage of this beautiful location for education. The grounds include grassy play spaces, rainforest, and bush areas, including a winding rainforest walk towards the bush. Although the school is located in the town area, its expansive outlook gives it both privacy and space. The school grounds will provide abundant opportunities for integration into learning, whether for gardening, easy access to bushwalking, and play spaces. The natural environment, and goals of sustainability, is an integral part of Korowal's curriculum.

Classrooms

Our new classrooms are stimulating, comfortable and creative spaces which inspire learning. Primary classes use natural materials where possible. The rooms are a canvas for decoration by children's art, craft and project work.

Specialist facilities

In addition to general classrooms, Korowal offers well-equipped specialist rooms for Art, Drama, Information Technology, Music and Design and Technology. There are modern Science laboratories and counselling and support spaces.

Library

Our library is staffed by both a teacher-librarian and a librarian. Its collection of 14,000 books and resources supports the literacy and information needs of our students, from kindergarten to year 12, and of our staff.

Through an electronic catalogue, students can access our resources, while the computers in the Learning Resource Centre, connected to the Library, gives students access to the World Wide Web and IT-supported learning experiences.

The "blue story mat" is central to the introduction to literature for our primary students, who are immersed in stories, legends and the visual image. They borrow regularly and have class time in the library each week. Our new library is an inviting place, to which all students have access during the day for private study as well as group or class activities.