Zoe 
Austin
Hi, my name is Zoe and I am extremely excited to be joining St Albans Secondary College as an Inclusion Support Coordinator! I have lots of years of experience in education and childcare. I’ve worked as a nanny, a before and after school care coordinator, a teacher’s aide, and now my current role in the Inclusion Team. I’m passionate about inclusive education and have a real interest in neuro-affirming approaches.
I grew up in country NSW, lived in London for 2 years, and have called Melbourne home for the last 5 years. I love dogs and birds and spend my spare time reading and listening to music.
I look forward to meeting you all!
Matthew Siddall
Hi, my name is Matt, and I have commenced teaching Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design at St Albans Secondary College at the start of the 2025 school year. I am new to teaching, following the completion of a Masters in Teaching Practice (Secondary) at RMIT University at the end of 2024.
I have worked in a diverse array of roles: I have curated art exhibitions through an emerging curatorial and writing practice; marketing and accessibility coordination for a youth theatre company; programming and marketing for a history museum; hospitality work in cafes; volunteering for artist-run initiatives, and more.
In my downtime I enjoy reading, spending time in parks and nature, exercising, bike riding, watching movies and cooking. I am excited to meet you all.
John Fenech
Hi, my name is John Fenech, and I am the newest member of the Maintenance Team at St Albans Secondary. I have been a tradesman for over 40 years and look forward to using the skills I have learnt to benefit our school.
I enjoy spending time with my grandkids, gardening and tackling home renovation projects. I’m excited to meet you all, if you see me out in the yard be sure to say hello!
Tia Altschwager
Hi everyone,
My name is Tia Altschwager and I am a new humanities teacher at St Albans Secondary College. I am incredibly passionate about teaching humanities and see it as a way to engage with our local, national and international communities.
Outside of teaching I love to travel and have been very fortunate to have visited over 20 countries. My goal in the next 3 years is to add on another 10 countries.
I am looking forward to meeting and working with you all.
Vivian Le Nguyen
Hi everyone, my name is Vivian, and I’m the full time receptionist at St Albans Secondary College.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time in nature, discovering new TV shows and staying active. I also co-own a lash business with my sister, which has been running for nearly 5 years.
I’m looking forward to meeting and working with everyone. Feel free to come past and say hello!
Bridie Laffey
My name is Bridie Laffey, and I am an English and Humanities teacher. In my view education consists of supporting students to develop ‘growth mindsets’ so that they can learn from failure and hopefully always see the ‘next step’.
From my experience working in welfare, I have observed how valuable education is; how it can be relied upon in times of disadvantage, and how it can be continually cultivated.
In my spare time I love Persian recipes, cricket and poetry.
Samuel McClure
My name is Sam McClure, I am joining the science teaching team at St Albans SC in 2025. After spending some time at a range of different schools last year as a CRT, my experience at SASC left me eager to join the team in a full time role.
I grew up in a very samll town in rural Western Victoria before moving to Ballarat for study. After teaching VCE Biology and Psychology at a small school near Ballarat for 3 years I have moved to Melbourne. I specialise in Science, particularly Biology. My teaching highlight has been running a general science elective where we built fully functioning electric guitars!
In my spare time I enjoy reading, trying new food spots, playing guitar, walking my dog and catching up with my friends.
I look forward to being a part of the SASC community!
Kalisha Ratnayake
Dear St. Albans Secondary College Community,
My name is Kalisha, and I am thrilled to be joining St. Albans Secondary College this year,
where I’ll be teaching Year 7 Literacy, and 8 and 9 English.
St. Albans Secondary College holds a special place in my heart, as it was the first school
where I completed my teaching placement nine years ago. Since then, I’ve worked in various schools,
particularly in the local area, as well as in Craigieburn and Melton.
I’m passionate about storytelling, creative and critical thinking, and love helping students connect with texts, people, and the world around them.
My goal is to inspire all students to reach their full potential, become the best version of themselves, and achieve lifelong success.
Outside of teaching, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and I have a soft spot for animals—especially dogs!
I also love painting and cooking in my free time.
I’m excited to get to know the SASC community and look forward to meeting all of you.
Please feel free to say hello or share a book recommendation with me—I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Here’s to a fantastic year ahead!
Michelle Ruberto
Hi, my name is Michelle, I’ve been part of the SASC community now for several weeks and I would just like to say how grateful I am to be working in such a wonderful environment.
I am the new Finance Manager at the school and part of the amazing Administration Team. Before my appointment here I was at University High School for 16 years and was their Finance Manager for the last 5 years.
My experience has always been in Finance from Banking to the Motor Industry.
When I’m not at work I enjoy family time at the beach, travelling, cooking, and dining out.
I look forward to meeting and working with you all in 2025.
Thomas Benjamin
Hello there! My name is Tom Benjamin, and I’ve had the pleasure of joining the English faculty this year at St Albans.
I’ve been teaching for several years in Melbourne’s western suburbs and enjoy watching the students grow in their confidence and skills with their reading and writing.
I strongly believe that literacy is a skill that helps in all aspects of our lives, no matter the path we decide on.
I’m looking forward to getting to know the school community and starting my teaching here at this school!
Josh Bramham
My name is Josh and I’m excited to be joining SASC this year. I will be a part of the English and Humanities teams and am excited to be involved in this community. Previously, I have taught in a number of schools around Melbourne.
In my spare time I love to play basketball and spend time with my son. I also enjoy reading, travel and completing escape rooms.
I look forward to meeting you all.
Maxine Nguyen
Hi there, my name is Ms Maxine Nguyen, and I am thrilled to join the teaching team at St Albans Secondary College this year. This year will be my 6th year in the teaching profession. I have a huge passion for helping students discover their full potential.
Outside the classroom, i enjoy hiking, reading, and spending time with my family and friends.
I am looking forward to creating a positive and engaging learning environment for all my students here at St Albans Secondary College.
Tristan Asta
My name is Tristan. I’m over the moon to be joining the PE team at St Albans secondary College. I am a new teacher only having one year of experience as a PTT teacher at Taylors Lakes secondary College and I’m very excited to learn all I can from this amazing school.
I love spending my time in the garden at home or training at the gym.
I’m a massive sports fan following Essendon and Arsenal and also enjoy watching anime. I look forward to getting to as many activities as I can at school and getting to know everyone.
