Marvellous Music, Clubs Galore & Adventure is out there!

Welcome to the First Year Blog!

It was No Limits and No Homework Week for First Year Hamptonians which made everyone very happy! The challenge for No Limits Week was to step out of your comfort zone and attend at least three new clubs. The challenge led to an interesting week: there were 70 boys at Model United Nations on Tuesday! You can read more about some of the clubs in this blog.

We also had the fabulous New Pupils’ Concert this week and The Comedy of Errors play; I am pleased to include reviews of both. In addition, we have reports from several new bloggers, including the Adventure Society’s trip to Bentley Copse.

Do take time this weekend to prepare your entries for the Interform Photo Competition. The theme is ‘yellow’ and you need to email your entry to Mr Jimenez v.jimenez@hamptonschool.org.uk.

It is less than three weeks until we break up for Christmas! Time to dig out the Christmas jumper.

Interform Photography Competition

Just a reminder to submit your entries for the Interform Photography Competition!

The theme for the competition is the colour yellow, to celebrate the Hampton colours! The judges are looking for the following:

• Composition
• Use of colour
• Originality
• Number of entries per form and teamwork

There is no limit to the number of entries per form, but only one photo is allowed to be submitted by each person within the form. Top entries will be posted in the First Year blog. No photos of other pupils are allowed!

Could all submissions be e-mailed to Mr Jimenez (v.jimenez@hamptonschool.org.uk), ideally below 5MB in file size. The deadline for submissions is Monday 25 November. Come and see me if you’re having issues!

No Limits Week

It’s been great to see you all trying out so many new clubs this week. Let’s hear what Aayu C (1L) had a go at during No Limit Week:

Finally, the event we have all been looking forward to has arrived! So far I have tried The Illusion Club where we saw cool illusions in a video and learnt how they worked. I was especially amazed by an illusion where a ball was dropped into a container and popped out of another. I am looking forward to Chess Club where you get the chance to experience playing against others outside your form. I love learning new strategies from others and using them to become better. The main idea of this exciting week is to try something new and move out of your comfort zone. Many people have developed new interests and passions that we never would have normally if we just stuck to our usual clubs. I am excited to go for to Junior Physics Club where we will be building a hot-air balloon that can actually fly!

New Pupils’ Concert

Rahul P (1B) appeared on the Hammond Theatre stage for the very first time this week. Let’s hear how he got on:

This was a thrilling event to be involved in and included a mixture of upbeat performances and calm, classy compositions. All the boys got to showcase their amazing talent whether it be on the violin, the piano or the harp and the marimba. We were treated to wonderful performances of famous pop songs such as Believer – (Imagine Dragons) – played by Akshaj A n the guitar; Seven Nation Army – (The White Stripes) played on the electric guitar by Ashveer C (1H). There were also beautiful, peaceful pieces such as Ladies in Lavender – (Nigel Hess) – played by Rafferty O’C Z on the violin; and Song from a Secret Garden – (R. Lovland) – played by Rayan A (1J) on the piano.

I played In a Spanish Garden by Josephine Trott on the violin which is a lively and bold piece for the first and last sections with a softer middle section. I felt slightly nervous at first, but the audience was so welcoming, and, in the end, I really enjoyed playing. Overall, I had a wonderful time at the New Pupils’ Concert; I thoroughly enjoyed listening to everybody’s performance’s and I enjoyed sharing the love of music and all our talents.

Take a look at some of the photos from the evening here.

Bentley Copse Adventure Society Trip

It was an exciting week for some First Year Hamptonians, who travelled to the Surrey Hills for a weekend of adventure:

On Saturday 25 First Years went to Bentley Copse in the Surrey Hills on an action-packed trip. The day started at 3pm and we first went into a cave maze. It had three levels and we played games such as ‘troll hunter’ where one person (as the troll) needs to catch the other players and turn them into trolls. This was especially hard in a maze with no light!

We then did zip lining which I enjoyed as it was fast and was more fun as it was pretty dark. We then had a delicious dinner and even cake as it was my birthday! We headed off next for night orienteering! There were 22 checkpoints with letters and we needed to collect the letters. The next day it was mountain biking around the hills. We went up the rocky trails which were steep and quite difficult but the view at the top for lunch made up for it. We then cycled down the smooth downhill road and then headed back to school.

By Ryan A (1J)

A gaggle of Hamptonians gathered by the basketball courts to load up their bikes and hop on the minibuses to Bentley Copse last Saturday. Having just won an intense football match with the C team, against Glyn School, I was raring to go with my comrades. After an hour of jokes and amusement on the bus, zip lining was first on the agenda. Soaring through the air, I was flying like an eagle and adrenaline pumped though my blood – I was exhilarated. As I landed back to Earth, a crazy course of cave mazes challenged our minds as we had to find our way in the darkness.

The dorm was buzzing with fifteen Hamptonians in each room! Sleep felt unlikely! Activities were endless, after a pizza pie dinner and a board game extravaganza we headed out on a night navigation. Breakfast was followed by an epic three-hour bike ride over the Surrey Hills. Gazing over the stunning landscape and being with my new buddies made me content and cheerful! Bring on the next adventure society trip, I recommend signing up immediately.

By Seb G (1F)

In celebration of No Homework Week

I am blogging on the second day of No Homework Week and I think it is going very well! On behalf of everyone who has this break, I say “YES!” Even though, it has only been a few weeks of school it is arduous getting at least two pieces of homework a day and now having a week to just get a rest is like paradise. Although we have still got tests and need to revise, this homework-less week is something I will cherish.

By Ayoub R (1G)

The Comedy of Errors and Theatre Tech Club

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, I was lucky to experience both Drama Club’s great performances of The Comedy of Errors (by Shakespeare) and my first show helping with Theatre Tech Club!

From 4 until 8.30pm in the afternoon on Tuesday 12 November, tension built as rehearsal after rehearsal, and I began to get to grips with the audio software that we would be using. It seemed that after almost no time at all, the audience began to fill the seats of the Hammond and the lights dimmed… Luckily, I managed to get through the whole show without messing up once, a great achievement it seemed (for me at least)! On the second night, I swapped over with another pupil and became a shadow (watching the other person), but it was still just as exciting! I can’t tell you an exact time or day as it depends on the show schedules but if you are interested, please email Mr Thompson m.thompson@hamptonschool.org.uk.

Lesson of the Week

By Tom C (1F)

I have really enjoyed Design and Engineering lessons as we have been making a copper keyring. I have enjoyed the process of sawing through the metal with different saws (abra files and junior hack saws) and then using a file to smooth down the sharp edges. After this we used wet and dry paper to smooth it down even more. Then we used a drill to drill a hole for the keyring to attach to the copper. Next week we will cover it with enamel in our chosen colour before placing it in a kiln to set.

DE is fun because I have never worked with metal before and I am learning new skills. Although it is a long process, it is very satisfying to see the results.

PE

By Arthur H (1G)

In PE this half term we have been doing badminton and we have been learning serving, forehands and backhands. During the lessons we play rallies with our partner while the teacher gives us small coaching tips, like how to make your opponent move around the court which can lead to you winning.

We do a different sport every half term (last term we did basketball)l. In addition, I attend Badminton and Table Tennis Club where you just play matches. I would really recommend it and it is every Friday at 1.10pm.

Football Update

By Milo B (1G)

Last Saturday, the U12C team went out to face Glyn school in a very tough, close match. The game was goalless despite some close chances thanks to our strong defence. Then late in the first half, a ball was played across the box to me in the middle, I looked behind me and realised there was a player behind me, so I dummied the ball and my friend Felix H (1J) smashed the ball into the top corner of the goal. Our team was delighted and the game ended 1-0 to us.

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 Theo G (1J) on being named this week’s Tutee of the Week.  

Theo has shown lots of enthusiasm and commitment for the School Council. He really cares about passing on the ideas from other First Years and making Hampton a better place to come to school. Keep it up!

SPECIAL SHOUTOUTS!

Big shoutout to Rahul P (1B) on his recent achievement at the Kingston Music Festival:

I was thrilled to have a chance to play in the Jazz Class in the Kingston Music Festival a couple weeks ago. I played “I wish I knew how it would feel to be free’” by Billy Taylor. It is a fun and expressive piece with lots of room for musicality and creativity. Before I started playing, I did feel a bit nervous but when I started playing the slight nervousness went away and I really enjoyed performing in front of an audience. I was extremely happy when at the end the adjudicator called my name out for winning second prize.

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 Mrs Whitwam (v.whitwam@hamptonschool.org.uk).

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: What kind of tree was first planted on the old school site and can now be found in the Cloisters?

You were of course able to find the answer in the Cloisters – it is a Mulberry tree!

A big shout out to the First Years who correctly found the answer to last week’s Hampton Hunt. Well done to Oliver J, Hayk F, Jai W E, Diego C-G, William J, Faaris M-C, Alexander C, Theo R, Felix R, Rayan A, Kamran C, Edward R, James C, Reyansh K, Nico A-G, Rishi S, Ojas P and Isaac L.  for getting the correct answer! Make sure you collect a merit from your Form Tutor next week!

This week’s challenge:

Enter your answer here: