Welcome to the Third Year Blog!
Regular readers of the Third Year blog will notice that it is moderately obsessed with the weather, the gradual onset of spring and the effects of that process. We are now at the stage of the year where the magnolia trees start to bloom. I am fairly confident that the average Hampton boy (is there such a thing?!) would not necessarily notice this but, in South West London (or North Surrey), it is a common and beautiful sight. Once you start to notice them, they are everywhere. I would strongly recommend looking out for them and watching them rise to their blossom and their full magnificence in the coming weeks.
I could now make an analogy between the promise of this spring growth and the relentless drive for growth of the boys of Hampton. I could, but I fear it would be a little too obvious. Also, this suggests a gradual blooming and blossoming, which may ultimately be true, but doesn’t particularly reflect the electric atmosphere of the Third Year Interform Rowing competition, or the brutality of a penalty shootout loss that has filled the week of Hampton’s Third Year. Yes, there is a time for reflection and poetic analogies, but I don’t believe this week is that week in blog town.
So, enough of the pleasantries, let’s get into the realities of another week on the Hampton fast train…
Heads of Year Message
What a thrilling Interform rowing race (indoors) on Thursday lunchtime. Well done to 3H (and the Third Year tutors) for their outstanding performances and all the boys for their lung busting efforts on the dreaded ergo!
Safe travels to all those heading to France and Belgium on Sunday for the second instalment of the Battlefields Trip. We expect that Forms 3F-3J will act as excellent ambassadors for the school.
Midday on Friday next week brings the end of another action-packed term. The final half day of School will be a mufti-day with funds raised towards our nominated Form Charities for the year.
Spring Grade Cards will be available to view via My School Portal from 4pm on Friday.
Behaviour & uniform notices
- School blazers must be worn to school as part of a full school uniform.
- Hampton sports kit can be work on Thursdays, not assorted sportswear.
- Pupils should not run in the corridors.
- Pupils should attend morning registration (8.45am) and afternoon registration (1.50pm) promptly each day in their Form Room, in order to arrive on time for the start of period 1 (8.55am) and period 6 (2.00pm).
- Pupils should only use iPads under instructions during a lesson or with the express permission of a teacher. Third Year pupils are not permitted to use mobile phones in school without the express permission of a teacher.
Absences
For medical absences, please notify your son’s Form Tutors via email (cc’ing absence@hamptonschool.org.uk) on the morning of each day of absence by 8:45am, or complete the absence form via the parent portal. For planned absences and appointments, please contact Heads of Year requesting the absence with as much notice as possible.
Boys – Please remember to let us, your Form Tutors or the relevant subject teachers know if you are having any difficulties.
Have a lovely weekend.
Best wishes
Mr T Rigby & Miss M Bedford
U14A Football
At 4.30pm on the Hampton 3G, Hampton U14As stepped out to play Ashcombe School, National Cup finalists, who were standing in the way between them and a County Cup Final. Though it was rainy, the 3G provided the perfect surface for football, as Hampton began the game with some great passing moves. However, Ashcombe also applied pressure through their long balls over the top and long shots and eventually, shortly before half time, a firm low strike from the left winger sped into the bottom left corner to give the visitors the lead.
After regrouping, Hampton came out stronger in the second half, having the majority of possession and putting Ashcombe under considerable pressure. Eventually, seven minutes before the final whistle, they got their reward as Rio F-T chested down a great ball from Felix B, sidestepped the defender and smashed home.
The score remained 1-1 through a tense period of extra time, and with light fading it was time for penalties. Unfortunately for Hampton, the Ashcombe goalkeeper, who also happened to be the England U14 keeper, saved three Hampton penalties, and though Max C saved just as many for Hampton, Ashcombe eventually came out 3-2 winners after seven penalties taken each.
Rio T-F, the team’s striker, was honest in observing that he thought the side ‘missed too many chances and threw away too many attacks.’ He was also keen to emphasise how well the defence played, saying that Hampton ‘defended well and kept their attack silent.’
Sooho J described the penalty shootout, saying: ‘obviously it was tense, and whenever Max saved a penalty it was hard not to celebrate. It was impressive that Max was able to match the England keeper in that scenario. It was just a shame that we couldn’t get the win in the end.’
By Alex W (3C)
Interform Rowing Competition
On Thursday, Interform rowing took place. The aim was to see how far you could row in 20 minutes on the Ergos. I was in 3H and we had roughly 8-10 people participating and we swapped around when the person rowing was tired.
Oliver S, Azam A, Max T and Ben F got us off to a fantastic start and we stayed in the top three throughout the whole race. Everyone who participated managed to get a 1:35 split time (or lower) which is very impressive, but we were still not first.
For the majority of the race the top three was 3F, 3A and 3H. Some quick changes from us managed to get us in the first position, until the Form Tutors finally crept ahead of us. Despite our efforts, we could not catch up to the Tutors, but managed to stay ahead of 3A in second place. We were very pleased with this result, mainly because everyone contributed (even though Oliver S was on for quite a while!). Well done to everyone in our class who participated, and the Tutors who won the race.
By Aditya K (3H)
Two truths and a lie
Mr Highton is an utterly trustworthy man, but even he falls prey to the charms of two truths and a lie. Which of these ‘truths’ was not a truth?
- Mr Highton once came sixth in the World Coastal Rowing Championships in Canada.
- Mr Highton owns the only pet Cabybara in Surrey. She is called Brian.
- Mr Highton once climbed Table Mountain barefoot.
Well, while Mr Highton would very much like to own a female Capybara called Brian, he does not.
This week, Mrs White is our subject. While she initially refused to give me a lie (unless that too is a lie…) ultimately she went against her principles and offered me an untruth. But which of the statements below is that untruth?…
- Mrs White is fluent in German and Spanish.
- Mrs White grew up in Siberia where the winter temperatures reached as low as -40C.
- Mrs White’s PE lessons included cross-country skiing and ice-skating.
Find out next week!
Third Year Art
Third Year artists have created some wonderful collages after studying Picasso’s ground-breaking painting Guernica. This well-known piece of art was created entirely in black and white, inspired by news footage and newspaper coverage of the terrible event that took place in the Basque town of Guernica in 1936. It has become an emblem of how episodes like this can be an important lesson. Pupils used crayons to draw out their chosen detail and created a new composition by collating the various elements together again.
I think you’ll agree, that everyone has created some wonderful pieces of art:
TALK! PROFESSOR LLOYD PECK
In the final Talk! of the term, leading global scientist Professor Lloyd Peck joins us on Tuesday 21 March at 1pm in the Hammond Theatre. It’s a unique opportunity to hear from Professor Peck on his 30 years studying Antarctic life and the environment for the British Antarctic Survey.
Find out more here.
Connection Corner
Well done to the everyone who had a go at last week’s Connection Corner. Merits go to all those who correctly guessed that the answers were all Rivers in the UK. Big shout out to Prabodha A, Joshua C, Neel M, Jasper E, Gregory M, Oliver A, Joshua R, Max F, Albert S, Agalyan S, Leander K-B, en B, Thomas G, Avraj M, Samuel H, Ollie W and Ameya M.
Another tricky one to have a go at over the weekend:
In case, you’re still perplexed here are the answers from the last week’s conundrum:
What is the name of partner in crime of Bonnie Elizabeth Parker? Clyde Chestnut Barrow
What wool patterned fabric has become synonymous with Scottish and Irish style? Tweed
What motorway suspension bridge connects South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales? Severn Bridge
What is the name of the barrier that protects Central London from flooding? Thames Barrier
Connection: Rivers in the United Kingdom (Clyde, Tweed, Severn, Thames)
