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- Term 1 Holidays
- Term 2 Commences
- Principal's Message
- Mary Poppins - College Musical 2021
- Headspace - Supporting your young person during the holidays
- Careers @ Don
- Upcoming Events
- Relay for Life
- Share the Dignity - Community Services Class
- National Schools Constitutional Convention 2021
- Rowing Achievements
- Song Makers Workshop
- Lions Youth of the Year
- AKarlie Designs
- Past Student Profile - Bailey Gillam
- Electronics
- Biology
- Visual Art
- Health and Wellbeing - Holiday Reset
- Health & Wellbeing
- Outdoor Education & Leadership
- English Writing 3C - Selected works from 'Butterscotch Rhino' (a collection of our student writing)
- Cuddle Hearts
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02 Apr 2021 - 20 Apr 2021
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02 Apr 2021 - 20 Apr 2021
Holidays begin on the 2nd April and college resumes on Wednesday 21st April, 2021.
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02 Apr 2021 - 20 Apr 2021
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21 Apr 2021
We have a ‘Don College Careers Website’ for students and their parents/caregivers. You can find it at https://www.doncollegecareers.com.au/
It has information to support Career Planning, Post School Options and much more.
The area of career education, employment, apprenticeships and further education can be extremely complex and constantly changing. Our ‘Don College Careers Website’ provides a wide range of resources that students and parents can access. Please visit the website and explore the information.
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Pictured below: THE CALENDAR OF EVENTS ALLOWS STUDENT AND FAMILIES TO REGISTER FOR WEBINARS AND OTHER IMPORTANT EVENTS POST SCHOOL OPTIONS AND UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS CENTRES ARE VERY USEFUL AND CONSTANTLY UPDATED |
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A Focus on Year 12
In Term 1 Career Education for Year 12 students has focussed on exploring career options. Students have used a range of tools and activities to assist them to develop a deeper understanding of themselves. They have spent time discussing and completing profiles on interests, personality types, values and skills. They have been encouraged to discuss their findings and ideas with others, including Careers Advisors. Students have analysed career assessment profiles and made comparison to their own understandings. This exercise is extremely valuable to assist students to develop the language required for personal statements, job and scholarship applications.
University of Tasmania (UTAS) Update
The University of Tasmania will again run the Schools Recommendation Program for grade 12 students to apply to UTAS and receive early offers for university places. Applications will open on May 31 and close on October 31 with multiple times when offers are made. Grade 12 students will be supported in this process through Career and Life Planning classes and careers advisors.
UTAS have made their degrees more flexible to allow for many combinations of double degrees and studies in multiple areas. They are also offering a Master in Physiotherapy and a Master in Occupational Therapy in 2022, giving students a pathway into these occupations in Tasmania. Plans are underway to also introduce pathways into Dietetics and Speech Therapy in 2024.
Changes are happening at all the campuses of the University of Tasmania, Hobart, Launceston, and Burnie, with new buildings being built and a focus on progressively moving study areas into city centres.
The 2022 Undergraduate Course Guide for UTAS will be available in term 2.
Relay for Life was held at the Penguin Sports and Service Club with over 700 participants and 55 teams raising money for Cancer Council Tasmania. Participants walked for 20 consecutive hours on the Penguin track. Altogether, $112 391 was raised for cancer research with all the money supporting organisations in Tasmania.
It was great to see Don College students participating in this worthwhile event to help raise awareness and funds.
Special shout out to Jorden Kempton who sang the national anthem. Pictured below are some of our students (sporting their Mary Poppins hoodies).
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Recently Don College took delivery of a ‘Share The Dignity’ PinkBox Vending Machine, the first school in Tasmania to do so. Share the Dignity is a national charity working to end period poverty in Australia. The charity works hard to ease the burden of period poverty and believes that access to period products is a right not a privilege. Our vending machine is located in the female toilets in the locker bay area. It is set to dispense one period pack every three minutes. The period packs are free and all we ask is that you take what you need.
This was recently featured on the ABC. View at the following link:
ABC News Report on Share the Dignity
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Every year just over a hundred senior secondary students from across Australia gather in Canberra for the National Schools Constitutional Convention. The five Tasmanian delegates are chosen on their performance in a state-wide essay writing competition.
This year, Zoe Chipman’s essay was chosen as one of the five best. Unfortunately, because the Convention could not be held in Canberra, eleven hubs were established across the country in a giant, two day Zoom meeting. Every delegate was encouraged to participate both in their hub groups, as well as on the wider stage.
The five Tasmanian students gathered at Lenna in Battery Point to discuss the need for a new preamble to the Constitution, to construct the wording of one and subsequently vote on whether it should replace the current one. The convention is an exercise in collaboration, deep thinking about an aspect of the Constitution and a chance for students across the nation to argue a case and participate in the democratic processes of Australian democracy.
The day before the Tasmanian election was called, the students attended Question Time in the House of Assembly during which the Premier was asked a question which allowed him to list the achievements of his government and plans for the future. We were not surprised an election was called the next day.
Zoe found the experience intellectually stimulating and it gave her the chance to mix with like minded students from across Australia.
Pictured: Zoe & Bron Sidebottom
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Whilst small in number, Don College students have had some outstanding performances throughout the 2020/2021 Rowing season. Tahnee Schultz and Abbey Badcock have competed at the club level with the Ulverstone Rowing Club, whilst Prue Tippett and Lydia Tippet have competed for the Mersey Rowing Club.
In recent times, Lydia and Prue have competed in the Tasmanian Schools Championships and the 2021 Australian National Rowing Championships. Of particular note, Lydia and Prue placed second in the School Girls Double Skull and placed fourth in the School Girls Eight in a composite with St Brendan Shaw.
At the Australian National Rowing Championships, Lydia placed second in the B Final of the School Girls Under 19 Single Skulls for Don College. Pru and Lydia were also successful in securing a Bronze Medal in the Under 19 Women’s Coxless Four for the Mersey Rowing Club.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank and recognise Tahnee, Abbey, Lydia and Prue for their professional conduct, competitive spirit and contributions to rowing for Don College over the past two seasons.
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Prue and Lydia rowing at the Schools National Championships.
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It was a very busy two days in the music department running the SongMakers workshop. This year, students were mentored by Joel Quartermain (ARIA award winning Eskimo Joe co-founder and producer), KLP (ARIA nominated performer, writer and producer) and Antonia Gauci (producer, engineer and writer).
Not only did the students learn a lot about working in the music industry, they also wrote and recorded their own original songs with help from their mentors. You can have a listen to the final songs here: https://soundcloud.com/don-college/sets/song-makers-2021
“Help” by Aimee Bradburn, Dylan Boys and Jorden Kempton
“Own Two Feet” by Meghan Gaffney, Ned Eaves and Fabian Spratt
“Space of Mine” by Zoe Smith, Shaun Harrison and Charlotte Woods
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Congratulations to Don College students Aaliah Dennison & Denver Pucetti who competed in the regional finals of the Lions Club Youth of the Year. The event was hosted by Emu Bay Lions, Burnie.
A special congratulations to Denver who has progressed to the state final in April. They are pictured here with Lions MC Mr Vere Cooper.
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Ex-Don College student, Arabella Gillies, visited the fashion design classroom to talk about her career, pop up stall and online business; “AKarlie Designs”. At the moment Arabella is making pyjamas, hair accessories as well as reusable make-up wipes . The quality of her presentation and openness to share how she developed her own small business was greatly appreciated.
Pictured are Tanner, Arabella Gillies and Ruby with AKarlie design work.
 Bailey
(taken by Amber Smith)
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The first in his immediate family to go to university, ex-student and current Teacher Assistant/ Relief Teacher, Bailey Gillam, found his feet at Don College discovering areas of passion he could carry into his working life.
Prior to attending Don College as a student, Bailey achieved mainly B and C grades throughout his schooling. He said he had never really been motivated to apply himself in high school.
“When I came to Don, I think the big difference was you had expert people in their fields teaching so the quality of education was a lot better and it was a supportive environment. Teachers would go above and beyond what they had to do. Extra support was always available,” Bailey said.
Over his two years studying for his TCE, Bailey developed a passion for maths and science and realised those were the subjects he wanted to teach; he had found his niche, with more advanced levels of learning. This inspired him to seek a career with senior secondary students.
“When I came to Don as student, I realised I wanted to teach those older ages. The students are a little bit more mature and there is more teaching over behaviour management. You become more of a supporting figure to help achieve their goals. You are able to give those who want to learn the best opportunity. In the higher level [of learning] students are there for a reason; they have a natural drive to do it, and it’s good as a teacher. You don’t have to convince people to do the work.”
With this goal cemented, Bailey applied himself in his final two years at Don seeking assistance to improve his grades.
“I was certainly not a straight A student throughout high school. I had improved a little in grade 10, achieving mostly B grades.”
Though humble in his achievements, Bailey’s work ethic and changed attitude proved that with determination, motivation and by seeking extra help, the extraordinary can be achieved. He finished grade 12 with an ATAR of 99.1, allowing him to access a specialised Bachelor of Teaching in Mathematics and Science with a Chemistry major.
Now working as a Teacher Assistant and having secured a Limited Authority to Teach (LAT) from the Teacher’s Registration Board, Bailey has been working at Don teaching maths to the Work Preparation class while finishing his degree.
“Teaching can be challenging but last year I had a student who was struggling in Work Prep and by the end of the year, he was coming to almost every class, and asking for extension work. That was really rewarding.”
While Bailey has been focusing on developing his teaching skills and studying, he said balance was key to success in his achievements.
“I’m not someone who will sit and study for hours. Instead, good time management, being prepared and not leaving things until the last minute helped me a lot.”
“When I am not studying, I like to spend my time outdoors hiking or playing golf even though I am not very good at it… just being active and getting away from books and computers helps.”
Bailey is due to complete his teaching degree in 2022.
Students in electronics have had a practical start to the year with many ideas being turned into projects. Sif has made an electronic dice and in the photo is busily soldering all the components while Broc is hard at work creating a light activated LED array which will automatically turn on in the dark.
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In Biology students have been investigating the process of Cellular Respiration. In the photo we have Grace and Murphy exploring the effect that temperature has on respiration rates of germinating peas.
On Thursday 11th March 45 students left Don College and travelled to Evandale to see the Glover Prize, Tasmanian Landscape Art Prize.
We then proceeded to Inveresk in Launceston to view Art Rage, an annual event that exhibits a range of year 11 & 12 student Visual Art Work. Art Rage provides a wonderful opportunity for students to view the diverse and thought-provoking artworks of students who were in their position last year. This will help them think about their current portfolios and inspire them to create a high standard of work.
Students continued to the QV Museum where Alastair Mooney gave an exclusive Artist Floor talk discussing his new works that reflect on the resilience and beauty of Tasmania's native birdlife in the face of human consumption and destruction.
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“The Art trip was very informative, all the different art styles gave me ideas for my own work. I would love to go again as it showed all the ways art could be made.” Kate Parker |
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Do you feel as though your life is full of course deadlines, study, presentations, exams, social pressure and you would like to switch off for a while or have help falling asleep quicker?
Why not use the holidays to help reset your body clock!
Check out these free apps (some with in app purchases)
Smiling minds – Smiling Mind is a unique tool developed by psychologists and educators to help bring balance to your life
Headspace – Headspace will help you focus, breathe, stay calm, perform at your best, and get a better night's rest through the life-changing skills of relaxation, meditation, and mindfulness.
Relax Melodies - a sleep-aid app uniquely designed to help you find your own combination of sounds & music to assist you to unwind & fall asleep easier
Sleep Cycle - Sleep better and wake up feeling rested with Sleep Cycle’s smart alarm clock. The tracker analyses your sleep patterns from bedtime to morning. Sleep Cycle’s intelligent alarm clock, designed to gently wake you up while you’re in your lightest sleep phase.
Pzizz – relaxing sounds and music for sleep
Slumber - offers a combination of experiences to help you fall asleep, whether it's meditation focused or a six-part bedtime story series
Relax & sleep well - an experienced hypnotherapist offers hypnotherapy and meditation recordings to address insomnia, stress, anxiety, sleep, and many more.
Sleep Time - Learn to fall asleep quicker and wake up feeling refreshed by understanding your sleep cycles and sleep quality.
Remember the school nurse is available Mon, Tues & alternate Wednesdays in B201 if you need to talk to someone. No appointment necessary, it’s free and confidential.
As the holidays approach our day to day routines can change. Below are some Top Tips on various things to give you a help along provided by our school nurse, Ceinwen.
If the holiday period is a difficult one, especially in terms of mental health, there are support services available:
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| High Ropes course at Camp Clayton with Outdoor Ed and Leadership students. | |
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| On the way back from camp with Outdoor Leadership. | Cooking |
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| Cooking on Outdoor Education's night walk. | |
Poetry
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Dawn on a Highway Turning, a crunch under rubber. The indicator flickers out, like dying kindling. I clutch up a gear: quietness. The moonlight drapes its last ribbon, shortening a sombre grey.
The sun peeks through ragged leaves. It gleams in the rearview mirror, a drop of water revealing a hidden web. Shadows flow, a translucent blanket. Briefly masked, a bridge swallows the morning beyond a stretch of empty road.
The wind plays its lonely voice. A thin sheet of tar, the carcass of a wallaby, spread.
Tate Legge |
My Father’s Bike Shed: A Hobby Passes Overgrown branches on the corrugated roof; they’re old men, grunting and cramping in a gust. Distant barking at the sun’s final heave. Colour wrung from the sky.
Bike frames hang like drying pelts, a medley of tarnished chrome. A jacket of dust, ‘round lidless jars and air sombre with grease. Lone gloves lie with the scroggin of screws: stale washers, sour nuts, nameless scraps, brittle and decayed.
Not a nod of a wheel or a click of a chain: a theme park that ran out of funding.
Knife making seems to be the rage now as metal fillets wait in the breath of a lamp.
Abbey Clark |
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Waitress A billow of warm air sweeps past. I step through the door, the cold morning slammed out behind me. Wafts of coffee and dish soap.
I tie a bow around my waist like a leash, slip a pen into my back pocket.
The sloshing of the dish washer. I grab the handle, push it down. My arm is tense.
Patches of light, dappled about, waltz across the floor, changing shape with the step of every greasy shoe.
Faces come and go, both pulled and sagged, masked, like icing on a cake, covering the rough edges.
Charlotte Hinds |
Several Fashion Design students from Don College, volunteered to make Cuddle hearts for the Neonatal Critical Care unit in Hobart.
Soft fabric ‘Cuddle Hearts’, linking mum and baby, fill a gap when the two can’t be together. One fabric heart is given to the mother and placed on her chest to pick up her scent, with the other heart placed close to the baby for the same reason. The hearts are then swapped so mother and baby are left with each other’s scented heart.
The program was introduced to improve feeding success and to help establish a connection between mother and baby through smell.
Students were happy to help and found it a great learning experience, as they discovered hearts are hard to stitch correctly! ? The real community project touched our “hearts”.
