WELCOME TO THE THIRD YEAR BLOG!
And here we all are, effortlessly easing into the sunlit uplands of the final half term of the School year.
Wonderful though this is, it does mean that you won’t all be Third Years for very much longer. But, don’t despair, there are still a few weeks of the Third Year Blog for you all.
This week, the Third Year Blog is keen to get into the marvellous achievements of our rowers and tennis players as soon as possible, so we won’t be chewing your ear off about paying attention to the election and actively engaging in the way it is reported. But make sure that you do…
Anyway, on to the remarkable efforts of the rowing squad and the success of one of our outstanding tennis players, as well as the next chapter of Lucas Z’s epic tale. We also have a special, extended edition of two truths a lie, which has been adapted in a sense where even the name itself becomes a lie. Find out more below!
Heads of Year Message
Well done to all J14 rowers for their excellent showing at the National Schools’ Regatta on Friday 24 May.
Well done to everyone for completing the Third Year Exams the week before half term (and earlier this week for some). Pupils will have received most of their exam results this week and can inform parents themselves. Parents will receive official notification of their son’s exam grades at the end of term in the Summer Grade Card. Departments that set pupils for GCSE will use exam results (alongside other data throughout the year) to inform their decision making and will inform parents by letter before the end of term.
Laptop collection
We will write to parents more fully about this (with instructions for the technical elements of the process) at the start of next week, but please note that Forms 3A-3E will collect their new laptops from the atrium at lunchtime on Thursday 13 June, followed by Forms 3F-3J on Friday 14 June.
11+ joiners should back up their iPads and return them to factory settings before setting up their new laptops at home.
13+ joiners must back up their iPads before handing them in on those dates.
Prior to attending (instructions will be included in our letter next week):
- Pupils must take a backup of their iPad and ensure they have synced their Class Notebooks.
- Once confident the backup has completed, pupils should reset their iPad to factory settings and remove ‘Find my iPad’.
- If there is any uncertainty, please see the IT department prior to Thursday 13 June.
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.
We hope that everyone makes the most of the remaining weeks of term. Please throw yourselves into the activities on offer and keep supporting one another with kindness right until the end of term. As always, do reach out to us or your Form Tutors if you are having any difficulties.
We hope you all have a lovely weekend!
Best wishes
Mr T Rigby & Mrs M Bedford
National Schools’ Regatta Victories!
J14A report
On 24 May this year, the last day of the half term and of exam week, our J14 rowers had the chance to get out of a day of exams and win a national medal. We would be racing in day one of the National Schools’ Regatta at Dorney Lake. The lake is familiar to us, but arriving at school before 7 o’clock was not. Regardless, we were all into mini buses incident free and arrived at the lake with plenty of time to relax before ramping up to our races. Dorney was filled with its typical extensive rows of boat racks and the somewhat ominous queue of crews wrapping around the back of the Eton Boat Club. By 10am, the B and C crews had warmed up, stretched and had hands on their boats with the A boat following not far behind. After few small loops in the warm up lane and what felt like a weeks worth of overthinking, we were at the top of the lake with blades in the water and about to race.
Both our A and B crew came away with a gold medal after a hard fought struggle against St Paul’s, who have always been our most dangerous opponents. It was a great day out with thanks to the Hampton and Holles Boat Club association who so kindly supplied us with a serving of tomato pasta and a much appreciated cookie. I can’t finish without thanking Mr Perry, Miss Ziegler and Mr Jones mostly for putting up with and driving us around but also for giving us the chance and the training from all the way back in September to go out and win a medal. We’ll see if we can do it again next year.
Report by Ben P (3H)
J14B report
On the Friday before half term, the A,B and C crews travelled to Dorney Lake to compete in the National Schools’ Regatta, arguably the largest rowing race our year compete in. After setting up our gazebo, the crews readied their boats for their upcoming time trial. The time trial would determine which final each crew would get in to, so it was of upmost priority to win.The first race was the B time trial. We took our boat out onto the pontoon, and after some warm up paddling and definitely not nearly crashing into the bank, we were ready for our time trial. As we passed through the start line, we accelerated off, the rhythmic click of the blades turning all we could hear.
At the end of the time trial, we anxiously waited for our results, constantly refreshing our phones to see if the times were up. Finally, someone shouted they had the times. We had won our time trial, and would be in the best lane for our A final. After the other crews had completed their time trials, and a few hours later, our final was called up. As we paddled to our start line, we were surrounded by crews from Radley, St Paul’s, King’s, as well as some others. As the bell marked our start, we powered off, the shouting of the coxes drowning out everything else. The last 500m would decide the race, as we pushed a final burst, coming out in first by 0.7s. We had won!
Report by Kai W (3H)
What a day! Well done to all Third Year rowers who competed at this year’s National Schools’ Regatta. Catch up on the highlights of the J14 victories in the video below:
National Tennis Competition success
Before half term, Brennan C (3E) had success in a National Tennis competition. We caught up with him to find out more…
What was the format of the tournament you competed in?
The format of the competition was two group stages containing three other teams in each. I played for Surrey and in our group was Suffolk, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire. After this, the winner of both groups would progress to the final, second place would play out for 3/4th, third for 5/6 and last for 7/8. My team progressed to the final to play Essex and beat them. There were four people in each team, ranked 1-4, you would play a singles match and a doubles match against your relative ranked opponents in each team. If your team won more rubbers/matches than the other team then you beat them.
What role were you able to play in your team winning?
My role in our team winning is that I played six matches out of a maximum eight possible and won all of them at number two seed (rank) and played one singles match as number 1 against Suffolk. My wins included beating the number 21 in the country who played for Hampshire and also winning my match in the final 4-1 4-3 from 3-0 down in the second set.
What was the most exciting moment of the tournament?
My most exciting moment of the tournament was winning the whole tournament for Surrey. I hit the final shot to win the match and the overall competition in a doubles match off a serve return.
What are you ambitions for the rest of the tennis season?
My ambition for the rest of the tennis season is to attempt to make quarter and semi-finals of the nationals by the end of the year. In fact, next week I am playing in a national tournament on grass where, if I win my first match, I have a tough opponent against number one in Europe.
A new legend – continued
As you will have noticed, the Third Year Blog is unwilling to let you binge read Lucas Z’s opus. Here is the next carefully drip-fed section.
Read the next exciting instalment here.
FOUR truths and a lie
This week’s two truths and a lie comes with a couple of twists. Firstly, we have a visiting liar – Mr Leafe has come all the way from the Politics department to join in. The additional twist is that Mr Leafe’s aversion to lying is so strong, that he wanted to offset his lie with FOUR truths, meaning that the whole thing needs a one-week-only rebranding as four truths and a lie. Cast your eyes over the options below and see whether you can pick out the untruth.
- Once Mr Leafe met Harry Maguire at a black-tie function and strongly felt that at that moment they were essentially equals
- Mr Leafe has never eaten a yoghurt
- If Mr Leafe hears the phrase ‘sweet treats’ he physically shivers
- Mr Leafe used to be called Mr Leaf, but changed his name by deed poll as he felt his original name was ‘too common’
- Mr Leafe once won a head-to-head mascot race dressed as a duck, defeating a crocodile
Surely none of this can be true. But, ludicrously, most of it is. Your job is to work out what isn’t.
CONNECTION CORNER
Well done to the everyone who had a go at last week’s Connection Corner. Merits go to all those who correctly guessed that the answers were all Rivers in the UK. Big shout out to Krishang T, Charlie E, Max A, Ollie N, Bailey HC, Rahul K and Darshan S.
Another tricky one to have a go at over the weekend:
In case you’re still perplexed, here are the answers from the last week’s conundrum:
What is the name of partner in crime of Bonnie Elizabeth Parker? Clyde Chestnut Barrow
What wool patterned fabric has become synonymous with Scottish and Irish style? Tweed
What motorway suspension bridge connects South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales? Severn Bridge
What is the name of the barrier that protects Central London from flooding? Thames Barrier
Connection: Rivers in the United Kingdom (Clyde, Tweed, Severn, Thames)
Have a great weekend!
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