“We value student voice. Schools listen to children and young people to plan action, and it guides Department planning and decision making.” (DECYP, Our Approach to Child and Student Wellbeing)

Student voice is essential at Don College as it fosters a sense of ownership, engagement, and empowerment. When students have a say in their education, and how they learn best, they feel valued, respected, and motivated to learn. This improves confidence, achievement, teacher/student relationships and creates a more positive school culture. Recent examples of student voice at Don College include our Community Services student participation in the Youth Network of Tasmania Tasmanian Youth Forum and the Student Teacher Feedback Survey.

The Don College Community Services students travelled to Launceston to provide their voice. They shared their views on how decision-makers should engage with, and listen to young people to help drive positive change. Members of Parliament, Youth Advocates and key decision makers were present to hear the voice of our youth. We are really proud of our students’ quality presentations and the manner in which they conducted themselves on the day.

In the Student Teacher Feedback Survey, students are invited to agree/disagree with statements about their perception of their teachers’ teaching strategies. Teachers use this feedback to review some of their teaching and act to better meet the expectations of students. Later this year, students will be able to complete the same survey and teachers will measure their performance against the focus indicators. This is just one strategy that our staff use to ensure they are delivering quality programs and responding to student voice.

Our students are about to participate in their Mid-Year assessments. Just the same as our teachers faced “assessment” by our students, Mid-Years are designed to identify focus areas for students, encourage reflection and plan next steps in learning. We wish all students a productive Mid-Year Assessment period.

By listening to students, schools can create environments that are inclusive and responsive to their needs. Students bring diverse perspectives, experiences, and ideas that can contribute to meaningful changes in curriculum, policies, and school activities. Encouraging student voice helps develop critical thinking, leadership, and communication skills, which are essential for success beyond the classroom.

Moreover, giving students the opportunity to express their thoughts and concerns helps address challenges such as bullying, mental health issues, and discrimination. When students feel heard, they are more likely to advocate for themselves and their peers, creating a safer and more supportive community.

Ultimately, student voice is about preparing young people to be active citizens who can shape the world around them. Schools that prioritize student voice build a culture of trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement, ensuring that education is meaningful and impactful for every learner.

We were proud to have Don College representatives across many ANZAC Day services in our community. Our students laid wreaths to commemorate the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought in WWI and to remember the sacrifice and the service of all Australian and New Zealand military personnel, past and present. 

This years Forth  ANZAC Day address was by Don College student, Jackson Doherty focussing on his recent trip to Borneo and the Sandakan Death March (WW2). This resulted in the deaths of 234 allied PoWs.

“Jackson handled with the reverence this history deserved and cleverly tying in the reasons why we stand at Cenotaphs today.” Cameron Bull, President, Forth Valley Lion's Club.

Other representatives included Edwin at Latrobe, Pippin at Ulverstone, Caite at Devonport and Cameron at Sheffield. 

Don College was lucky enough to have a vist from the Life Choices Program to help encourage wellbeing and positive decision making. This was run by Australian race car driver Andrew Fisher. 

The Australian Federal Police recently shared information about the Netflix crime drama ‘Adolescence’. The show deals with some uncomfortable themes, including the dark side of social media, the influence it can have on youth beliefs, behaviours and actions, and how teenagers experience and engage with the internet and the online world. It’s an important reminder to regularly talk to your children about their internet use and understand what they are seeing, doing and experiencing online, and how this could be influencing and affecting them.

It’s also vital to educate yourself. If you don’t know, or understand, what your children are doing online, ask them to show you and seek out more information. There are multiple resources available to educate adults and to help start these important conversations. Visit www.thinkuknow.org.au/resources-tab/parents-and-carers or www.accce.gov.au.

Together we can prepare, educate and help protect kids and ensure their safety online.

(Content initially published by the Australian Federal Police, 3 April 2025)

Many of our students have a Learner Driver Permit or Provisional Licence so it's important to understand how to stay safe on the road.

RACT's Now You're on the Road program is for Year 11/12 students who may have their provisional or P licence focusing on the importance of making safe choices on the road. Topics discussed in this presentation included licencing restrictions and responsibilities, distractions and its impact and how to build resilience on the road.

This session was organised by Karen Slade's Community Services class and was presented as part of Road Safety Week along with a display between the Northern and Southern Common Rooms. 

Larni Davies from Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania (TICT) visited students in the Cert II in Tourism. TICT is the peak body for Tasmania’s tourism industry.  

Larni started her career as a Travel consultant for Tourism Tasmania, became a tour guide in Canada, worked as a bushwalking guide with Tasmanian Expeditions/Cradle Mountain Huts/the Bay of Fires Walk, then teaching Adventure Tour Guiding at TasTAFE. Her days now are filled with video shoots for Tassie Ambassador Program (a free online course to expand knowledge of Tasmanian towns and experiences) and coordinating the annual Tasmanian Tourism Awards and Top Tourism Town Awards. 

Her key message to students was to step outside your comfort zone, as that’s where magic happens! 

Earier this term, students from this class did just that, visiting Quercus Park during Agfest, and seeing what the agricultural community of Tasmania had to offer.