General News
9 February, 2025
New year, new principal at St Mary's
Warracknabeal's St Mary's Catholic Primary School has welcomed new principal Julie Leonard into the community this year after she took over the role from Nerrida Holland.
After moving from Torquay, Ms Leonard has settled into life in Warracknabeal since the middle of January and has nothing but positive words to say.
"I grew up in Ballarat so it's not a culture shock as I came from country and farm life," she said.
"It's important to be in the community."
Ms Leonard has three adult children, Shaylee, Damian and Jayden, who live out of home in different towns, and four grandchildren.
She said her favourite spot to ride her bike, walk or go for a swim was the Yarriambiack Creek.
"I'm really loving the creek," she said.
Ms Leonard learned about the vacant position through word of mouth and was eventually contacted to apply for the job.
"Once I came down and toured the town and school, I got that sense of feeling that I'm supposed to be here," she said.
Her education experience spans various schools across the state including Warrnambool, Geelong, Melbourne and, more recently, Sacred Heart in Colac.
She also spent two years teaching in an Indigenous community at Daly River in the Northern Territory.
Ms Leonard has held roles in leadership as well as acting principal.
"I'm very strong on wellbeing," she said.
"I want to create a safe and comfortable environment which makes the children happy then they flourish.
"I come from a very large family with diverse personalities, so I guess that's given me a broader understanding of people."
Ms Leonard said being principal at St Mary's was a good fit for her.
"It's an amazing school – it's very well resourced with high-quality staff," she said.
"Everyone has been very welcoming."
She said, as the school leader, she wanted to support the staff so they could continue to do their jobs well and provide great education for students.
"I like to be present, tapping into classes and doing as much as I can to support our teachers," she said.
Ms Leonard said there was "nothing major" needing to be done around the school other than improving its IT and equipment.
Her goals would include "keeping the teachers up to date with new education initiatives through the Diocese of Ballarat and continuing professional development in a confident and fun way", she said.