Welcome to St Joseph's School, Tara. My name is Mary Porter and I have been part of the school and Tara community for many years and principal since 2015. I have a good understanding of the community and its needs.

Being the principal in a small community like Tara is a privilege for me. I appreciate that I get to know each student and their family personally.

I believe that all children should have equal access to learning and that every student should have the opportunity to learn the way they learn best so they can experience success at school.

My goal is that every student leaves St Joseph's School, Tara equipped with the personal attributes required to contribute to a better world and the necessary skills and understanding for a lifetime of wellbeing and learning.

As a Catholic school, we welcome families of all backgrounds and faith traditions. We have a unique approach to the holistic development of each child. We actively seek to unearth their innate goodness and develop them spiritually, academically, physically, emotionally and socially.

Engaging with families in a child’s education is a powerful partnership between school and home and I acknowledge parents and carers as the first educators of their children.

Student learning thrives when students, parents, teachers and community collaborate for student wellbeing and learning. It is in working together we make the greatest difference for your child.

One of my roles as the principal is to lead, support and mentor teachers and support staff as they continue their own learning journey, to continually deliver high quality education to the students in our community.

I am often asked to share my expertise and our school's teaching practices with other educators. I am always proud to share our school’s success with multi-age and early years curriculum, classroom management, indigenous education, numeracy and literacy and Catholic school identity.

As a representative on several local committees, I support and advocate for the wellbeing and education of our young people and strive to bring new opportunities for learning to them. We look to partner with the local and broader community for the benefit of all students.

Please feel free to contact me about teaching, learning and wellbeing for any young person in our community, whether you are enrolled at St Joseph's School, Tara or not.

Mary Porter
Principal