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The Senior
Preparatory Faculty
From Left: Tracy Wahl (Deputy Principal), Colleen Millar (Principal)
“Goodbye may seem
forever, farewell is like the
end but in my heart is the
memory and there ‘you’
will always be.”
Walt Disney
Nine years ago I stood on the threshold
of a wonderful opportunity namely the
possibility to be a part of a dynamic
institution. Whilst the years have been
etched upon my face, the experiences and
relationships that I have forged with the
staff, students and parents alike have left
indelible footprints on my life, my memories
and on the very essence of my soul. Some
people come into your life fleetingly and
then move on just as quickly. But then
there are others, like all those friends and
colleagues at the College who have not
only come into my life, but who have stayed
a while. I truly believe that I have been
quite privileged to have worked with such
a dedicated, skilled and passionate team
of educators whose consistent focus on
achieving excellence has informed all of
their endeavours and which has certainly
assisted in making Parklands College the
institution of choice along the West Coast.
Change is inevitable and during
the past nine years, I have witnessed
it in so many different spheres. In the
Preparatory Faculty, we have tapped into
the collective consciousness of all of our
staff members and have developed a host
of new initiatives. On the sporting front,
we introduced competitive and character
building sports tours culminating in a very
impressive one this year; new sporting
codes namely cross country, water polo and
rugby as well as academies of excellence
and development to strengthen specific
codes. Culturally, music theory lessons were
timetabled to enhance the individual music
tutorials; very dynamic marimba sessions
were introduced; the children entered a
plethora of art competitions over the years
in which they excelled; a cultural hour was
incorporated into the academic day which
served to expose the children to a variety of
activities beyond the realm of the traditional
classroom and this year the Senior
Preparatory hosted the first interschools’
orchestral festival in the area.
In the academic arena, the MacBook
and iPad projects have ensured a
focused approach on incorporating ICT
integration into the curriculum. Due to
the enhanced academic input of the staff
with the acquisition of certain devices
and the emphasis on the development
of critical, rational thinkers, the Senior
Preparatory Faculty has been ranked in the
top twenty schools on a national basis for
the Conquesta Olympiad for Mathematics
and English for the past two consecutive
years. We were also invited to attend the
Director’s Awards Breakfast for the excellent
attainment levels in our systemic results for
the Western Cape Education Department
last year. Continuing in this vein regarding
the further development of the students’
lateral and creative thinking skills, robotics
was also introduced and we placed fourth
and sixth respectively on a national basis in
the World Robotics Championships this year.
The Senior Preparatory Faculty was also
fortunate to be able to appoint a dedicated
Science specialist which obviously assisted
us in achieving second place in the national
Science Olympiad this year. With a sustained
eye on the future, Mandarin was introduced
last year in order to equip our students for an
everchanging world.
Other initiatives have included the advent
of the Parklands Apprentice entrepreneurial
programme coupled with a targeted personal
development programme for the Grade Sixes.
We have had two rigorous quality assurance
evaluations with external bodies and obtained
full accreditation in the process. Physical
change also came in the form of a ‘new’
campus in which the staff and students have
had the privilege of teaching and learning in
one of the best resourced preparatory schools
in the country. Of course, the aforementioned
changes would not have been possible
without the initiative, innovative ideas and
commitment of the Senior Preparatory staff and
management team with whom I have had the
honour of working.
Thus it is with sadness that we bid farewell
to certain key members of staff. Mrs Wahl,
our Deputy Principal who has worked at the
College for the past fourteen years, will be
moving on to take up a similar position at
another independent institution. Her wealth of
knowledge, skills and experience will certainly
leave a wide chasm in the Senior Preparatory.
Ms Hindle, the Head of Academics and ICT
Integration, has been appointed as the Deputy
Principal in the Junior Preparatory. Whilst we
wish her much success in her new position,
her many competencies, expertise and
interpersonal skills will also be sorely missed
in this faculty… our loss is certainly their gain.
Mr Peluso has been such an integral part of
this institution for the past nine years and his
warmth, empathy and positive attitude will be
a decided loss too. Mr Mckinney has been
teaching in the Senior Preparatory for the
past four years and his dedication, expertise
and strong rapport with the students will be
greatly missed. Mrs Retief and Mr Roets will
be seeking new ventures, and Ms O’Halloran
and Mrs Fritz are relocating to different parts
of the world and the country. We thank the
aforementioned educators for their incredible
input and we wish them well in their future
educational endeavours.
We also say farewell to our Grade Six
students who leave the Senior Preparatory
Faculty as confident, respectful, well rounded
and interesting young men and women,
equipped to take on the challenges and
opportunities that lie ahead of them in high
school. We thank our Grade Sixes for their
immense contribution to the Preparatory School
over the years and we wish them well for the
next leg of their educational journey. We know
that they will continue to make us proud.
I suppose that many things will never be the
same for me. The story of one’s life may not
always have a clear beginning, a definitive
middle or even a perfect ending. I certainly
do not know all the answers… yet I know that
change is inevitable.
I am looking forward to the opportunities
that are sure to follow, but at the same time, I
will always reflect with satisfaction on the time
that I spent at the College, the knowledge and
skills that I gained, and the friendships that
were forged. I shall certainly miss ‘my angels’,
the members of my staff team comprising
educators, administrative, IT and support staff
as well as the strong parental relations that
have been fostered over the past nine years.
I sincerely hope that we shall meet again,
when we least expect it... and that the following
good wishes so beautifully expressed in this
Irish Blessing will be ever present in your lives ~
‘May you always have work for your
hands to do;
May your pockets always hold a coin or two;
May the sun shine bright upon
your window pane;
May a rainbow follow each rain;
And may the hand of a friend
always be near you.’
Colleen Millar
