Hampton Court House http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk Independent School for ages 3 - 16 Wed, 22 May 2013 15:44:06 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 French Exchange, Spring 2013 http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/french-exchange-spring-2013/ http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/french-exchange-spring-2013/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 17:12:13 +0000 HCH http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/?p=6463

On the 5th of May our French penfriends came to our school and we had a life-changing experience!

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They came for five days and they stayed at our house for five nights. On Monday, they went on a tour of Hampton Court Palace. They all had different personalities and some liked the Palace more than the others. On Tuesday and Wednesday they were at school with us. On Thursday they went to explore the centre of London. On Friday everyone was sad (and some were crying!) when they left. But we will remember them.

by Luca Seabrook, Imogen and Laurie (Year 5)

Related link:
Collège Claude Bernard – Grand Quevilly – Echange Hampton Court House
]]> http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/french-exchange-spring-2013/feed/ 0 Cooking experiment http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/the-science-behind-cooking/ http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/the-science-behind-cooking/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 15:44:51 +0000 HCH http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/?p=6455

941577 223978567726884 1516035774 n 250x250 Cooking experimentWe were working on microbes when Raul (our science teacher) had the brilliant idea to make bread using yeast. We learnt so much like yeast eats the sugar and creates carbon dioxide and that’s what makes the dough grow we also found that the yeast multiplies at 38°C (close to the body temperature. Year six did this in two groups, one made the dough and the other formed the dough into bread shapes. We did this in the kitchen with help from Junior (the school’s chef). We made the bread using a simple recipe with flour, water, sugar, salt, yeast (fungi) and olive oil. We achieved something we would never imagined.

Kit Clayton (Year 6)

— Follow The Kitchen at HCH on Facebook.
]]> http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/the-science-behind-cooking/feed/ 0 Ayrton Cable’s “Blood Phones” shortlisted for a prestigious award http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/blood-phones/ http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/blood-phones/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 17:11:29 +0000 HCH http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/?p=6443

Ayrton is Runner Up in Amnesty International’s “Young Photo Reporter of the Year!”

Amnesty 6636 250x167 Ayrton Cables Blood Phones shortlisted for a prestigious awardA Ayrton’s “Blood Phones” photo highlighting the great suffering in the Congo mostly being caused by the profits from conflict minerals in our mobile phones came Runner Up in a competition which attracted over 2,500 entrants.

At the Awards ceremony, Ayrton and the other shortlisted children spent the morning at the Guardian headquarters. They were each given a front page template using the Guardian’s own software and allowed to create their very own front page news for that day. Led by a senior journalist from the Guardian they learned how to write stories for newspapers and the differences between journalistic story writing and conventional story writing.

In the afternoon they all travelled to Amnesty’s HQ in eco friendly cars and were given a wonderful pizza lunch. The awards ceremony itself was an exciting affair with speeches from past award winners and legendary rapper Kate Templeton wowing the crowd.

You can view “Blood phones” and other blog entries on Ayrton’s blog. ]]> http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/blood-phones/feed/ 0 Year 9 &10 trip to the Houses of Parliament http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/year-9-10-trip-to-the-houses-of-parliament/ http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/year-9-10-trip-to-the-houses-of-parliament/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 09:57:10 +0000 HCH http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/?p=6431

photo 2 150x150 Year 9 &10 trip to the Houses of Parliament photo 3 150x150 Year 9 &10 trip to the Houses of Parliament photo 4 150x150 Year 9 &10 trip to the Houses of Parliament photo 5 150x150 Year 9 &10 trip to the Houses of Parliament On Thursday the 16th of May a group of year 9 and 10 students went to see The Houses of Parliament in London. We took the train from Hampton Court to Waterloo station. When we arrived we still had some time left before our tour began so we decided to go for a walk on the South Bank near the London Eye. We did a short quiz to see how much we knew about The Houses of Parliament and how the United Kingdom is being governed. After that we had a snack as we could not eat or drink inside the building.

We started the short walk to The Houses of Parliament. We made our way to Portcullis House that is an office building for the MPs. There is also a canteen where MPs can have lunch. We were met by our tour guide outside the building where he told us that around two hundred MPs work. There is a tunnel connecting Portcullis House to the Parliament building. We were taken to the House of Commons viewing gallery to hear MPs debating about mental health issues in England. After that we went to the Central lobby where our tour guide clarified the role of Parliament and how it affects everyone in the UK. We also talked about how only MPs work in the House of Commons. We then went to the House of Lords where we listened to a debate about how outdoor activities help the budget and provide a boost to the economy. The House of Lords was grander than the House of Commons. Our tour guide explained that the House of Lords could only be attended by Lords and not MPs. He then told us that before a Bill is passed it has to go through the House of Commons which then sends it to the House of Lords to be processed and if the House of Lords agrees with the House of Commons it is then sent off to the Monarch to be signed and turned into a law. We then followed our guide to the oldest part of the building, which was Westminster Hall. This was the room in which Guy Fawkes and Charles 1 were sentenced to death.

After the tour we headed to the education centre where we discussed the electoral system in England and other countries. We learned that England has a “first past the post” system, which means that the candidate wins by receiving votes than others. In the workshop we were divided into three political groups and we did some activities like voting and answering politics-related questions for which we got points for our team. This trip was very interesting because we got to find out how the government works and how MPs are elected. This also gave us an insight into what it is like to work in the Parliament and how difficult it is.

Ivan Gorbachev (Y10)]]> http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/year-9-10-trip-to-the-houses-of-parliament/feed/ 0 Music Department Concert http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/music-department-concert/ http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/music-department-concert/#comments Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:48:32 +0000 Agnesa Tothova http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/?p=6326


The 27th Music Department Concert took place in our school on 14th March. The excitement was palpable. Although the Nursery and Reception children were not involved this time, it being an evening concert (they had a separate Concert the week before ), the Main hall was packed with proud parents and visitors.

All the performances were of a high standard, with exceptional contributions from Anais V. (year 7), our Music Scholar, virtuosically playing Dancla and Chopin.
Harriet T. (year 1), who sang and played the cello, Beth B. (year 5), singing “ Memory”, Finn R (year 7), whose Hungarian Dance by Brahms received huge applause. Sacha V. (4) with his song “ MacCavity the Mystery Cat“ has shown true potential as a future West End star.
For many, the “surprise” of the evening was petite Imogen M. (year 5), who composed a song, wrote the lyrics and recruited Jon, the Deputy Head, as one of the cast.

Oscar V. (year 8) impressed us with the purity of his voice and Lucy C.
(year 11) moved us with her beautifully sensitive harp playing. We laughed to tears at Shen G. and Cassandra R.`s (both year 6), comical rendition of “ I can do better than you ” from the musical Annie.
All the class performances were wonderful, not just to listen to, but also to look at. The joy of performing was evident in every student involved.

Now, as the new term progresses, we are preparing for the next concert, which will be held in July.
All together, a truly wonderful evening spent with people we love.]]> http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/music-department-concert/feed/ 0 Bugsy Malone in Pictures http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/bugsy-malone-in-pictures/ http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/bugsy-malone-in-pictures/#comments Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:30:17 +0000 HCH http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/?p=5936

]]> http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/bugsy-malone-in-pictures/feed/ 0 Year 5 & 6 French Trip http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/yr5-yr6-french-trip/ http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/yr5-yr6-french-trip/#comments Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:19:15 +0000 HCH http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/?p=5972 trip to France 2013 121 format web 590x393 Year 5 & 6 French Trip

We had a very smooth and safe journey with a chilly interlude at Calais. We were welcomed by our host French families and all the children left smiling. Long may it last…!

Diaries



Our evening was very exciting because we got to see how the French spend their evenings, what they eat and do. For me, last night, we played on the Wii with my pen friend Emma, and watched the Simpsons in French. We had a “goûter” at four o’ clock: gâteau au chocolat. After the goûter we continued to speak French and played French Monopoly. After that we ate spaghetti. Then I learnt a new word: shower which was “douche”! so I had a douche! – Clarissa

Dear Mother And Father, It was a fine evening on the way to Rouen we had two transports Eurostar (1 hour) and took a coach for (4 hours).I had a nice family two sons and one daughter we had a fun evening with some awkward silence but got through it!! I fell asleep on the coach at one point but they did not notice! we played a card game which I wanted to be blackjack but turned out to be a game which i had no idea what we were doing and it lasted for half an hour. Today we had a tour at school, art, German. Their lunch was difficult to chew and I sneaked out to throw it away.– Shen

OMG !!!!! Martin and I have just arrived at the school in Normandy. When we all got out of the bus some of our pen friends were already there my pen friend of course was not there. He was there later to pick me up. When he got to me I got my suit case and said goodbye . When we arrived at the house I put my things in the room i was sleeping in and then we went to my pen friend’s cousin’s house and played UNO for a long time . when we got home I had quiche with lots of cheese inside. Then i went to bed. – Luca

As you all know out teacher Dominique always has good ideas and this time Dominique’s idea was to go on a French trip to Rouen/Paris. Normally the trip was only for year 6 but sadly all of us could not go for personal reasons. So Dominique decided it could be a good idea to have year 5 with us. Sunday: To go to Rouen we had to take the eurostar for 1 hour and then we took the coach for 3/4hours. In the eurostar i was sitting next to Millie and then in the coach i was sitting next to Saule. Then to meet our penfriends and their families we had to meet at their school. When we arrived with the coach they were wating for us. My penfriend told me that to go from her house to her school we need 30minutes.To go to her house we have to walk a bit then take the “train” and then walk a lot!!! My penfriend whose name is Cassandra lives in a flat. She has a cat called Boubba, and she’s 10 year old Sunday night: at Cassandra’s house we played a lot and we ate some French beans and meat. Monday: welcome to the school called College Claude Bernard. They have a big school and a big play ground. The only thing i can tell is that for the moment being at Rouen is very fun!!!! – Romane

I left England expecting sunshine, that’s part of the reason i came to France. What i got was COLD!!!!!!! Right now I am in College Claude Bernard supposed to be writing about what happened and that is what I’m going to do (day 1 ) I arrived at St Pancreas and got on the Eurostar. I was sitting next to Martin and I was opposite Laurie and Beth we played cards until the train stopped. I thought we were already in France but little did I know there was a 3 hour journey by coach waiting for me. We did then eventually get to Rouen where our pen friends waited for us. When I got to their home they offered me to go to the park where we stayed for 3 hours. We got back and rested before going to a French restaurant then we went back and went to bed. In the morning went to school were we had French and art then we had German then we had break and then we started writing some updates on the trip like i am now but it’s end of school now so bye from France. – Oscar

Hello school, I’m in France and as I’m speaking I’m in a French school ,eating French food and learning A LOT of French. I am loving my stay here and if you are reading this i did need the glue. Anyway today i started off with French and the teacher is really funny, and then a tour of the school. The food here is really different, you get two choices of most of the food. The first night was great, I got hotdogs and smiley face shaped potatoes for dinner and it was great .I have an older brother called Oscar and he’s really funny and a younger brother called Eliot but my pen friend’s name is called Emilen and he’s really funny. His parents are divorced so on Tuesday i move to his father’s house. Emilien’s house is so colourful yet modern. When we got off the train at Calais it was so cold but lucky for me i had my hat, if my parents are reading this i am having the time of my life and i can’t wait to see Spudley (my dog).Bye and i will update my stories soon but now BYE!!!!!!!!!!!! – laurie

I woke up about 6am i got ready and drove to London St Pancras with Millie. We got out of the car and went to meet everyone. Dominique said let’s go in so we did. We got our passport and after that we waited for the gates to open and when it opened Dominique said yay it is opened. All of us got on the train the train trip lasted 1hr. I was sitting with kit, shen and clarissa. We got off at Calais and there was no one in the train station at all! We got on the coach and it was took 2hrs, we all had fun such fun for 2hr we played and talked and listened to music. In 2hrs time it was Rouen and we met our families!!!!!!!!! Today we had a busy day at school. The canteen was different to ours. We used trays and there were several courses, but it wasn’t as good as Junior’s food! That was Sunday and Monday:) – Saule

We arrived in busy St. Pancras to go to Calais, when we arrived in Calais there was nobody there. When we arrived at the school we could see every one waiting for us. When we went home we played on his xbox, playstation and WII. And at 4:00 we had some cake. This morning we woke up at six English time for the second time!!! For lunch we had under cooked beef and mushed up broccoli and macaroni with tuna. – Kit

oh la la la la !!!!! when I was on the train from St Pancras . I was sitting next to Imogen and we played army troopers and of course i won but then we got bored of that so we played mario kart 7 on Imogen’s 3ds and templ run 2 on my Kindle Fire . When we got off the train and it had left I realised someone had taken my camera I had to let it go because the train had already gone far away . Then we were on a coach for 3 h and i sat next to Martin we talked for a long . Luca

For the first time ever i have done a trip without family!!!!!! New language new food and new country!!!! This is my first day and i am having an AMAZING time!!!! We have lots more things to do like going to ROUEN and Paris! I am NOT used to English! I played a new game and won ,the food is DELICIOUS and the entertainment is great. My pen friend is called LUANA, the school is really nice and very different! Her house is GINORMOUS! IEach ramble will get more exciting and a LOT longer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) IMOGEN :) :) :)

HELP!AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH IT’S THE FRANCE TRIP! Yes dear readers it is me and the rest of years 5 and 6 going on an adventure and we will face difficulties like uncooked meat in the cafeteria! So now we’re in the concrete jungle (school) making progress in the day in art and in computing if we survived last night we can do it again – Alex

Saint-Pancras England (bad weather again) .We were on the train I was playing cards with Oscar, Beth, Laurie. Then on the coach one person vomited. We arrived we were really nervous but in a few minutes I had another friend, my first penfriend. When I went to the school I was nervous but the boys were really cool the lessons on monday are really good .Well that’s all of it so far. -Martin ]]> http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/yr5-yr6-french-trip/feed/ 0 Year 10 Trip to Paris http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/year-10-trip-to-paris/ http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/year-10-trip-to-paris/#comments Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:21:45 +0000 HCH http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/?p=5939 DSCN418612 590x442 Year 10 Trip to Paris

Some of the Year 10 students studying French GCSE went to Paris on a four days visit at the end of last half term (8-11 February). They were accompanied by Daniella and Caroline.

It was a very cultural and fun school trip.We left school on Friday lunch time and made our way to St Pancras station to take the Eurostar. We arrived in Paris late afternoon, we made our way to the hostel which was situated in the heart of Paris, a few minutes walk from Notre – Dame and L’Ile Saint Louis. The hostel was in a stunning historical building, dating back the 17th Century. We took time to unpack our bags, had dinner and then went on Le Métro to the Champs-Élysées. We walked up… and down the Champs Élysées, ending our tour with a cup of hot chocolate as it was very cold outside.

Next morning, we went to Le Louvre. The students had a map of the museum. In their folder, they had extract/ samples of five famous paintings displayed in Le Louvre. So they had to go around one of the aisle of the museum, trying to match the extract of paintings in their folder with the paintings on display. The five paintings were: off course: La Mona Lisa by Da Vinci; Les noces de Cana by Veronese; L’hiver by Arcimboldo; Le radeau de la Méduse by Géricault; and finally Le jeune pouilleux by Murillo. We then gave the students a short presentation, explanation of these paintings.

In the afternoon, we crossed the river Seine and went on to discover the disctrict of Saint Germain des Prés. The students had a map of Saint Germain des Prés and had the opportunity to walk around this part of Paris famous for ‘Le jardin du Luxembourg’ and the Brasserie and Cafés were writers such as Jean Paul Sartre use to socialise. This sort of treasure hunt gave the students the opportunity to find where Oscar Wilde stayed, to look at the famous cafés: Les deux Magots et Le café de Flore; they tried to find ‘Le Méridien’ in L’Église Saint Sulpice (made famous by the Da Vinci Code of Dan Brown).

Late afternoon, we went to La Tour Eiffel to watch the sun set. We returned to the hostel to warm up, had our dinner then went out once again to experience some French cuisine. We found Une Crêperie on L’Ile Saint Louis. We ate delicious pancakes. Les crêpes au Nutella were very popular among the students!

Sunday morning,we went to visit Le Palais de Versailles where we had a guided tour. We saw the private apartments of Louis XV and the Opera House which is incredible. In the afternoon, as the weather turned to the worse, we stopped in a Brasserie for lunch in Versailles before we got on the train to Paris. Visiting Montmartre under sleet did not appeal to anyone, so we returned to the hostel, warmed up, had an early dinner and got ready for an evening out. We went to a Club close to La Bastille where a couple of live bands played some Jazz Manouche (Jazz in the style of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli). It gave the students an opportunity to see another side of French culture and they really enjoyed the Mocktails the Club was offering.

Monday morning: we took time to pack up our suitcase, then we went to visit Notre-Dame de Paris. After the visit, we crossed the River Seine and spent some free time in Le Marais for a last minute shopping. The students also had a questionnaire to fill in by asking people on the street questions about Paris, its past, its culture and its landmarks. Then it was back to London in the afternoon. We arrived in St Pancras early evening.

We all had a fantastic time. the variety of activities allowed the students to discover Paris and its culture. The year 10 also had several opportunity to put into practice the French they have been learning in class. We all returned to London tired… but enriched by this visit.]]> http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/year-10-trip-to-paris/feed/ 0 French Department now subscribed to ‘Geo Ado’ http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/french-department-now-subscribed-to-geo-ado/ http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/french-department-now-subscribed-to-geo-ado/#comments Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:48:55 +0000 HCH http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/?p=5946 GEO 0 195x250 French Department now subscribed to Geo Ado

We have received our first French magazine subscription this morning! From now on, every month, we will receive ‘Géo Ado’, a magazine discussing current affairs for teenagers.]]> http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/french-department-now-subscribed-to-geo-ado/feed/ 0 Richmond Youth Council and UK Youth Parliament http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/richmond-youth-council-and-uk-youth-parliament/ http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/richmond-youth-council-and-uk-youth-parliament/#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:26:17 +0000 HCH http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/?p=5904 pollling 590x440 Richmond Youth Council and UK Youth Parliament

Mohak and Brynley voting in the Richmond Youth Council and UK Youth Parliament elections on Thursday 14th March. Aspiring politicians are invited to stand for election next year, The School Council elections will be held shortly. Turn out has reportedly varied throughout the day and exit polls are as yet inconclusive.]]> http://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/richmond-youth-council-and-uk-youth-parliament/feed/ 0