1. Application for Manager of Student Wellbeing
John Kural
John.Kural@hotmail.com
Mob: 412 586 567 cover letter and selection criteria 14/10/2016
OHN ANDREW KURAL
October 14, 2016
Ms Joanna Rosewell
Principal (Acting)
Jane Frankin Hall
office@jane.edu.au
Dear Ms Rosewell, I wish to apply for the position of manager of student wellbeing, as advertised, at Jane
Franklin Hall.
Throughout my career in education, which spans over thirty years, I have been, and still am passionate about
education of the whole student and have worked continuously over this time to hone my skills in order to assist
and support students to belong, to be and to become the best they can be. This has involved me having a strong
focus on both student academic achievement and their social, emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual
wellbeing.
I am a well-qualified and experienced educator have both graduate and post-graduate qualification in education
with a strong focus on developmental psychology, literacy, the arts, educational assessment and leadership. In
addition to this I have undertaken to develop a background in counselling and, as a student member of the
Australian Counsellors Association, I am currently completing my Diploma of Counselling with the Australian
Institute of Professional Counsellors to further enhance my diploma in psychotherapy and other short term
counselling training I have undertaken.
I believe that my extensive experience in education management and administration in school regulation and
review, skills in assessment, evaluation and governance, in conjunction with my over twenty years’ experience as
a teacher (K-12) and skills and training in counselling equip me well for the advertised position.
I have significant experience working with young adults, having worked in K-12 schools throughout my teaching
career but having worked predominantly with senior high school students. In addition, I have at request,
developed and presented lectures to student teachers in the areas of both arts education and educational
assessments. The success of these was indicated by them becoming annual lectures to third and fourth year
B.Ed. students whilst I worked at the Curriculum Council. Further, as an active member of Drama West (the
professional drama teachers association) I worked to support beginning drama teachers and student teachers
through the provision of mentoring and development of conferences and workshops which addressed their
needs. I have always received very good feedback on the support I have provided to students and was
frequently called upon by Edith Cowan University and the University of Western Australia to assist in taking
further placements of student teachers due to the feedback from my practicum students and university
assessors.
As a teacher, I have worked extensively with senior students (16 – 18 year olds) and was fortunate to be selected
as a Head of House in both of the independent schools in which I worked. In this position I was responsible for
the pastoral welfare of a quarter of the school’s students. The role involved planning and implementing a program
of activities encompassing cultural, sporting, academic and spiritual domains, in addition to programs relating to
emotional and psychological welfare such as” Pathways to Excellence”. Student feedback indicated that I was,
approachable, fair, supportive and caring. Indeed, the selection for the position of House Head was, in part,
determined through a canvassing of senior student opinion as to which teachers they felt would be most
appropriate for the positions.
The ability to actively listen, resolve student issues, offer considered advice appropriate to individual
circumstances and offer appropriate follow up to all relevant parties is a skill that I developed as a teacher and
honed as a conciliation officer at the Department of Education Services. I was recognised by my superiors within
the department as a staff member that others sought out for advice and support and was requested to undertake
the role of conciliation officer in light of this. As manager of non-government schools I have also had to deal with
a number of sensitive complaints and issues often dealing with misunderstandings relating to expectations and
cultural and philosophical differences and interpretations. These have required delicate and nuanced attention to
differing viewpoints, measuring of evidence and consideration of the impact of possible resolutions. I managed
these situations, which resulted in documented investigations, with care and respect seeking a ‘win-win’
resolution. I was commended variously by my Director General for the quality and thoroughness of my
investigations and by the parties involved for my sensitivity and the quality of my advice and for the sense of
“being heard”.

2. Application for Manager of Student Wellbeing
John Kural
John.Kural@hotmail.com
Mob: 412 586 567 cover letter and selection criteria 14/10/2016
In my roles as both a teacher and counsellor I am able to respond calmly and promptly to student concerns and
crisis. During my time at St Mark’s Anglican Community School, I undertook training in crisis care, grief and loss,
suicide prevention and alcohol and drug education. I utilised this training to develop and implement crisis care
and response policies for the school which included staff training and the development and upkeep of a resource
file to assist staff. During my time as a teacher I have dealt with a large number of students in crisis, be it through
a marriage break down, suicide, death of a family member, unwanted pregnancy, examination anxiety, that have
impacted upon individual students and the entire school. I believe that my training and experience in counselling,
in addition to my skills in policy and procedure writing, and knowledge and skills of governance and risk
management provide me with a sound and secure ability to deal calmly with crisis situation. This knowledge has
recently been developed further through a professional development session with Joshua Hawes (registered
psychologist) dealing with crisis response and psychological triage techniques.
Throughout my career I have undertaken to ensure I have a sound understanding and knowledge of emotional,
social and health issues affecting young adults. This training has involved developing a deep knowledge of
developmental and social psychology, counselling and facilitation skills and ensuring that I implement proactive
strategies to support and enhance the resilience and resources of students in my care. I have worked in the area
of LGBTI, males in education, drug and alcohol, anxiety, depression, study skills, bullying (physical, psychological
and cyber), anger management and have made studies of the body in culture to assist counteract body image
dysmorphia as presented through the media. I make a routine of ensuring I maintain abreast of current issues
relating to mental health and wellbeing and to this end maintain membership of the Mental Health Academy,
which provides me access to on demand, online courses and accredited professional development for the
Australian Counselling Association and the Australian Hypnotherapists Association. This is further enhanced
through my current studies with the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors, and my subscription to
Counselling journals and the undertaking of professional supervision.
As a counsellor I take a humanistic approach, working within a person-centred, solution-focused paradigm and
utilising elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Gestalt techniques, and narrative therapy and absorbed
focus therapy (hypnosis) as appropriate to the client’s needs. In addition to working at the Department of
Education Services, I also take counselling clients on evenings and weekends. I am accredited with the
Australian Counselling Association and the Australian Hypnotherapists Association and have my own
professional indemnity insurance as a counsellor. As a counsellor I have worked with a number of young adults,
undertaking both secondary and tertiary study and am able to develop a sound rapport and therapeutic alliance
with my clients. I have had success in assisting clients deal with anxiety around issues of studying, utilising both
my educational and counselling skills to assist them. In addition I have worked with clients who are dealing with
depression, self-harm, stress, illness (cancer), drug and alcohol dependence and grief and loss. I have a high
success rate with my clients, but am also very aware of my limitations. To this end I have developed a network of
other professionals to whom I can refer in case of need. Referral is always based on the needs of the client.
Whilst I have an extensive network of referral in Western Australia I will have to develop this in Tasmania. My
history however, shows that I am very adept at creating and maintaining strong networks both within education
and mental health and this will be a priority when I arrive in Tasmania. I have already commenced this, though
connection with Dr Rob McNeilly in Hobart and connections developed through Linked–in. My ability to network is
supported through the work I have done with Drama West, The development and growth of Performing Arts
Perspectives, the Media Review Awards and my work with such agencies as the Association of Independent
Schools, Catholic Education, the Department of Education and my work on interagency committees such as
Rapid Response, Anaphlaxysis, and Working with Children. In my roles with the Department of Education
Services and the then Curriculum Council of Western Australia I have actively consulted widely with key
stakeholders and developed strong networks across all system/sectors within education. I recently organised a
series of workshops with independent public school principals to inform them of changes to the independent
review process and seek feedback on how this could best be operationalized. I have also worked collegially with
a wide range of teams and have been responsible for assisting in the recruiting, training and development of
school-based moderators and reviewers of both non-government and independent public schools. Feedback
from the Department of Education and our own survey indicates that schools are extremely satisfied (above 90%)
with the high quality of the reviewers, their knowledge of the schools and current trends and impacts in education.
I have worked closely with stakeholders including the Association of Independent Schools, the Catholic
Education Office of Western Australia, remote aboriginal community schools and Curriculum and Re-engagement
in Education (CARE) schools to ensure the registration process worked in a productive manner to further support
improvement in the education and care of students. In addition, I have worked with remote Aboriginal community
schools, schools with both high and low SEIs, schools with different religious and philosophical ideologies and
educational support schools. I have wide experience as a teacher, educator and reviewer in dealing with
diversity, having taught students with disabilities, students from different cultures and with limited or no English.
In all instances I endeavour to understand the world from their perspective and am cognisant of and seek to
minimise potential for miscommunication. I have also undertaken modules in diversity training with the Public
Sector Commission of Western Australia

3. Application for Manager of Student Wellbeing
John Kural
John.Kural@hotmail.com
Mob: 412 586 567 cover letter and selection criteria 14/10/2016
I am also fully capable of working effectively within and understanding regulatory and external support
environments having worked within regulated regulatory environments when managing the registration of non-
government schools within Western Australia. I am also conversant and aware of my obligations and
requirements as a Counsellor with regards to regulatory requirements, including client records, confidentiality,
privacy and occupational health and safety.
I have over thirty years’ experience in the education sector. This experience has included twenty two years in
independent and government schools in both teaching and administrative roles. In addition I have I have ten
years’ experience in the Public Sector in areas of educational regulatory compliance and review through my work
at the Curriculum Council and the Department of Educational Services.
In all my work within schools I have always been student focused and operated within a continuous improvement
model to maximise outcomes for students from Kindergarten to Year 12. In addition to teaching both primary and
secondary I have undertaken a variety of administrative roles including Head of the Arts and and Head of House
which involved organizing and managing both cultural and sporting co-curricular programs for students. Whilst
teaching I was also actively involved in planning and providing staff development both within my school and also
as an executive member of DramaWest. In addition I assisted in the development of staff appraisal policies and
procedures within my last school and have been actively involved in undertaking and providing staff performance
management within the public sector
The combination of my academic studies and practical experience in education has given me a deep
understanding and appreciation of the key issues and nuances of the education field on both a micro and macro
level. These characteristics have allowed me to develop a sound reputation and credibility within the teaching
community which enables me to work cooperatively and collaboratively across system sectors to achieve
outcomes effectively.
I have attached a copy of my curriculum vitae for your perusal and am looking forward to discussing it with you at
interview, where we can share our vision for development of this position to enhance the outcomes for students.
Thank you for taking the time to review my application and please don’t hesitate to contact me to arrange for an
interview at our mutual convenience or to request expansion upon any detail listed in my curriculum vitae.
As a final note, my partner and I are currently in the process of moving to Hobart to live and will be arriving to
take up residence in our home in West Hobart on 22 December, 2016. This date is flexible and I am able to arrive
earlier if required
Sincerely,
John Kural