Jo Brewer will start her new role in July when she joins the steering committee, which is working towards the opening of the first primary school at Lucas.

Father Justin Driscoll was delighted to announce the appointment last week.

“The appointment as foundation principal at Lucas will be a return to Ballarat for Jo, who lived here in the 1990s while studying at what is now Federation University and while on staff of St Bernard’s Bacchus Marsh,” Father Driscoll said.

“Jo comes to us with 15 years experience as a principal of Catholic primary schools. She is currently principal at Lumen Christi, Churchill in the Diocese of Sale, and previously at St Mary’s School, Alexandra, and Sacred Heart School, Yea, which are both in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.”

Mrs Brewer said she felt privileged to be the school’s founding principal.

“I look forward to meeting and working with the community at Lucas as we embark on our mission to provide a quality Catholic education to the children of this new suburb,” Mrs Brewer said.

She said she applied for the position because it was a good opportunity to put in place what worked in Catholic education.

“My many years of experience working in a wide range of Catholic schools, large and small, city and rural, will be very useful in ensuring that the school we build will be a school for the future, a school where we can promote excellence and nurture the spiritual, academic, emotional and physical growth of our children,” Mrs Brewer said.  

Catholic Education Office Ballarat planning and infrastructure manager Brad Car said the school master plan and subsequent building plans were tracking well.

The new school will be designed to accommodate a long term enrolment of between 350 and 400 pupils from prep to grade 6.

A community information evening, which Mrs Brewer will attend, will be held on April 12 from 7pm at the Ballarat Community Health Centre in Lucas.