Welcome new staff : Part 3

Joining our community 

Meet more of the staff who are joining our community this year. We are delighted to be able to introduce you to new colleagues, who bring a diverse range of experiences with them. 

Quinn Lim

Hi everyone, my name is Quinn. I moved here with my family in late 2016 and we have been locals since then. I was teaching Cambridge A levels Project Work and History back in Singapore and was in a student services role for about two years before returning to teaching. Some of the pedagogical tools I enjoy using are circle time, Socratic questioning, and inquiry-based learning.

I am looking forward to meeting and working with more colleagues but fear that I would not be able to remember and put names to faces quick enough. I love my classes so far and have been enjoying most of my lessons with the students. The school is quite spread out and sometimes, I still get lost trying to look for meeting rooms and classrooms. My biggest apprehension at the moment is the possibility of bumping into a snake while walking to my desk in the C9/10 portable as anything alive with no leg scares me. 

After moving to Melbourne, my cooking skills have improved by leaps and bounds. On some weekends and during the school holidays, my friends would come over for the Singaporean dishes I whip up. Watching anime such as Demon Slayer is one of the activities our family enjoys together. Taking walks/hikes is another. When time and budget permits, I would travel with my family and try to visit Singapore once every two years.

Fiona Villella

Hi, NHS community! After a delayed start, I’m delighted to finally be teaching at Northcote High School. On and off over the last 16 years, I have been at Strathmore Secondary College, predominately teaching English but also Italian and Film Studies. A good chunk of that time – seven years in fact – was spent on family leave, raising my two boys, Alexander, who is now 15 and Gabriel, who is 13. I love spending time with family and friends as well as pursuing personal interests such as watching films, gardening, hiking, reading and cooking. Over the last few years, throughout the lockdowns, I picked up piano after a few decades of neglect. It’s been incredibly joyful playing music again and my dream is to join a rock band and perform before a live audience! I look forward to meeting you around the school.