It’s not often you see a school principal playing handball with her students. But Byron Bay Public School’s new chief does just that. And the kids are loving it.
Originally from Newcastle, and hailing from a family of teachers, Mel Morris is a highly experienced principal who’s just taken the reins at Byron Bay Public.
And with public schools competing with private schools for funding and student numbers, the new principal is relishing the chance to show the community how her new school shines.
School funding
In the recent budget, the federal government announced an additional $400 million for public schools over the next four years. It’s part of a promise to get schools back on track to the fairer funding model proposed by David Gonski over a decade ago.
The new funding will be tied to a raft of reforms in an effort to improve educational outcomes.
Implementing these reforms will be one of the many tasks for the new principal, who when she’s not playing handball can be spotted chatting to parents at the school gate.
‘Being a school principal is not for the faint hearted. It is a calling rather than a job,’ says Principal Morris. ‘Nurturing young minds and ensuring their wellbeing is a beautifully complex task, and the positive difference we can make in children’s lives is immense.’
Morris thinks it’s vital to develop the whole child, and sees it as a school’s responsibility to be a centrepiece of the community. She plans to create greater opportunities for parent and community involvement in the school, and there’s even talk of students writing columns for The Echo.
‘My favourite part of our school, however, is our students – they are such a joy. It is a privilege to spend time with them each day,’ says Morris.
From her first day at Byron Bay Public School earlier this year, students were surprised to find their new principal spending a lot of time in the playground.
They were even more astonished when Principal Morris started joining their handball games.
During a particularly close game, Mel eventually lost to Charlie in year four who said, ‘I think it’s pretty cool that our principal wanted to play handball with us. She was pretty good too and we are waiting for a rematch!’
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