WELCOME TO THE FIRST YEAR BLOG!
The first half of the spring term has gone by in a heartbeat – today’s Interform Football and Rugby competitions are a fun way to finish the term, and although writing this I don’t know the results yet, I know the matches will be played in good spirit and will be fun and competitive for all everyone involved. We can now all look forward to a well-earned rest and we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone back in a week’s time. Have a great break everyone!
MEET MR FERRIER!
This week, Xander L (1J) interviewed Mr Ferrier, Music teacher and one half of 1J’s tutor team!
When did you join the school?
September 2021, having previously worked at Epsom College. I’ve been a First Year tutor ever since I started working here.
What subject do you teach?
Music
What’s your favourite food?
I couldn’t eat these every day, but I absolutely love mussels. I recently visited Brussels and went to the most amazing mussel restaurant – they had over 60 different flavours!
You teach music, but what was your favourite subject as a First Year pupil?
I always really enjoyed Maths and Physics (I took them to A Level) – I think there is often a strong link between Maths and Music. In fact, lots of our Maths department are also extremely accomplished musicians! I also really regret stopping studying Drama, as it was one of my favourite subjects in Lower School.
Who do you most look up to in life?
Professionally, since becoming a teacher, I’ve gained a lot of respect for my old Music teachers when I was at School – I don’t think I quite appreciated how brilliant they were until I’ve started to attempt to emulate them.
Would you have 100 loyal friends or win the lottery?
100 loyal friends for sure – money really can’t buy happiness! Although if I’m allowed to keep the friends I already have and also win the lottery, then I wouldn’t say no…
LANGUAGES AT HAMPTON
Nelson Mandela once said that “If you talk to a man in language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” I take pride in the fact that I am one of the privileged ones who is getting to learn a second language in one of the greatest schools.
One of my favourite subjects to study at Hampton are the Modern Languages. Out of my three choices, I decided to go with Spanish.
Spanish is an amazing language to study and a very fun one to learn. Especially with Mr Blachford. He not only he teaches us the language, but he also keeps us informed about the various Spanish cultures and traditions. He can speak six languages and now that is something truly worth boasting about! I wanted to pick Spanish as a language because it is one of the world’s widely spoken languages and, it’s so amazing to know that not just in Europe but it’s a native language for many in the South and North of America. Spanish lessons are very entertaining, like the Guess Who game we played in real life. Or the team translation challenges.
Such is the popularity of Spanish; a wide section of the pop artists includes Spanish in their songs! Famous celebrities that speak Spanish include – Chris Hemsworth, also known as Thor; Cristiano Ronaldo, not the GOAT; Tom Daley, England’s bronze medallist diver; Serena Williams, one of the greatest tennis players and J.R.R Tolkien the author of The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings.
By Ethan S-W (1L)
BOARD GAMES CLUB
I have been going to Board Games Club for a while now. At the start of the year, I did not know that Board Games Club existed, so I did not go. After a few weeks of school, I found out about it so I went. It was very fun! From then, I would have a quick lunch and go there till the end of lunch. Board Games Club offers a range of board games that you will never get tired of. During the numerous board games club meetings, I have tried out many different strange board games that I have never heard of before for example a card game called Unexploded Cows. There are so many board games to choose from!
Well, my conclusion? Go and try a club that you have never tried out before. You will never know if it is good! By Ian L (1F)
THE WORLD’S WORST CHILDREN
The World’s Worst Children book by David Walliams and illustrated in glorious colour by Tony Ross. Meet ten horrible tales, five beastly boys and five gruesome girls. Like Sophia Sofa, she’s a TV superfan. She always sitting on the sofa and watching TV. But now there’s a problem! She’s so stuck to the sofa, that she is turning into one. Oh no! Or Dribbling Drew, a boy whose drool gets him into big trouble on a very important school trip. And of course, we can’t forget about Blubbering Bertha – a bawling, big sister with a horrid habit of telling tales!
From the Number one bestselling author, David Walliams. I would really like to recommend this spectacular book.
By Shaurya D (1L)
DISCOVER HAMPTON – BUILDING BATTERIES IN CHEMISTRY
In this episode we join Mr Schofield teaching our young chemists how to build batteries. Around since 1799, batteries are everywhere in our day-to-day life and battery technology is key to moving away from fossil fuels for transportation and power generation – an essential topic for all our young chemists. Click on the link below to listen.
TUTEE OF THE WEEK
Every week, the First Year Tutor team nominate a boy who they have been particularly impressed with, and Mr Hill and Mrs Peattie provide him with a football to use on the fields for the week!
This week’s tutee of the week is Amaad B (1W) for being a kind, friendly and encouraging member of the year group and having a fantastic work ethic – well done Amaad!
SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS!
Daniel S (1L) earned qualifying times to compete in the 2024 Middlesex County Swimming Championship over the past two weekends. He delivered an outstanding performance, clinching the Bronze medal in the 200 IM swim, Silver medal in the 400 IM swim and Bronze again in the 200m Freestyle swim in the age 12 category and achieving personal best times in every swim he did. Additionally, Daniel has met qualifying times to participate in the SE London Summer Championships 2024 (Regional), set to take place in April 2024. What an amazing opportunity and congratulations on your achievements, Daniel!
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).
PROJECT EXPLORE
Project Explore is an exciting opportunity for all First Year pupils to get involved in! You should visit a local site that you are interested in, tell your Form Tutors about your visit, and with some inspiration from your visit produce your own project. There are no guidelines on what you can make: you could choose to write a poem, cook a meal, make a piece of art, record and edit a film, or any other creative piece you can come up with! The deadline for Project Explore is Monday 22 April – just after the start of the summer term. I know all Form Tutors are looking forward to hearing about your visits and projects, so make sure you tell them all about it! Half term is the ideal time to visit somewhere new and have a think about what you could do.
Mr Hill and Mrs Peattie have recorded this video to explain everything in more detail.
THE HAMPTON HUNT
Each week I will set you a challenge where you need to find out a random fact, number or indeed anything else around the School – you won’t be able to do this from home! Points for the interform competition will be awarded to the Form with the most correct entries over the course of the term! You have until the end of Wednesday to complete the challenge; you will find out in next week’s blog if you’re correct, and you will be given a merit by your Form Tutor the following Monday. And who knows – you might get to know the School better in the process!
Last week’s challenge: an artifact from which TV show can be found in the quad between Computing, History and Physics?
If you visited the courtyard you couldn’t possibly have missed the Tardis, which is of course from the TV show Dr Who!
Well done to the following First Years for getting the correct answer:
1H: James A, Zaki T, Devan S, Ilakian D, David T, Ollie S, Julian M, Harry M, Luoke W
1L: Aaron J, Harry C, Matthew T, Sujay N
1P: William M, Toby B, Ahaan S
1B: Ethan W, Charlie F, Richard C, Sebastian W
1W: Reuben N, Emile S
1J: Finn M, Wilf W, George B
1F: Francisco C I
Make sure you collect a merit from your Form Tutor next week!
If you did know the answer but didn’t enter it into the blog last week, make sure you do so this week as it won’t count otherwise!
This week’s challenge:
how many games were played in total during the Interform Football and Rugby competition today?
