THE final bell rang for St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School principal Amanda Parslow last week, as she signed off an eight-year chapter in the Millicent community.
Ms Parslow’s next role will start when Adelaide’s new Catholic R-6 McAuley Community School opens in 2020 on the site of the former Marymount College.
In an emotional farewell to the St Anthony’s community, Ms Parslow said as hard as it was to leave, she believed it was time to move on and she looked forward to continuing her journey in teaching.
“One of my thoughts about a great leader is you move into an organisation and it will be a great place, but as a leader you look through the lens as it being a good place and your responsibility as a leader is to work collaboratively with the organisation to take it to a great place,” she said.
“Then when you leave you leave it as a great place and then the next leader comes in and says this is such a good place and their responsibility is to work with the organisation to take it to a great place.
“That’s always been my philosophy.”
During her role, Ms Parslow led the school to focus on sustainability, the image of the child and the image of the human and their Catholic identity underpinned by the mercy keys – compassion, loyalty, justice, mutual respect, responsibility and integrity.
She said the mercy keys underpin all the school does and she believes every child is capable and competent.
“We believe in their potential and at St Anthony’s we look at how that is put into action,” she said.
“So what are we doing in the classroom, how are we improving student learning through that very positive image of the child and understanding the child.”
Ms Parslow’s teaching journey started in Port Pirie, before she moved to Melbourne, where she taught for 15 years and also owned a business with her husband Greg.
It was not until Greg received a job opportunity at Kimberly-Clark Australia’s Millicent Mill the Parslows moved to Mount Gambier and Ms Parslow took a position at Tenison Woods College.
She remained there for 10 years, teaching every year level from reception through to Year 12 and held a number of leadership roles before she was appointed deputy principal.
In 2010, Ms Parslow moved to St Anthony’s as acting principal before becoming permanent in the position.
When asked what she was going to miss most about teaching in Millicent and at St Anthony’s, Ms Parslow said the students, community, parents, parish and collaboration.
“I’m going to miss the community most,” she said.
“When I look at the students and the parents and the staff, the children and their respect for each other, their respect for themselves, their respect for me.
“I will also miss the positivity of the children and I will really miss the way they use their mercy keys.
“When people walk into this school when they have not been here before they feel the calmness, the compassion and they say there is just this feel about this school that is just beautiful.
“I’m going to miss the parents and their enthusiasm to make a difference in their child’s life, but also their enthusiasm to be a part of a child’s education and wanting to know and support the learning.
“And then the staff, they are so committed and they love what they do.
“Again they have the child at the heart of all they do and they are here because they want to be here.
“I’ll miss our connection with the parish and I’ll miss the collaboration as a leader.”
The St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School community said its goodbyes to Ms Parslow last Thursday at a community picnic event, which was attended by students, parents and teachers.
