Our school is incredibly lucky to have such a strong community focus, and we have felt this emphasis strongly over the course of Term 3 around the College, through learning and through the events that bring our community together to celebrate.

It was inspiring to see so many come out to support the “Alex-a-thon” in support of a staff member’s relative, with around 200 students and staff participating. Equally as inspiring were last Tuesday’s “Dare to Dream” activities, a day aimed to motivate and encourage students to strive for success in whatever they do. This celebration was inspired by the return of staff member, Minka Woolley, from hockey officiating duties at the recent Tokyo Olympics. Minka has attended the last five Olympics in this capacity; an amazing and inspirational achievement. Minka provided a clear message for all of us - we may live in a relatively remote and small place, but we are all capable of big things. This is an important message as our students consolidate their learning over the next six weeks in preparation for the end of year examinations and final assessments.

Students are being supported in completing external assessment folios for TASC and UTAS courses, along with ongoing consolidation of course work and unit completion in VET courses internally. Teachers are working hard to continue to provide instruction and feedback aimed at improving student learning and helping our students achieve the best outcomes possible and assist in their short term and long-term goals for further study here at Don College, future employment or tertiary study options.

Over the next two weeks we will welcome Year 10 students from high schools to participate in ‘Don Live’. This is an exciting time and a good opportunity for students to experience day-to-day learning activities in the many and varied courses offered at Don College.

While various other school around the country grapple with ongoing interruptions to learning due to Covid-19, we are extremely fortunate to be able to ensure our school continues to provide a safe environment for students by abiding by current Covid-19 recommendations according to the Department of Education. We are pleased to be able to facilitate a clinic provided by the Department of Health onsite next week and again next term to provide Covid-19 vaccinations for students and staff. 

I congratulate the 335 students who have attendance greater than 90%. This is a significant achievement and a timely reminder that every lesson counts.  With only six teaching weeks remaining before final TASC examinations, I encourage all students to commit to attending all classes. The end of the year is within sight and it is still possible to improve your results. 

The upcoming holidays provide a change of pace and an opportunity to recharge before Term 4.  Some students may be completing work and preparing for final assessments. This is important.  Equally as important is finding time to have a break; connect with friends and family, get outside and spend some time in nature.  Be kind to yourself and stay safe. 

We look forward to welcoming you back on the October 11.

Acting Principal - Marcel Brown

To get all the information you need to know and where to find help please visit our website at:

https://doncollege.education.tas.edu.au

and follow the Enrolment 2022 links

Check out or Don College Subjects Web-APP.

It has information on all the courses offered at Don (over 120) and who you can contact for more information.

Certificate III in Hospitality students (Kaylee, Maddie and Alannah) were lucky enough to be invited to Cradle Mountain for work placement. We stayed on site for the week to experience all different aspects of the Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge.

Over the course of the week, we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner with the other staff members. It was a buffet style food with a variety of options and the food was amazing! All of the other staff were so welcoming to all of us during our stay.

Each day we had a new activity to do. Monday morning was our introduction with Uma, she explained everything you could ever want to know about Cradle Mountain including historic information and the lodge itself. Uma also gave us a tour of the area and helped us settle in.  

On Tuesday morning we had a tour of the two kitchens, the Tavern and The Highlands from the Head Chef. He explained his role to us, including deciding the menu, presentation and ordering as well as cooking for the staff. He also gave us a demonstration of how to cook pork belly and Alannah was lucky enough to have one on one time with the pastry chef, acquiring lots of new knowledge! After our time in the kitchen, it was time to go on a walk with our tour guide… who took us on a three hour walk around Crater Lake and on our way back we had a small snow blizzard! Wednesday was the food and beverage department, and this, by far was a favourite part of the experience learning about all the different wines, being shown behind the bar and making coffees.

Piper was outstanding with her knowledge as Food and Beverage Supervisor and was so much fun to spend the day with. Thursday was housekeeping where we got an insight into all of the different cabins that are available, the cost of refilling a cabin, how long it takes to clean and the different steps in which a cabin is cleaned. We learnt lots of valuable knowledge from this.

 Friday was a little more relaxed. We had a tour of the spa and relaxation rooms. It was all beautifully set up, and very relaxing. On the Thursday night we were lucky enough to have our Hospitality Teachers, Katie and Jackie, come up for the night and have tea with us and the General Manager, Avi, in the Highlands Restaurant. It was a two-course meal, and the food was amazing! Avi was so kind to us and gave us a 5-star dining experience.

We were very lucky to stay at Cradle Mountain for the week and were so well looked after. We are very grateful for this opportunity and have learnt so much from everyone at Cradle Mountain in all the different departments at the lodge. We would also like to thank Katie, Jackie and Marcel for all the hard work they put in to make this happen for us, we are extremely grateful!

• Exercise regularly - take a break from study and go for a walk, run, skate, bike ride.

• Use colours to stay organised - use different coloured highlighters for each subject so the visual organisation helps your brain to organise information.

• Make a timetable - add in going to bed, waking up and other commitments such as family, sport, lunch and dinner then know what time slots you have for studying and stick to it.

• Subject selection - put the subjects you find harder in the morning so you're fresh, and schedule more time for those.

• Take a break and step away – if you feel your head is going to explode, or something is not sinking in, have a rest and come back to it later.

•  Eat some food or drink some water – keeping hydrated and fed is very important for brain function.

•  Go outside, take a walk – fresh air and sun is a good excuse for a break and brain function.

• Do something you love occasionally – bike riding, walking, talking to friends.

• Physically disrupt what you're doing - take a shower, do 10 star jumps, run on the spot for 15 seconds so you can return with a clearer head.

• Turn off notifications for social media – this will ensure you don’t get distracted often, only allow yourself to check social media during your break times or at the end of the day.

On August 25, Shanli’s Food & Hospitality Enterprise Class catered for the Children’s Book Council of Australia (Tas Branch) Book Week afternoon tea.

Attendees from North and North West Tasmania dined on food inspired by picture books: A Pipkin of Pepper pumpkin soup,  Schnitzel von Krumm sausage rolls, Very Hungry Caterpillar fresh fruit and fruit kebabs, and Your Birthday was the best cake. The students researched picture books to match food choices, decorated the venue and received feedback from attendees on the event, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Donathon rebranded as the Alexathon on August 27 with around 200 students sporting pink clothing to show support for a good cause.

The weekly college initiative to get students and staff moving became the Alexathon after Don College teacher, Joel Beveridge, received devastating news about a relative. Alexa Leary was involved in a serious bike crash four weeks ago in Noosa, sustaining serious brain damage and the loss of use of the right side of her body. She is currently recovering in Brisbane Hospital. 

To help Lex on her recovery journey, her family began a movement to encourage everyone to get up and get moving to support those who don’t have that luxury right now. The movement is called #MoveForLex. This started as a way of supporting her with close family members assisting Lex showing her daily videos of people all over the world supporting the #MoveForLex movement. Each video she is shown is having a positive effect on her as she begins her recovery. 

The movement has exploded, gaining interest and support from Olympic athletes, AFL footballers, NRL stars and thousands of others across the world.

The Don College Drama & Theatre class were treated to a workshop hosted by one of Australia’s leading contemporary theatre makers in August during Shake and Stir Theatre Company's national tour performing Animal Farm.

Being a regional school, our students were incredibly lucky to attend a live theatre performance and to be treated to 90 minutes of shared time with Shake and Stir's cast, especially in such a challenging climate for live performers nationally. 

We thank Nelle (Artistic Director), Jackson and Darcy for leading the class through such an informative session and we hope to see the Shake and Stir Theatre Company back in Tassie again next year.

Spring Party

Worn boards creak as

a woman rocks in her rocking chair.

She gazes at the children –

faces bathed in a firefly glow,

arranging their lanterns among carnations,

or handing them to

a tree’s waiting grasp.

They dance through the lilies,

grass stains on their knees

frilly nightgowns snagging twigs.

Tiny ghosts playing tag as the evening fades.

Cars grumble up the winding drive,

crunching on the gravel.

A scolding voice calls;

footsteps plod up the hall stairs,

freshly plucked lilies shedding petals on the floor,

a delicate trail of tears.

With beds left untouched

and noses pressed against icy glass,

they watch ladies dressed as butterflies

flitting in the garden,

Silk wings lit by the amber breath of lanterns.

Lullaby waltzes carry them to bed,

curling up to drown in rosy feather dreams.

Emma Ollington

Ten Fashion Design students from Don College entered the Chocolate Inspired Wearable Art trail in Latrobe. These designs were displayed throughout several of the shops in Latrobe in August. Amy Garwell won the Judge's Choice award and is now $500 richer.

Congratulations to everyone who entered!

Congratulations to Riley Porsbro who successfully attained a carpentry apprenticeship with local Devonport business, Collins Homes. Riley completed four weeks of work placement before being offered his apprenticeship.

Riley is just one of 24 successful apprenticeship stories so far in 2022 from the Construction Pathways course.

With a booming construction industry and extensive partnerships between industry and Don College, there a plenty of potential opportunities now and in the future to enter the Construction Industry.

Behind the Restaurant

In night between two buildings,

weeping fabric, limp over the clothesline,

sagging like a hammock amidst palms,

bound to lifeless brick walls.

Beneath their sodden sleeves,

a door explodes with life,

unleashing amber light, flooding

upon damp cobblestones.

Still silence broken.

Now brisk footsteps

carry leftovers

to their deathbeds.

Encased in plastic

blacker than a pupil’s lens,

eyed as it falls,

mixing ripe with rotten. Rubbish.

The chef adjusts his hat

and returns to golden rays,

grasping the door

eclipsing the sun

and leaving the stars.

Hawley Rann

Don College hosted a contemporary dance workshop with the Australian Ballet via their Steamdance Incursion program. We met Artistic Director, David Hallberg and leant about professional pathways for dance within Australia. Dayna's dance class invited other interested students and our friends from Ulverstone Secondary College. Thanks for joining us, guys! This opportunity was the result of creative insight by The Australian Ballet, reaching out to regional communities during their own lockdown. We appreciate their generosity.

Dad’s Crayfish Hole

Sleepily, Dad and I trudge through the wiry spinifex

to his cray spot.

Off the rugged West Coast,

washy seas rise like reaching hands,

hiding the buoy wrapped around the rocks.

Dad chucks his stinky green bag,

on the stones shaped like cannonballs.

He is turned away from the wild ocean; he trusts my watch.

The pot rises and falls, rises and falls.

He tugs the rope towards me, saying “Come here.”

I pull the rope, palms burning

like I’m playing a game of tug of war.

Two orange claws jab through the tea tree pots;

bulgy eyes gawk at my dad.

He cuffs the crays as they wrestle around;

their rough carapaces print his hand.

He stuffs them in the bag.

In early morning light,

the two of us weave through the spinifex to our shack.

“Can you hear that?” he pauses, shaking the bag up and down.

“It’s the crays going in my pot!”

Ashlyn Burgess

Outstanding Levy Payments

Parents are being contacted by telephone in regards to outstanding levies owed for 2021. If you have any queries in regards to outstanding levies or require a payment plan, please contact the college office on 6424 0200.

2021 Student Assistance Scheme (STAS)

2021 applications closed on 07 September 2021. Applications that are received from 01 October 2021 will apply for the 2022 school year. If you are already receiving assistance, you don’t need to apply again.

Mountain Biking at Wild Mersey Latrobe with Leadership student's (Grace Johnstone) negotiated project.

Archer’s Knob with a Leadership student's (Zoe Smith) negotiated project.

Fossil Bluff - this was part of an Outdoor Leadership trip to the Tarkine with ex- Don Teacher, Paul ‘Basil’ O’Halloran.

Summit of Kimberley's Lookout.

A reminder that Don College have a new messaging service!

This service has been used from Monday, 23 August. Parents have been informed via text message. Please save this number in your contacts.

This service will be used to send text messages to parents notifying unexplained absences each day and to communicate other important information.

Parents can reply to messages with absentee information (student name, reason and date of absence) or ring the college on 64240200.

Please note the attendance notifications are automated, so please ring the college if there are any concerns.

An Almost Sleepless Night

My room is as black as boredom.

Clock in the corner,

like the neighbour hammering nails.

Chest of drawers, telly on top,

looms like a robot.

Pounding on the pillow,

my head, flashes of thoughts:  

beeping at work,          

Psych notes I have learned,               

storylines in my make-believe world.      

Curled on the floor, Jhetty,

floppy ears and stubby legs

just snores away,

like a truck idling at an intersection.

I turn blindly to the wall

like a sleepwalker.

Rebekah Williams

As part of the Work Skills program, a group of Transitional Education Students travel out to the Tasmanian Arboretum at Eugenana each week.

They are involved in tree planting, with over 100 trees planted so far this year. The group is also responsible for mulching, path clearing and general maintenance tasks.

Recently, they have been tasked with putting in a section of drainage system on a steep hillside. This has involved putting together the drainage crates, digging the trench, and using a string line to make sure it is straight, and then installing the drain and making sure it is all level.

The boys have worked exceptionally well on this task, with excellent results.

The Architect

My world,

an equation without solution.

Every jarring angle,

twisting the mind’s axis,

and every sloping line

refusing linearity.

The figures,

one peering over the banister,

another, hauling a sack,

a third, waiting on tables.

Automata,

moving without sight,

and working without use.

They know not,

the effort I’ve gone to.

My hands shaping their impossible walls

as a sculptor to clay.

My work, unnoticed,

by these cloth-bound drones.

Here, there is no direction,

no absolute to cling to.

And yet these figures move

like oil-slicked cogs,

in a machine without purpose.

Denver Puccetti

During the mid-year university break, some former Don College students, Georgia Cleaver, Oscar Clark and Dustin Geard were invited back to the 2021 Legal Studies 3 and Studies of Religion classes to share their wisdom about how to achieve highly in these subjects. They talked about study techniques, goal setting, practising for the ‘main event’ in November and balance in life. Georgia is studying Science at the University of Melbourne, Dustin is studying Arts/Law at the University of Tasmania and Oscar is studying Media and Politics at RMIT in Melbourne.

Which Way?

His cut-out car drawls to a stop.
Light wards off shadows,
crept into cervices in the foamy snow.

The door cranks open.
He wrangles with the engine,
metal bits in a car’s mouth;
he consoles his fingers with cloudy breath.

He falls back into his car. His coat
cries freshly melted snow
for the dying gasps of the heater.

Tendrils of netted trees,
are like the traces of rain on a window;
they stretch to drag their heavy limbs over the bank.            

The stormy sky freezes the snow into stars.

Songless snowbirds slump on powerlines.

He confides in the soulless luggage next to him,
watching the crucifix powerline fade,
his headlights hushed into the silent night.

Chelsea Rutherford

School Health Nurses, Leah & Ceinwen  

It’s… Dental Health Week!

Dental Health Week is run by the Australian Dental Association (ADA).  This year’s catch phrase is ‘Keep your smile ? for life”. Evidence shows that Australians need to take better care of our teeth, gums and whole mouth to keep our healthy smiles for life!

Here are some Australian statistics from the ADA: 

• 1 in 5 adults do not brush twice daily.

• 68% of Adults usually visit the dentist for a problem with only 27% adults attending regularly for a check-up.

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

Students enrolled in UTAS Practical Studies (Performance) and Music Technology Projects travelled to Hobart to visit UTAS’ new performing arts hub, the Hedberg. Students toured the facilities, observed classes and worked with university mentors. A big thank you to UTAS staff Rob Long and Katy Raucher for being our guides for the day. It was an excellent opportunity for students to gain more information about a future pathway in music.

Evening Valley Song

Gravel shrieks, the hills reply.

The car door a lone clap,

caught by the moon: a rising spotlight.

Crickets: a metronome

stirring her ear.

Through boughs

small wings dart.

Beneath the mountain’s gaze

she smells rain.

Rain

stings her outstretched palm,

as the pin-drop plain

welcomes the sky’s song.

Droplets

hammer a tin roof to rust –

an exhausted clothesline curtsies

and sings for the wind,

even as leafy canopies

soak up clammy applause.

Stars:

a growing ensemble

deafens dark clouds

as she watches the last drips

fall from the petals.

The front door; a resounding clap

as she turns away

and the music

dims to whispers.

Alannah East

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

Body Kind Families is a Butterfly Foundation initiative for parents of teenagers. It provides FREE resources and important tips on supporting positive body image and being body kind. This initiative compliments the work we are doing in school as part of Body Kind Schools.

It includes resources for parents on:

• Resilience to media pressures
• Healthy eating and exercise behaviours
• Talking about appearance and weight
• Body acceptance & compassion
• Boys’ body image
• Warning signs and what to do if concerned

For more information and to receive resources (videos, tips sheets, family activities & more) visit www.butterfly.org.au/bodykindfamilies