Lyn Bird has been "exceptionally busy" since the day after Labour Day, when she started her new job as principal of the largest primary school in Otago.
"I'm settling in really well because I've had such an amazing welcome from the school community," Dr Bird said.
"Everyone's been very open about how they operate and everyone wants to share and help me understand where Queenstown Primary School is at this point."
The principal said she did not feel at all daunted at the prospect of leading 629 pupils in years 1 to 8, plus 55 staff, of more than 30 different nationalities, within the 36-year-old school.
Queenstown Primary was the eighth school of which she has been principal over the past 16 years. She moved from her role as principal of Ilam School, Christchurch, when the decile 7 school had about 500 primary pupils on its roll.
Asked about the challenges of funding education resources at the decile 10 Queenstown school, Dr Bird said principals learned to cope within the means available.
The school had "a really strong heart that's really from community connections and it's valued by the whole community.
Already, I've seen strong support from families and businesses and the PTA [Parent-Teacher Association] are very proactive and raised a lot of money in the past, which all schools rely on."
Queenstown Primary opened with six classrooms and now has 35. The school can cater for up to 700 pupils and had fewer than 300 eight years ago.
Asked for her view of the school's burgeoning roll, Dr Bird said there was room to expand, but every school had its capacity. Growth was hard to predict, but she said it was her job and the job of the board of trustees to work with the ministry to make sure growth was managed effectively.
"Dropping prefab buildings is not ideal for pupils, teachers, or the school," she said.
The principal completed her one-on-one interviews with all staff members over the past three weeks to get to know them personally and professionally.
"ERO [Education Review Office] thought there was a high quality of teaching and confirmed my feelings about the school anyway.
"I think it's important for me to know what's sacred and what's working really well and it is important for principals to have an open door. I need [staff] to reflect on what they expect from me as a principal and as a boss. I've had feedback they've all felt valued because they're being listened to."
The 55-year-old began her career in a two-teacher school 26 years ago and went on to teach in urban and rural schools of varying deciles, all in the South Island.
She was principal of primary schools including Goldfields, Cromwell, and Alexandra.
She lectured in the bachelor of teaching degree at the University of Otago for two years about 12 years ago and enjoyed keeping up to date with educational research and innovation.
She was "very much a curriculum person" who supported effective practical consistency across the school. She was interested in self-regulated learning and inquiry, which informed her PhD in 2010.
Dr Bird's husband, Graham Browne, is a relief teacher. They have four adult children and four grandchildren most of whom live in Dunedin.
