Staff 

‘Shine a Light On' 

‘Shine a Light On' provides our College community a snapshot into the professional lives of our teachers and what makes them ‘tick’ on a daily basis. Whilst we know that our staff do an amazing job, it is not as often that we publicly acknowledge the work that they do and the many wonderful ways that they contribute to the learning journeys of our students. 

This week at the College we are profiling Mrs Fiona Vella. Fiona is a teacher within the Digital Technologies and Mathematics Learning Area as well as a Year 7 Homeroom teacher.

What originally inspired you to become a teacher and what motivates you now?

My mum was my inspiration to become a teacher. She taught Home Economics – cooking and sewing and instilled in me the value of education. 

During my studies at ACU, I had my first real introduction to computers as previously, I had only used a computer once or twice in my final year of schooling. In Mathematics lessons at ACU I was introduced to 'Logo Turtle Programming', where I was taught to program a turtle to move around the screen. This sparked my love of computing. 

After spending a couple of years in the primary classroom, I decided to further my studies in Computer Education, and following several years teaching computing skills to all ages, from preschoolers to adults, I began teaching at Kilbreda. 

In my first year at Kilbreda, I was teaching topics such as touch typing and word processing. Today, we deliver more complex and sophisticated programmes such as: animation, movie making using the green screen, coding, programming robots and micro:bits, and so much more. How times have changed! 

The excitement on the students' faces is what motivates me each day, from hearing the 'buzz' in the classroom or STEM Room to seeing smiles on faces when they have achieved their goal. It is gratifying and rewarding when I see students progress in their mastery of a new piece of software 

What is the most rewarding part of teaching subjects within the Mathematics and Digital Technologies Learning Areas at Kilbreda College?

The Digital Technologies Learning Area is a fast moving and exciting department. Every year we are introduced to new software, robotics and programming resources. It’s rewarding to learn new software as a team and then teach it to our students. 

This year, I have been fortunate to teach both Mathematics and Digital Technologies to two of the Year 7 classes. So often we see the overlap of skills in these two subject areas: Mathematics in our programming, animation and movie making, and Technology in Mathematics with spreadsheets or other graphics software. 

Tanya Kolb

Assistant Principal:

Staff