It’s Thursday, and Michael hops on the train at Upper Hutt Station to begin his journey to school. Along the way, he meets fellow schoolmates at other stations until they arrive at Wellington Station. Basil, the shuttle driver, is waiting and delivers them all safely to school.

Before the bell, Michael squeezes in a quick game of chess with his friend Ravi. The bell rings at 9 a.m., and they kick off Mathematics with Mr Hilliam. The “Do Now” is on fractions — just as well Michael revised them in prep yesterday! Before he knows it, it’s off to English, followed by a short break, then Māori and Latin.

The sun is out for lunch today, so after eating, they head to the courts where the wickets are up and a game of cricket is underway. Science is the last period, with Mr Carlson, and they are testing their structures on the earthquake simulator. Michael’s survives the magnitude 5 quake — yes!

After a short recess, they move into afternoon electives. Michael is doing calligraphy with Mrs Nayak. He loves being able to draw out his name as if it has come straight from a Shakespearean manuscript.

All too soon, the bell goes at 4 pm. It’s time for the final part of the day: prep. Michael knows fractions will feature heavily in his weekly test on Friday, so he gets out his exercise book. Mr Hilliam has him write a contents page at the front so he can quickly find his notes and revise effectively.

At 4:30 p.m., the bell goes and the school day is over. Michael doesn’t need to take anything home, as he has completed all his homework during prep. Basil is ready to take him back to Wellington Station to catch the train. Another day at Altum is done.