Welcome to the First Year Blog!
Welcome back after two hopefully relaxing and enjoyable weeks off! It has been great to hear what the First Years have been up to during their first half term break at Hampton – from fun trips abroad to sleepovers and just relaxing at home, it sounds like they really made the most of their time away from School and are ready for another exciting half term ahead!
MEET Mr Rudajev
Before half term, Ethan S-W (1L) interviewed his Maths teacher, Mr Rudajev!
Why did you want to be a maths teacher?
I like puzzles and solving problems and mathematical games. I also wanted to help people get better at maths.
What would you be other than a maths teacher?
I worked at the stock market and finance and found that enjoyable too.
What were you like when you were the same age as me?
Cheeky (I liked pulling pranks), I was good in school.
Why do you support Chelsea FC?
I’ve lived in London for a long time, my friends support Chelsea too and I used to go see them play with my friends, Chelsea was our local football club.
What is your second favourite subject?
That’s a hard question to answer I like Economics as it has same aspects as Maths. I studied Economics in University.
What is the most useful invention?
Electricity as it powers a lot of things, and things wouldn’t be possible without it. We also need electricity these days for Hybrid cars.
How is teaching style in the UK different to America?
In England we have A Levels and GCSE exams but in America we don’t. The education system is a bit more relaxed in America. In the UK the teaching ensures that the children are geared to do well.
You have also lived in France, was it easy for you to learn French?
French is my mother tongue, so I learnt it naturally. But my writing in French is not as great as my spoken French.
SCHOOL DURING HALF TERM?!
Noriki W (1F) shares his half term experiences, where he spent some time visiting relatives and attending school abroad!
My time in Japan was very fun. For the first time, I went there by myself! I wasn’t really worried about being alone but only excited about what I would do in Japan. The main aim of me going to Japan this time was to attend a school. I attend Japanese school every week on Saturday in the UK but this time I was actually going to go to an actual school in Japan. I would go to school for eight days as I would arrive at Japan late on Monday and there wouldn’t be school on Friday due to an event. I really enjoyed the school in Japan. I was back down in year 6 due to a Japanese school year starting at April, not September. I made a few friends on the first day and we normally would do basketball as football was banned as apparently there were lots of accidents happening with people getting hit by footballs. I could understand most lessons, but sometimes struggled to understand things at some points. In Japan, you learn English so that was quite easy for me as English is my first language. School normally starts at 8:45 otherwise a morning run (on Mondays and Wednesdays for year 6s) at 8:00 which was quite fun. School would normally end at 15:40. Lunch was quite different in Japan compared to England with rice and milk being provided everyday with a different main dish. My classmates in Japan were quite surprised when they heard that there were occasionally pizza/pasta being served as it wouldn’t happen in Japan lunch meals at all. I was very glad to go to this school as I made new friends and memories.
Excluding school, I also had a lot of fun. I went to a sushi restaurant and as it was my grandpa’s birthday, I also went to a Chinese restaurant. I went on a massive shopping trip for sweets as sweets in Japan are very tasty and quite cheap too. I also went to a sports shop to get a football kit and some gloves to play baseball. As well as those, I got some earphones and a baseball mit which is a thick glove with a pocket to catch the ball in. I met my relatives such as grandparents and cousin which was very fun as I got to spend a lot of time with them. When it was the day to go to the airport I was quite sad. I had only managed to spend two weeks with my new friends and had lots fun and was going to go home already. My grandparents and cousin live in Japan so it was not often that they would come to the UK and would have to go back to the UK which is very far away from Japan. Thankfully, I’m going back to Japan in April which is something to look forward to.
New Pupils’ Concert
The New Pupils’ Concert is a unique event in the Hampton School calendar, dedicated to showcasing the musical talent of our new Hamptonians. Come along for a diverse and exciting programme and witness the technical prowess of our new musicians. Book your free tickets here.
No Limits Week
Next week is No Limits week, which is all about moving out of your comfort zone and challenging yourself with something new! Lower School Hamptonians are encouraged to go to at least three new clubs or societies over the course of the week. Everyone will be given a ‘No Limits Week Card’ which you will take to each new club you take part in. From History Society to Basketball, from Board Games to Biology Club, this is your chance to discover a new passion and have a go at doing something a little bit different!
Take a look at the full list of all clubs, societies and other co-curricular activities on offer in the booklet below:
Odd Socks
On Monday 13 November, we will be joining with many schools and other organisations across the country by inviting pupils to participate in Odd Socks Day. Odd Socks Day takes place at the start of Anti-Bullying Week each year to raise awareness of bullying. The idea of wearing odd socks is that it is an opportunity for people at schools and workplaces to celebrate their individuality and it is a reminder of the duty we all have to stand up against bullying and discrimination. Let’s hear from Lower Sixth Hamptonians Vaibhav and Isaac to find out more:
TALK!
The first Hampton School Talk! of the year will take place on Thursday 16 November at 1pm in the Hammond Theatre with Harry Cole, the Political Editor of one of the UK’s most popular newspapers, with a string of headline scoops to his name.
Join us to hear from one of the most influential and forthright voices in political journalism and learn all about Harry Cole’s rise to one of the top jobs in the media and his insight on the current political landscape. If you’re interested in all things politics or can see your future in journalism, come along on 16 November and find out more.
Hamptonians from across all year groups are welcome to attend and do not need to book a ticket.
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 Fuldner (d.fuldner@hamptonschool.org.uk).
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! Points for the interform competition will be awarded to the Form with the most correct entries over the course of the term! 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!
A big shout out to the First Years who correctly found the answer to last week’s Hampton Hunt. Well done to Harry C (1L), Emile S (1W), William P (1B), Ryan S (1B), Toby W (1B), Riyaan G (1B) and Yousuf H (1B) for getting the correct answer! Make sure you collect a merit from your Form Tutor next week!
If you did know the answer but didn’t enter it into the blog last week, make sure you do so this week as it won’t count otherwise!
This week’s challenge:
When did the Geography Courtyard Garden first start?
You can find the answer in the Geography department!
