Meet Our Staff
Sarah Tchantcho
English Teacher
Sarah Tchantcho is a new addition to the English Domain this year at Nossal. She has taught in local private and public schools, and also in Germany, China and Kuwait. An avid traveller, Sarah believes that the borders of her language are the borders of her world. She strives to use her role as a teacher to enable students to find their own voice and is grateful for her many years of school productions and amateur theatre which helped give her confidence and lifelong friends. A Disney enthusiast, singer, and creative, Sarah enjoys speaking German, ballroom dancing, watercolour painting, watching international films and snuggling up with a hot chocolate and a large book. She is teaching Year 9, and 10 English this year, and also English Language, which is very fitting as Sarah is currently studying her Masters of Applied Linguistics. She hopes to share her passion and care with her students and Phoenix tutees.
Jaron Gould
Maths Teacher
Jaron joined Nossal High School at the start of 2019, following six years teaching at another school. He is currently teaching Year 10 and VCE Mathematics, including Maths Methods and Further Maths. He has a real passion for learning and continuing to improve as an educator. Student wellbeing is always a focus in his teaching and enjoys trying to form strong rapport with his students and to watch them grow and develop their success.
Lucy Bonham
Science Teacher
Lucy has been a member of Nossal staff since 2014 after arriving from the UK. She currently teaches Year 9 science, Photography, Creative Design, Digital Technology and Year 10 Design Build Deploy. She has also taught Year 9 and 10 Mathematics in previous years. She studied Mechanical Engineering at University in the UK and then gained a teaching qualification in 2006. Lucy has 2 children who are still in primary school, who love nothing better than coming to see the animals at Nossal and scootering around the school grounds. Lucy enjoys all thing creative and normally turns her creative flare on to numerous school walls or puts it into the school vegetable garden.
Chinthaka (Niro) Ratnayake
Maths Teacher &
Sustainability Coordinator
This is Niro’s second year at Nossal. He is currently teaching Mathematics and Physics. This year he took the role of the Sustainability coordinator at Nossal. As a part of this role, he will be working as the staff advisor for the NEST club. Currently he is helping students to complete the indigenous garden project as well as implement a new program to manage and minimise the garbage at Nossal. In addition, he will be taking steps to improve the sustainability practices of the school by coordinating with Resource Smart Schools Program conducted by sustainability Victoria. Niro welcomes suggestions from students, parents, and staff on ways to improve the sustainability practices at school.
Christopher Sacco
Humanities Teacher
Chris Sacco joined the Nossal staff this year in the Humanities Domain and is currently undertaking the Teaching Excellence Program (TEP) in 2022. As well as fulfilling these commitments, Chris is also taking an active role in supporting the Nossal Netball team and Garuda House. Chris joined teaching in 2011 and has held numerous roles in the past, including the stressful College Timetabler position, Year 12 Coordinator, Head of House and Graduate Teacher/VIT Learning Specialist. Outside of teaching, Chris is a qualified baker who still sometimes works at his parents' bakery on weekends.
Diane Latham
Science Teacher
Diane Latham is a proud member of the Science Domain. She started working at Nossal in 2012 after 23 years working in an independent school. She had taught VCE Biology for the entirety of her professional career which started in 1982. Her favourite thing to do is teach Biology to students who love to learn and she thinks she is very lucky to be at Nossal. Other facts about her include: She was born in London and emigrated to Australia when she was 12 years old. She is a proud mother of three sons and a proud grandma of Tahlia and Arthur. She loves knitting and crocheting and she is passionate about the environment and conserving nature.
Vivian (Viv) Horner
Office Manager
Viv has been with the school since its inception in 2010, when classes were held at Monash University and has enjoyed witnessing the progression of the school to the amazing educational facility it is today. She is an efficient Daily Organiser at Nossal High School with a great sense of humor and enjoys being part of the school community. Her day starts very early as her job involves ensuring that classes are covered due to staff absences, school events, sports, meetings etc. Viv employs Casual Relief Teachers as required, which has been extremely challenging this year due to the extreme shortage of Relief Teachers. We are very lucky to have a small pool of experienced, local CRT’s that she can call on when necessary. As an Office Manager she works with our wonderful Reception and Administration staff, particularly in relation to school finance, which has also been (and continues to be) very challenging this year due to the new Compass Parent Payment system. On a personal note, her greatest interests are travelling and motorbike riding which she will combine again this year and undertake a third European motorcycle tour with her partner. Some very exciting times ahead for her!
Michael Bird
English Teacher
Michael joined Nossal High School in 2019 as a teacher of English and English Language having had experience teaching in rural Victoria and the Northern suburbs for many years prior. He is a proud member of Pegasus House and enjoys the discussions and analyses cultivated through reading, writing and critical thinking. He is the current debating and public speaking coordinator and takes pride in the level of enthusiasm, development and success of the student debaters of the school community. Alongside his love for reading and linguistics he also has a passion for sport – namely mixed martial arts which he has trained and participated in at both a national and international level as both an amateur and professional.
Anna Wen
Humanities Teacher
Anna joined Nossal High School as a returning staff member in the Humanities Domain in 2022. She currently teaches VCE Accounting and she has a great passion for inspiring and sparking interest in the Commerce field. She welcomes any questions from students (or anyone else!) about commerce subjects.
Audrey Alvarez
Executive Assistant
Audrey began working at Nossal in 2012 as a casual, assisting the girls in the front office with reception and admin duties. In 2014, she became the school’s Student Attendance Officer and supported the Wellbeing team. In 2019, Audrey was given the opportunity to move into another role at Nossal as an Executive Assistant where she supports the Principal team in various aspects. In addition, she manages student records, hiring of school facilities to external organisations, assists with Daily Org and student attendance when required. The diversity in roles has given Audrey the opportunity to learn many tasks which she loves. Audrey also enjoys developing relationships with the whole school community and assisting them with queries. In her personal time, Audrey enjoys music, going out to restaurants, travelling and watching TV.