A message from our new Principal

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Mark Hoppitt and I am proud to be the new principal of Holsworthy Public School. I feel that it is a great privilege to lead the school by continuing to provide an outstanding education to the community where every student is known, cared for and valued. I am an experienced principal who is passionate about creating a culture of maximising opportunities for growth in all aspects of school and community life that permeates every classroom by ensuring students are provided with the best education.

I would like to honour Peter Ward and Tammy Deiri who have led the school in such an inspirational way to establish Holsworthy PS as a school of excellence. Their leadership has created a culture of high performance, respect and catering for the individual student.

 I view myself as the primary instructional leader in the school where the focus is on high quality, differentiated classroom instruction. I am highly visible in the school and I will often be found in a classroom or in the playground as I believe this is the best way for me to understand and get to know the students and how the school can continue to meet their needs.

I value the positive partnerships the school has already formed with the community and look forward to further strengthening these links as I become more familiar with the school. The school is soon to commence its new 2021-2024 strategic improvement plan and I look forward to collaborating with the community as we co-develop the directions of the school for the next 4 years.

 I enjoy implementing 21^st Century learning practices to improve student learning experiences that result in the development of each student’s ability to think critically and creatively. I believe that students need to develop extensive problem-solving and communication skills as they prepare for a world that is constantly changing.

A little about myself:

• Holsworthy is my fourth substantive principalship. My entire career has been spent in the field of education. I recently spent a period working in the department’s state office leading a significant state-wide change ensuring the development of complex, strategic plans for the delivery of needs-based face-to-face and online professional learning for every school in the state (metropolitan, rural and remote areas). 
• I have a wife to whom I have been married for 23 years. She is also a teacher.
• I have 2 sons in their early 20s. The eldest graduated from university last year with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Exercise Physiology). The youngest is in his second year studying for his Bachelor of Information Systems degree.
• We have 2 dogs – Charlie and Ruby. They are brother and sister cavoodles (mixture of cavalier and poodle) and are 18 months old.
•  When my boys were younger I spent the weekends coaching/managing club and representative cricket teams, coaching soccer teams and managing a hockey team.

Although getting together is difficult during this period of COVID, I look forward to getting to know the school community as we move forward together.