Welcome to the First Year Blog!
The first half term of the year has flown by, and what an incredible half term it has been! We have finished the half term on a high with two fantastic trips to the South Downs and to Windsor Castle. I do hope the First Years are now looking forward to two weeks off to relax (and hopefully get plenty of sleep!) and to have some more time to spend with their families. Well done on completing your first half term as a Hamptonian – I hope you’re already looking forward to coming back to School on Halloween…
HISTORY IN WINDSOR
Monday saw the first day trip of the year, with half the First Years setting off to Windsor Castle on a History trip. Let’s find out what they got up to:
It all started with a 40 minute coach journey to Windsor, we were allowed to bring games for the journey which would keep us entertained, hopefully, until the end. After the long journey we were fully energised after an hour of sitting, when we got off, we entered a new world, the busy streets of Windsor! Firstly, we were led to a learning centre and experienced an exciting and informative talk on all the weapons used in 1066: The Battle of Hastings (our history subject). We talked about Knights, armour and all the weapons used. This left us marvelling at the information and excited for what was to come. We had an early lunch, which consisted of a sandwich and some crisps before heading up to the main attraction, Windsor Castle! We approached the castle with some nervous trepidation. We were about to enter the Queen’s home! Inside were some sites to marvel at, all the paintings were worth millions! King Harold VI’s armour was there as well as ancient knights shields and weapons. We witnessed one of the greatest castles in England and left with heads full of knowledge and hearts full of joy. By Siddhant S (1J)
It was an experience that was like no other. First, we learnt about how you would become a knight, it was not easy. You started off as a page when you were seven. It was hard labour as you would have to do chores for your lord but also study. They would also learn how to fight with a wooden sword and many other weapons. Then you became a squire at the age of 14. You still had to study and do labour, but you were more respected. One of your main jobs would be preparing your lord if they were going jousting and if they fell off the horse you would have to run to get them, so they did not die. They would also learn how to fight with a REAL sword. People stayed at this level. However, if you wanted at the age of 21 you would become a knight. You would stay praying to the real sword all night no matter if your knees hurt. You would wait for your lord to come. We also learnt some of the armours used. The armours which were used were: chainmail, plate and leather. It was LUNCH TIME! We quickly munched on our scrumptious school lunches and ran ecstatically to get to the next task. It was time to go to look at some art. There were so many paintings! It was amazing; their portraits of the kings and queens of the past. There were many deadly weapons. There were guns, spears and all sorts. A royal bed was shown and there was even a room with hundreds of shields on the ceiling it was mind blowing. In glass cases we saw pieces of gold. Like gold plates and cups. Then we filled a sheet of facts that we learnt over the day. What a spectacular trip! By Jai K (1J) and Ishaaq A (1J)
Our history trip on Friday was full of fun. After a coach ride to Windsor, when we arrived, we had an induction on Windsor Castle. We had lots of demonstrations and we even got to wear some chainmail and plated armour. We also learnt about squires and pages. We had lots of fun and then had lunch. After lunch, we went to St George’s Chapel. It was beautiful and we passed by the grave of Queen Elizabeth II. Once leaving the chapel, we had a look around the castle. There were many paintings, beautiful chandeliers and it was a fantastic experience. By Alex A (1L)
On Monday, our history trip to Windsor Castle was fantastic. The coach was fun, as we had a wonderful time, playing games and chatting away. We were slightly late but nonetheless a great day ‘twas as we kicked things off with a wonderful demonstration of life in the Middle Ages. We learned about knights, who started training at age 7, and how to become one through pages (they were basically high-ranked servants) and squires (they commanded pages), about the Knights of the Garter whose shields are on the ceiling of St George’s corridor, about armour through time, such as mail armour, made of chains, and plate armour, made of solid metal, about the royal standard and union flag (Union Jack). The teacher was extremely nice, and I thank the teaching staff at Windsor Castle for their efforts. Lunch was a sandwich and a flapjack, and they put a presentation of photos of the castle in all its beauty, showing its history as a wood castle as a protector of the Tower of London, built by William of Normandy better known as William the Conqueror, after the Battle of Hastings, and later got converted to stone, on hill for high ground.
After lunch, we went and opened our eyes to see lots of modern weapons such as muskets, rifles, snipers and more. We set off into St George’s Chapel and we saw the many shields of the Knights of the Garter, both present and past. Some were blank to dishonour those knights who abused their chivalry. Afterwards we went on a self-guided tour around the public area of the grandiose castle. Firstly, we visited the archives of King Henry VIII, and saw his armour and possessions (mostly covered in gold!) Later we saw paintings of medieval monarchs from around when the castle was built in stone. Throughout the course a multitude of furniture and lovely portraits and paintings framed in gold was placed around the rooms. Finally, we entered an ornate room and went down the stairs (they had a medieval axe on top of our heads) to enter the shop. Our tour had sadly come to an end as we left the castle in happiness. We finished off our booklets containing questions about the Middle Ages and chilled out for the rest of the day before getting on the coach back to Hampton. We have had a wonderful time, and this will be forever in our hearts as a wonderful memory. By Shishir V and Danyal P (1J)
Today was the day of our very first history school trip. We began by collecting our lunch and then travelling on the coach. After the journey, we finally arrived at Windsor Castle where we were greeted by the huge, majestic building. Firstly, we entered a room where we were given a description what it was like to be a knight followed by some impressive (but safe) weaponry and armour including what it felt like to wear them. After that, we headed off to have a brisk lunch and start reading and writing in our informative booklets about the amazing place. Inside, was the display of many famous paintings with most even hundreds of years old! Then we ventured off into a beautiful place called the “St George’s Hall” where there were many shields to celebrate “the Order of the Garter” which was a superior recognition of someone’s chivalry. There were many displays showing small parts of a monarch’s life towards the end before making an exit. This was a historic day in my time being a Hampton; the trip was exhilarating and hope to enjoy more like this in the future. By Louis C (1J)
GEOGRA-FUN IN THE SOUTH DOWNS!
While half the First Years were in Windsor, the other forms enjoyed a Geography trip to the South Downs. Gabriel K-S (1B) and Vihaan K (1P) report:
The Geography trip started out like any normal trip. We registered, check whether we had the right kit, get a packed lunch and then got onto the coaches. The coach journey was a long one of one and a half hours! While on the journey, we got some booklets and filled out the first page which was questions like what motorway are we on etc. After the coach ride, I got out of the coach and was surprised by how pleasant the air was! We then went straight into a walk which began with a steep uphill bit which was made slightly enjoyable by the fact that two horses were following us, they were very cute! After we got up the hill you could see the countryside miles! We then stopped and filled out some questions in our booklets before going alongside the hill side. After a while we went onto the South Downs Way which is a 100-mile walking path! After 5 minutes of walking alongside the path there was a youth hostel which had a sign showing what percentage of the South Downs way we were doing. It was basically the length of two fingers! We then walked to a barn where we stopped to do some map skills, we’ve been learning about grid references, so we did some of those. After that we walked for around 30 minutes before stopping for our packed lunches which were surprisingly scrumptious! We then kept walking for a bit before talking about how this land used to be used for quarrying. While our teacher was explaining a geography topic we saw some handgliders! After that we continued onto our final point Devil’s Dyke. There we learnt about how people used to believe it was created by the devil trying to flood the area however he made a deal and lost it so the area, thankfully, wasn’t flooded. After that we continued on before going to the coaches back to school. By Gabriel K-S (1B)
On Monday, we went to South Downs, which is one of the many national parks in the UK. It stretches 260 miles across the south coast. After the long ride we arrived in front of a massive hill. We climbed it and started a long walk. It was a beautiful view, and we saw many other mountains, and massive buildings, that looked tiny from 200 meters up in the air. It was cold and windy but at times it felt nice when the rays of sun filtered through the clouds and warmed us up for a short period of time. We had to fill out workbooks and walked around with maps, that helped us build on our geography knowledge. We learnt about why people built villages like the Fulking Village in front of a cliff. Although the wind was still coming in their direction, they had advantages in front of the village you could do agriculture and behind you could do agriculture, and behind you could mine, but still having access to Industry in Brighton. We also learnt about how most of the South Downs is Natural Chalk and Greensand; not rocks. Soon after, Lunch was eaten in a trench, which was a pretty unique experience and helped us take cover from wind. We saw a couple of people hand gliding over us which was at least 300 meters above sea level! After we finished watching them and eating our lunch, we walked into the Devil’s Dyke, which looked amazing. It was like a valley and was very deep. The other groups look tiny when they were down. It was steep! We learnt about a myth where a Devil was trying to destroy everything by dawn but was tricked by a lamp. It was a very interesting story that we all found enjoyable. After finishing the Devil’s Dyke, we hopped onto the coaches and said goodbye to the South Downs. Something I like about Geography at Hampton is that we learn a lot but not all with pen and paper. By Vihaan K (1P)
CLUBS, CLUBS, CLUBS!
Clubs continue to form an important part of everyone’s week, here’s some more highlights from this week’s co-curricular programme:
Philosophy Club: Philosophy Club takes place on Wednesday in the Quiet Room at 1:15pm where we talk about all things philosophy – very surprising I know. In Philosophy Club we have a rotation of one week of philosophy and one week of philosophy games. When we have a philosophy week we discuss what is right, what should you do, stuff like that. For example, this week we were stuck on a desert island with five people, what should you do? After that, another question was someone on the desert island is really good at fishing however hates doing it. Should you force them to do fishing? On game weeks we play games like word association where the teacher gives you a word and you have to say an associated word then the next person has to say a word associated with yours so you can have it where the words completely change meaning. By Gabriel K-S (1B)
Geography Club: Geography Club has been very fun and interesting. I have learnt plenty of new facts about the world – from different countries to map skills. In this club, you complete a Geography Quiz about different landmarks, time zones and capital cities. You can learn and discover many shocking or even unbelievable information, such as there are nine time zones in Antarctica. It is amazing fun. Do come along to join us in G67 at 12:35pm every Wednesday lunchtime after the half term! By Oliver Y (1P)
Lego Architecture: I thoroughly enjoy Lego Architecture Club. This Tuesday lunchtime activity is full of fun with the famous toy called Lego. Our task is to build a bridge, but not just any bridge, as it must be able to support the weight of a car! The design process is a bit complex, but the help of your teammates makes it easier. In groups of three or four, you have several weeks to make your design, but the only question is, will it make it past the ultimate challenge? Come along on Tuesdays in F58 at 12:35pm. By Alex A (1L)
Lego Robotics Club: It was great to see so many of you at this week’s Lego Robotics Club but did any of those robots go???
Sports Reports
The U12F football team played their first match at the weekend – it was clearly an incredibly tense and exciting game, as Alex, Jai and Ishaaq report below. Well done on your first game in Hampton black and yellow!
Our first match was a BLAST! We were so ecstatic that we were both selected to play for the F team. We saw our opponents, Sutton Grammar, striding towards the pitch. We were playing their D team. They triumphantly scored their first goal; we sadly drooped our faces, but we did not give up yet. We soon scored just before the end of the first half. They scored right after the start of the second half. A brilliant player of ours soon scored a long goal. We all celebrated in triumph as it meant the score was level. They showed their full strength and scored a stunning goal working together as a team. With only 5 minutes left, we all pushed and passed to our left wing who shot, got it past the keeper but…… A player dived for fun to save the ball. The ball was going in. Sadly, his coach sent him off. We got a PENALTY. This was our chance. The decisive moment. We shot, WE SCORED! The game was finished, it was 3-3. By Jai K (1J) and Ishaaq A (1J)
After afternoon registration, our whole team was ready and hyped. Why? It was the first match of the season for us, and we would be playing on home turf. As the U12F footballers jogged onto the pitch and faced the opponents before them, a bit of anxiety and excitement rippled throughout the crowd. Kick-off was at 2.15pm. Sutton Court Grammar School took the kick-off. After a bit of passing and dribbling, we were 1-0 down. The minutes after that, we were dominating the match and getting shot after shot after shot. Moments later, an equaliser was scored. We lowered our guard and they come in with a goal. Next thing it was half time. The coach got us huddled together for a team talk and excited us for the second half. We kicked off the second half. We contested for another 10 minutes, and we scored another equaliser. Some more subs were made, and we started the last 15 minutes of match play. A bit more… They scored again and we felt we must accept a loss. After trying so hard, all hope seemed to be lost. Then, a foul was given in the penalty area. A penalty awarded to our team! The ball shot into the back of the net and the full-time whistle was blown. Final score 3-3. By Alex A (1L)
SPECIAL SHOUT-OUTS!
We love to hear about what you have been getting up to outside of school and to celebrate your successes in the First Year Blog! Please do send any information about any of your achievements through to Mr Fuldner (d.fuldner@hamptonschool.org.uk).
FIRST YEAR 5 QUESTIONS
A whopping 53 First Year Hamptonians had a go at last week’s quiz, well done to everyone who had a go! It was a tie for the crown of weekly champion, with Form 1P and 1J sharing the honours with an impressive 10 entries each. Merits go to:
1P: Oscar F-O, Lev S, Ollie B, Digby J, Lucas B, Alp O, Oliver Y, Zac R, Lucas T, Josh W
1J: Louis C, Finn R, Henry S, Josh B, Danyal P, Joshua A, Rohan K, Shishir V, David W, Ollie S
1L: Konrad G, Alexandre A, Edison Y, Willoughby E, Macsen B, Armaan V
1W: Huw C, Inwoo Y, James S, Esa S, Jamie S, Dean B, Isaac d Q
1B: Dennis H, Ari E, Alex G, Ekam R, Devam K, Joe B, Sebastian W, Jiashan L, Gabriel K S
1H: George S, Lucas T, Matthew K
1F: Daniel S, Oscar F, Ben J, Oscar S, Nico W, Aiden F, Kian T, Yule O
Take a look at this week’s questions – have a go yourself or challenge people at home and see if they know the answer.
- What are axolotls named after?
- Who is the only batsman to record 400 runs in an international Test match?
- Which English king died in 1066, leaving no heir to the throne?
- Director Taika Waititi also played which comedic Thor: Ragnarok character?
- Hanoi is the capital of which country?
Merits are awarded for everyone who has a go! Just click on the link below and enter your answers; points for the Interform Competition will be awarded to the form with the most entries every week.
Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here.
Take a look at next week’s blog to find out the answers and here are the answers to last week’s 5 questions:
- What is spaghettification? Stretching of an object as it encounters extreme differences in gravitational forces.
- Unscramble these words to make the name of a popular Disney film: think legion The Lion King
- What language is spoken in Brazil? Portuguese
- Name the eldest Weasley sibling. Bill Weasley
- Which new British military force was established in 1918? RAF
Remember to write your name in the form so you can be credited with merits!
