Welcome to the First Year Blog!
BACK WITH A BANG
It has been lovely to see the First Years return to School with such enthusiasm for the next half term. Most First Years made the perilous journey into school with their cell models for Biology that they had been working on over the last few weeks, the Biology department was very impressed with the creative talents of the First Year.
Lucas ST reports on the first week back:
After a well-deserved rest after seven weeks of school, we are back at Hampton! The half term break was two weeks long which was very good as the pupils are now ready to learn more and do more activities. This term is also shorter than the last because I won’t lie, last half term was very long. This term also expectations will be much higher so pupils will need to be at the top of your behaviour!
TUTOR PROFILES WITH AADI K
The best way to learn is through asking questions.
Biology gives you a brain.
Life turns it into a mind.
Jeffrey Eugenides
This week I interviewed Miss Mimnagh. She is a Biology teacher and a 1H form teacher.
What inspired you to become a Biology teacher?
Well, I have always loved science and nature since I was a little girl. As I got older I thought it was the perfect job as I wanted to share my enthusiasm with others and I loved the idea of working with young people.
Can you describe the best Biology lesson you have delivered?
I can’t think of one off the top of my head but my favourite lessons have practical work in them, my Fifth Years dissected an eye today!
Which institute did you study at and what qualifications do you have?
Biomedical Science at the University of Birmingham.
What sort of morning routine do you have to get ready for class?
A cup of coffee.
Do jellyfish have a heart, true or false?
False, they don’t even have brains!
In which other teacher’s class would you enrol in and why?
I’d love to watch a lesson in Music, it’s such a different subject to Biology.
Which accomplishment fills you with pride this year?
Getting to grips with the online learning, eHampton, at such short notice last year.
If you could grow up in any decade, which would it be and why?
I’d love to be a teenager in the 1990s. Amazing music, good fashion – it sounds really fun!
What is your spirit animal?
I would say probably a sloth. They spend most of their lives sleeping.
Which superhero would you be and why?
I would be Wonder Woman because she’s tough, kind and caring.
MAGICAL MUSIC AND OUR NEW BOYS CONCERT
This week our First Year boys had the pleasure of listening to the Jazz Band and learnt a lot about a whole range of different instruments and what they are capable of! There are many ensembles that run for the First Year bubble and this was a great opportunity for boys to learn about the different activities available for them to get involved with music at Hampton. Here’s a quick reminder of everything on offer:
Singing
First Year Singing Bubble – Monday 10:15am
First Year Singing Bubble – Tuesday 8:15am
Instrumental
First Year Orchestra – Tuesday 12:35pm
First Year Rock Band – Friday 1:15pm
Piano Duet Group – Friday (but not every lunchtime because of year group bubbles – please speak to Mrs Esser if interested!)
Music Technology
EDM Club – Monday 12:35pm
Why don’t you give something new a try! Go on, have a go!
From the opportunities available at Hampton to showcasing the musical talent in the First Year. Yesterday evening saw the recording of the always popular New Boys’ Concert, here is a sneak peak of some of the performances.
We wanted to take the opportunity to congratulate the following pupils for their incredible performances:
Boris D, Ben B, Advait B, Brandon C, Jack H, Aaditya T, Prabodha A, Tom M, Thomas F, Oliver A, Ralf S, Ollie D, Fraser K, Harry N, Gabriel W, Omer O, Joshie H, Faris S, Leander KB, Fabio TP, Daniel O, Alex C, William M, Eric M, Alessio C, Daniel T, Alessandro C, Sooho J, Aditya K, Benjamin W, Pranavan P, Kieran S and Aditya K.
Bonfire Night
Tanmay B (1W) tells us all about the history of how the devious scheme to blow up the Houses of Parliament ultimately failed:
The Gunpowder Plot, schemed by Guy Fawkes in 1605, was a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament against King James I. The plan was uncovered by the authorities when an anonymous letter sent to William Parker, another person involved in the scheme, was intercepted. The authorities then found, in a search of the Houses of Parliament, 36 barrels of gunpowder guarded by none other than Guy Fawkes. He was promptly arrested and that night, 4 November 1605, became the Bonfire Night that we all celebrate with buttered potatoes, fireworks and (obviously) bonfires! I can hear some distant fireworks today, but it’s a shame we can’t go to see them outside like each other year due to lockdown. Whether at home or outside, I think we can say that the day that this plot was discovered is a day worth celebrating.
RACING RUBIK’S
Let’s find out more from Aditya K (1B):
My interest in solving a Rubik’s Cube started when I was 8 years old. When I joined Hampton I was delighted to find few of my friends in 1B with similar interests. So what started off as fun sessions at break time, soon became an idea for creating a Rubik’s Cube Club.
This is a new club for anyone in the First Year to join and learn how to solve a 2×2, 3×3, 4×4 and other types of cubes. This club is for all those who just want to have fun, to learn how to solve a cube, or to improve your techniques.
Being one of the organisers of the club, I came up with an idea to give the club a bit of a structure. There is the ‘Beginner’ section for those that have never tried it before and want to give it a go. Then the ‘Intermediate’ section for boys who know how to solve it and want to learn a new, or faster method, and then finally there is the ‘Advanced’ section for anyone who wants to learn techniques to solve a cube really quickly. Boys can also move across these sections if they are ready for the next level.
We are three boys from 1B who are managing the club and will always be there to guide you if you have any questions.
Rubik’s Cube Club is one of my favourite clubs and we will be running it every alternate week on Wednesday in Room 91 at the beginning of lunchtime.
Solving the Rubik’s cube is a good way to enhance hand-eye coordination, improve memory and logical thinking ability.
Please feel free to join in and if you have a cube, do bring it along. I am looking forward to seeing some new faces at the club!
Let’s take a look at our super speedy cubers Sebastian, Aditya and Alessio as they show off their cubing skills:
Ph-ascinating Physics
If you’re curious about all things Physics, come along to Junior Physics Club on Wednesday at 12:35pm in lab P1. This week our young scientists discovered all about the expansion of the universe.
PAUSE FOR THOUGHT
Kanishk M (1W) gets us thinking about AI this week:
When computers were human!!
Today we talk about AI, Robots and Super Computers that resemble humans in every shape and form forgetting that at one time computers were humans and not machines.
The space race had begun and America had fallen back. The Soviet’s had sent their first satellite one year ago and soon followed it up with a second. America, still waging the cold war, found itself on the back foot. However, the military came up with a rushed plan which involved mounting a satellite to a missile! And JLP (the predecessor of NASA) were given 90 days to execute it.
It was a race against time to get the design up and running. Back then, calculators were still nine years in the making, and the team had only one solution. “Computers”, that were human! These were people, almost entirely women, many of them black, who worked out the problems using complicated math algorithms. Many of them are now forgotten “heroines of their era”.
Without their dedication, the deadline is predicted to have been way too tight for JLP and may have ended America’s involvement in the space race entirely. Yet these women are still overshadowed by the German and American men: William Pickering, James Van Allen and Wehrner Von Braun. Those were the faces on the newspapers around the world, hiding the layers of dedicated work done by those miraculous women.
SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS!
We love to hear about what you have been getting up to outside of school. Please do send any information about any of your achievements through to Mrs Halford.
Congratulations to Adam M (1B) and his team Wycombe Wanderers FC Elite Development Academy for taking part in the in-house tournament. Here is Adam with the playoff trophy! We should say that Adam capped the half term off with a Man of the Match performance for Ascot United with 5 goals and 2 assists! Well done Adam!
TUTEE OF THE WEEK
Each week Mrs Peattie and Mr Hill select a Tutee of the Week from the nominations sent in by the First Year Form Tutors. This person is selected for their all-round contribution to Hampton life and for displaying a great attitude. Congratulations to this week’s winner of the award: Ameya M (1J) for his polite attitude and incredibly conscientious demeanour.
Hampton School Food Bank
The School ran food bank collections in support of Feltham Food Bank over the summer months, and these collections will begin again next week to support local families in need during these difficult and challenging times.
Feltham Food Bank has put out an appeal for particular products including UHT milk and tins of soup, tuna, meat such as mince and hotdogs, vegetables, baked beans, rice pudding and small packets of basmati rice and pasta. Toiletries such as shampoo, shower gel and toothpaste are also welcome. Anything you can do to help is very much appreciated.
Collection boxes will be available at various points around the school building. More information will be sent to Hamptonians next week.
Remembrance Assembly
The School will be holding a Remembrance Assembly on Thursday 12 November to remember the many members of our community who lost their lives during conflict. The live-streamed assembly will be made available to parents via a Microsoft Teams link and will be sent to all parents next week.
In advance of Armistice Day and the Remembrance Assembly, poppies will be available for pupils to buy in a Covid secure way. More information will be sent to pupils next week.
FIRST YEAR 5 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 and points for the Inter-Form Competition will be awarded to the form with the most entries every week.
- In what modern day country was Nikola Tesla born?
- What is Rosa Parks famous for?
- Which film won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Film in 2019?
- Pret a Manger is a popular sandwich chain in the UK, but what does the French name mean in English?
- Which American political party was formed in 1791?
Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here.
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 the back of your diaries!
We had a fantastic 27 entries for the five questions before half term, with 1J leading the field with an impressive eight entries! Well done to the following boys (make sure to add your merits in the back of your homework diaries):
1B: Will L, Boris D, Aditya K
1F: Charlie H, Max F, Jasper E
1H: Alessandro C, Prabodha A, Arun S
1J: Josh G, Akshat N, Nathaniel C, Ameya M, Stanley A, Caspar S, Ben B, Joshua R
1L: Jaipaal G, Matthew J, Agalyan S, Jude LS
1P: Alex P, Raif D, Elamaran R
1W: Tanmay B, Kanishk, Oliver A
And here are the answers to last week’s 5 questions:
- Saying the name of what dried fruit used to be used to encourage people to smile before a photo in the 1800s, before the phrase “cheese?” Prune
- What are the five colours of the Olympic rings? Blue, Yellow, Black, Green, Red
- Where is the US Masters golf tournament held? Augusta, Georgia
- Which British actor will play Batman in the upcoming reboot directed by Matt Reeves? Robert Pattinson
- What language is spoken in Brazil? Portuguese
