Welcome to the First Year Blog!
It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a week since the First Years arrived for their first day as Hamptonians! The boys have settled in brilliantly, and have been enjoying lessons, including new subjects for many of the boys. There is still the odd group of rather lost-looking First Years trying to find the right room for their next lesson, but hopefully a little more time and teamwork will iron out those missed turns! Following on from last Friday’s Co-curricular Fair, the First Years have thrown themselves into the lunchtime co-curricular programme with enthusiasm, and it has been lovely to see them coming back from lunch buzzing about the new clubs they have tried.
Next week is a particularly exciting one for the First Year boys, with the overnight trip to Avon Tyrrell. This will provide a fantastic opportunity for the boys to get to know each other in a less formal setting, and have lots of fun in the New Forest. We hope you enjoy it!
WEEKLY REMINDERS
1L, 1P and 1W are heading out on Avon Tyrrell first, with 1B, 1F, 1H and 1J on Wednesday. Please refer to the kit list attached to the letter sent out last week; the boys will need two changes of clothes and a change of shoes as they may get a bit damp after rafting!
THE FIRST WEEK AT HAMPTON – A FIRST YEAR’S VIEW
Alexander S (1H) gives us a flavour of the First Years’ first days at Hampton!
On my first day I felt nervous but excited as I was starting a new school and a new life. I first felt like I was in primary school. The teachers were very kind and helpful. My mentors were supervising me through the first week. When the whole school came in, the corridors were full of students and bustling noises.
Every morning and afternoon the school bus picks you up from the allocated place. The bus is very comfortable and clean. It stops at bus stops in the places where people live. The stops that have a lot of people have a double-decker bus. The bus takes you to Hampton and takes you from Hampton or some buses from Lady Eleanor Holles (LEH).
The school buses run on a certain schedule every day. There are usually up to seven stops. The bus waits five minutes at every stop and when you leave school in the afternoon then the bus waits 15 minutes for you. Bus drivers are very polite and can help you or arrange anything for you. They drive very well at the right speed and at the right time. All the drivers know their job and know how important kids are.
The lunch was very appetizing. My year’s queue was big but when I got to the second week then everyone was doing clubs and the line was very short. There is plenty of food for everyone and I sometimes don’t even eat everything as I am full.
The club fair had lots of examples showing you what you would expect of the club’s entertainment. I signed up for Rock Climbing, Model United Nations and Theatre Tech Club. All the teachers taking the clubs are trying to help you as much as possible. Now I am in the second week, and I am already enjoying myself at Hampton.
The sport at Hampton is great fun and gets you running around. After a week, I have already played football twice and had a PE session. I come to school in my sports kit on Friday as I have games in the afternoon. I have football training every Wednesday lunchtime to get me and my mates ready for our first football matches and get us outside in the fresh air.
The sports coaches are very funny and friendly. They learnt my name very fast and picked me in the right team. They support you in everything you try. There are two options for the sports, the coaches said that if you want to be in the not competitive part and just have fun then you can play matches between each other and not participate in the matches.
The pitches and the fields are high quality as the Hampton’s grounds men worked very hard over the holidays to get them ready. There is a 3G pitch and a grass field for rugby players. Hampton does well to fit everyone onto the big field and the coaches arranging all of us into fair teams in an even number.
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 Ziegler (h.ziegler@hamptonschool.org.uk).
Biology Club
Co-Curricular clubs at Hampton are well and truly underway! In Biology Club this week, our First Years met Max the corn snake, as well as a hissing cockroach and a giant African snail!
The full list of clubs on offer can be found in the booklet below:
Why not have a go and try something new!
FIRST YEAR 5 QUESTIONS
We had an impressive 43 entries for our very first 5 Questions of the year, 1L are our weekly champions with 11 submissions! Well done to everyone who entered the very first First Year 5 Questions of the year!
1P: Ozan B, Nileeth G, Luke F, Jamie R, Rufus L, Jasper M
1F: Ivan S, Ben W, Ollie N, Alfie K, Ishaan A, Siddharth S, Manraj G, Kota D
1J: Ashton C, Nihal B, Xavier M, Zachary A, Jake O, Rufus L
1B: Krishang T, Ethan G, Alex M
1W: Amar G, James P, Oliver S, Lorenzo I, Freddie T
1L: Kai W, Dominic N, Haadi H, Zaki C, Max D, Olly P, Jayden C, Umair M, Oscar M-C, Josh G, Jack M
1H: Alex S, Oliver K, Huw P, Ben P
Take a look at this week’s questions – have a go yourself or challenge people at home and see if they know the answer. Merits are awarded for everyone who has a go! Just click on the link below and enter your answers; points for the Inter-Form Competition will be awarded to the form with the most entries every week.
- With what sport would you associate Sachin Tendulkar?
- What is seven cubed?
- What is the highest-grossing Marvel movie without the word ‘Avengers’ in the title?
- Which southern Italian city is usually credited as the birthplace of the pizza?
- Roughly how long does it take for the sun’s light to reach Earth – 8 minutes, 8 hours or 8 days?
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!
Take a look at next week’s blog to find out the answers and which Form is crowned our weekly champion.
And here are the answers to last week’s 5 questions:
- What is the capital city of Switzerland? Bern
- How many of Henry VIII’s wives were called Catherine? 3
- At which venue is the F1 British Grand Prix held? Silverstone
- Pedro Pascal stars as the lead character in which original Disney+ series? The Mandalorian
- Where is the smallest bone in the human body located? Ear
