Saltus Grammar School will set a new milestone next year, when a woman takes the helm as the new school principal for the first time in the school’s history.Letters notifying parents were sent out yesterday by the school’s Board of Trustees on the appointment of Claire Charlemagne as the next Head of School, effective September 1, 2013.She will work closely with outgoing principal Ted Staunton over the next several months to “ensure a smooth and seamless transition for the student, faculty and parent communities”, the statement said.A member of the Saltus family since 2002, Ms Charlemagne has progressed from Head of Modern Languages to Director of Studies to the post of Deputy Head (Academics) last September.According to Selection Committee chairman Will Cox and board chairman Gil Tucker, “many outstanding educational leaders” applied for the job. “We were able to attract individuals from around the world who had significant experience in leading fine independent schools.“The search committee was hugely impressed by Ms Charlemagne’s leadership skills, her commitment to the community and to quality education for all students, her depth of experience in, and passion for, Saltus, and her strategic vision for our continued path to excellence.”The letter concluded: “We are thrilled to have found the very best person without our School walls, and know that you will all look forward to working with Claire in the coming years as Head of School.”founded in 1888 as an all-boys school, Saltus became fully c-educational in 1990.Ms Charlemagne is the school’s tenth Head of School.