As the professors made their way in, Katherine joined Justin in greeting them, recognizing very few from the last time she was at the castle, which was to be expected after a decade. It did come as some surprise to know Kalif was still teaching, but the man was on sabbatical, leaving her to deal with his Slytherins. A slight frown touched the woman's lips as a few of her professors ran a little late, and indeed some were still missing, but having waited long enough she decided to move on with the meeting. "Thank you, Justin. It is a pleasure to be back. And thank you all for coming. I'd like to start off by also introducing the other newest additions to our staff. Please give a warm welcome to Matt Ward, who will be teaching History of Magic, Maurice Welch for Herbology, and Dannii Merrythought for Care of Magical Creatures. Filling in temporarily for Defence Against the Dark Arts is Alaric Snyder, and for Transfiguration, Christelle Benoit. Though their stay here is short, I trust everyone to ensure they feel welcome all the same." The Headmistress gestured to each of the newcomers in turn as she spoke, and with introductions now over, she moved the topic along. "Now, since Professor Styx will be absent this semester, I'll be taking care of any issues regarding Slytherin House until his return. On that note, don't forget to also keep an eye out for and reward particularly good behaviour from students, whether in or outside of the classroom, to ensure they get the recognition they deserve and continue to act in a positive manner." It was something she had not seen enough of during her time as a professor. Some students who followed the rules and received very little to show for it often decided it was not worth doing.
"This year, I am looking to focus more on safety around the castle and it's grounds. Given incidents in recent years, some parents are no longer comfortable sending their children to our school. With magic will always come it's dangers and misuse, but we need to limit these incidents as much as possible and ensure a safe learning environment. Any students caught in areas they should not be in, such as the Forbidden Forest, should be receiving harsher punishments to ensure they aren't found doing so again, and to discourage others from doing the same. We can't be everywhere at once, but if we want parents to be comfortable sending their children here, we need to be more vigilant and take the necessary steps. I don't want to see warnings. If a student breaks a rule, they should be punished for it." Katherine wasn't going to sit by and allow another student to drown, or be attacked, or get lost within the forest. The students of the school needed to learn to respect authority. Rules were in place for their benefit, whether they liked it or not. "As the year progresses, changes may be made if I deem them necessary. For example, this common room is a place to relax and socialise with other members of staff, something I do encourage. It is not, however, a bedroom." The woman turned to face the man wrapped up in blankets as she said this, having initially not noticed him when she prepared the room, until the others had arrived. She was not the least bit impressed. "If you have been told in the past to make yourself at home, please ensure you do so within your own quarters, and not a public area. I understand some of you reside here overnight, but using this space to sleep is not appropriate. What you all do in your own time is up to you, however I expect a level of professionalism, especially during a work related meeting. I don't want to see this again. That being said, if anyone does have any issues or concerns of their own about the way things are run, or of any changes made, do come see me as I'm happy to discuss it." She clasped her hands together as she finally finished. Some people may not agree with her stricter approach to the school, but she wasn't here to make friends. From the sounds of it, Ava had been too lenient during her time as Headmistress. There was a standard, and she expected it to be met. "Are there any questions?"