Teresita E. Fajardo, the new principal of St. Philip Neri School in Bedford Park, officially started on Sept. 1, but in the first week of August, she was already booked solid with appointments with veteran teachers, new hires and other members of the community.

That type of preparation is what the school community can expect from their new principal, said Mervin Bent, who previously worked with Fajardo for 11 years at St. Simon Stock School and is now the assistant principal at the Bedford Park institution.

“Everything must be in order” Bent said. “She’s a very sound planner – she plans way, way ahead, and she keeps the entire community notified of what’s happening in the building.”

Fajardo, 58, comes to St. Philip Neri from previous positions with the Archdiocese, as a teacher, a principal in upstate New York and, most recently, as the principal of Mt. Carmel St. Anthony School in Yonkers, which was shut down. In her new post, she’s focused on instilling good values in her students and creating rules and organization in the school.

“Faith, community and service are the three things that distinguish Catholic schools,” Fajardo said. The values she wants children to come away with are the four R’s: responsibility, respect, reverence and the right choices.

Fajardo’s history mirrors that of many families in the area, whose grandparents or parents emigrated from another country and settled in New York. She was born in the Philippines, where she was educated in English, Spanish and Tagalog. Her three children were born here and all attended Catholic schools.

Her parents encouraged her to become a teacher, and she’s worked in the field for the past 38 years.

“My parents were very involved in my education,” she said. “My mother taught me to read when I was 3 years old. We learned how to write and read very early, so when I went to school, they kept promoting me. I went straight from pre-K to grade 1. [My mother] did the same thing with my brother and my sister.”

Fajardo said all the subjects are equally important. Strong arts, music and athletic programs in the school are as vital as traditional academic subjects such as English, language arts, math and science, the latter of which is her area of expertise.

Another priority for the new principal is bringing structure and order to the school. Right away, she prepared extensive handbooks for teachers and parents, introduced herself to the community and emphasized her goals for the students.

Bent, the assistant principal, was pleased to be reunited with Fajardo, who he worked with for 11 years at St. Simon Stock School.

“She was an assistant principal and I was an 8th grade teacher, and we worked together very well on several projects,” he said. “We have a lot in common and share the same philosophy, and I think we’ll make a great team together.”

Bent said Fajardo’s strongest points are discipline and academics and called her “very, very detail-oriented,” which includes how she communicates.

“Parents don’t need to worry,” Bent said. “They’ll be kept informed about what we do here, and that’s the way she’s always been.”