Meet the Principals: Principals across Ipswich share their schools’ priorities for 2022 and beyond
With decades of collective experience under their belt, Ipswich principals have shared their priorities for 2022 and beyond as The Queensland Times ‘meets the Principals’.
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Meet Ipswich’s principals for 2022, as they discuss the joys and responsibilities of overseeing Ipswich’s budding students and inspiring teachers.
The Queensland Times iscelebrating their achievements and contributions to the community — past and future.
They’ve shared their teaching history, school priorities, what they love about their jobs, and much more.
Kelli Harvey, Amberley District State School
Kelli Harvey has worked as a principal for 12 years, and has spent the last year at Amberley District State School.
She said she enjoyed building relationships with children across the school and that she could walk into any classroom and watch teachers making learning enjoyable for students.
Ms Harvey said her priority was to make school a happy and safe place, so that “everyone can soar and be successful — by being literate, numerate and curious”.
Currently, Amberley District State School is working on the ‘3Es’: ensuring that school is Engaging for students, Embedding high impact quality teaching across the school, and striving for high levels of student achievement in English.
Ms Harvey said these priorities ensured students had a seamless education from prep to year six, and encouraged them to foster a love of learning and curiosity.
“We are also working with our school community to make school the hub of the community with school events to foster positive relationships with our school families,” she said.
Michael West, Bellbird Park State Secondary College
Michael West is approaching 10 years of being a principal — the last six of which have been at Bellbird Park State Secondary College.
He was appointed as the foundation principal when the school opened in January 2017 with 212 Year 7 students and 31 staff.
They now cater to more than 1700 students and 150 staff — and those same Year 7 students will become the school’s first Year 12 graduates later this year.
“My position as principal affords me the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of our students, staff and community,” said Mr West.
“Teaching is such an incredible privilege and children call upon us as educators to be their supporters and protectors.”
Mr West said seeing his students’ achievements across various aspects of schooling life is the highlight of his role as principal.
“My staff are passionate and committed to helping students achieve their potential – whatever their ability, wherever they live, whatever their background, no-matter their starting point,” he said.
Mr West’s main priorities for 2022 include mentoring future school leaders, developing a strong staff culture and connecting with industry partners to strengthen the school’s academic, sporting and arts programs of excellence.
“I am very keen to give back to a system that has given me so much in my 20-plus years in education,” he said.
Richard Amos, Coominya State School
Richard Amos has working in various principal roles since 1993, when he was appointed acting principal at Lake Clarendon State School.
He has been the principal of Coominya State School since July 2010, and said he loved sharing his knowledge and the variety each day brings as a principal.
“Somebody once described the role of small school principal as ‘the art of extreme juggling’,” he said.
“My task is to work with parents, teachers and other staff to try and ensure that all children are feeling safe and learning important skills and knowledge while they are at school.
“Easy to write, but not always easy to do — balancing the needs of individuals and the group, but we have had some great successes in recent years.”
Mr Amos said Coominya — like most schools — put student welfare first, providing extra learning support, guidance, a chaplain and a breakfast club; they were also excited to potentially be welcoming a psychologist in the near future.
“We have enrolled children who had negative experiences in the past and helped them to look forward to coming to school and learning,” he said.
The school is also currently prioritising their writing program, taking a multi-pronged approach to cover basic writing skills through to more advanced strategies.
“My biggest responsibility is ensuring every child at the school is getting an education and feels safe at school,” Mr Amos said.
Kurt Dutney, Immaculate Heart Catholic Primary School
Kurt Dutney has been the principal of Immaculate Heart Catholic Primary School since June 2019, and previously worked a the principal of St Maria Goretti School in Inglewood.
He said every day as principal brings about new challenges but the sense of community at Immaculate Heart was immensely rewarding.
“We have such a strong and welcoming culture, much like a small country school,” he said.
“I am extremely proud to see students who are happy at school and pay witness their growth and development.”
Mr Dutney said his priorities included developing a curriculum that is contemporary, engaging, and caters to a wide range of learning styles and interests.
“We must always ensure we maximise our student’s engagement with learning by ensuring they feel cared for, that they belong and that they want to learn,” he said.
“We are also not alone on this journey; embracing strong partnerships with parents, the first educators, is also crucial to maximise student learning.”
This year, Mr Dutney’s focus as principal has been on maximising quality of teaching and learning, with a strong focus on the teaching of English.
“With this strong focus, we will reduce variability in teaching across classrooms and develop our teacher’s skills in triangulating available learning data to inform teaching and assessment,” he said.
Renée Heathwood-Brunskill, Glenore Grove State School
Renée Heathwood-Brunskill started working at Glenore Grove State School at the end of 2014, and it is her first principal role.
She said being a principal was “the best job in the world”.
“As a principal you often wear many different hats during a school day and problem solve on the run, there are many challenges, but working with the students outweigh even the toughest days,” she said.
“If you’re ever feeling low a visit to a prep classroom can make you feel like the most amazing person in the world!”
She said that getting to know families and sharing the joys of watching the students’ development was a highlight of her role.
“Watching [students] learn and grow into young people ready for high school is very rewarding. It’s a great privilege to be a part of that journey,” she said.
Glenore Grove State school has grown from having just five classes in 2014, to 11 now — and a new building.
“This year our goals are being challenged, with Covid impacts and recent natural disasters this has probably been the toughest year to date,” said Ms Heathwood-Brunskill.
The school was currently working on streamlining their maths curriculum and ensuring their reading program was using the best practice for literacy success.
“In amongst all of that though we have a very strong focus on wellbeing for all members of our school community,” said Ms Heathwood-Brunskill.
Scott Ward, Prenzlau State School
Scott Ward has worked as a principal for seven years — the last three of which have been at Prenzlau State School.
“Everyday is a new day with new challenges and new successes,” he said.
Mr Ward said that as principal, he loves seeing the staff and children grow.
Further, he said he enjoyed the opportunity to work with the community to achieve great outcomes for the students.
Situated in a rural locality, Prenzlau State School is a long-term ‘Nature Play’ school.
They provide opportunities for the students to engage with the local flora and fauna — including an enclosure for parents to bring in animals from home.
“We are re-engaging how a nature play philosophy enhances our work teaching the Australian Curriculum,” said Mr Ward.
He said his priority as principal was to be present and positive during times of change and uncertainty, and simply, to listen.
Nicole Sherlock, Rosewood State High School
This is Nicole Sherlock’s sixth year teaching at Rosewood State High School — having previously worked as principal in the remote Indigenous community, Kowanyama.
“The thing I love most about being a principal is that I get to see our students start high school as little people and leave as young productive adults ready face whatever challenge they face in the world,” she said.
Ms Sherlock said her main priority as principal was to ensure that her students became healthy, happy and productive members of the community.
“I always promote #bekind,” she said.
One of the school’s priorities was to continue creating new opportunities for the students to succeed in their chosen fields.
“We are currently one of QLD most successful schools in gaining our students pathways for their future in apprenticeships and traineeships,” Ms Sherlock said.
In 2022, Rosewood State High School was looking to further expand its partnerships with the local and wider community.
Paula Goodwin, St Mary’s College
St Mary’s College Ipswich Principal Paula Goodwin has worked as a principal for the past 10 years, and was appointed to St Mary’s this year.
Ms Goodwin said the energy and enthusiasm of young people was one of the best aspects of her job.
“It is a privilege to journey with young people at such a formative time for them,” she said.
“Education opens doors for school graduates, and the role of principal allows for advocacy for opportunities for students, and planning so young people have many pathways open to them.”
Reflecting on the most important aspects and responsibilities of her role, Ms Goodwin pointed to strong partnerships with staff, parents and students.
“As a principal, and as a school, we aim to provide young people with positive life experiences and opportunities. This means working collaboratively with students, parents and teachers to identify best outcomes for each young person.”
Ms Goodwin said one of her main priorities in 2022 was to ensure staff had access to all the necessary resources to ensure their students are receiving cutting edge educational opportunities and developing skills they could apply in the real world, in pursuit of their personal goals.
“Above all, we are invested in helping our students become resilient, capable and inspiring young women, ready to embrace the opportunities before them,” she said.
Terry Finan, St Peter Claver College
Terry Finan has been the principal of St Peter Claver College for four years now.
He has previously worked as Head of Senior Years at St Augustine’s College Springfield, Deputy Principal at Downlands College, and also worked at St Edmunds College.
“The measure of a good school is the students they produce,” said Mr Finan.
“Our goal is that each young person will graduate with deep learning, personal growth and a moral code embedded in the Christian principles of concern, love and justice.”
He said much of St Peter Claver College’s success stemmed from maintaining open and honest conversation between parents and caregivers, students and teachers.
“The students we educate today will go into a world which is quite different to anything we have known,” he said.
“They must be skilled and flexible enough to adapt to careers and situations that are not even thought of yet.”
St Peter Claver’s College is currently constructing a new Technology Block, which will house new technologies such as 3D printers, laser cutters, plasma cutters and computer operated machinery, and is about to commence construction on a new arts precinct to cater for dance, media, drama and music, including soundproof practice rooms.
“I love seeing students engaged in an activity they love and having fun together,” said Mr Finan.
“While we expect to see this in co-curricular activities like Sport and Dance, it is even more rewarding when we see this enthusiasm in the classroom – a love of learning.”
Steven Morris, The Springfield Anglican College
Steven Morris has been the principal of The Springfield Anglican College since April 2020 — during the middle of the first COVID-19 school shutdown.
“Though it was a non-traditional way to start a role — and this my first principalship — I was immediately impressed by our diverse college community and our students who are curious, compassionate and have a genuine love for their school,” Mr Morris said.
Mr Morris said one of the things he valued most about his role was the opportunity to have a direct influence on the student’s education.
“As a principal, my priority is to ensure our students have every occasion to develop the skills, knowledge and resilience to prepare them for their future lives, which happens when young people, parents and teachers work together,” he said.
“My wish is that they feel as though the College is their extended family, and like a real family, continues to challenge and support them while providing learning experiences and instruction that helps them grow in a balanced way.”
Looking into the future, Mr Morris said he was eager to continue to work alongside the entire college community to build students’ intellectual, spiritual and wellbeing capital.
The school is currently focused on widening curriculum offerings to better support students’ needs, and developing first-class facilities that optimise learning spaces and maximise students’ opportunities for success.
Geoff McLay, West Moreton Anglican College
Geoff McLay has worked as a principal for almost 21 years, and is currently in his 12th year at West Moreton Anglican College.
“The thing I love about my role is the opportunity it affords me to work with a broad range of stakeholders who are committed to creating a community and environment where children and young people can grow and thrive,” he said.
Mr McLay said the his most important responsibilities included ensuring the school had a “safe and nurturing environment where students can learn to know, learn to do, learn to live together, and learn to be their best self”.
He said it was also important to ensure the school’s policies and procedures reflected the values, priorities, and expectations of the community, and to use the school’s resources prudently and judiciously.
In 2022, the school is focusing on implementing a range of changes and programs to strengthen their child safety culture, aligning their curricular and extra-curricular programs with their principles of wellbeing.
Mr McLay said they were also continuing to develop their teaching practice to reflect contemporary best practice.
Further, the school is currently planning construction for a multimillion Student Services Hub, which is just the first stage of their next Master Plan.
Jeff Jones, Woodcrest Executive Principal
Recently appointed Executive Principal of Woodcrest State College, Jeff Jones has spent the last 30 years working in education.
He has been principal at a number of primary and P-12 schools, and worked at schools in Darling Downs, Lockyer Valley, central and northern Queensland as well as the Gold Coast.
“I want to ensure that every child has the opportunity to live a life of choice, not a life of chance,” said Mr Jones.
“As educators we have a moral imperative to make the curriculum accessible for all of our students, and at Woodcrest we are working strongly in this space.”
This year the school has a focus on ‘Quality Teaching’ as the overarching focus underpinned by four pillars of Culture, People, Alignment and Ingenuity.
“We ground all of our decisions by asking ourselves, how will this help our students be successful?” said Mr Jones.
He looked forward to celebrating Woodcrest State College’s 25th year of operation in September this year with the community, past and present students, and staff.
“It’s a wonderful milestone for any school and this is a significant event in the history of Springfield, so we hope as many people who can along and be part of the celebrations.”
Peter Lund, Woodcrest Primary School
This year marks Peter Lunds’ 20th year working as a principal and 37th year with the Department of Education.
He has been principal at Woodcrest State College’s primary school for almost a year now, and said working in a large school was a rewarding experience.
“I treasure that it is my responsibility to ensure that every child has the best possible opportunity to learn to their potential and for them to be their best self,” said Mr Lund.
“Education can change lives and what drives me, is when I see the light bulb click in a child’s brain, that ‘AHA!’ moment. It is priceless.”
Mr Lund said the most important aspect of his role was to provide a safe learning environment for students, families and staff.
“Students need to feel safe to understand who they are and how they fit into the world while being guided by parents and staff working together. As the saying says, it takes a community to raise a child,” he said.
His current priorities were to maximise student attendance, provide quality teaching and learning aligned to the Australian Curriculum and to ensure that every child succeeds.
“They do not have to be an ‘A’ student to be successful, but helping them identify their talents and performing to their best is key to achieving success,” said Mr Lund.
“They need to understand that learning never ends and that you never give up. Never.”
Kelsey Oakes, Woodcrest Secondary School
Kelsey Oakes has been the Secondary Principal at Woodcrest State College since July 2021, and worked previously as a deputy and acting principal.
“Our school vision, ‘Inspire Students’ means ensuring every student’s strengths and abilities are celebrated and fostered towards achieving their pathway of choice,” said Ms Oakes.
One of the highlights of the role, she said, was to mentor and work alongside staff as they developed into first class educators and dedicate themselves to supporting their students.
“As principal I am committed to ensuring that all students achieve success and are equipped with the skills and attributes they need to be successful in the world beyond school,” said Ms Oakes.
“There is nothing more special than seeing a student walk across the graduation stage who has persisted and given it their all.”
Ms Oakes said the school aimed to promote a positive learning culture with the core values: Respect, Responsibility and Resilience.
“We want our students to stretch their learning and realise that success is not just about talent, but about effort, persistence and learning,” she said.
Woodcrest Primary School’s priorities include sustaining positive relationships with school families and the local community.
The school is also focusing on developing a strong student leadership team to support teachers in their ‘inquiry learning’ teaching approach which aims to foster student curiosity and innovation.
“We continue to review and refine our practices, including engaging our student voice to ensure the best learning experiences for our students,” said Ms Oakes.
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