Welcome to the Third Year Blog!
The Third Year boys seem well into the swing of things as we reach the end of the second full week of term and it has been great to see many of them throwing themselves into life at Hampton, particularly in the glorious September sunshine that we have been blessed with this week. The boys have been taking in every inch of the 28-acre School site (only 45% of you guessed correctly last week – well done if you got it!) and making the most of the increasing numbers of co-curricular activities that are being offered each and every day.
The virtual live Assembly on Monday morning was a real thinker! Using an example based on the number infinity and some hotel rooms (I hope it was The Ritz – Ed), Mr Lori convinced the boys to think philosophically and not rely solely on Mathematics to provide proof of the world around them. Mr Talman then gave a stirring summary of the dramatic events of 2020 thus far, touching on climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent media coverage on the sad plight of refugees. The poem below provides real food for thought.
Refugees by Brian Bilston
They have no need of our help
So do not tell me
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
Should life have dealt a different hand
We need to see them for who they really are
Chancers and scroungers
Layabouts and loungers
With bombs up their sleeves
Cut-throats and thieves
They are not
Welcome here
We should make them
Go back to where they came from
They cannot
Share our food
Share our homes
Share our countries
Instead let us
Build a wall to keep them out
It is not okay to say
These are people just like us
A place should only belong to those who are born there
Do not be so stupid to think that
The world can be looked at another way
(now read from bottom to top)
In other news, I’ve delighted in finding out that so many of the Third Year boys like to get out and about on their bicycles. As a keen cyclist myself, I’m a firm believer in the merits of the simple push bike as a way to stay fit and active. As the Tour de France reaches its conclusion this weekend, I’d wholeheartedly encourage everyone to get out there and get those legs spinning!
If you have any photos of you out and about on your bike, send them through to j.neville@hamptonschool.org.uk and I’ll include them in next week’s blog!
Heads of Year Message
Although we would have preferred to be able to meet you all in person, we hope that parents found the information and videos that we published as part of our virtual Pastoral Forum helpful. Apologies to those parents who were affected by technical glitches or were not able to access the video call with your son’s Form Tutor on Monday evening. Please feel free to contact your son’s Form Tutor by email to arrange a conversation over the phone or on MS Teams if this affected you. Similarly, if there are any concerns you have at this stage of the term that you would like to raise with us, please do contact us both by email and we can arrange to speak as required.
To encourage the boys to think proactively about their own pastoral needs, one of the School’s counsellors visits each Form Group during an afternoon registration in the early weeks of term. This is a simple introduction to the counselling team and the service they offer in School. It also gives boys the opportunity to ask any questions they may have. These visits started this week and will continue next week as per the following schedule:
| 3A (8) | Tuesday 15 Sept |
| 3B (11A) | Wednesday 16 Sept |
| 3C (14A) | Thursday 17 Sept |
| 3D (3B) | Friday 18 Sept |
| 3E (84) | Monday 21 Sept |
| 3F (86) | Tuesday 22 Sept |
| 3G (28) | Wednesday 23 Sept |
| 3H (76) | Thursday 24 Sept |
| 3J (53) | Friday 25 Sept |
With new lunchtime arrangements in place (respecting year group “bubbles”) there has been scope to re-introduce more co-curricular activities and sports practises this week at lunchtimes. Many boys have taken advantage of this already. We would encourage all boys to make the most of the opportunities now available to them – we have all waited a long time to be able to enjoy sports and activities on site again! To ensure they are able to do this, boys should listen carefully to announcements from their Form Tutors, read information published in Form Rooms and on the digital noticeboards around School, and ask questions of their sports coaches or Form Tutors if they are uncertain.
A reminder that full School uniform (including blazer and tie) must be worn from Monday 21 September, with the exception of Thursdays when Third Year boys have Games afternoon and should attend School in their Hampton sports kit.
The boys have made a really positive start to this term and are continuing to impress us with their maturity in adapting to the requirements to keep the School site as Covid-secure as possible. Thanks to all boys and all parents for your cooperation in achieving this.
Have a lovely weekend.
Mr T Rigby & Miss V Smith
School Photos
Hopefully, some proofs of school photos should have arrived home via blazer post recently, along with an order form. There are some lovely smiles on show and I’m sure that family and friends will be delighted to receive a copy for their mantelpieces! Should you wish to order any photos, boys should return the order form to Reception by the due date.
Arts Award
Each year, Third Years are invited to submit applications to complete an Arts Award project and the boys enjoyed a virtual assembly regarding this on Thursday morning. The Arts Award is an additional qualification, equivalent to a GCSE/IGCSE, in something creative. Arts Award participants gain new knowledge, skills and creativity through completion of a project on something that they are passionate about. Art and Music scholars are particularly encouraged to apply, but the Arts Award is open to everyone.
More information about the Arts Award, including the application form, can be found here:
Music is back!
It never really went away but, nonetheless, it was uplifting to read the announcement below from Mr Roland, Director of Music, earlier this week!
We are pleased to announce that some of our ensembles and choirs will be starting again this week. Programmes are being adapted so that all ensembles are in year group bubbles and staff in the Music Department will be emailing pupils directly or through their Form Tutors over the next few weeks with more information. We are very much looking forward to making music together again!
Mrs Esser also had an announcement about Third Year Choir.
Third Year Choir starts on Wednesday – this is for any boy who has previously been in a choir at School, or who would like to get involved in singing at Hampton. We will be doing a wide range of repertoire, and it would be wonderful to see lots of you there. Please come along to the Music Hall on Wednesday at 12:35pm to find out more!
I can’t wait to hear the harmonic tones of strings, brass, wood, vocals and ivory emanating from the Garrick Building again each lunchtime!
Physics
There was plenty of activity in 3B’s Physics lesson this week, Daniel Wight tells us more:
On Wednesday afternoon, we carried out a practical experiment in physics. This involved getting a length of ticker tape and attaching it to a model car. Then we held the car at the top of a ramp with the ticker tape attached. The ticker tape was being fed through a ticker powered by the mains. The ticker was stamping a dot on the tape at 50 times per second. We then sent the car down the ramp and the ticker tape fed through the ticker and created a row of dots. We then cut the tape into strips of 10 dots and used them to find out the velocity of the car as it speeded up and reached its top speed.
Take a look at how it worked:
Chess Champion!
During late August, Rajat M (3E) travelled to compete in the French National Youth Chess Championships, representing his club Cannes-Echecs. Rajat won a fantastic Gold Medal for being the best player in the U14 age category, scoring 9.5 points out of 10. Remarkably, this is the fourth time in the last five years that Rajat has won the Gold Medal – quite an outstanding achievement! His team also went on to win the Championnat de France.
There was more to come though on his return to England as Rajat competed in the online UK Chess Challenge Tera Final, emerging victorious once again in the U14 category. Having been joint first for the last two years, Rajat took home all the spoils this year with an outstanding performance! Many congratulations, Rajat!
U14 Sports News
The U14A cricket team were unable to follow up their excellent win over RGS Guildford the week before, going down by nine wickets in the return fixture last weekend. Having started quickly, RGS couldn’t be stopped as they successfully chased down Hampton’s target of 113 in just 15 overs. Nonetheless, Hugo Knowles still managed to turn in an excellent batting performance with a strong 49. There were also notable contributions with the bat from Thomas Tabor and bowlers Sam Chapman and Asa Jennings. Come back fighting next week, boys!
The U14A and D Football teams are looking forward to their first fixture of the term against Bede’s this weekend and the J14 rowers have ventured out on the river for the first time! I don’t know about you, but it looks like they enjoyed it!
Find out more in next week’s blog when we see how they got on.
Volleyball and Basketball clubs resumed this week (more on this in next week’s blog) and it was superb to see so many Third Years enjoying the activities in the Sports Hall on Thursday lunchtime. Badminton and Table Tennis are back on Monday – don’t forget your trainers!
Have a great weekend!
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