THE start of term two at Mansfield Primary School has a new principal at the helm, as the school community welcomes back Ms Salmon now holding the official title.

Having spent all of 2024 and almost half of 2023 as the acting principal you’d be forgiven for thinking she already occupied the main office, a photo board on the wall just one of her personal touches - a proud tribute celebrating the school community.

It was 14 years ago that Ms Salmon returned to Mansfield and the family farm, to take up a newly created role leading welfare at the primary school.

Enticed back to the shire by then principal Paul Volkering, Ms Salmon - or more correctly Ms Comerford as she was known at the time – had been the welfare and disability coordinator at Albany Rise Primary School in Musgrave.

Prior to that she had worked for Autism Victoria as the team leader of the organisation’s professional learning unit, so she came back to her hometown with quite the credentials.

Fourth generation Mansfield-born and bred, Ms Salmon went to school in the shire attending St Mary’s.

She returned with an aspiration to be the same inspiring force that teachers at school were when she was growing up.

“I had the most beautiful childhood growing up in Mansfield, and a lot of that came down to my schooling and the strong sense of community within the school and shire overall,” Ms Salmon said.

And while the school has tripled in size during her tenure, Ms Salmon still believes it maintains that small school feel and identity.

“When you go down the street and the kids stop you in the supermarket, it’s the best feeling,” she said.

From welfare to wellbeing - as the role became defined - Ms Salmon has always played a role shaping the ongoing direction of education and learning at Mansfield Primary.

And it was in 2020 in the midst of COVID that she was named assistant principal, becoming part of the leadership team.

“We’re at least ten per cent above the state average for satisfaction around inclusion, around the way we manage bullying, and the overall consistency and accessibility of our school,” Ms Salmon said.

“And that’s not just me.

“I may lead the work, but it’s about our teachers being open to doing things differently and that desire to add to and build on the school’s proud legacy.

“Part of the job stipulation is you have to care and have a deep since of kindness to work at Mansfield Primary School, and if you don’t want to go above and beyond to provide additional support to the kids then this is not the school for you.”

Another priority for Ms Salmon is learning should be fun – a mantra she has embraced, implementing numerous initiatives throughout the year to keep kids engaged and enjoying their childhood.

“One of the things that I love, is summer under the sprinkler and so I promised the children that every time it was over 35 degrees I would get the sprinkler out during lunch and recess,” she said.

“This proved not to be a smart move.

“I thought it might happen four or five times over the term.

“It became a regular feature and was literally happening three times a week.

“It was a long, hot summer,” she said.

“I admit I was sending home a few damp kids at the end of the day but I do have this spectacular green patch of grass to show for it.”

With the grass greener on the primary school’s side of the fence, Ms Salmon talks of other great initiatives the school has in motion.

“We were very fortunate to have a school review this year, and while it acknowledged the great work we have done in supporting students who need extra help, it identified room to grow in extending our students who need extension.

“So this is what we’re looking towards and we’re building our leadership team around that.

“Alongside myself there will be one assistant principal and three lead teachers.

“One of the lead teachers will continue to focus on student support and build on things like our literacy intervention programs, which have delivered amazing results over the last decade.

“However we now have a lead teacher dedicated to student excellence and extension, with some great high abilities programs and specialised sessions for students who are excelling in literacy and numeracy.

“Our third lead teacher will be responsible for wellbeing, and as we have had for the last four years, we will have three learning specialists.

“Their role is in the curriculum as well as support and mentorship for our teachers, so we envisage by the end of the year after we’ve phased this in we will have a really solid leadership team.

“We don’t want to leave any child behind and that includes every student from those who need additional support to those who are high achieving.

“Student excellence can look very different for each student and it’s about each child meeting their full potential and equipping them with the tools and expertise they need to go on and thrive.”

Alongside the reinvigorated leadership structure, the school has also introduced a new literacy approach for foundation to year two with preliminary results already delivering dividends.

And with the new double-storey classroom welcoming students for the start of the school year, Ms Salmon is looking to the future with a goal to reclaim more of the playground space by going up rather than out.

“Thanks to the Mansfield Shire Council we have been given access to the Sporting Complex which becomes part of our playground, and we have two wonderful ovals neighbouring the school which we can use and the pool right next door.

“This is absolutely the right location for the primary school and we need to work within this location to make sure we can fit as many children as we can here and still have that comfortable outdoor space.

“So that’s my priority part of a bigger vision for the next five years at Mansfield Primary School."