Principal's Report

It has been a privilege to step in to the role of Acting Principal this term. ‘Principalship’ is something that I have bore witness to and worked beside, for many years. Did that prepare me for what I was in for? Maybe a little bit.

How is it different?

The short answer is: there are far more emails than I had imagined possible for one human being to receive.

In the past three weeks, I have learned that being Acting Principal involves moving very quickly between completely unrelated tasks. At any given moment, I might be discussing strategic planning, responding to a wellbeing matter, organising staffing coverage, locating a missing water bottle or helping a student find their class, and trying to remember why I walked into a room in the first place.

I have also discovered that the phrase “Have you got a quick minute?” is rarely accurate. It usually means, “This will take twenty minutes and possibly require a follow-up meeting.” Which I really don’t mind. If you know me at all, you know I’m always up for a chat. 

What has stood out most, however, is just how much teamwork sits behind a successful school day. Schools are busy and complex places, and there are countless people quietly solving problems, supporting students and keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes. 

I have particularly enjoyed spending more time out and about across the school. Students have continued to keep me grounded, whether through thoughtful conversations, great classroom learning, or politely reminding me that I have to stop talking or they will be late to class.

One unexpected part of the role has been discovering that everyone assumes the Principal knows where everything is. I can confirm that this is not always the case. At various points over the last three weeks, I have been asked about long service leave forms, staff to student excursion ratios, a badly behaved door locking mechanism and the mystery of why I have lost authorising privileges on the school bank account.

Despite the occasional chaos, it has been a rewarding start to the term. Thank you to staff, students and families for your support, patience and good humour as I continue learning the role. I suspect the unread emails and I will continue this journey together for some time yet.

Kelli Russell - Acting Principal