I am amazed with the talents and diversity of skills as I move around our college. In the past week alone, I have witnessed professional standard musical acts, the ancient craft of woodturning, skilled welding, English compositions, creativity in visual arts and ridiculous chemical equations being solved.

At our Trivia Night on Thursday 30^th of June, Student Leaders, Jaikira and Summer, planned and organised the pinnacle of trivia events. They have set a new standard!  Themed on colours, traditional trivia questions were punctuated with multiple challenges with moments of serious competition and loads of laughter. Jaikira, Summer, Elliott and Jada-Li were entertaining MCs and brought their individual style, tightly integrated with technology, to run a slick event. Thank you to our student leaders and community supporters. Thank you also to our hospitality students Mikey Hobson, Amber Bonney and Charlotte Grey, who provided a wonderful and nutritious spread.

At the halfway mark of the second term, we are now approaching the middle of the college academic year.  Week 7 of this term is the midpoint. So now is the time for students to act, be present in all lessons, and engage in all learning tasks. Effort now will be rewarded later in the year. Attendance is a key element to success.

Reports have been sent home and we urge all students to reflect on the comments and ensure they engage with the recommended actions. Small changes in response to the informed feedback will ensure growth.

Our Mid-Year Assessment Period is just around the corner, and many students will feel nervous. This is natural. But remember, these assessments are a chance to showcase what you have learnt and inform us of the next steps in your pathway to success. Assessments are not just about scores. Assessments are about measuring where you are at now and identifying strengths and areas for improvement. They are not a measure of your worth. Good luck to all!

At Don College, reconciliation and acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land is an important part of our school culture. As part of National Reconciliation Week, students were able to pledge their support for reconciliation by tracing their hand on the concrete near the northern lawns, coming together to acknowledge the importance of recognising and celebrating First Nations cultures in our own community. 

Community Services student, Eden handed out acknowledgment of country on Wednesday as part of the events that took place for students to show their support. 

"It’s important for people to understand that this land was Aboriginal land and acknowledgement of country shows the history of where we go to school and the importance of place. It shows just how special it is, we are fortunate to spend our days in this environment."

Thank you to our Community Services classes and the student leadership group who organised, set up the events and ran activites including colouring in, volleyball and live music. 

__________________

National Reconciliation Week—held every year from 27 May to 3 June—is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explorehow each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

What’s the significance of 27 May and 3 June? 

27 May marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum when Australians voted to remove clauses in the Australian Constitution that discriminated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

3 June marks the historic 1992 Mabo decision in which the High Court of Australiarecognised native title—the recognition that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights over their lands did survive British colonisation.

The day before National Reconciliation Week, 26 May, is National Sorry Day, which was first held in Sydney in 1998 and is now commemorated nationally to remember and honour the Stolen Generations.

Don College student Spencer Connelly has made it to the big screen working alongside Chris Hemsworth in the new blockbuster, Furiosa, the latest in the Mad Max saga. The film was released last week and Spencer attended movie premieres for the event, rubbing shoulders with stars, celebrating the film's opening. 

Congratulations on achieving your dream of working in film, Spencer. Well done! 

You can read more here: 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-22/spencer-connelly-cast-in-mad-max-furiosa-saga-speaking-role/103860698?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0vMhq5SGgtMQNOAj5dv-yykMOTiVrJd-5qSZQWbzAtInQ0ILvXINu2A7g_aem_AX68_lqpTZFicWVUDA2X-mTrRrrWCEFJYHjc4H4GOLoWfLSxK-WaaFjfW0JvwR1hSiWltBko3ONkut5fVbi0yJPK

The Don College leadership group hosted a trivia night this term. Student leader, Summer Rayner wrote the following reflection: 

On the 30th of May, Jaikira and I organised our annual Trivia Night at Don College. The theme for this year was “Colour Wars”, which involved seven genres themed around each colour of the rainbow. We had great fun seeing each team rock up in their allocated colours! A stand-out individual was Thomas Cotterell who went all out for the best-dressed prize. We also had two runners-up for the best-dressed prize, Shauna Mason, and Amy Best, who also went over the top with their purple outfits. Throughout the night the scores remained close, the quick-fire round and mini activities like “decorate Shrek” and “match the tweet to the celebrity” gave the final edge to the Pink team, who took out the ultimate prize of a hamper put together by our event sponsors. The Trivia Night raised funds for the Year 12 Ball, a farewell event for the departing Year 12 students, which will occurr in late Term Three.

We were both very pleased with the turnout of the trivia and would like to thank fellow leaders, Elliot, and Jada-li, for their great assistance in helping run the event.

We would also like to thank our sponsors, Rocky Gardens Café, C&J Leach Trucks, and Sanctuary Corner Café.

A big thank you to everyone who turned up and made the night memorable. We hope to see next year’s leaders carry on with this amazing event.

-Summer Rayner

As part of the TIS (Tertiary Information Service) we were very fortunate to host an expo with a number of universities from the mainland along with UTAS. There were representatives from the University of Melbourne, University of Tasmania, Monash, Deakin, La Trobe, Swinburne University of Technology, ANU, Bond University (QLD), VTAC & UAC. Helping students to make informed choices!