Welcome to the First Year Blog!
First Years have enjoyed a fundraising mufti day for the Aegis Trust, National Poetry Day and No Limits Lessons Day this week; all these events encouraged them to be creative, whether it be with clothes, verse or learning methods. It was great to walk around School on Friday and see the different lessons taking place and I have commissioned a full report next week.
Next week there are two trips: Windsor Castle with the History department and the South Downs with Geography. Make sure you check what you need to bring for each trip and look up the weather forecast so you don’t get caught out as I did a couple of years ago (soggy socks!). We are also looking forward to seeing parents at our Pastoral Forum on Thursday evening.
Having now had a full month as Hamptonians, the First Years are continuing to get to know the School better and the tiredness is also starting to set in, so try to get plenty of rest this weekend to return to School with fresh energy on Monday morning.
Mufti Day
The Form Charity team held a one-off appeal to support the work of the Aegis Trust in the Central African Republic. It was a chance to alleviate some of the suffering: the funds raised, and clothes collected will help the Trust to empower local peace building efforts and create opportunities for those caught up in the violence to put down their weapons and create a more cohesive society with a brighter future.
Lesson of the week
German
In my first few weeks as a Hamptonian, there have been great experiences from new subject lessons to the wide variety of clubs. One of the lessons that has stood out to me is German. Being in form 1G, we learn German and it has been very enjoyable. Learning a new language is always hard but our teacher Frau May has made it fun. Even in the few lessons that we have had we have already learned so many words! I did French in my primary school and German in some ways is similar with masculine and feminine words. It has been great, and I think it will remain that way. Tschüss!
By Arthur H (1G)
Buddy Meeting
It was great to see Second Year Hamptonians introducing themselves to their First Year buddy this week. Pupils enjoyed a good natter over a cookie, as they got to know each other.
Make sure you say hello when you bump into each other in the Hampton corridors!
Sinfonia Orchestra
On Thursday lunchtime, I went to Sinfonia Orchestra which is a small but unique orchestra that helps pupils improve their skills in music. Anyone can join no matter if you have a lot of experience or just a beginner. I played the clarinet. There were many other instruments including the violin, the cello, the double bass and many more.
Miss Estall, the conductor, was keeping everyone in time and in tune. She gave us the piece of music and I gradually got used to the flow of the melody. The piece had many short loud notes which gave it a touch of excitement and the long soft notes made it calm and relaxing. In my opinion, Sinfonia Orchestra is a brilliant place to start for young musicians.
By James C (1H)
Table Tennis Success
On 2 October, Hampton U13 Table Tennis team faced three other schools in an intense, exciting fixture held in Turing House. All teams were ready to compete, and the atmosphere was full of excitement throughout the matches. Personally, I was excited to be representing Hampton at Table Tennis for the first time. Our team worked together well. We stayed focused and supported each other and played great games. Every player gave their best effort making a strong performance from everyone on the team. I stayed confident and kept pushing forward too, the energy from the sideline and the team’s encouragement kept me motivated. I played five (best of three) matches and won all of them! It was my first time winning a gold medal as a Hamptonian and I felt proud to be one.
At the end of the day, our teamwork paid off with the well-deserved win. Hampton players left the venue proud from the performance. I can’t wait to see what our team will do next.
By Armaan K (1P)
Football Update
I’ve really enjoyed the first few weeks at Hampton and am pleased to have been selected to play for the U12Cs in their first fixture. What a great game! After scoring four goals, I was moved up to the U12Bs and we won our last game. Hampton encourages you to try out sports and there are teams from A to H in football which enables so many of us to play in matches.
By Milo B (1G)
Cricket Update
Finally, we can play cricket at Hampton. Every Saturday in the Sports Hall there is an opportunity to play and it is great fun for all keen cricketers joining Hampton to unleash their inner sportsman. Whether, you are preparing for the Surrey Trials, or coming for practise session in the nets, you can join for 90 minutes of fun.
By Rayaan A(1P)
Cross Country Success
Last Thursday, Hampton competed in the English Schools’ Athletic Association Cross Country Cup and I was lucky enough to be one of the people competing. After a long bus journey to Harrow School, we were astounded by the sheer size of the school. The race itself was tough as it consisted of mostly hills and gravel paths which were hard with cross-country spikes. I came fifth with Rafi B in Second Year winning the whole race. I also enjoyed watching the intermediate and senior boys run; there were strong performances in both of those.
By Noah L (1G)
Big shout out to Noah who ran in the Junior Cross Country team with Vivaan K (1J) and Felix H (1J) (pictured below with some of our Second Year athletes) in their very first race for Hampton!
Capybara fanatic!
You may have noticed at Avon Tyrrell that Yuchen L (1B) carried around a soft toy of a capybara. It turns out that he loves these creatures and is hugely knowledgeable about them. Here is his report:
Capybaras are not only the largest rodent on Earth but also some of the most charming creatures you will encounter. Capybaras are semi-aquatic (meaning that they can live partly on land and partly in water), these mammals are native to North America. They are calm and social. Surprisingly, these mammals are often compared with a giant guinea pig. Capybaras, weigh around 30kg-70kg. These animals have barrel-shaped bodies covered in short, coarse fur that ranges in colour from reddish-brown to greyish. These mammals have faces which are broad and blunt, giving a perpetual expression of calm curiosity.
Capybaras are highly adapted to living near water sources. This is because their short, coarse fur that ranges in colour from reddish-brown to greyish. These mammals have faces which are broad and blunt, giving a perpetual expression of calm curiosity. Finally, capybaras are great at escaping predators and sometimes lure them to make them frustrated. They stand near the water, so they have an escape route. In addition, Capybaras are my favourite because they are cute, human-friendly and charming. My favourite part is that they have a curious stare which they use to baffle and frustrate their predators.
First Day Good Luck
One First Year Hamptonian received a very special message on his first day of School. Faaris M-C tells us more:
I remember getting ready for my first day at Hampton. I was already incredibly excited about staring at the school. As I reached for my blazer, my mum told me that I had received an email which had a video attached. I had no idea who the video was from. I pressed play and saw Josh King appear on the screen, sending me his best wishes for my start at Hampton. As a huge Fulham fan, I could not believe I was receiving a message from a Fulham player who was also an Old Hamptonian! Talk about a great start to my Hampton journey.
Take a look at the message that Fulham’s Josh King OH (2023) sent to Faaris:
Book Review
For the First Year reading scheme I was very hesitant in choosing a book; I finally chose a book called ‘Booked’ which is all about football. I have enjoyed it very much and I can’t wait to write about it for my reading scheme’s comic strip. The book is about boy called Nick who loves playing football and when I say love I mean he really loves football! But out of nowhere a bombshell shatters his football career and Nick has to rebuild his football career, step by step. A great read for all you football fans.
By Smyan M (1L)
First Month’s reflections
I have enjoyed going by coach to Hampton School as I have made friends to chat with and the driver is kind and helps if there is a problem. Lucky for me, there is always a spot for me on the bus to sit with my friends as I get on at the first stop. I also like the new system that the coaches introduced to sign yourself in when you get on the bus as it ensures nobody gets on the bus who they shouldn’t be on it.
Other delights have included Chemistry Club: it is fun because of the experiments. Last week we grinded some red cabbage and added boiling water to it, then we were given a sheet of paper and painted it with the liquid.
By Alex S-H, (1L)
Talk!
Come along to the very first Talk! of the academic year and hear from Lord Chris Patten, whose extraordinary career has included serving as the last Governor of Hong Kong; Chairman of the Conservative Party; Chairman of the BBC Trust; and Chancellor of the University of Oxford. There’s no need to book a ticket, just come along to the Hammond Theatre next Thursday 10 October at 1pm.
Find out more here.
TUTEE OF THE WEEK
Every week, the First Year Tutor team nominate a Hamptonian who they have been particularly impressed with, and Mr Hill and Mr Fuldner present him with a certificate and a tasty treat to eat!
Congratulations to Ashutosh S (1B) on being named this week’s Tutee of the Week.
Ashutosh he is always kind and friendly to everyone around school and often goes out of his way to help out his classmates
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! 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 you will get to know the School better in the process.
Last week’s challenge:
How many football and rugby pitches are there in total, excluding the 3G? The answer was 11 and the sign on the Pavilion was a big hint!
Well done to Ralph L, Ojas P, Oliver J, Theo R, Edward G, Faaris M-C, Filippos M, Felix R, James C, Noah N-A, Hayk F, Edward R, Toby S, Reyansh K, Arthur H and Noam C for getting it right and entering your answer in last week’s blog! 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:
Where might you find a Dr Who Tardis?
Enter your answer here:
