Mairangi Notes #19 — 2026.08.22

MHJ

my mairangi

Issue

#19

2026.08.22

Yussi's Note

One After Another

It started with Jin last Saturday, and the whole household has been catching fevers and colds in turn ever since. High temperatures, blocked noses, runny noses, coughing, scratchy throats, the lot. It went from Jin, then once she was on the mend, straight to Hyun, and once Hyun recovered, it landed on me. Now all three of us are stuck with a cold that won't quite let go, sniffling our way through the day.
School's much the same, half the kids out sick, and a notice even came through asking families to keep children home if they're showing symptoms. Nasty cold, please just leave already. Here's hoping the week ahead comes a little healthier.

Main Story

Life in Aotearoa · 2026.08.16.

[Y7] Kahu Manu (2) Life in Pages

Inside Cycle A of a Year 7 enrichment programme, where students choose their own supplies and build a first bullet journal in Life in Pages.

Read Story →

Lunch Box

MON

Ham&Rice, Sandwich, Orange

Someone's been off school all week, so it's only been one or two lunchboxes to pack most days. With appetites well and truly gone, I put together ham rice and Nutella sandwiches, something the kids actually wanted to eat. Hyun stayed home the day these went in the box, and Jin got as far as the school gate with her lunchbox in hand before turning back, not quite up to it after all. So the two of them ended up sharing the lunchboxes as a late breakfast at home instead.

Visit our Instagram →

Campus Notes

TUE

Time Truly Flies

Just two months left until the thesis is due, and the interviews still aren't finished. There's still a long road ahead, findings, discussion, conclusion, on top of an overall revision and another pass through the references. It's easy to feel rushed, which is exactly when I need to slow down and look carefully instead. Placement, assignments, and everything else life keeps throwing in will fit together somehow, the way they always have, like puzzle pieces finding their place. It still doesn't quite feel real that this two year journey is racing toward its end.

Visit mhj.nz →

English with Jin

This Week's Expression

“Milo Monkey, M!”

For the last two terms, Jin has been learning letter sounds through her school's phonics programme, Little Learners Love Literacy, where every letter comes with its own character. Now she's moving on to letter names. She used to see an M and go "mm, mm, Milo Monkey." These days she calls it out the other way round: "Milo Monkey, M!" Watching this from the very first step, something I never went through myself in English, has been fascinating. She keeps at it, day after day, without ever seeming to tire of it.

StoryPress →

· Visit mhj.nz →

Local Guide

🇦🇶

VR Experience

Antarctica VR Experience

Sat 29 - Sun 30 Aug · Free
Two immersive VR experiences, about 30 minutes each: Scott's Discovery Hut, one of Antarctica's most significant historic sites, and A Frozen Night, a journey to Stonington Island. Ages 11+, each experience booked separately.
📍 Corner of Quay and Hobson Street, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland 1140, New Zealand

🚢

Exhibition

Titanic: The Human Story

Opens Fri 28 Aug · 80-90 min
Personal belongings, photographs, and artefacts trace the real stories of passengers and crew aboard the Titanic. Every ticket includes an English audio guide woven with survivor testimony and period sound. Walk through recreated interiors, from first class suites to third class cabins. All ages, pushchairs welcome, under 16s must be with an adult, under 3s free.
📍 Smith & Caughey's Building, 261 Queen Stree, Auckland 1010

Visit mhj.nz →

From the Archive

Little 15 Mins

The Word Cards

A handful of homemade word cards, a little girl in Auckland, and the afternoon our youngest started making up her own stories in English.

Read Story →

Instagram · Facebook · YouTube

www.mhj.nz · Mairangi Bay, Auckland, New Zealand

Enjoyed this? Forward this email to a friend.

You received this because you subscribed to Mairangi Notes. Unsubscribe