Dear Parent/Guardian

Term one has seen the development of a vibrant and healthy culture at Don College. Our opt-in student leadership group has been instrumental in organising events encouraging positivity and a sense of community. The Colour Fun Run organised by the Community Services students and supported by Outdoor and Hospitality staff and students has been a highlight and provided an opportunity for us to let our hair down, break up the day and simply have fun.

The end of Term One marks almost the first third of the year, we are just one week short.  During the past ten weeks, I have witnessed staff and students working hard to achieve the best learning outcomes they can, and to extend themselves in new situations, both academically and socially. We all have different strengths and different domains where we might not feel so confident. However, stepping up to a challenge and working hard to overcome it achieves growth.

 I would like to thank all the parents and carers who took time out of their busy schedules to attend our Meet and Greet evening. It was excellent to see we had many families visit the college to engage in conversation with subject teachers. This shows that despite being towards the end of compulsory learning, students are continuing to receive support from their families in their learning journey.

As the weather turns cooler and our days become shorter, I encourage students to rest and recuperate over the break. Next term, attendance to every lesson is an essential part of preparations for major internal assessments, and Mid-Year Assessments which will take place June 19^th-26^th.  Every lesson counts. I congratulate the 49 students who achieved 100% attendance in Term one and the 320 students who had an attendance rate of 90% or better. We know that some absences are unavoidable, but we encourage all families to reach out for support or assistance should students experience barriers to being in class.

Wishing our students and our extended community a Happy Easter and school holiday break,

John Thompson.

Cert II in Tourism class enjoyed a cultural tour of Launceston. Places of interest included Cataract Gorge, QV Museum (Tasmanian animals), QV Art Gallery (Tasmanian Aboriginal exhibition and Michael McWilliams), and a quick shop in the CBD. We ate takeaways under a beautiful oak in City Park. 

Term 1 in Outdoor Ed kicked off with some team building and ‘get to know me’ games to build stronger relationships among the students. These games allowed everyone to come out of their shells and has allowed our students to work collaboratively in a comfortable supportive environment.  

This term we introduced some thrilling water activities that have helped our students connect with nature, challenge themselves and develop important life skills. We hit off term with some intro to surfing at Coles Beach, students were taught the basics of paddling, positioning and catching waves. It was amazing to watch everyone progress from first-time surfers to being able to catch and stand up on a wave.  

We continued on with an intro to kayaking at the Ulverstone Pool where we taught the students how to flip, paddle and get out of a rolled kayak as well as played some fun games to get them feeling more comfortable being in and around the water in kayaks. We also did an intro to snorkelling where we went through the basics of snorkelling and played some underwater hockey to get the feel of duck diving under the water with the snorkels while also adding a competitive edge and having some fun as crew. The students had a blast with our pool sessions and were keen to get outside and put what they had learnt into practice, so we ended up spending some lessons at Back Beach and The Bluff exploring around the rocks and seeing all the sea life!  

In week 4 Outdoor Leadership went on camp to Hollybank where they got to learn more about running a business in a high-risk environment and the protocol the business has to follow to ensure everyone’s safety. Along with being able to take part in the treetops course the class got to spend their second day mountain biking in Georgetown before making their way back to school.  

Come week 7, and our Outdoor Ed Term 1 camps began with one class heading over to the Forth Slalom course to do some white-water rescue activities and open water kayaking. This camp was a hit, and it was amazing to see everyone’s skills progress in a more exposed environment. We spent some time in the evening all cooking together on Trangias which the students had learnt how to use earlier in the term and had a campfire where we all got to hang out and get to know each other some more!  

Week 8 followed with two more classes going on camp, one to Stanley and the other back to the Forth Slalom course. Both these camps were also great fun and a nice trip away to get everyone to know each other better in a different environment. In Stanley we walked the Nut and camped at Black River, where we went for a swim and fish in the evening before dinner.  

In Week 9 we had our final camp for Term 1 where we made our way over to Narawntapu National Park. On this camp we walked up Archer’s Knob and back along Baker’s Beach and went for another swim and fish after setting up camp. All the students had a blast, and it was great to see them being able to put all their skills they had learnt during term into practice! To finish off term, we are holding a surf comp which will give all the Outdoor classes the opportunity to hang out together and spend the afternoon having some fun surfing!  

Neelam Grubb, teacher's assistant in the Outdoor Education department 

On the 21st of March both the Sport Science 3 and UTAS Sport Management classes ventured to the new UTAS campus at Inveresk. 

We were able to tour the new facilities including the heat chambers for exercise testing and body scan equipment. Don Students had the opportunity to talk to current UTAS students and ask questions about courses, accommodation and scholarships.  

In the new Exercise and Sport Science labs we were lucky to have two students test their Vo2max using the gold standard of tests, so we could compare the data for our assessment. 

Thank you to Justine, Dr Emma and her students at UTAS for allowing us this great opportunity. 

Congratulations to Don College student Kasia Taylor who has been selected to represent Tasmania at the Junior Australian Track and Field Championships in Perth, Western Australia in April.  She is competing in the Heptathlon which is seven events over two days. 

We wish Kasia all the best! 

Don College student Isaac Dove was selected to attend the 30th National Schools Constiutional Convention. Here is his report on the event: 

Representing Tasmania at the 30th National Schools Constitutional Convention in
Canberra was an incredible opportunity to engage with Australia’s democracy and explore its future. Selected as one of five students from the state, I joined 119 delegates nationwide to reimagine fiscal federalism, addressing the question: “Does the Constitution allow us to maintain national priorities while embracing new regional economic possibilities?”

Highlights of the convention included attending Question Time and the 2025 Budget
Speech at the House of Representatives, meeting The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP who delivered the Prime  Minister’s welcome reception, and attending an official dinner at the National Press Club. At Old Parliament House, I participated in insightful working groups, and esteemed speakers like Professor Kim Rubenstein and Professor Emerita Anne Twomey supplemented our understanding of Australia’s constitutional foundations.

Meeting and exchanging perspectives with influential figures like Senator Pauline
Hanson, Senator Penny Wong, and having the privilege of meeting the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Hon Samantha Mostyn AC, were remarkable moments.
The program combined insightful working groups and academic engagement with
valuable networking opportunities, allowing me to establish lasting connections with students from all corners of Australia. This experience not only enhanced my appreciation for the Constitution but also inspired me to think boldly about the future of Australia’s governance and federal structure.

The Don College chess team won another regional interschool tournament, qualifying us for State Finals for a second year in a row. However, this is only because of the incredible performance and work that the players have put in to reach this level. After seven rounds of play, our team was on 25 pts, 5.5 points ahead of the next team (that's by quite a bit). Most notably, one of our players, Jordan Burton, won 'Most Improved' player, as his ranking increased the most out of everyone that played, which he absolutely deserved as his chess skill has skyrocketed. Anna Holtum was also 'Best Female', which is also very impressive, as she won lots of games to earn that. The team was very pleased with their level of play, and everybody that played today are excited to potentially win another tournament next term, qualifying more players for the State Finals, such a great start for the team this year.

From student and Chess Club member, Thomas Hartwell.