Often I feel very lucky to be a Tasmanian resident. Living on the North West Coast we are treated to amazing sunrises and sunsets. The beaches are on our doorstep and the mountains in our back yard. If we compare our current circumstances to those across the globe we live in a safe and secure haven.

Tasmania and particularly the North West Coast has struggled to advance economically. However there is a true sense of excitement in the air. Projects on North West Coast will play a role in providing renewable energy to the nation. Tasmania is now a mountain biking mecca and this includes the North West region. Coastal Pathways will soon link our communities providing convenience and recreation opportunity for community members and tourists alike. There is opportunity on the coast and we have young skilled Tasmanians at Don College ready to support, or in the very near future, lead these projects. I am very fortunate to work with students as they plan their transitions to work, training or further education. I encourage all students to take a global perspective but in these current times, Tasmania has a lot to offer.

Assessment Period

A key feature of our June calendar is the Assessment Period. All subjects have an assessment. For Level 3 and 4 TASC subjects, these assessments will closely replicate the End of Year Assessment processes. For VET and Leve 2 TASC courses, mid-year assessments will provide students an opportunity to demonstrate skills and knowledge acquired so far this year. This assessment is not an end point. Individual student performance in these assessments will inform students of the work they need to do to improve. Teachers will also reflect on student achievement and this will inform their next steps in teaching.

Futsal Champions

Thank you to Max, Joel and Rodney for supporting our students to participate in the Launceston Futsal Championships. The Year 12 students finished the day as champions. It makes me very proud to report that the Don College students were commended for their excellent conduct and fair play throughout the day.

College Musical

One more amazing highlight for this term will be our musical production, “Mary Poppins”. I wish all students every success. I am in awe of young people who can confidently grace the stage and commit to the discipline and rehearsal that such an undertaking requires. We thank you for your support of Don College and for celebrating the achievements of our students as presented in these pages.

COVID Safety – We are fortunate to live in Tasmania

It is important that we all continue to keep safe and healthy. To support our community in the prevention of spreading disease please

• Be alert to any symptoms of cold or flu
• Get tested for COVID if you have symptoms
• Practise good hygiene, such as covering coughs and sneezes and washing hands
• If you or your child do get sick, stay at home until symptoms have passed, even if a COVID test is negative.

Remember, symptoms include fever, tiredness, cough, headache, sore throat, sniffling and sneezing.

To keep our school safe, we are still:

• continuing with cleaning throughout the day
• Providing soap, sanitiser and tissues
• restricting large gatherings and encouraging physical distancing
• requiring visitors to check-in

Construction Pathways students constructed 5 Picnic Tables for Miandetta Primary School. Students produced the quality tables during their practical time but also gave up a few hours of their own time to meet the deadline.

Finn and Jacob are 2 students pictured below.

The Studies of Religion class recently invited ex Don College student, Aneequa Zafar to join a Zoom meeting. The purpose was to learn more about Islam and what it is like being a Muslim in Australian society. Aneequa now attends university in Adelaide but at the end of her Grade 11 year at Don, she gained perfect scores in all the subjects she studied, including English 3C, when English is not her first language.

Easily recognisable as a Muslim, Aneequa told the class about the positive and negative experiences she has had in Australia.  Even though she has been racially profiled at airports and verbally and physically attacked, she remains strong in her beliefs and chooses to act maturely and not escalate any negative situation.  On a brighter note, she feels attitudes to Islam in Australia are improving, especially since the 2019/20 bushfires and COVID period during which Muslims have gone out of their way to support people in society, regardless of their faith, race, or culture. Kindness and charity are very important values that underpin the religion of Islam.  Indeed, actions speak louder than words and help erase misconceptions about Islam.

As Aneequa put it, “Love for all, hatred for none.”

Molly Carter (wearing the hat) visited the Fashion Design classes to share words of wisdom about her time as a student and her work as a stylist and assistant sales marketing coordinator for Hael X111 in Latrobe.  Molly will represent Australia in America at the world pageant, once borders open.  She has won multiple awards in design and encouraged all students to take every opportunity offered, as you never know where it might lead to.  Molly won multiple awards at the Apex Teenage Fashion Awards when she was a student at Don College.

Pictured: Object Design students Zoe, Lily and Jasmine took the opportunity to look at the folios Molly created in 2019 and 2020.

Mental Health Families and Friends Tasmania – Carers of people affected by mental ill health (mhfamiliesfriendstas.org.au)

There are monthly support group meetings for families & friends of people experiencing mental ill health.  The group is facilitated by Mental Health Families & Friends TAS https://mhfamiliesfriendstas.org.au/

 It is an informal, casual atmosphere facilitated by experienced, friendly support staff.  Families can also Zoom in if they cannot attend face to face. 

Further information is available through Pippa McMahon, Community Awareness Office, headspace.  Pippa can be contacted on 6424 2144 or pmcmahon@csys.com.au

The Electronics students are back at it again learning about microcontrollers and making lights flash and buzzers buzz.  For all the aficionados of ardunio out there we are coding using for loops. 

The Level 3 students are starting to get elbow deep into their projects creating from scratch some line following robots, keypad controlled displays, an electronic piano and a servo controlled 3D printed hand.

Its been a great year so far in electronics and if these projects sound interesting do not hesitate and come up and see (Nigel Baptist) me in B block level 5 to explore a bit more of what Don can offer you in the STEM field.

A reminder that levy invoices and other subject fees are due.

For any questions/queries please contact the office on 6424 0200.

The Athlete Development class met the catering crew for a lesson in nutrition. What better opportunity for our athletes to learn the importance of nutrition and it’s value for performance and recovery through getting practical with all the support of 'Katie’s cooking crew'. 

Using a vegetarian Mexican Bowl to analyse carbs, protiens and fats for game preparation. A very successful lesson and integrating students from all areas of the college. Huge thank you to Katie and the crew for entertaining the athletes!

It was with great pleasure that this year’s Drama 2, Drama 3 and Theatre Performance class presented their mid year show for 2021, CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT TIME to a packed house on Wednesday 2^nd June. It was wonderful to welcome the numerous past students who return, year after year, to celebrate the success of those that follow them. The culture that is created amongst our performing arts team at Don speaks volumes for the personal growth and team work that is at the heart of all that we do. This year’s cast displayed great courage as they committed themselves to this show amongst what is a very time for them, most also playing in our College Musical, Mary Poppins, which opens next week. A special mention to Tara, who performed in a play for the very first time, and Kyle who performed in his last before accepting an apprenticeship as a chef! We are so happy for you, Kyle! Special thanks to our dear friend, Kate Parker, who has now returned to Western Australian after spending three weeks with us, working on this show, during her student-teacher placement.

In this script, Christopher asks, ‘Does this mean I can do anything?’ I think our answer is... yes, yes you can! Congratulations to the cast and our thanks to the many staff, family and friends who joined us in our audience. See you at Mary Poppins!

Congratulations are in order for both of our Don College Year 11 and Year 12 futsal teams who played in Launceston at the College Cup. The boys upheld a huge amount of respect for the game, players and umpires throughout the whole day. An excellent opportunity to showcase what we are about at Don and all students went above and beyond in that regard.

With both teams going undefeated in the day's roster, they finished 1^st and 2^nd overall. This meant that they would play off against St Patrick's and Leighlands to possibly make it a Don v Don Grandfinal! Unfortunately the Y11s lost in extra time to a golden goal against St Patrick's and were knocked out. The Y12 boys struck home with a win against Leighlands (2-1) to make the Grandfinal.

The Grandfinal against St Patrick's came down to a 1-0 win, a gripping game with lots of shots on goal from both teams which meant returning with medals, the 2021 College Cup Shield and invitations to a possible Hobart Championships. A great achievement!

It is fantastic to see student's skills developing in practical ways.

Here is Reeve and John sharing a cup of tea and design ideas on the table created by Reeve. 

LEGAL AID TASMANIA 

Stuart Davey from Legal Aid Tasmania visited Don College and presented information regarding a variety of ‘legal’ issues including consent, sexting and inappropriate texting and use of social media, and being party safe.

Along with the issues involved, Stuart also gave students some strategies as to what to do if they were ever in these situations.  For example, reporting an inappropriate picture or video to the social media site by using the report function, reporting and detailing inappropriate use to the e-safety commissioner.  He also spoke about ways to check in with your partner to ensure they are ok with what is happening between you.  A lot of media attention has surrounded consent in Australia, particularly over the last 6-12 months.  This is a critical aspect for all people in relationships.

Presentation by CPA, Australia

On May 28, our Accounting class participated in a workshop presented by Certified Practising Accountants (CPA’s).  We were fortunate to have Claire Smith, Director Strategic Services, Cradle Coast Authority and Stephen Allen, Academic Coordinator (Cradle Coast) and Senior Teaching Fellow, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, UTAS visit providing background on their journey, skills required, attributes and real life examples of CPA.  They also advised about the Local Government School-based Apprenticeship program and opportunities for Year 10 and 11 students next year in Council.  Students also completed a practical activity around financial statements and ratio analysis.  Thanks to Claire and Steve for their time.

Exposures Restaurant has been open and we have been very busy!  Students are really enjoying the busy service periods, and we are looking forward to opening more regularly in Term Three.

The Certificate III in Hospitality class has been working with the Athlete Development class, to fuel the North West Thunder Basketball team, after training, using the commercial kitchen at the basketball stadium in Ulverstone.

All Hospitality classes went on an excursion to The Gateway Hotel, where we saw all aspects of the industry including housekeeping, bar, kitchen, front of house and reception. Students were given an insight into how venues recruit staff and what skills can be listed on a resume.

Certificate II Kitchen Operations and Hospitality students participated in a function at the Leven Yacht Club recently, this was a valuable learning experience, and the students were given an awareness of how to cater for a function in an unfamiliar space, and they had a lot of practise carrying meals upstairs!!

On Thursday the 3^rd of June the Hospitality and Kitchen Operation classes paired up with the Certificate II in Salon Assistant class to provide a “Style the College” day providing drinks and nibbles to the students while having their hair, makeup and nails done.

Well done to our Community Services class on being at the forefront of this important initiative that is gaining national recognition.

Here is a link to an ABC news story featuring Emma: Greens call on Scott Morrison to fund free sanitary products in all public high schools - ABC News