Former St Francis Xavier School principal Carmel Jolly moved at the start of the week, ready for term three.
She said she was passionate about Catholic education, but a move to a bigger school with new challenges was an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up.
"I will really miss the special character of Catholic religion as part of school life."
Mrs Jolly had worked at Mornington School in the past and said the children and families of Mornington School had made her feel as if she had never even left.
The school had a good balance of things that were already being done well, as well as some things that she realised had room for making improvements.
"They have got some fantastic things in place."
She planned to look towards the future of the school.
Mrs Jolly has been teaching for the past 30 years.
She started her career at Queenstown Primary School in 1991 before moving to George Street Normal School in 2005.
She then went to Mornington School for the first time to take up the position of deputy principal in 2012.
In 2017, she started her first principalship at St Francis Xavier School, where she later became the lead principal in the Dunedin Catholic Community of Learning in 2019.
