WELCOME TO THE THIRD YEAR BLOG!
The massive news in the School this week is that this year’s ducklings are back. Every year, at about this time, they appear. It is a genuinely lovely thing to be able to stop as you pass and watch them waddle around in a group, with their mother anxiously looking around for predators (or stray footballs). The ducklings are very well looked after. They have a newly constructed ‘duck house’. They have carefully filled bowls of food and a charming little mini pond to splash around in. They even have a sign instructing everyone to be quiet as they are ‘resting’.
Now, we are all looked after well by the School, but the Third Year Blog cannot help but look upon the treatment of these ducks with a pang of jealousy. Surely, the teaching staff would also occasionally benefit from being able to brandish signs indicating they should not be disturbed due to the need for rest. There is also no doubt that the majority of Third Years would be heavily in favour of being able to spend the School day sitting in the sun in a small pond with a bowl of snacks next to them.
Privileged though we are, we are not as privileged as these ducklings.
But do we achieve more than the ducklings?
Yes. Yes, we do.
Can these ducklings compete in Maths challenges?
No.
Can the ducklings set records in rowing competitions for their age groups?
No, they cannot.
Can the ducklings manage to win a cricket match when they need fewer than 10 runs to win and 8 wickets in hand?
Probably, but let’s not go over that again.
Do the ducklings have the mental fortitude to recover from a crushing, improbable defeat by emphatically crushing their opponents in the county cup?
They are ducklings. They can’t even spell mental fortitude.
Can the ducklings, in their spare time (they have plenty of it, after all), write entire series of books?
No (though they are handicapped by not having laptops).
They cannot do these things.
I’ll tell you what can though – Lions!
And all this leaves the Third Year Blog to ask you all the inevitable question. The question that will have been on all your minds:
What would win in a fight between ten duck sized lions and one lion sized duck?
And within your own answer to that question, you will find the truth to being a Hamptonian.
HEADS OF YEAR MESSAGE
PSHE
We are pleased with the way that Third Year pupils have engaged with important PSHE sessions regarding “online behaviour” and “digital footprint” so far. The boys have one more session next week in a series of three. These sessions have been facilitated by Digital Awareness UK. Please feel free to continue the conversation at home to find out what has been discussed.
Exams
Third Year Exams will take place during the week commencing Monday 20 May (the week before half term). Departmental study guides and/or revision check lists can be found in the respective departmental areas on SharePoint. If any pupil is uncertain where to find revision materials, they should speak to the relevant subject teacher as a matter of priority next week.
Homework
In order to facilitate time for revision, we have asked all First to Third Year subject teachers not to set any ‘new’ homework in the two weeks immediately prior to the exams (or during exams week itself). Teachers may set guided revision tasks as homework if they deem that to be helpful.
Whilst we are advising the boys to make the most of the time available to revise over the coming weeks (using their homework timetable as a basic framework for revision, whilst no new homework is set), we continue to support their engagement in a range of sporting and co-curricular activities. Although this can lead to some busy schedules, we believe that it is essential for the boys to maintain a balanced approach to school work, sport and other co-curricular activities, leisure and family time, combined with a healthy diet and regular sleep throughout this period.
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 – keep up the good work over this weekend and into next week. This is the time to make your preparations for exams count. Stick to your revision schedules. Continue to be thoughtful and kind to the people around you. As always, let us, your Form Tutors or the relevant subject teachers know if you are having any difficulties.
We hope that everyone enjoys the weekend.
Best wishes
Mr T Rigby & Mrs M Bedford
Maths Challenge
On Tuesday a group of four Hamptonians set out to participate in the United Kingdom Mathematical Trust’s Team Maths Challenge. Two Third years (Anton and Darshan) and two Second years (Kavin and Shisir) arrived at School in the very early morning. At 8:10am the team assembled at reception. There we met the LEH team, and all eight of us loaded into the minibus. We encountered some rather busy roads, so we ended up spending about one and a half hours in journey. When we arrived, we entered the Main Hall at Wilson’s School, in Sutton.
There were already about 15 schools, and while we waited for the remaining three teams, we solved a starter. Then the UKMT volunteer blew a whistle, signifying the start of the first round. The teachers left the room to go to a briefing, while we solved a series of ten complex questions. Then, halfway through the 40 minutes, the teachers returned. We were paired up with a teacher from another school. When we finished the round, the teacher checked the answers, and we got full marks. The next round was a cross number. This is a crossword, but with numbers. We lost two marks on this round.
Report by Anton C (3J)
Having completed the second round, we entered the lunch break and discussed our strategies for the upcoming rounds. It was clear that, since we had only lost two marks, if we did well in the next few rounds, we had a chance of winning the competition. We entered the next round feeling extremely confident and very hopeful. The next task which we had to complete was called a shuttle. Each of us had a different question which we had to answer in order. Each of the questions relied on the previous person getting his own problem correct. We did exceedingly well in this round scoring nearly all the marks within the time limit.
The final round was called the relay round, where we were split into pairs. One of us had to run as fast as we could to collect the question while the other had to solve the question quickly. This would evidently be a test of both physical and mental capabilities. I got to my starting position, ready to sprint down to the end of the hall to retrieve the question. At the signal of a shrill whistle, I ran as fast as I could across the wooden floor. My heart was pounding like a drum as I grabbed the question and ran back to Anton, my partner. In an instant we had solved the question and I was running back down to grab the next problem. As I looked around me, I could see my rival from Wilson’s School slightly ahead of me. I raced back and immediately solved the problem. As I ran back with the final question, I saw that it was one of the most difficult problems I had ever come across. It would require the efforts of both Anton and I to solve this challenging problem. We hastily scribbled down our working. There were only 10 seconds left.
Just as we were almost at the end, the whistle blew again. I hadn’t done it. We hadn’t won. A wave of disappointment washed over me as I realised that the trophy wouldn’t be ours. The Headmaster of Wilson’s School announced that the winners were his own school. We had come sixth place. Although we hadn’t won, it was an enjoyable experience for us all. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenges we had been put up against and look forward to solving some more next year.
Report by Darshan S (3J)
The Scullery
The U14 rowing squad took part in The Scullery at the weekend. We took the opportunity to speak to Zach A (3B), who is the cox for the A boat. His thoughts are below.
So, what type of competition is The Scullery and where is it held?
The scullery is a national regatta. In this competition we competed against various clubs and schools. A regatta means the race is started off a standing start and is on a laned course.
How did the team get on?
The crew got on great! We raced our time trial and placed first of nine crews, winning by 15 seconds. Our placement in the time trial allowed us to race in the final where we won by 19 seconds and set a J14 course record.
What a magnificent result! From the standpoint of being the cox for the team, what was your experience of the win?
The experience was great, our squad has been hugely successful this year and I am really excited for upcoming regattas and races.
Were there any moments where you felt you were able to make difference to help the team perform?
Yes, particularly at the start line. My job when the race has started is to call the execution of the start sequence where we get the boat up to speed from a standstill. While the race progresses the pain begins to show and it’s my job to provide encouragement and motivation.
In your broader experience as a cox, what do you really enjoy about it?
I enjoy the way it challenges you mentally and there is always something new to learn.
Do you have to do much of the training that the rest of the rowers do?
I attend all of the training sessions, it’s not necessary to take part in the physical training and ergs, however I tend to participate in gym training as I think it’s helpful.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season?
This result sets a great precedent for upcoming races, we are hugely hopeful about our result at National Schools’ Regatta and look to win as the season progresses.
U14A Cricket – County Cup
Regular readers will be aware of the recent tribulations of the U14A cricket team. Were they able to turn things around in the County Cup? Let’s find out…
The only thing worse than losing to Merchant Taylors’ School, collapsing spectacularly against Tiffin and being on the wrong side of another upset against Dulwich in losing in the first round of the cup. Generally, the first round of the cup is an opportunity to beat the opponent convincingly, gain confidence and have a chance to catch the school buses at 4:15pm.
However, on an unusually warm Thursday afternoon, nerves were everywhere. Our opposition was St Richard Reynolds Catholic College. After going out to inspect the pitch, many batters looked up at the beaming sun, the brown grass and grinned widely. “It’s an absolute road” as one batter so eloquently put it. Right on cue, our captain, Oli K, returned from the toss to inform us that we were batting. Soon after, we started our innings. Unfortunately, after some starts and promising partnerships we lost two wickets quickly. It turned out that our assessment of the pitch couldn’t have been more wrong as nervous expressions emerged from our players.
Not again surely.
Someone standing on the sidelines would be pardoned for saying that they bowled poorly. Indeed, they bowled very slow. However, this pace-off approach (accompanied by the slow wicket) made it extremely difficult to hit boundaries consistently (as four of our batters found out). Luckily, quick running between the wickets, and some late hitting towards the end, raised our score to 140.
At the break, we decided on using a simple (yet underrated) tactic: attack the stumps. This worked immediately as we got our first wicket with the first ball that attacked the stumps. This approach kept on working with our bowlers bowling tight lines and lengths. In fact, George E nearly got a hat-trick. Soon after, we bowled them out for 19 and a mixture of happiness and sheer relief overcame us. Despite the margin of victory, St Richard Reynolds still displayed good sportsmanship and ensured that they were light-hearted which drew many chuckles from players, coaches and parents alike. This expression of enjoyment showcased what we may have missed over the last week.
While trying to play your best and be competitive is obviously crucial, a positive mindset is a close second. Hopefully, we can go into our game against Reed’s School on Saturday (and the rest of the season) thinking that every game is an opportunity to score 50/take 5 wickets. Instead of reminding yourself about how you got out against Tiffin mid-innings (or the blog after it). The margin of victory gives us confidence going forward and we can go into our next games with a win under our belts… finally.
Report by Sanjit B (3E)
A new legend – continued
Lucas Z’s story of the mysterious CSA continues this week with the opportunity to meet some of the key protagonists. Click here to read the second exciting instalment.
Talk!
Don’t miss our final Talk of the academic year, as we hear from Guy Havord, one of the most respected voices in football broadcasting. A Sky Sports commentator for over 20 years, working on both Super Sunday and Soccer Saturday, Guy has covered some of the most exciting stories from the beautiful game over the past two decades. Join us on Tuesday 14 May at 1pm in the Hammond Theatre.
Find out more here.
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
Last week, Miss Embiricos was the teacher who was trying to trick you all. Which of these was the lie?
- Miss Embiricos’ cousin is in the movie Fantastic Beasts
- Miss Embiricos’ favourite food is sea urchin
- Miss Embiricos has represented Greece in the Ultimate Frisbee World Cup
Sea urchin is a Greek delicacy, meaning that it makes sense for it to be one of Miss Embiricos’ favourite foods. Her cousin WAS in the Fantastic Beasts, though she did not clarify which role they played… What this means is that, dangerous though she is with a frisbee in hand, she did not represent Greece in the Ultimate Frisbee World Cup. That is Greece’s loss, of course.
This week, Mr Perry, the U14A rowing coach is our resident liar. What nonsense is he suggesting to us?
- Mr Perry won the National Schools’ Regatta
- Mr Perry climbed Macchu Picchu in a Huddersfield Town shirt
- Mr Perry coached a crew to a Bronze medal at the coastal rowing world championships
CONNECTION CORNER
Well done to the everyone who had a go at last week’s Connection Corner. We were after something quite specific last week, merits go to all those who correctly guessed that the answers were all English football team suffixes. Big shout out to Christopher K, Bailey HC, Jamie H, Arthur K, Rahul B, Ollie N, Darshan S, Hamoodi A, Luke F, Rory M, Olly P, William O’S, Francis S, Sena K and Dmitriy U.
Another tricky one to have a go at over the weekend:
What is the name of the daughter in the Adams family? Wednesday
What is the name of the fictional pub in Coronation Street? Rovers Return
Where does legend say that Robin Hood and his band of men lived? Sherwood Forest
There are four major airlines in the USA – American Airlines, Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines. What is the name of the fourth? United Airlines
Connection: English football team suffixes – Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United (among others)
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
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