Term 4 is a really exciting time at Don College as we now realise and celebrate the development in skills and knowledge that students and staff have been working towards all year. With final assessments for VET courses and TASC Examinations already upon us some students will be feeling pressured. This is just another step in growing and creating your personal future.

We are not just about ATAR and EAs at Don College. We cater for a wide range of students with a wide range of goals, aspirations, interests and abilities. Regardless of your future dreams, strive to be the best you can be in your chosen field of interest and you will find reward. One glowing example of this is the achievements of a past student, Jan Richards, and her more recent achievements which are celebrated in this newsletter

Many students will be making significant transitions over the summer period. This might be moving to employment, travelling interstate or pursuing further studies elsewhere. It is important that students have confidence that their early educational experiences and years at Don College have prepared them for the future. Change can be confronting but keeping a focus on moving forward and progressing throughout life ensures personal growth and happiness.

The culture at Don College is defined by mutual respect and kindness. It is important to be kind to yourself and others. Being kind makes you happy. Kindness helps all and it is contagious. Simple acts of kindness have amazing benefits for your own health and wellbeing and future opportunities.

Our students are an amazingly talented group of young people. Sadly we will say farewell to many this week…Wherever you go take your humility. Be brave, travel the world (with your kindness) and return with different perspectives, skills and knowledge and create opportunities for others here on the NW Coast. We look forward to hearing your stories.

We wish our Year 12 students success in their future studies and work pathways. We look forward to welcoming our Year 11 students back for their final year of school in 2023. 

John Thompson

 

 

 

We say farewell to Aoba, Fran, Facundo, Teresa and Luca as they will leave Tasmania over the coming weeks and return to their homelands. Aoba has been in Tasmania for over two years and has the Aussie lingo down pat. Fran, Facundo, Teresa and Luca invested years in the study of English prior to travelling here 6 months ago and upon arrival they were great communicators. Some Aussie idiom challenged their comprehension. Most of them have used Netflix and other subscription services to access English language dramas and movies in their homes.  Global connectivity has been a tool for their growth.

We wish our returning students safe travels and every success with achieving their future goals. Thank you all for taking significant time to join us at Don College and for being so willing to take on new challenges and adventures. We look forward to seeing you all again, somewhere across the globe.

The Elliston award is presented to someone under the age of 25 who shows excellence in their work, has respect for the peers, demonstrate good manners and has potential leadership qualities. Jan completed her Certificate III in Hospitality and her Certificate II in Community Services (Children) at Don College. During her final year at Don College Jan gained employment at a local childcare centre, where she completed her Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Jan’s ability to overcome adversity was the reason she was nominated and awarded the state award for the Colony 47 Transition to Work Award in 2020. In Jan’s words,  “I was going nowhere in high school”. Today Jan is working towards her Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care.

Congratulations Jan, you are an excellent example of being a lifetime learner. We look forward to seeing what else you achieve in the future.

Five girls in Sierra Leone will be able to go to school, an opportunity they otherwise would have missed out on, thanks to a fundraiser organised by the Health Studies class with the support of the Hospitality Department. 

An amazing total of $1,676.85  was raised in Week Two of Term Four when students and staff donned a dress for the day and donated money. As well as the opportunity to wear a dress to support the occasion, there was music and games at lunch, as well as volleyball, a barbecue and nachos provided by the hospitality team. This event was also supported by local food secrutiy organisation, Loaves and Fishes. 

Do It In a Dress is an event run by One Girl. This is an organisation that helps girls in Sierra Leone and Uganda access education. Education is proven to be one of the most effective ways to end the poverty cycle. This helps empower girls to create a brighter future for themselves and for their community. 

Well done to everyone involved and to the school community for supporting the event! 

Keep your ears to the ground! Year 12 student Charlotte Woods will soon be releasing her debut single, Rushing Back. 

Charlotte has been busy working on her music over the last two years at Don College. This year the UTAS Music Foundation Practical Study has helped develop her music performance and theory as well as expose her to the world of producing music. 

While Charlotte developed a keen passion for music towards the end of primary school that flowed into her high school years, it was when she started at Don that things really started to come together for her. 

"I've been working on three things with my music this year; my songwriting and producing, my gigs and live performances, and music here at school for Year 12." 

Charlotte recently completed her performance for the UTAS pathway course and has received an early round offer into the UTAS Bachelor of Music course. She will move to Hobart in 2023 to start the course which focuses on both music production for television and film, and also has the possibility to develop her artistry as a solo performer.  

"I'm really excited to see where I can go with it. I just want to take every opportunity I get with music." 

Charlotte has built a list of local venues where she has been playing gigs this year, and she is set to support Claire Anne Taylor Band early next year. She said that playing at live gigs allows her to test out her own compositions. 

"It's a good way to gauge whether the audience likes a new song." 

This is how Charlotte came to think there might be potential in the single she is currently recording.

"I played it at Rock Challenge and at a few live gigs, and people really liked it. I even had a guy from Sea FM tell me I should produce it."

While it seems that Charlotte has a natural ability for performing and songwriting, it has come through hard work. Charlotte spends time going over and over her songs, editing the lyrics, and figuring out which composition fits best with her creations. 

"Sometimes the lyrics will come first and then it's finding a cord progression that works with that, but sometimes I just find a riff that works well and then I need to write lyrics for that. I just keep going until it sounds good." 

Charlotte, like many others, is currently working her way through exams but as soon as they finish she will be pulling together a professional recording of her song. 

"I've recorded a demo, but now I just need to record all the parts and bring it together." 

We are excited to see what the future has in store for Charlotte, and we look forward to hearing her original music as she releases it. Well done! 

You can follow Charlotte on Facebook for gigs and for the release of her single:  https://www.facebook.com/charlottewoodsmusic

 

As the year comes to an end, Justin Rodman's and Matt Potter's Construction classes have been finalising units required to obtain their Certificate in Construction Pathways. The last few lessons have focussed on fitting door furnishings such as handles, locks and catches. The task is delicate and requires accurate workmanship.

The Year 12 Razz was held in the first week of Term 4 to celebrate the end of our students' schooling. The Razz was organised by a group of enthusiastic grade 12 students with the support of some of our wonderful teachers at Don. 

The evening included catering from the hospitality department, games and activities as well as a DJ to provide some good tunes for students to celebrate the last of their schooling. 

A special thanks to the Razz student team for their vision for the night, Dayna Dennison for supporting the student team and coordinating the event, Danielle James for music, Shanli Perkins for the fairy lights, Dom Emmett for Front of House, Johnny Peisker for piping, the Boys in Blue (education facility attendants) for coordinating the setup, the Art Department for photography for the evening, the Hospitality Department for the food and beverages and the IT Department for powering the event. Thank you all for your  support in creating a wonderful evening for students to enjoy. 

Q and A with Razz Student Organiser Mikenzie Baldock

How were you and other students involved in organising the Razz?

 

Myself along with Dayna and a committee of students (listed below) helped to organise food, entertainment, ticket sales as well as to help decorate the gym and create goodie bags in preparation for the RAZZ.

• Ava Wainberg
• Smitakshi Sinha
• Gigi O’Rourke
• Chelce Bennell
• Adam Moore

Along with:

• Rory Donaghy
• Meg Bracken

 

How many people came to the Razz? 

I believe we sold upwards of 120 tickets.

 

What was the theme for this year's event? 

The theme we chose was “Nostalgia”. To represent the theme we organised party food, and party bags. Dayna organised a blow-up unicorn that a student named ‘Stacey’, to help celebrate the night.

 

What were the highlights for you and your friends on the night?

A highlight for me was being able to see everyone enjoying themselves, Adam and I presented a speech that was very enjoyable, and I loved being able to enjoy the night with my friends and teachers and just live in the moment.

 

Why is it important for Year 12s to have an opportunity to celebrate the end of school in a more formalised event like the Razz?

I believe it's important to celebrate the end of the year in this special way so everyone has the opportunity to have a zero-stress night where they can relax, enjoy their time together as a year group and say goodbye.  

Goodbye and good luck to our Year 12 Graduating Class of 2022. We wish you all the very best in your future endeavors.

Marking the end of formal lessons for our students we had a lovely breakfast on the northern lawn in the magnificent sunshine, with live music from our own staff member, Marcus, followed by our end-of-year assembly with Dayna at the helm.

We heard from some of our Year 12 students and their advice for Year 11 as well as celebrating our wonderful, vibrant student community making it through the year. Presentations were also made to our 'Olympic Change Makers', Adam and Nakita.The Port Sorell Lions Club presented $1000 to Don College as a result of Gigi O'Rourke's success in the Lions Youth of the Year contest.

The assembly was topped off with a stunning musical performance by Taso. All this comes before the serious business of exams starting next week.

Best of luck to all students, whether sitting exams and/or moving on to pastures new. We wish everyone the greatest success.

We are priveleged and thankful to have a beautiful environment to work and study in here at Don. Here is the acknowldgement of country Indigenous student Nakita Paul presented at our final school assembly: 

 

We gather at this special time to celebrate our learning journey together.

 

We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the traditional owners of this land and respect their culture and identity which has been bound up with land, sea, waterways and sky for generations.

 

We acknowledge and pay our respects to the palawa elders past and present.