Ludmilla Primary School principal Carol Putica celebrates NT teaching excellence

The Territory’s 2023 principal of the year has reflected on what the recognition means for her school as this year’s nominations draw to a close.

Ludmilla Primary School principal Carol Putica was the 2023 NT Principal of the Year.

Awards recognise the Territory’s future leaders in education and encourage teachers to step up and help their peers, the NT’s 2023 principal of the year says.

Ludmilla Primary School principal Carol Putica said the Teaching in the Territory Excellence Awards triggered a “cyclic” pattern and were an important part of building teacher capacity in the NT.

Ms Putica said her own recognition last year was a “resounding endorsement” of the work she and her team had done at the school to boost student engagement and build a reputation as a school of choice.

“We were working really hard to make sure that our students had everything they needed to achieve well and have great choices moving forward, but it was really nice to have that story have a wider audience,” she said.

“I’m a very different principal now to when I started and I think that award was acknowledgment of some of that growth.”

Ludmilla Primary School principal Carol Putica.

Ms Putica said she built the school’s student population from 86 to about 165 during her eight years at the helm and had also seen 100 families join the school’s Families as First Teachers program.

She said the school’s journey involved a new positive behaviour plan, extensive wellbeing framework, and multiple community partnerships being included in the school’s offerings.

For example, the Gold Coast Suns visited to take the students through a training session, and Corrugated Iron Youth Arts runs regular circus workshops with the kids.

“Alongside that was really looking at the academic rigour in the school, so we really looked closely at making sure we were providing a curriculum that could reach and extend to every child in the school,” Ms Putica said.

“We had to really personalise the learning because in our school, we have children operating at all levels.”

Final nominations for this year’s top teachers close on Friday.