[On-screen text: Introducing your new principal]
[Upbeat music plays throughout]
A smiling man comes gradually into focus as he walks towards us.
Anthony Potesta (in voice over): Hi, everyone, my name's Anthony Potesta and I'm really excited to be your new principal.
We see Anthony walking up a stairway.
[On-screen text: Anthony Potesta]
[On-screen text: Lockerbie Central Primary School (interim name)]
Anthony enters a room and we see him speaking to someone off screen.
[On-screen text: What was your education journey?]
Anthony: After I left school, I was a muso and I tried to make it as a muso around Melbourne. Didn't quite turn out, which is a good thing, because then I got into education. I knew instantly that my path and my journey was going to be in the primary school space. My movement into education and all the skills that I was actually able to bring forward from my music background have served me really well.
I'm in service to the job. I don't see it as a job. It's … I honestly believe it’s something that I was put on this earth to do.
My mum's a teacher, my godmother’s a teacher, my wife's a teacher. All my good mates are teachers as well. I'm very passionate about public education and what we can provide for all members of our community.
The opportunity to set up a new school doesn't come up that often, and to come in and set a school culture and to put the bar high straight from the very start, I think is just an opportunity that I just couldn't pass up.
[On-screen text: What are you looking forward to in this new school?]
Anthony: I'm really looking forward to just, to meet people. I'm very much a people person. I love finding out about different cultures, different people's backgrounds – and what better place to do that in a brand new setting, in a brand new school. We're going to be really open and forefront with our school community, both with teachers and our parents, about what our students are achieving, what their learning needs are, and what success looks like for everyone.
[On-screen text: What does good education look like to you?]
Anthony: Good education is really about having a collective responsibility for all of our students and really understanding what their needs are, both in the learning space and in the wellbeing space. Because wellbeing can just be a set of supports that don't really mean anything unless there’s that true sense of care, and that true sense of nurturing that can wrap around.
The environment will be one that really celebrates diversity and really develops those levels of understanding within the community, because where we want to get to ultimately is making sure everyone feels included in the school, that there's high levels of trust and that people really have that strong sense of belonging and connectedness.
[On-screen text: What are you looking forward to on day 1, Term 1?]
Anthony: I'm really looking forward to seeing it all come together. I think these 9 months of planning and all the preparation that we're doing, seeing it come to fruition on that first day – just can't wait, and just can't wait to meet the community.
A white background appears with the VSBA and Victoria State Government logos.
[On-screen text: www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au]
A black background appears and white text appears.
[On-screen text: Authorised by The Victorian School Building Authority, 33 St Andrews Place, East Melbourne]
[Transcript ends]
Updated