St Joseph's Catholic School's new acting principal is settling in and looking forward to building relationships within the school community.

Yvonne Marshall has taken up the position for a year, while Paul Keogh gains experience at Marian Catholic School in Hamilton.

Mrs Marshall previously taught at Hinuera Primary for 12 years and was assistant principal for the last four. Prior to that, she taught at St Joseph's part time for two years.

"It feels a bit like I've come full circle," she said.

Along with her management role, the experienced new entrant teacher will take the junior class two or three days a week.

"I always said I didn't want to be a principal because I love teaching so much but here I have a lovely mix of both," she said.

"It feels really special because of the small nature of the school.

"I'm also Catholic, so it is a lovely opportunity for me to bring my faith and teaching together."

While the position is only for one year, Mrs Marshall said she has been given the green light to bring new ideas and fresh perspective to the school.

"I'm looking at it like it's a full time position," she said. "I'm quite excited about it all. We are only a small school and the community seem to work really well together - they're a really supportive bunch."

Mrs Marshall has two adult sons and lives with her husband in Matamata.

She is a member of the Matamata Dramatic Society, enjoys tramping and is actively involved in the parish.

- © Fairfax NZ News