James Moran

Dear families, staff, students and members of the Hay community,

To say I am excited to take on the Principal role at St Mary’s Parish School in 2023 is an understatement. Through many conversations with various stakeholders, I am amazed to hear that an excellent school, parish and community already exists, and I am eager to immerse myself in them all!

I am delighted that I will not be moving to Hay alone. My fiancee Kate (who will be my wife come January) and beagle Ned will be packing our bags and are incredibly excited to be starting the next chapter of our lives together in Hay. Kate is a High School teacher, and we are both social and outgoing. We love catching up with friends, eating excellent food, spending time outdoors, camping, watching the footy and spoiling the hound!

I have to admit that I am a sports nut. Since I was a teenager, and to this day, I play both AFL and Basketball, and I’m a Sydney Swans fanatic. I am incredibly excited to play both sports upon moving to Hay. I am a lover of all sports, and if you name a sport, the chances are I’ve played it or follow it! I am a music lover, and despite my lack of ability to play it, I will happily listen to anything from most genres. I also see myself as a bit of a tech guru. The access we have to technology is something that we are blessed with in the 21st Century.

James Moran


As an educator, I have covered many roles. I have spent time as a classroom teacher, a Literacy and Numeracy
Instructional Leader, a Sports Coordinator, an Interventionist, and I am the current Polding AFL manager. I am passionate about implementing technology into all Key Learning Areas to equip students with the skills required to be successful members of society. My Catholic faith ensures that I model my behaviours on the teachings of Christ, and it is these strong values that I intend to hold central to our school. An open door policy is one of the most important values a principal and educator needs to have. My door will always be open to families, staff and students so we can work together to make St Mary’s the best school it can be.

St Mary’s focuses on well-being as the foundation for teaching and learning. I intend to continue this thoughtful approach, as well as the other contemporary educational methods implemented by Mr Vincent Campbell and the staff of St Mary’s. Father Paul is one of the strongest assets of the school, and a strong community is one where the school and parish work together to develop the faith of our students. I am excited to work with Mr Campbell and Fr Paul to ensure a smooth transition into next year and to ensure the wheels do not stop moving!

I’m planning to be spending a few days at St Mary’s during the first week of August, during which time I’d love
to meet as many people within the community as possible.

I am looking forward to meeting you soon!

Kind regards,

James Moran