Welcome to the Third Year Blog!

The Third Year Blog is undeniably damp this week. Autumn is autumning. The Thames is high and the School fields are closed.

Wet weeks like this one tend to lead to a comparatively febrile atmosphere in the School as the energy that might otherwise be burnt off outside is contained in the corridors. Of course, this is only true if your only recourse to burning energy off is by running around, shirt untucked, chasing a ball of some kind. There is much to be said for that, and the Third Year Blog would be the last blog to suggest that chasing balls has no value. Chasing balls has been a key part of our civilisation for centuries.

But, there are other ways to entertain yourself and keep yourself busy if the ball chasing is not an option and Hampton is the perfect place to find those other things. Just today at lunchtime for the Third Years in terms of not chasing balls, there was:

Beekeeping Club
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Club
Taskmaster Club
Climbing Club
Badminton and Table Tennis Club (The Third Year Blog is uncertain as to whether table tennis would qualify as ball chasing, but we have chosen to give it a pass here)
Cross Country Running Club
Latin and Greek Speaking Society
Gardening Club
History Society
Maths Club
Tech Club
Neurodiversity Society

So, if you find yourself forlornly looking out of the window at the rain (or at the rapidly disappearing confiscated football that a teacher has found you attempting to chase inside a classroom), then think instead about all the other things that you could potentially be doing. It is not an exaggeration to say that you will probably never in the rest of your life find yourself so well placed to find something new to do that you haven’t tried before, so try to make the most of it!

The full list of Co-curricular activities can be found linked here or on Sharepoint (cleverly, they are in the section titled ‘Co-curricular Area’) and there will be copies going up in Form Rooms very soon, so have a look at what is on offer and try something new.

Fittingly, only one of today’s blog stories is related to chasing balls, although I know that the U14A team had a successful cup match on Thursday that we will be hearing about next week. But that is next week – this week we have more than enough for you to get into….

HEADS OF YEAR MESSAGE

Stay in touch

We remind the boys on a weekly basis of the opportunities they have to come and meet with us. They are always welcome to pop along to our office for a chat, with a question or for some advice, but in particular we guarantee Third Year pupils that one of us will be in the office at the following morning break times:

Thursday – “Open door” drop-in session at the Third Year office.

Friday – Merit signing, also in the Third Year office, for both Academic and LION merits – edible prizes are available!

Parents, please feel free to contact your son’s Form Tutors by email or arrange a phone conversation if there is anything you need to relay or discuss. Similarly, if there are any comments or concerns you have at this stage of the term that you would like to raise with us, please do contact us both by email and we can arrange to speak as required.

Uniform

As we are starting to experience more autumnal weather this week, a reminder that boys are allowed to wear sensible hats, coats and gloves to keep warm on their journeys to and from school, but they must revert to full school uniform throughout the school day whilst on site. This means they must wear a school tie (properly tied) and school blazer, with a white shirt (tucked in and buttoned up), dark trousers, dark socks and smart black shoes (non-trainers). If they are cold, it is permissible to wear a vest under the shirt and/or a dark V-neck jumper. Coats should not be worn in school. Persistent failure to meet these uniform requirements is a conduct issue and can lead to sanctions and/or contacting parents.

It is also important to note that chewing gum is not allowed on the school site.

Language and Banter

Members of the School’s Senior Leadership Team delivered PSHE lessons to Third Year pupils this week on the subject of “Language and Banter”. There were several lively and useful discussions about the appropriate use of language in a school and societal context, as well as helpful reminders about what constitutes bullying behaviour. The boys engaged really well with the scenario discussions and demonstrated their keen understanding of the importance of being “upstanders” in the community.

Year Group Assembly

We are looking forward to speaking with the whole Third Year on Monday during our first Year Group Assembly together. We will give some pertinent reminders and notices. Most importantly, at this early stage of the school year, we plan to set some overarching targets for everyone to help guide their approach to school life.

No Limits Lessons Day

We have high hopes and expectations of all Third Year pupils when they take part in No Limits Lessons Day on Friday next week. This should provide everyone with an opportunity to learn in new, exciting and interactive ways. Crucially, we ask that all pupils embrace this day and participate wholeheartedly, just as they did during Teambuilding at the start of term!

Boys – Please let us, your Form Tutors or the relevant subject teachers know if you have any difficulties. Have a lovely weekend.

Best wishes

Mr T Rigby & Mr H Moore 

Model United Nations

This Tuesday, I joined the Model United Nations (MUN) Club, and it was such an engaging experience! I didn’t participate last year, but I decided to give it a try this time, and I’m glad I did. It’s a fantastic way to improve your debating skills and learn how to craft effective counter-arguments.

One of the highlights is choosing a country to represent. I’m representing the United Arab Emirates with some other Third Years, we’re focusing on strengthening international trade relations and promoting non-renewable energy initiatives (something we wouldn’t advocate for in reality, of course!). It’s a unique challenge to approach issues from a different perspective and think about what’s best for the country you’re representing.

I’m really enjoying the opportunity to explore different viewpoints and figure out how to make strategic decisions on behalf of “my” country. If you’re interested in debate and global issues, MUN is a great way to develop those skills!

Report by David B (3D)

Rowing Success

I started rowing with Walbrook Rowing Club last year and was given a chance to cox J15 quad for few of the regattas over the summer. The races we won included Walton & Weybridge Regatta and Kingston Regatta. Impressed with my performance and team coordination, the head coach decided to let me cox for the British Rowing Junior and Senior Club Championships (BRJSCC) 2024. These were held at the National Water Sports Centre in Holme Pierrepont Country Park, Nottingham in July. Our team trained tirelessly, and closer to the competition day, we trained every evening, honing our technique and teamwork. Our race was on the third day of the championships. On 21 July, we started the early morning drive to the centre and the whole place was buzzing with excitement. The sun was shining, and the place was full of excited rowers and their supporters cheering for them. I had never seen a place full of such a vibrant energy. Enthusiastic supporters including parents, coaches and friends could be heard clear across the lake.

We came first in the time trials at around 13:50. It was all very exciting; we came first with a time of 02.54.3. After that, we had our semi-final at 15:52- we again came first with our timings with a time of 03.25.67 We won against Windsor C, Henley A, Wallington, Claires Court A & Gt Marlow Sch. Finally, the time came for race for the Gold medal. I was bit nervous initially but my coach and J15 scullers gave me lots of encouragement which built my confidence. Our final was at 18:48 – we came first with a time of 03:17:72, breaking the recent record, which had been held by Windsor Boys. The final race was intense, with fierce competition pushing us to our limits but we managed to win by 3/4 of a length. As we crossed the finish line, the thrill of victory was overwhelming. Gold medals around our necks, we felt a sense of achievement that made all the hard work worthwhile. Winning gold at the British Rowing Junior and Senior Club Championships (BRJSCC) in the J15 cox quads is an unforgettable experience and I will cherish it for a long time.

Report by Neal H (3H)


CCF

Last Friday marked the first week of CCF (Combined Cadet Force) at LEH. We began by receiving our uniforms, meeting the staff, and ensuring all clothes were a sufficient fit. Once prepared, we headed to the tennis courts, where the older cadets taught us basic commands for us to follow. Earlier, we also observed a parade where more experienced cadets skilfully executed a series of commands. By the end of the day, we had learned several commands ourselves and had found ourselves feeling confident in our progress. Our first week at CCF was an enjoyable and rewarding experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in joining and learning the ways of the Cadet Force.

Report by Devam K (3E)

Rugby Comeback

Last week on Saturday at RGS we had our first away game of the season and we were looking to end our drought of losses as the two previous games we had lost, despite scoring lots of tries. We headed off to RGS feeling nervous, eager to get out on the pitch for our first away day. We knew it would be a difficult, close game as the year before we narrowly won, and they had added to their calibre of players this year.

We trained together as a team after we walked down to an isolated but scenic pitch. Then, the match started. We were sluggish and weary in the first couple of minutes and started conceding silly penalties and losing ground, in this period RGS scored three tries and were looking the better side. The team morale had dipped a bit as we came in for a team talk with Mr Hood. There were fifteen minutes left of the first half and collectively we realised we needed to wake up and make a comeback. We were holding much better depth and the tackles were much better too, we were stringing together some good passes together and holding on to possession for longer. We started getting it out wide, where we had some good success and finally managed to go one try ahead into the second half.

The second half was just as tough a battle but now we were working together effectively as a team. The game was very close and they certainly weren’t a weak opposition but we endured and beat them 26-19, ruining their unbeaten season. I hope we continue winning and progressing but we are definitely going to get better as we are already improving and working as a team.

Report by Ben G (3F)

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE

Last week, Mr Highton was the teacher who was willing to disgrace himself by lying in a public forum. These were his claims:

  • Mr Highton once climbed Table Mountain barefoot
  • Mr Highton owns a painting by Bruegel the Elder that has been valued as being worth £500,000
  • Mr Highton once dislocated his shoulder by trying to stop a moving car

So which was the lie? Mr Highton is a Geography teacher, so it is believable to find that his grasp of Physics and Biology is so rudimentary as to lead to him managing to dislocate a shoulder in an attempt to stop a car. He is also a remarkable athlete having rowed 900km along the Zambezi river last summer – surely going up Table Mountain barefoot would be a walk in the park? What this means is that Mt Highton does not in fact own a painting worth £500K though, even if he did, the Third Year Blog has no doubt he would still be thoroughly committed to improving Hamptonians’ understanding of urbanisation, Rossby waves and oxbow lakes.

This week, we have Mrs Pickford Scienti as the teacher who is willing to sacrifice their credibility for the Third Year blog. This is what she wants you all to believe:

  • Mrs Pickford Scienti LOVES a marmalade sandwich
  • Mrs Pickford Scienti has 5 dresses with books on them
  • Mrs Pickford Scienti is a keen player of both Forza Horizon 5 and Hogwarts Legacy

Which is the lie?

CONNECTION CORNER

A big shout out to all the Third Year Hamptonians who had a go at last week’s Connection Corner of the year and well done those of you who answered all the questions correctly and guessed the connection as Ice Creams! Merits go to Alex G, Seb W, Neal H, Neev G, Manilo C, Gordon L, Mattie R, Huw C, Bevan P, Kit B, Joe B, James G, George S, Kailan Y, Daniel S, Henry S, Seb D, Seb W and Vayun J.

Another tricky one this week, have a go over the weekend and see if you can spot the connection:

What was the name of the famous 80s TV detective played by Tom Selleck? Magnum PI

The Beatles were collectively known by what famous phrase? The Fab Four

What word do Americans commonly use to describe tornados? Twisters

What is the word for a large meal that is typically a celebratory one? Feast

Connection: Ice Creams (Magnum, Fab, Twister, Feast)

Have a great weekend!

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