Intumbane Slipper Day

On Monday, 7 September 2020, students in Kindergarten to Year 6 celebrated our Annual Slipper Day. They took great delight in wearing warm and comfy footwear within classrooms throughout the day. There was an interesting array of novelty slippers and ugg boots on display across the School featuring some unique designs and colours. 

While the concept of Slipper Day is an enjoyable one, it is also significant in supporting those less fortunate. In 2009, St. Peter’s established a strong link with Intumbane Primary School in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Over the last decade the St. Peter’s community has successfully raised funds for a number of vital projects to improve the lives and educational outcomes of the young people at Intumbane, including the installation of a water tank/pump and the construction of a School Library. 

The occasion of Slipper Day was not only an opportunity for St. Peter’s students to donate, but also a wonderful chance to learn about a different culture. Within Buddy Groups, students learnt about the nation of South Africa including its geography, population, national flag, native fauna, currency and languages. Our students were extremely curious about life at Intumbane Primary School. They collectively wrote letters to the Deputy Principal, Miss Bongi to find out more. Students were thrilled to receive a quick response and discovered that Intumbane Primary School is home to 797 students from Kindergarten to Year 7. Lessons are taught in the Zulu language and English is also taught as an additional language. We were interested to discover that students in South Africa learn many of the same subjects that we learn here in Australia including Maths, Technology, Creative Arts and Social Studies. Intumbane participate in a number of sports and compete against other schools in soccer, netball and cricket. Lastly, we discovered that due to COVID, children at Intumbane were unable to attend school for five months earlier this year. While there are many cultural differences between our two Schools, students were surprised at the many things we share in common. 

This year’s Slipper Day raised over $870.00 in support of Intumbane Primary School.

The St. Peter’s - Intumbane Partnership has been a real blessing to both schools and we look forward to continuing to build an even stronger bond into the future.