Welcome to the First Year Blog!
We hope you all enjoyed a well-deserved and restful half-term break! It’s great to see the First Years’ energy and enthusiasm returning to the corridors as we dive into the second half of term. Bonfire Night celebrations have lit up the skies, and as we enjoy the sparkle and warmth of autumn evenings, we also take time to reflect. Next Tuesday marks Remembrance Day – a moment for us all to pause and honour those who gave so much.
From spooky stories to sweet success, it sounds like Halloween was a real treat for many of you! Whether you were busy trading sweets or crafting hauntingly good poems, your creativity certainly didn’t take a holiday. And for those who’ve been experimenting in Chemistry Club, we hope your ideas continue to crystallise as the term goes on. With The Writers’ Room sharpening pens and the School Council shaping plans, there’s plenty of opportunity to spark new ideas – so let’s make this half term as memorable as the first, with curiosity, kindness, and plenty of Hampton spirit!
MEET THE MENTOR – THE MAGNIFICENT ALEX
Mahad H (1B) interviewed Alex, one of 1B’s brilliant Sixth Form mentors!
Hello Alex. Today we will be doing a short interview just so our readers can find about one of Hampton’s best mentors. So, let’s begin.
What has been your favourite thing at Hampton?
My most favourite thing at Hampton School is a variety of things. They include the sporting memories I have made, being part of the School’s First XI Football team and Basketball team. As well as this, the friends I have met on my journey have been very impactful as well, and teachers too. They probably are the most important thing on that list, they have put so much effort in, from helping me get 10/10 on a small assessment to my GCSEs and A Levels.
What has been the biggest change from arriving in the First Year to departing in Upper Sixth?
Developing strong trust and relationships with my teachers, because it’s so important to do that, in order to receive the grades that I have today.
What are your plans ahead of you?
I would hopefully like to study at a good university in England and consequently end up with a job. As well as this, I would like to still enjoy these precious moments of fun, while I’m still in this stage of youth.
What is your favourite subject?
My favourite subject is mathematics. It’s been my strongest subject, and I love the satisfaction of answering a question as well. There are 23 teachers in the Maths Department, and all of them are brilliant.
What made you want to become a mentor?
Outside of School, I give assistance in my job to people, aged 11-12, and I thought I could use my experience to help the new Hamptonians coming to the School.
What made you want to come to Hampton?
I did lots of 11+ exams, and out of all of them, Hampton stood out the most. I easily recognised it as being the best mix – the academic side is fantastic, there are so many sports on offer and the community is so good, there are so many benevolent people here at Hampton.
What advice would you give yourself going to university?
I think just keep working hard, and to put myself out there to shine, because it’s the last time I’m going to have things organised for me.
What has been the most stressful thing to deal with, coming to Hampton?
GCSEs and mocks can be stressful if you’re not prepared. For some of my tests I was prepared, however for others, not so much. Sport is always stressful to me, but a little stress overall is normal. But, if I were to pick out the most stressful thing, it would be playing in the National Finals for the Football team.
How did you manage to make friends, going to a School where you knew no one?
I think you should always try and be yourself, because people will know when you are trying to be someone else. Being brave is always important.
HALF TERM HALLOWEEN: SPOOKY STORIES AND SWEET SURPRISES
On a cold and gloomy Friday morning, I woke up feeling refreshed. The day had gone quickly, and it seemed like it was time! Time for trick or treating! My friends had come over in full costumes ready for this fun and enjoyable night. We went from one neighbourhood to another (travelling in a car because it was super rainy!). From Haribos and Maoams, to Twix and Wispa, the bags were getting heavier. We even knocked on one door and got a whole pretzel bag! Time had flown by and the next time we checked the time was 9 o’clock. We should have known, every house said they had run out. But in this time, we manage to bag ourselves a whole collection. When we got home, we started our signature trade-off. Overall, Halloween was a great time, and we all enjoyed it. I hope you all did too!
By Pesandu W (1W)
TRICK OR TREAT NIGHT
Time for some spooky poetry from Lenny M (1W):
Trick-or-Treat Night
The moon was bright, the air was cool,
I grabbed my mask and left for school.
But once the sun began to fade,
the night of treats was soon to be made.
I ran to my friend’s house down the street,
…Pumpkin lights glowing, spooky and sweet.
They opened the door in a ghostly disguise
We laughed so hard we had tears in our eyes.
Buckets in hand, we hit the town,
Witches and goblins all around.
Each porch a mystery, each door a game,
“Trick or treat!” we’d shout our claim.
Candy clattered, the bags grew wide,
Chocolate bars stacked side by side.
We traded sweets beneath the trees,
The cool night swirling with laughter and breeze.
When our feet were sore and our voices low,
we headed back through the jack-o’-lantern glow.
The best kind of night, so full and free
Halloween magic for my friend and me.
THE WRITERS’ ROOM: PENNING PERFECTION AND POWERFUL PROSE
As mentioned in many of the previous blogs, Hampton School has a large variety of clubs to choose from, and this week I would like to talk about a specific one that I personally enjoy doing.
Every Thursday, The Writers’ Room club is hosted by Mrs Pickford Scienti. It encourages you to sharpen your English and creative writing skills, while also having fun. You take parts in various activities, such as making a story from a few provided words, and even bigger activities, like taking part in national writing competitions! One thing I think is convenient is the fact that lunch is provided to you by the club itself! So, there is no getting late to classes or having to wait in the lunch queue.
Also, according to what research suggests, the art of writing organises thoughts, improves critical thinking, provides emotional clarity and is an essential skill for personal growth. Basically, writing gives you a greater understanding of you and the world around you, and it is said, if practised regularly, immediately sharpens your brain and academic skills.
After all, there is a saying that states: ‘the pen is mightier than the sword.’
By Owen S-W (1L)
CRYSTALS, CHROMATOGRAPHY, AND COLOURFUL CONCOCTIONS
Every Monday, I attend one of my favourite lunch time clubs: Chemistry Club.
I especially enjoy it because we can get hands-on with some practical activities. Each week, Mrs James chooses a different activity for us, ensuring that we become familiar with all the aspects of Chemistry. In my opinion, the highlights so far are chromatography, making a rainbow in a beaker using solutions and most recently, growing crystals!
Aside from the wide range of fun practicals available, I love learning the underlying principles throughout the process. By immersing myself into the tasks, I am glad that I have been able to see for myself how the operations work, deepening my knowledge in the field of Chemistry.
#SeriouslyExcellent#SeriouslyFun
By Hiu Yeung K (1P)
HALF TERM HIGHLIGHTS – HIKES AND HOBBIES
My first three words to describe Hampton are: exciting, stimulating and exhilarating. The trips so far have been terrific. Avon Tyrrell was a trip of its own! I used to be super-scared of the ‘leap of faith’ and now that fear has been conquered. However, my favourite trip was the hike on the South Downs with Mr Townshend. I just love hiking! However, my favourite lunchtime club is Theatre Tech Club, and I also like going to DE Tech Club every now and again. Finally, I want to shout out Blog Club. We meet on Wednesday break, eat our snacks (sometimes Mr Jimenez brings in sweets) and choose what to write about. It’s a great way to get LION merit also!
By Ruben V (1F)
SCHOOL COUNCIL SPEECHES AND SCHOOL SPIRIT
On Monday, we were told in the morning that for Period 3, that if we wanted to represent the form in the Year Group Council, we would have to give a short 20 second speech on what we would do. It was clear that the competition would be tough, as there were nine people who wanted to be part of it, whom only two could be part of. We all gave our speeches, and then there was a blind vote. Mr Cates announced that Edin and I were going to be part of the Year Group Council. He also mentioned that there would be a meeting next Monday, so in the next blog, I will tell you all about what the First Year have voted for!
By Aahil U (1G)
Safari Pete
Biology Week and the visit of Safari Pete seems a long time ago now, so why not take a look at the video below and see some of the weird and wonderful creatures that came in to see us:
SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS!
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 Jimenez (v.jimenez@hamptonschool.org.uk).
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 Rowan F (1B) on being named this week’s Tutee of the Week!
Rowan is always being kind and welcoming to others, has an incredibly positive attitude, and has shared some great ideas in PSHE – well done Rowan!
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 who knows – you might get to know the School better in the process!
Last week’s challenge: How many different languages can you find that are written in red in the language cloud in the languages corridor?
You could find the languages on the wall next to F5, and the answer is, of course, nine! Half term got in the way of this challenge, so a huge well done to Hui Yeung K and Jacob B for having a go and getting the answer right! Make sure you collect a merit from your Form Tutor next week!
This week’s challenge is:
Which component is the main molecule of eggshells?
