Welcome to the Second Year Blog!
As the School year enters its final stretch, there’s a definite mix of excitement and nerves in the air – assessment season is upon us! It feels like only yesterday we were settling into our desks at the start of the year, but now we find ourselves confidently preparing to show off everything we’ve learned so far. Whether you’re revising tricky maths problems or polishing your analytical writing, remember it’s all part of the journey from where we started to how far we’ve come. Alongside the revision, Second Years have still found plenty of time for co-curricular life this week, with particular congratulations going to the athletics team for their performance in the Lee Valley track and field cup. It’s brilliant to see so many of us shining in sport as well as academics!
As you dive into this edition, you’ll also find top revision tips to help you prepare smartly for your exams and some thought-provoking questions in our Tutor Question Time. Whether you’re looking for study strategies, inspiration, or just a break from the books, we’ve got you covered.
Most importantly this weekend, try to not let the pressure get to you; there’s no need to panic. All anyone asks is that you do your best and face next week with determination and a positive attitude. Remember to make some time for yourself this weekend too – whether it’s a walk in the park, listening to some music, or a little downtime with family and friends. Balance is key to staying refreshed and ready for the week ahead!
Merit Milestones
Fantastic to award some more Merit certificates this week, well done to:
Julian Micallef – 30
Henry Spray – 30
Toby Baker – 40
Tutor Question of the Week
Each week the pupils decide on a question to ask all the Second Year Form Tutors.
Would you rather live in a world where:
- There is crime but you have complete privacy (2L, Miss Holt, Miss Mattinson)
- There is no privacy but there is no crime (Miss Tiller, Miss Wallace, Mr Worrall)
Have you ever had a burning question you’ve always wanted to ask your Form Tutors?! If so, then please send your suggestions for a future Tutor Question Time to e.holt@hamptonschool.org.uk.
Time flies!
Exam time is finally here, and I can’t believe how much the year’s flown by! It seems to me that just yesterday we were sitting at each of our own desks with sharpened pencils in hand and about to start the year. I am prepared for these upcoming exams; there is a feeling of confidence zooming through my body, but I wouldn’t be honest if I said there isn’t a tiny butterfly of nerves flapping in the pit of my stomach still.
In retrospect, it seems like only yesterday we were clumsily stumbling through our first few lessons of the year. Yet now we are here, older, smarter and armed with all of the knowledge we learned (and the experiences we had) during weeks of lessons, assignments, and tests! From the mind-boggling questions in maths to writing about analytical paragraphs and everything in between, we have come so far in every subject.
By Shaurya D (2L)
Top Tips
Our End of Year exams are just around the corner, so here are some of my top tips to help you ace them!
Write, don’t type!
You need to remember to revise efficiently, not quickly. The whole point of it is to get the information into your long-term memory! Writing has proven to be a more effective way to revise and memorise your notes you have (hopefully) taken throughout your time in Second Year. A4 sheets, A3 sheets, flashcards; anything works!
Use the revision checklists on SharePoint
You can find revision checklists for all of your subjects by clicking the SharePoint menu and clicking one of your subjects under the ‘My Subjects’ tab. From there, click on ‘Second Year’ and there should be a PDF file containing the checklist. It’s good to have it handy in case you’re unsure whether you should revise a topic or not (even though it’s good to revise everything).
‘Teach’ a family member or friend about what you’ve learnt
Reciting the notes you’ve taken to a family member is also effective as you can see how much you remember from your productive day of work.
By Sujay N (2L)
Lee Valley Victories
On Friday 15 May, the Hampton Junior and Intermediate teams competed in the Lee Valley Track and Field Cup. This is an annual athletics event, and we competed in round one. I was really pleased with my events, coming first place in the triple jump and second in my heat of the 200m (third overall). There were lots of standout performances and in total the juniors amassed a total of 331 points and came a close second place overall. These stats give us a moderately high chance of proceeding to regional finals in June. Five other Second Years also competed; Rafi B, Oliver S, Stephan H, Thomas Y and Toby B. Everyone played a major part in securing as many points as possible for Hampton and we are all excited for the future events and competitions to be won!
By Jasper T (2J)
Charity Fundraising
Let’s hear from Harry D (2W) who’s taking part in an amazing sponsored walk in a couple of weeks time:
On Sunday 8 June I’ll be walking 20km from Waterloo to Mortlake wearing warrior face paint to help raise funds for Cure DHDDS, and awareness for the daily battles fought by all those affected by DHDDS gene variants. Cure DHDDS means a lot to me as it was set up by my parents to support and drive research into the ultra rare DHDDS variants which affect my two siblings, Tom and Rosie and just 80 other people in the world.
A DHDDS gene change causes a metabolic disorder which can lead to tremors, balance difficulties, seizures and learning difficulties. As the condition is so rare and was only recently discovered no research was happening into it, and there was no funding for it, which means a treatment for my brother and sister and all those affected by DHDDS would have been a distant dream.
Cure DHDDS has changed this. They have brought the patient and scientific community together. From no research there are now 16 research projects underway, all of which bring us closer to treatments for all those affected by DHDDS. We so far have nearly 100 friends, family and supporters who have signed up to this sponsored Warrior walk. Some will be walking 40km, others like me and several other Hampton boys 20km, and some of the youngest will be walking 7km. Please do support us by joining the walk or sponsoring me if you can. It will really will help make a difference to the futures of those living with DHDDS.
Pet of the Week
Every week we are meeting one of Second Year’s furry (or scaly!) friends. This week’s pet of the week is Maggie.
Here’s why George B (2J) thinks Maggie deserves to be pet of the week:
My dog’s name is Maggie, and she is a Cockapoo. She is probably the most excitable dog I have ever met and loves meeting new people, although for some reason she fears all other dogs. However, she is a very nice and loving dog and a great pet to have!
Would you like to see your pet featured? Email e.holt@hamptonschool.org.uk with a picture of your pet, along with their name, age, and why you think they deserve to be featured. I can’t wait to meet them!
Cryptic Clue
As a renowned devotee of the club, Michael C (2J)’s passion for cryptic crosswords has extended into creating his own for us to try and solve!
The answer to last week’s clue ‘Is out of cloisters before moving readers’ (7) was…
‘Lectors’!
Reason: You must take the word ‘is’ out of ‘cloisters’ and then mix up the remaining letters ‘cloters’ to get ‘lectors,’ a synonym for ‘readers.’
Can you guess this week’s?
Clue: Seeing without fret in the heart (8)
Hint: ‘In the heart’ tells you to look at the middle letters of a word
Come back next week to find out if you guessed correctly!
Guess the Year!
Nicholas S (2P) recently contacted me with the idea for this new weekly blog feature. The answer to last week’s clue was 2012!
Can you guess the year the following events took place?
- The first DNA fingerprinting technique was developed by geneticist Alec Jeffreys
- Tetris was invented
- Apple released the first ever Macintosh computer
Come back next week to find out if you got it right!
Artist Anonymous
For Giving Day this year, we are hosting an ‘Anonymous Artist Postcard Sale’ and we would like as many pupils, parents, and staff, as possible to demonstrate their artistic talents. To get involved, you can collect a postcard from either the Art department (F63) or the Alumni office (G3). You then have until Monday 2 June to create and submit your anonymous masterpiece. Members of the Hampton community will be invited to view the art work online (exhibited at School to staff and pupils on Wednesday 2 July) and make a donation to take a masterpiece home. Hidden amongst the masterpieces will be submissions from professional Artists – will you take home a piece created by a current award-winning artist? Or one created by the next Picasso?
Food Bank Collection
Please support our Feltham Food Bank Collection on Friday 23 May. They are particularly in need of tinned meat, tinned tuna, juice, shower gel, honey and washing pods. Please bring your donations to the front of School from 8.15am. Thank you!
QUIZ OF THE WEEK
Welcome to the Quiz of the Week! Every week, we’ll post five general knowledge questions. Take a look at this week’s questions, have a go yourself or challenge people at home and see if they know the answer. Points for the Interform Competition will be awarded to the form with the most entries over the term.
Why don’t you have a go at this week’s questions and enter your answers here.
Here are the answers to last week’s quiz:
- What is the only country in the world that doesn’t have a capital city? Nauru (It has government buildings, but no official capital.)
- Which element has the atomic number 74? Tungsten
- In which year was the first email ever sent? 1971
- What language has the most native speakers worldwide? Mandarin Chinese
- Which philosopher is known for the quote, “Man is the measure of all things”? Protagoras
Well done to Ilakian D, Reuben N, Mehrad M, Shaurya D, Liangxu Z, Toby B and Thomas P. Don’t forget to collect a Merit!
If you’re keen to write some general knowledge questions for the Blog, please email e.holt@hamptonschool.org.uk
