Welcome to the First Year Blog!
Our First Years have enjoyed a homework free holiday this week, taking some time for a well-earned rest after a busy term! Lucas ST (1P) reports from the front lines of fun:
This week is a great week! Why? Because it is…. HOMEWORK HOLIDAY WEEK!!! Sadly, it may not be it for everyone, you may get work to finish off. Also, just because we don’t get homework doesn’t mean you don’t have to revise and read but mostly, of course, we will have a very good break!
TUTOR PROFILES WITH AADI K
The best way to learn is through asking questions.
This week I interviewed Mr Barber 1H’s Form Tutor and Head of Classics:
Non desistas non exieris
(Never give up and never surrender)
Where did you graduate from?
I graduated from Oxford and the course I did was called Literae Humaniores.
Why did you want to be a Classics teacher?
I loved reading Greek and Latin and wanted to pass my knowledge onto younger pupils. I also like having long holidays!
How do you keep track of things you need to do?
I use my phone quite a lot. On my phone I put reminders and important events in my calendar. I also write down things on paper, as it is also very useful.
What is your proudest achievement?
My proudest achievement is probably proposing to my wife and getting married.
What are three positive character traits you have?
I would say that I’m calm, easy-going and I have a musical mind.
What do you think are your key strengths?
Three key strengths of mine are that I am a good listener, I have a good memory which is vital for Latin/Greek, and I strive to never let anyone down.
What is a difficult experience you have faced to date?
The hardest experience I have had to date is when I became Head of Department. It was quite a challenge to manage everybody and make sure they are happy.
What do you do when you know your pupils aren’t keeping up?
Like most teachers I’m very flexible. I keep trying different explanations to try and help pupils understand.
As you are the founder of Board Games Club, what is your favourite game?
My favourite game would be Star Realms: it’s fun and is quite a quick game. Another reason I like it, is because it’s portable. I can take it anywhere I want.
Football or cricket?
I love both for different reasons, however I will pick football as where I grew up it was treated like a religion.
WONDERFUL WORLD
Looking at the world around us Advait B (1B) will be exploring the wonders of our wonderful world.
The Complement System
From the smallest thing to the largest, in this series we will explore the true wonders of our universe. Each week we will be exploring different things in the universe. We will cover all three aspects of science and I’m sure you will learn something along the way. In this entry, I will be talking about the complement system.
To survive, every living thing must protect itself from other living things. To do this, humans have a very complicated and evolutionarily tested defence mechanism against these foreign intruders. This is known as the immune system. The immune system consists of many different parts, and one of the most important, but one of the least known about, is the complement system. These are dangerous to pathogens, and your own cells. To stop complement attacking the body cells, the cells have defences against them. Let’s pretend you cut yourself and pathogens get inside the wound. The first complement that deals with this is the C3 complement. C3 has two parts, C3A and C3B. The process in which this complement activates is very complicated, so we will say they happen randomly. C3B latches on to the outside of a pathogen. Millions of these attach to the pathogen which is very bad for it. It is like being covered in thousands of flies. But there’s more. The C3A protein detaches from the C3B and travels through the bloodstream to alert white blood cells, which follow the trail to the site of infection where they can ‘swallow’ the pathogen and kill it with acid. But there’s still more. The C3B on the outside of the pathogen has been attached to by many more proteins and with the arrival of a certain other protein, complement rips lots of tiny holes in the pathogen’s body, killing it. Imagine being covered in thousands of flies again. Then imagine those flies turning into wasps. This is what it is like to the pathogen. So, complement cripples, calls for help and actively helps in trying to eliminate these pathogens. Thanks to Kurzgesagt for helping me research, and be sure to check out their channel here on YouTube!
PAUSE FOR THOUGHT
From cells to what makes us human, Kanishk M (1W) continues to explore the stories behind DNA technologies:
Gel Electrophoresis
In a genetic engineer’s toolbox, this one is as ubiquitous as it gets because of how versatile and straight forward it is. Essentially, you get a special gel, put a substance into premade holes in that gel, and use electricity to pull that substance through that gel. As you do this the substance will spread out, as lighter molecules will travel further than heavier ones, it should leave bands symbolising where each molecule is.
Our focus today is on DNA and agarose gels, but we might come back to this and explore the wider range of gels and applications. We also will not be covering blotting today as it is a huge topic. When you do electrophoresis, you will need a few things, the first is the gel box, this is essentially a tank which you can fill up with electrolyte and has two electrodes in it to carry the current through the gel, with a place to put the gel in between them. You will then need a power supply, and materials to make the gel. All you need to do is run a current through the electrolyte, then put the gel’s holes close to the negative terminal and add the dye+ladder to your DNA mix and inject it into the holes. Then check the ladder sample. The ladder is the measuring tool you use. There you go, next time, we will talk about the gel doc.
SPeCIAL SHOUT OUTS!
We love to hear about what you have been getting up to outside of School. Please do send any information about any of your achievements through to Mrs Halford.
TUTEE oF THE WEEK
Each week Mrs Peattie and Mr Hill select a Tutee of the Week from the nominations sent in by the First Year Form Tutors. This person is selected for their all-round contribution to Hampton life and for displaying a great attitude. Congratulations to this week’s winner of the award: Harry E (1H) for his kindness and thoughtfulness he has demonstrated to other members of the First Year.
The Story of Moses
Aarush J (1J) tells us more about what 1J have been learning in their RS lessons:
We spent three hours the day before planning what we should bring. We emptied all our Lego out and picked what we needed. Once we had decided, we brought all the Lego figures in to School. In our RS period we set up all the scenes and recorded everything. It was a lot of fun planning and filming, what an experience!
12 Days of christmas
Form Charity Organiser, Mrs Samuel, has a message about an exciting charity event taking place in the run up to Christmas:
In the current circumstances it is hard to run our normal charity events, so we are starting the Hampton School 12 Days of Christmas initiative which is the perfect way for all of us to demonstrate the spirit of the season.
So, what are Hampton’s 12 Days of Christmas? Take a look below to find out:
Tuesday 1 December: Foodbank Collection /Tinned food (soup, tuna, vegetables, fruit, meat, beans)
Wednesday 2 December: Friendship – we take a moment to be thankful for our friendships and show our appreciation
Thursday 3 December: Foodbank Collection / Rice or Pasta
Friday 4 December: Bring in a chocolate bar / for chocolate gift bags for local community organisations.
Saturday 5 December: Good Deed – Boys and Staff encouraged to exhibit kindness and complete a good deed
- Cook dinner for your family
- Take out the recycling
- Walk your dog
Sunday 6 December: Gratitude – write a thank you card to a friend or a family member
Monday 7 December: Giving: support Form Charity Quiz & The Big Give
Tuesday 8 December: Foodbank Collection /Shampoo, shower-gel, toothpaste
Wednesday 9 December: Christmas Wish / hang your wish on the Christmas Tree
Thursday 10 December: Foodbank Collection / UHT Milk
Friday 11 December: Christmas Spirit: Mufti Day in aid of Form Charity / wear your Christmas Jumpers & Hats etc.
Saturday 12 December: Commitment / commit to doing a good deed during the holiday
You’ll hear more about this from your Form Tutor next week!
FIRST YEAR 5 QUESTIONS
A few questions for you to have a go at yourself or challenge people at home if they know the answer. Merits are awarded for everyone who has a go! Just click on the link below and enter your answers and points for the Inter-Form Competition will be awarded to the form with the most entries every week.
- What is the name of the band with the following members: John Deacon, Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor?
- What is Sir Alex Ferguson’s middle name?
- Which artist painted ‘The Water-Lily Pond’ in 1899?
- How many Bond films did Roger Moore appear as 007?
- Can you name the six suspects in the board game Cluedo?
Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here.
Remember to write your name in the form so you can be credited with merits! Merits will be added to our remote merit log and if you have space add a merit in the back of your diaries!
We had an impressive 36 entries for the Five questions last week, 1J are in the lead with an amazing nine submissions! Well done to the following boys (make sure to add your merits in the back of your homework diaries):
1B: William L, Boris D, Jack Y, Adam M, Advait B
1F: Charlie H, Jasper E, Henry P
1H: Alessandro C, Prabodha A, Arun S, Alex C, Steffan H, Isa H-S, Louis H
1J: Nathaniel C, Freddie T, Archer J, Josh G, Maxwell G, Caspar S, Ben B, Daniel T, Joshua R
1L: Aadi K, Sriyan S, Jamie G, Matthew J, Gregory M, Jaipaal G, Agalyan S,
1P: Raif D, Elamaran R, Eugene K
1W: Leander KB, Oliver A
And here are the answers to last week’s Five questions:
- What year did the Titanic sink in the Atlantic Ocean on 15 April, on its maiden voyage from Southampton? 191
- Who invented the tin can for preserving food in 1810? Peter Durand
- Which actress played Mary Poppins in the 1964 film Mary Poppins? Julie Andrews
- Where does the American baseball team the Tampa Bay Rays play their home games? Tropicana Field
- Who dropped a hammer and a feather on the Moon to demonstrate that without air they fall at the same rate? David R Scott
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
Have a great weekend!
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