The former principal, who was known for his ponytail and fondness for rock and roll and his motorcycle, has accepted the top job at the bigger Kotara High School this year.

“I won’t be riding to school on a motorcycle,” Mrs McDonald smiled.

“I do own a motorcycle, it’s just that I’m too scared to ride it.”

Mrs McDonald comes to Morisset via Gilgandra High School (near Dubbo), and other rural postings, including Coonamble, prior to that.

“The school population here at Morisset [about 800] is almost twice what we had at Gilgandra,” Mrs McDonald said.

“But I think it’s a very good grounding if you’ve been a principal in the west.”

One notable difference Mrs McDonald has welcomed at her new posting is the access local principals have to support.

“There are three very competent DPs [deputy principals] here, whereas at schools in rural areas you’ll have just one or possibly two,” she said.

And then there is the opportunity to work with principals and teachers from neighbouring suburbs through the Western Shores Learning Alliance - a collaboration of primary and high schools in the Westlakes area.

“I’m loving the learning alliance. In the west, the closest school to us was over an hour away,” she said.

Mrs McDonald has her own philosophy about teaching and running a school, but she understands the need to be in sync with Morisset High’s culture.

“I’ll be doing a lot of watching, learning and listening initially,” she said. “Each school has a different dynamic and different issues. I’m still learning and will continue to learn.”

Mrs McDonald comes to Morisset at a time of significant change in education.

“I love a challenge and it’s been a very intense four years in the department with the changes that have been implemented.

“Schools have had to change the way they think and teach. It’s now about developing effective future citizens.”

And with that comes the need to help staff adjust to the new objectives and techniques.

The focus of high schools had shifted a little away from content and more towards developing students to be critical thinkers, to be problem solvers, and teaching them how to work as a team and work co-operatively, she said.

“The teacher poses the questions, provides the tools and research methods, as well as delivering subject content and guidance for problem-solving in a collaborative environment.

“It is an evolution in teaching practice that offers exciting possibilities.

“The challenge is to make sure our students are enthused and engaged, and to make sure that what we’re teaching them is relevant.”

Technology would continue to be a vital learning tool, and establishing sound learning habits in the junior students would set them up well for their senior years, she said.

While NAPLAN and HSC results would continue to be one measure of the school’s success, Mrs McDonald said they were no longer the only yardsticks.

“Another measure of success is how many of our early leaver students are employed,” she said.

To that end, Morisset High’s commitment to flexible career pathways will continue.

The student who leaves high school early and finds employment was every bit as successful as the student who stays on to complete the HSC, she said.

In a letter of introduction given to teaching staff at Morisset High, Mrs McDonald spelled out her teaching philosophy.

“Teachers are the most important professionals because we prepare students for all professions,” she wrote.

“We teach the future lawyers, plumbers, judges, police and the future citizens. We are the role models for them and every word we say, and every action we take has a major impact upon their self esteem, their self worth and their self belief.”

Just as Mrs McDonald will encourage her teaching staff to have high expectations for their students, she has high expectations for the teachers.

She said she would regularly call on teachers with a simple request: Prove to me that you have moved these children forward.

That means a teacher would typically be required to show the principal an example of a student’s work at the start of the term, then contrast that with a later example of the student’s work which demonstrated an improvement in the student’s skills set, and understanding of key concepts.

“It’s also part of the process that the department has introduced,” she said.

Mrs McDonald said every high school had a three-year plan, and she looked forward to building on the momentum initiated by Mr Snedden and his staff.

“I’m excited about the programs here and what has been established,” she said.

On her first day in the chair, Mrs McDonald welcomed seven new teachers to the school, and was visited by Louise Gallagher, the newly appointed director of public schools in the Lake Macquarie West network.

Mrs McDonald lives at Bonnells Bay with her husband Ross, a retained firefighter. The pair has two adult sons.