Community
20 June, 2024
Students welcome Noorat’s new principal
NOORAT Primary School this week welcomed a new acting principal with long-standing connection to the south west.
Lindy Bellman was officially welcomed as acting principal on Monday after Ilona Watkins took on the acting principal role at Cobden Primary School.
She is expected to remain in the role until at least the end of term one in 2025.
Mrs Bellman, who came over from Allansford Primary School, said she has been a long-long south west resident who has previously enjoyed opportunities to serve as acting principal at smaller schools throughout the district.
She has enjoyed a career with a number of leadership roles in education, numeracy, and student relationships and agency with a focus on giving students a voice.
“I’ve been in assistant principal and leadership positions with numeracy at Allansford,” Mrs Bellman said.
“I’ve lived in Warrnambool and around the area all my life, and small schools were my childhood as I went to school in Woolsthorpe and Warrnambool, so being back in a small school is sort of a full circle moment.
“I’ve always thought Noorat is such a beautiful town, so when this position was advertised I was fortunate to get the opportunity.”
Mrs Bellman said in the first days at the position she has found the Noorat Primary School students, staff and wider school community to be warm, welcoming and very well informed on education.
“I have met all of the students, and so many parents and staff, who are just all openly there for you,” she said.
“You feel the tight-knit warmth, it’s a very arms-open community who want to get to know you.
“Everyone seems to know a lot about the school, so everyone has been really helpful in what is clearly a nice community based on how welcome I’ve felt.
“Small schools give you a great chance to come in and get to know all the kids, and hear all their voices; they’ve been open about what they love, and what they don’t.”
Student agency has been a major focus for Noorat Primary School, giving the smaller student cohort the opportunity to provide feedback on how they best learn.
This helps to shape the approach to ensure students get the most out of their education, an approach Mrs Bellman said she strongly aligns with.
“Education is more than academics, despite how important that is,” she said.
“Students need to feel heard.”
Outgoing principal Ilona Watkins took to social media to post a bittersweet farewell to the students, staff and families at the beloved school, in addition to the wider community.
Mrs Watkins and Mrs Bellman have both worked with each other over the years through leadership conferences, with Mrs Watkins saying she has every confidence the school is in good hands.