New Oxley Vale Public School principal receives warm welcome

When the Leader caught up with Mrs Bishop during her first few weeks on the job, she has been busy getting to know the lay of the land and building relationships.

"It's doing lots of watching and listening, and getting to know people," she said.

"I've had meetings with staff and saying to them, 'Just tell me your story', allowing for me to get to know them.

"I'm also getting to know the students and gauging how things are done here."

Mrs Bishop's teaching philosophy is based on the premise that people are "our most important resource in schools" and through building those relationships she hopes to be able to find the best ways to invest in the futures of her staff and students.

So far she has been blown away in just the short time she has been there.

"It is just such a beautiful school I've walked into and the staff are amazing and the kids are beautiful - they've been very friendly and really reflect the school values," she said.

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Prior to taking on the mantle of principal at Oxley Vale, Mrs Bishop spent almost five years as the principal at Werris Creek Public School.

"At Werris Creek I had about 80 students when I left, and knew all my students," Mrs Bishop said.

"We've got more than 300 students here, so just getting to know the sheer volume of people - the families, students, and their backgrounds - has been the hardest transition.

"It's also been the most beautiful thing to do at the same time."

Mrs Bishop brings an abundance of knowledge and experience to the role having worked in various roles at schools throughout the North West region, including a principalship at Somerton Public, Gunnedah Public, Tamworth South, and Attunga Public.

Originally Mrs Bishop never set out to become a school principal.

"I was very content being a classroom teacher. But, while teaching on the Central Coast I had a principal who saw something in me that I wasn't looking for," she said.

"He was really supportive in encouraging me to apply for a assistant principal position at the school, then when I started to look at a principalship in Somerton.

"So, this was a pathway I did not expect to go down."

In the next few years Mrs Bishop hopes continue Oxley Vale's strong reputation and build upon from their existing foundations.

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