I feel so fortunate to be a member of the Don College community. Working daily in a positive and supportive learning environment and observing students thrive and step towards their exciting futures is very rewarding for all staff.

This week alone I had the privilege of:

• standing alongside students who provided informed and considered responses to TV crews and the Minister of Education, Roger Jaensch MP on a range of topics including bullying, the age of criminal responsibility, and youth detention.
• witnessing an amazing, professional quality, rendition of a medley performed by the Don College cast and crew of School of Rock
• watching the energy and enthusiasm, and skill, of the students trying out for the Don College teams to participate in the Tasmanian All-schools Basketball Championships
• visiting classrooms, observing quality teaching and chatting with students about their work
• participating in a Trivia night expertly organised and hosted by our Student Leadership Group
• meeting with prospective and current students and families to discuss transition and future plans. Many of our current students are planning next steps as they progress to apprenticeships, employment, further training and/or university.

I have great confidence in our young people to realise purposeful and meaningful futures and I am amazed by their range of talents and skills. Some students overtly display their strengths and confidence but for others, their hidden talents are not so obvious.

Term 3 is a time when students consolidate skills and knowledge they learned earlier in the year and they apply their learning to complex research tasks, other new learnings, folios and projects. It is exciting to see these major assessment pieces develop and to see the growth and independence of our students.

These pages provide a snapshot of some of the recent events at Don College.

John Thompson