Leadership Team
Get to know the team
Jenny Parhas – Principal
Jenny firmly believes in self-empowerment and growth, innovation, trust, mutual respect and kindness. These qualities are demonstrated in her strategic and instructional leadership, where she targets learning by analysing and applying data whilst promoting collaborative teamwork in order to drive growth and impact for our learners.
Jenny models lifelong learning and is passionate about working with children, families, colleagues and the wider community to discover the learner’s educational passion and purpose.
She attended a small country school, Lyrup Primary School, followed by Glossop High School, before completing her Bachelor of Education at the Flinders University.
Jenny has engaged in many varying roles, including reception – year 12 classroom teaching across all mainstream subjects and modern Greek, in addition to numerous leadership roles including wellbeing, literacy and numeracy, International Program Leader, assistant principal and deputy principal positions.
She worked across many primary schools including in the Riverland region, Campbelltown Primary School, Charles Campbell College and most recently Walkerville Primary School. Jenny is an accredited CIS (Council of International Schools) member, tasked with evaluating a schools’ capacity to improve student learning, sustain high performance and pivot new directions, in accordance with prevailing International Standards. She is also trained as middle years International Baccalaureate leader.
Together with her leadership team, staff, the Governing Council and broader school community, Jenny is excited to build on Nailsworth Primary School’s reputation as a high performing school, by leading and cultivating a world class learning environment. Her vision is to inspire her learning community to actively engage with the school and local Prospect community, whilst becoming positive, happy and significant global citizens of the future.
Toni Ballard - Deputy Principal
Toni is the Deputy Principal at Nailsworth Primary School. Together with the school’s principal, Toni ensures the safe and functional operation of the school site. This encompasses ensuring all departmental policies are adhered, learning outcomes are met and our school provides a safe, welcoming and optimum learning and working environment for all staff and students. Toni further provides leadership and support for families and students in Foundation.
A key component of Toni’s position is leading the support and guidance in inclusive education to produce better outcomes for the one in four students with functional needs. She oversees the strategic and coordinated action required to contribute to the improved learning and development outcomes for these students. Toni supports staff to build their capabilities to provide high standard quality teaching and learning programs with inclusive philosophies.
Jake Blunt - Assistant Principal (Leading Learning and Innovation)
Jake is an Assistant Principal, leading learning in the upper years and whole school innovation. He further provides leadership and support for families and students in years 4, 5 & 6.
Jake has been a teacher for 10 years and is now in his third year as an Assistant Principal at Nailsworth Primary School. He is increasingly interested and passionate about innovation, re-thinking learning design and continually questioning whether our traditional teaching methodologies are still the best way to educate our students.
He believes that now more than ever, we need young people who are ready, willing and able to tackle the challenges of their lives and the world they will inherit.
Jake’s vision is to challenge the students of Nailsworth Primary School to develop innovative and entrepreneurial mindsets, immersing them in authentic challenges and opportunities from the world around them.
He aspires to build the capacity of all teachers to support their students to think critically & creatively, use technology in purposeful ways, work collaboratively with others and solve real-world problems; equipping them with the skills, knowledge and capabilities they need to explore, relate to, understand and flourish in our ever-changing world.
Jake is excited to work with students, staff and the broader school community to challenge default thinking and promote curiosity, creativity and innovation.
Jodie Ralph - Assistant Principal (Leading Learning and Pedagogy)
Jodie is an Assistant Principal, leading learning in the middle years and whole school pedagogy. She further provides leadership and support for families and students in years 1, 2 & 3.
Jodie has been a teacher at Nailsworth Primary for 12 years, and an Assistant Principal for the last 3 years. Pedagogy is most commonly understood as the approach to teaching and is the theory and practice of learning. We are basing our work on our Site Improvement Plan (SIP), and Jodie will be working closely with teachers on High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) and other high learning yield approaches. It is an exciting time for our students to be exposed to different approaches and enhance their engagement and ownership of their learning.
Jodie’s vision for pedagogy at NPS is a school where your child is at the centre and professional collaboration, best practice and consistency drives a high achieving learning culture. Jodie is excited about working with our students, staff, leaders, and the wider school community to bring this vision to life.
Marika Glouftsis - Assistant Principal (Leading Learning and Wellbeing)
Marika is an Assistant Principal, leading learning in the early years and whole school wellbeing. Marika has been a teacher at Nailsworth Primary School for 10 years and has been connected to this wonderful community for most of her life. Supporting student, staff and community wellbeing and promoting positive mental health has been a strong passion of Marika’s for many years.
Learning and wellbeing are closely linked. Children and young people with good wellbeing are more engaged and successful learners. Likewise gaining a good education is a key contributor to positive lifelong wellbeing outcomes.
At Nailsworth Primary, building a sense of belonging for all students and families is what guides our core values. We pride ourselves on our strong community and inclusive education practice which allow all students to flourish and feel safe and supported.
This year, Marika’s vision for her role in Leading Learning and Wellbeing is to:
- Build a whole school approach to wellbeing by developing a NPS Wellbeing for Learning Framework.
- Embed wellbeing and positive behaviour support practices that are inclusive and foster respectful relationships.
- Promote student agency and provide opportunities for authentic student decision making and change.
- Support families, work in partnership, value diversity and celebrate our multicultural community.
Marika is looking forward to working in collaboration with leaders, staff, students and families to promote wellbeing, safety and positive learning outcomes for all students at Nailsworth Primary School.
Bahareh Javidi - Learning Coach
Bahareh is a certified Lead Teacher with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). She is a learning coach at Nailsworth Primary School, specifically focusing on leading learning in the early years.
Bahareh began her teaching career in 2011 and has been in educational leadership for the past 5 years. Bahareh believes that educators and school communities play a significant role in supporting student’s wellbeing and, in turn, student learning outcomes. She is committed to creating positive learning environments where everyone feels welcomed, valued and challenged to achieve social, emotional and academic excellence. She believes that students are at the centre of everything we do and aspires for children to view themselves as life-long learners.
Bahareh welcomes parent and community involvement in the education process and believes that communication is key when it comes to developing positive attitudes towards learning and education for children. She works closely with students, staff and families to ensure that all students are supported to build their social and emotional skills. She aspires for each student at Nailsworth Primary School to have a happy, healthy and harmonious school experience.
Vera Pozniak - Business Manager
Vera is the business manager at Nailsworth Primary School. She joined the Department for Education in 2016 and has been with Nailsworth for the past 3 years.
Vera strongly believes in the government education system and SA government values. She aims to transform business management knowledge and school systems to resource and deliver the best learning outcomes for every student.
Vera leads the administration team with her positive drive and is on a constant lookout for broader school improvements.
Vera is a board member of the South Australian School Business Association that represents school business, financial leaders and other administrative staff across South Australian public schools.
The primary focus for Vera is on the delivery of a world class education experience in our school.
