I am continually amazed by the capacity of our young people. Our Year 12 Celebration was conducted Tuesday 24 of September. This was a fabulous event fully managed by our Student Leadership Team with minimal guidance from the coordinating teacher, Amy Best. The logistics of such an event are challenging but from the initial stages of consultation to the final pack up and review, the team demonstrated exceptional entrepreneurial skills and attention to detail. The key members used technology to facilitate the organisation and were creative and resourceful in decorating the space at minimal expense. Unfortunately our curriculum frameworks do not allow us to easily assess and accredit students when they demonstrate their capabilities in this way. At the end of the evening many of our student guests personally thanked me for providing them with a fabulous event. I appreciated this gesture but all acknowledgement should be directed to our Student Leaders and their Organising Committee.

Don College teacher,  Renee Hinds, received the VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year Award at the recent Tasmanian Training Awards.   Renee teaches Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. Her commitment to delivering exceptional training for her students has seen her transform Don College’s playgroup into a fully operational childcare centre. This service is planned to expand in 2025. We wish Renee success in the National Training Awards where she will represent Tasmania in Canberra in December.

After the holidays we have four weeks of scheduled classes and then we move in to assessment period. TASC Level 3 and 4 students will have external assessments for two weeks. Students in VET classes and Level 1 and 2 TASC classes will be provided some time to access college and finish work requirements through negotiation with teachers. The final four weeks is a crucial time of the year and 100% attendance and full participation should be the aim of all students.

We wish all of our community members a safe and happy holiday period.

Across three days, various community service providers came to Don College to equip students with information to help them transition from their teenage years into adulthood. The Expo was organised by Karen Slade's Community Service class who worked tirelessly to ensure to organise the event, cooridinating a range of service providers from across the North West. 

Day 1: Community Service, Youth and Health Providers 

Representatives from a variety of community service providers came to Don College to provide information and advice about services available for 16-20 year olds including mental health services, counselling services, 

Day 2: Career Pathways, Apprenticeships and Traineeships

To help students navigate pathways open to them, a range of providers let students know what kind of apprenticeships and traineeship opportunities are available locally. Education providers also attended to help students understand further study pathways post grade 12 that are available.

Day 3: Legal Services 

To help understand rights and responsibilities, providers were able to inform students on legal rights and responsibilities, and entitlements in the work place. 

Inclusivity and respect were the values celebrated as part of the "Wear it Purple" day last term.

It was fantastic to see so many parts of the school come together to create a day of celebration. Cupcakes, icecream spiders, photobooths, live music, and dressing up in purple to show support for these values. Thanks to the Community Services class for coordinating the day. 

Don music students competed in the north-west heat of the Rock Challenge, an annual statewide music competition that gives students the opportunity to perform original music in a professional, industry-based setting with students from schools across the state. We had 6 individual students and 2 bands put on amazing performances, giving the judges a hard time deciding who to send to the finals. The students who performed were:

• Acoustic Section: Katie Black, Lucas Hodge, Finn Hyland-Wealands, Jada-Li Crossey, Lauren Page and Lucas Lines
• Bands: Tate Thow, Luke Nowell, Finn Hyland-Wealands, Brandon Suitters (PaperFace) and Jada-Li Crossey, Keelan Billing, Jared Collyer, Lucas Lines and Charlie Williams (Meraki)

Congratulations to students Lauren Page, Jada-Li Crossey, Katie Black and band ‘Meraki’ who were selected to go through to the finals the following week in Launceston.

These students proudly represented Don College and performed really well, soaking up the crowd's excitement of the perfomances.  

It was an awesome display of the fantastic musical talent we have here at Don. 

This year the Leavers Dinner was mixed up from the previous years relaxed Year 12 Razz event. Student leadership with the support of Amy Best worked really hard to make sure the event came together. Student leaders, Summer, Jaikira and Shauna, spent countless hours organising and coordinating the decor for the evening and planning the activities. Thanks to all who participated in the planning and coordination of the event! 

A full selection of the photos can be found in the Year 12 Yearbook which will soon be available to preorder as a momento of all that was at Don in 2024.