Welcome to the First Year Blog!

A busy final week for this half term as our First Years wrap up their first successful e-Hampton half term. Form Tutors have been discussing the format of the end of year assessments and we want to stress that the First Years should have some down time to rest and recuperate during the half term break. A maximum of three hours focused revision a day should be more than enough for them to cover their subjects. Remember to do something active to help you revise, make some flashcards or mind maps, teach someone else your chosen language or even Latin or draw some pictures! We wish you a restful week and look forward to catching up with you all in June!

Thank you Hamptonians

The Year Group teams say thank you and well done to all Hamptonians for how they have coped with e-learning in lockdown. Well done First Years!

DOING GOOD DOES YOU GOOD

This week is Mental Health Awareness week and our First Years, along with the rest of the country, have been focusing on Kindness. Our current situation is perfect for doing small acts of kindness that can make somebody’s day. We asked our First Years for some ideas, things they have done recently or things they think they could do easily. Here are some of their ideas:

Hold the door open for someone at home.

Offer to make someone a cup of tea.

Making my mum breakfast in bed!

Helping to put the washing away.

We had a video call for my cousin’s graduation and I sang for him.

We challenge you to complete as many small acts of kindness as you can over half term, take photographs and send them through to Mrs Halford: v.halford@hamptonschool.org.uk

GREAT GEOGRAPHY

Our First Years have been completing mini projects in Geography on extreme weather, well done in particular to Elliot C, Harry S, Rajvir D and Alasdair M from 1H and Arun B, Viren A and Yuchen Y from 1L. Look out for Harry reporting live from the middle of a “sprinkler rainstorm” at home!

 

HALLOWED HISTORY

All the students have been busy working on their castle projects for History this half term, well done all of you, we have seen some wonderful buildings! It would be great to see what you have been working on! Send photographs of your castle projects through to Mrs Halford! Check out Raphael’s Stone Keep Castle here:

EXCELLENT ENGLISH

This week Mrs Booker has been very impressed with the descriptive pieces that 1B have written for English, well done on all your hard work! Here we have an excerpt written by Prathosh:

A luminous bright glow chased away the dark atmosphere as golden liquid broke free from the grasp of the horizon. A pool of crimson light burst through the sky. Silver silk swam across a vast azure ocean. A burning sphere of fire, sat in the middle of the elegant sky and shot beaming rays of blazing light onto the gentle surface of the earth, producing the powerful summer heat that we all hate and enjoy simultaneously.

The bright sun exploded with a blazing hot atmosphere which clouded me as I gazed at the vast street of London that was in front of me.  I looked around to see a throng of people crowding the streets and shops.  As I strolled around, gazing at every shop, restaurant and house in my way, it was as if I was concealing myself in all their glory. Brightly coloured shops covered the street. I saw clothes stores displaying fancy suits and dresses at the front, candy stores covered in vibrance to attract kids, bookshops with thousands of intriguing books waiting to be bought and read.  A magnificent café emitted a delicious smell which entered my body and enclosed itself over my mind. The irresistible taste forced me forwards and into the coffee house. The place was fully occupied with an unbelievable amount of people, and an enormous queue. However, the smell was so desirable and delicious that I couldn’t turn back. After receiving my drink, I took a sip of it, and as the liquid spilled down, my body was filled with delight and pleasure.  Its alluring smell and wonderful taste created a divine coffee.  Afterwards I spent hours roaming the streets and finding amazing shops, which I had never seen before.

Later, as the heat of the day dialled down a bit, the darkness of night slowly came – a canopy covering the landscape. I saw a mouse slowly scuttle against the floor, as the once crowded streets transformed into empty benches and closed stores. I sat on a bench thinking about all the joy I had had today.  The murky depths of the night began to conceal the sky, as a tissue floated across the breezy wind and landed on a tile next to me. The light of the sun behind the moon slowly faded darker as more and more shop owners were closing. I looked back on everything I had seen.

FORM CHALLENGES

This week’s challenge, set by our First Year Tutor Team was to test the boys’ dexterity and make the most difficult origami animal they could. The winners are announced below:

1B – Harresh J

1L – Charlie C

1P – Zaid A

1W – Leo L

Have a look at what they’ve produced here:

FIRST YEAR TUTOR TEAM WORK STATION TIPS

Mr Fox has set up his own remote workstation nearby his piano and close to where his cat likes to nap in the sun!

Here are his top three tips for a successful working from home routine:

  1. A full day of guided-home learning can mean lots of screen time, but there is often five minutes here and there. I use these moments to get up from my desk and practice the piano or bassoon in really short, meaningful bursts. This ‘short but often’ technique is brilliant for developing any skill, not just musical – try it out!
  2. Although you’re spending most of your day sitting down, don’t forget to drink water. I always have my reusable plastic bottle close to hand and make sure to re-fill it every time I get up from my workstation.
  3. Make sure that the hour or so before bedtime is completely screen-free. I’m currently working my way through a book of crossword puzzles before bed. It’s slow work though, as I’m not very good (yet).

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

1W have sent in some questions to ask Mr Fox this week:

  • What has been your favourite part about lockdown?

A really positive thing that I have noticed is the marked improvement in the air quality where I live. It’s made going for after-school walks really pleasurable. I might even resurrect my bicycle soon…

  • Did you always want to be a teacher, or did you want to be something else at our age?

At your age I don’t think I had that remotely figured out! At school, I really threw myself into all of the musical co-curricular activities that were on offer and just played cricket in the summer months. Career planning happened right at the end of University!

  • If you didn’t become a music teacher what would you have liked to do as a job?

Well, before becoming a music teacher I really enjoyed my short career as a management consultant at IBM. It was fascinating to learn about the inner workings of some of the largest companies in the world, and many of the skills I picked up there have proven to be very useful as a teacher. I was also paid to travel to some fabulous places for work. Mexico was a particular highlight – amazing food!

  • Do you have any favourite songs? If so, which ones?

Haha. That’s a little like asking someone who loves ice-cream what is their favourite flavour! It depends a lot on my mood, but my favourite band of all time has to be Jamiroquai. Everything on their first album Emergency on Planet Earth is brilliant. Despite being 27 years old, it sounds like it was recorded yesterday.

  • What is your favourite part about music?

Absolutely everything!

DID YOU KNOW…?

On 6 May a stork chick hatched in the wild in the UK for the first time in 600 years! The parents were two of 250 birds that have been released in Sussex as part of a special conservation programme called the White Stork Project, and this is the first pair to successfully hatch a chick. White Storks were hunted almost to extinction in the middle ages and much of their watery habitat was lost to farming so it is great to see them making a comeback under our careful supervision.

FIRST YEAR FIVE QUESTIONS

A few questions for you to have a go at yourself or challenge people at home if they know the answer. Merits are awarded for everyone who has a go! Just click on the link below and enter your answers.

  1. Who is the author of the famous book 1984?
  2. Where in the world does Tzatziki originate?
  3. Which famous Battle took place in 1066?
  4. In which sport would you score points by performing an “Ollie”?
  5. In what city can you find the Mona Lisa?

Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here

Well done to Yuchen Y, Viren A, Max C, Adi S and Oliver D for their answers last week, almost all correct! Remember to write your name in the form so you can be credited with merits! Merits will be added to our remote merit log and if you have space add a merit in your old diaries!

ANSWERS FROM LAST WEEK:

  1. What is the longest river in the UK? Severn
  2. What is the second closest start to Earth? Proxima Centauri
  3. Name 3 of the Guardians of the Galaxy? Rocket, Groot, Starlord, Drax, Mantis, Gamora
  4. Which is the Cornish way to have a scone? Cream first or jam first? – Cream first!
  5. Which chart topping artist has released albums titled 19, 21 and 25? Adele

Have a great half term holiday!

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