Mairangi Notes #28 — 2026.10.23

MHJ

my mairangi

Issue

#28

2026.10.23

Yussi's Note

Halloween Is Coming!

With Halloween just around the corner, the girls are getting their costumes ready. Min has already picked out and ordered matching ketchup and mustard costumes with a friend. I couldn't help laughing at their delighted squeals when their costumes arrived. Jin has decided to dress up as a cat with her friend, and the two have shared out their face stickers. Walking around the neighbourhood for the girls' school events, I noticed that Halloween decorations had already started appearing in gardens here and there.

Main Story

Life in Aotearoa · 2026.10.23.

[Y1] Year 0/1 Beach Trip

A parent helper's morning with three five-year-olds: ducklings on the way, sandcastles and sparkly black sand, and a rock pool Jin would rather skip.

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Lunch Box

MON

Strawberry Season!

This week's morning tea featured strawberries and cream cheese in three different ways: fruit sandwiches, roll-ups, and baguette sandwiches! It was a happy week of sweet, spring-inspired lunchboxes.

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Campus Notes

TUE

A Clear Ending, Mixed Feelings

I finally submitted my research report.October went by in a blur. Bringing a two-year journey to an end wasn't quite as easy as I had imagined. I thought I had prepared well in advance, but the final days still passed in a rush. On the day of my last class, I came home to an empty house. The girls had gone swimming, and I spent some quiet time alone. I felt a little relieved, and a little wistful.

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English with Jin

This Week's Expression

“It's a hundred thousand million times many!”

These days, whenever Jin wants to express a huge number or an enormous feeling, she brings out every big number she knows. For things that simply can't be expressed with just 'ten' or 'hundred', she's started saying 'a hundred thousand million'. I thought it was just her own funny little expression, until I heard her friends at school saying exactly the same thing. The adorable number sense of five-year-olds, finding a way to express enormous love.

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Local Guide

🍓

Carnival

Strawberry Fields Vintage Carnival

Sat 24 Oct, 10am - 3pm · Free
Birkenhead Village turns back the clock for a day of old-fashioned carnival fun, with vintage cars, swing jazz, stilt walkers and a vintage bus tour of the Village. Kids can ride Sammy the Train, get their faces painted and try Pop's Giant Games at Nell Fisher Reserve. All ages.
📍 Nell Fisher Reserve, Corner Hinemoa Street and Rawene Road, Birkenhead, Auckland 0626

🪔

Festival

North Shore Diwali - Festival of lights

Sat 24 Oct, 12pm - 9pm · Free
The Shore's own festival of lights returns for its fourth year, with music, dance, food stalls and a fireworks finale. A good evening to stay late for, so bring a picnic blanket. All ages.
📍 Smales Farm, 72 Taharoto Road, Takapuna, Auckland 0622

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From the Archive

Home Learning

Word Fun at Dinner

No prep, no patience required. How five minutes of word games at dinner kept our home learning alive — and why it worked better than a schedule.

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