Staff 

New Staff

This week I would like to welcome Kaitlin Varrica, who has joined the College Community as the Executive Assistant to the Principal.

Kaitlin joins us from Fire Rescue Victoria where she held the role of Executive Assistant to one of the Executive Directors.

When asked what she was most looking forward to in her new role at Kilbreda Kaitlin said:

"Being a part of a community in which the core values are strength and kindliness. I believe these values are so important, even more so in recent times where we have all needed to be resilient."

 MACSIS survey

The Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACSIS) School Improvement Survey, formerly known as CEMSIS, is a tool used for creating, collecting, analysing, interpreting and using data to inform Catholic school improvement.  

The perception data produced from these surveys will tell us what different people in our College community think and feel about the learning environment here at Kilbreda. 

This year, the survey will be conducted between 7 and 28 October and will provide all students and randomly selected families the opportunity to provide feedback across domain areas including: demographic information, family engagement, barriers to engagement, school fit, school climate, student safety, communication and Catholic identity.

To ensure the College can make the most of this process, I would be appreciate if families who have received an email this week in relation to this process could complete the survey within the specified window of time. 

Tanya Kolb

  Assistant Principal:

Staff

'Shine a Light' on... 

‘Shine the 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 Ms Nadia Adary. Nadia is a teacher within the Performing Arts and English Learning Areas.

What is the most rewarding part of teaching subjects within both the English and Performing Arts Learning Areas at Kilbreda College?

Teaching English, Drama and Theatre Studies allows me to share my passion for stories, language, performance and expression with the students at the College. So many fabulous stories have been written and performed over time – helping us to connect to the past; different places, people, cultures and circumstances. Apart from educating and informing us, they entertain us and stir our minds – and help us to feel compassion and empathy – to even inhabit the characters in writing and performance. These mediums offer the students opportunities to explore and express their unique selves; their views, ideas and interpretations of the world around them comprehensively and creatively. From this, I learn new things, find inspiration and form some special connections with them.  

Also, the teams I work with, in the respective Learning Areas, share their passion and love for the subjects, along with their innovative ideas, which keeps me motivated and enlightened.

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

A performer for many years, as I was getting older, I found myself needing more constant brain stimulation, daily purpose and communication with others on a regular basis. I had the desire to learn more and to share my knowledge and passions with others. Taking advantage of my Performing Arts university degree and love for reading, theatre, films and all means of communication, I obtained my teaching degree – and here I am nearly 20 years later! The best choice I ever made!

Can you expand on what you have done within the Performing Arts in your life?

Apart from singing in bands and working in a variety of theatre and television shows over the past 30 years, I am now part of a theatre production company called 'Baggage Productions' that promotes female writers’ works. Every year, we present ‘Madwomen Monologues’, which involves the staging and performance of a dozen selected monologues submitted by female writers from around the world. Fifty percent of the money we earn from the performances is given to a charity (mostly aimed at women’s causes). I’m involved as committee member, director and actor. 

And on the musical side, I’m in the process of recording some songs I wrote years ago and recently discovered lying dormant in a folder. I decided they deserved an audience - with more to come. The first song ‘release’ can be heard below – ‘A Fine Thing to Do’. 

Ticking things off on my bucket list!