New principal of Assumption College Kilmore, ACK, Paul Finneran is more than excited to bring ‘hope’ to the school’s learning environment.
Mr Finneran commenced at the start of term one, taking over from Kate Fogarty who stepped down at the end of last year after nine years to become executive director of Catholic Education Diocese, Sandhurst.
Mr Finneran, former principal of St Paul’s Catholic College Greystanes in Sydney, said the school community had been wonderful while he had been settling into his new role.
“The community’s been very welcoming, I feel like they’ve embraced me,” he said.
“I’m really big on knowing the story of others story and Assumption has a really long and storied tradition that’s well known across the country really, not just Victoria.
“So, I’m excited about what I can contribute to the Assumption story, but I feel already that people want to share their story with me. The welcome has been enormous.”
In harmony with the school’s values and opportunities, Mr Finneran said his focus this year was building capacity and setting high expectations.
“It’s about setting the highest expectations possible and trying to continue the great work the previous college principal, Kate Fogarty, did – it’s also about continuing to build a palpable sense of community that is welcoming to all and that is inclusive,” he said.
“High expectations and building capacity are really important focuses for us.
“These focuses are deliberately generic because we can apply them to all aspects of school life and I think that we want to set the bar high, and we want our students to experience success and achieve the best results.”
Before ACK, Mr Finneran was in various senior positions at Catholic schools across Victoria and New South Wales, contributing to the Catholic education system for the past 30 years.
“We want to set the bar high, and we want our students to experience success and achieve the best results.”
Paul Finneran
Principal ACK
Mr Finneran said he is big on hope, presence, and authenticity – key values he is set to add to the ACK community and the school’s long enduring story.
“I think what’s important as an educator is that people feel valued – what we really want to give our students is voice, confidence and agency,” he said.
While the campus is growing each year, with currently under 1500 students starting this year, Mr Finneran said he would take the time to assess and interrogate the physical needs of the school, including sport and education buildings.
“I am very honoured and humbled to be appointed principal and I look forward to contributing to and sharing our Assumption story not just with our community but also the broader community because I think we’re an important piece of the Kilmore area,” he said.
ACK is inviting all prospective students and their families to its Open Evening at Assumption College on March 18.
The evening is an opportunity for ACK to showcase its innovative MyMAP program, the diverse range of subjects on offer and the many co-curricular opportunities available to future students of the college.
