CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' Secondary

[MerlionInGermany]

phtthp\" post_id=\"2020991\" time=\"1619048053\" user_id=\"35251:

doodbug\" post_id=\"2020797\" time=\"1618890777\" user_id=\"13281:

In my DS' school, you generally cannot take BSP with Triple Science.

doodbug\" post_id=\"2020827\" time=\"1618899826\" user_id=\"13281:

I don't think BSP is a heavily subscribed option at SCGS -
it certainly is interesting, but there are also other interesting pursuits like Art, Music, 3rd Language, or some will opt for Triple Science.

For comparison with SCGS Secondary,

for \"end-of-Sec 2\" students
1) who are keen in our CHIJ St Nicholas Girls (BSP) -
——
(Not), all participants / applicants interested, will get it.


And
2)for \"O-level\" students who are interested -
Once they are offered BSP & if they accept this BSP offer -
then, pupils must cross over into IP (Year 3 starting),
cannot still continue remain fixated inside O-level track any more.

1) BSP in SNGS is not by application.
2) I am not completely certain but I think the sequence is wrong — you dont get offered BSP and then accept and then switch to IP. You need to be offered to switch to IP first, before anything else can happen.

[MerlionInGermany]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2020996\" time=\"1619051610\" user_id=\"17023:

1) For IP students (e.g. DSA) who don’t meet HCL eligibility criteria set by MOE, can they take HCL once they get into SAP Sec? That is, top 30% in psle with A* for Chinese or HCL Merit.

2) As students proceed to upper sec and are not coping well with HCL, there is no option to do normal Chinese?

1) Yes. IP = HCL.
2) Coping well or not is subjective, you only need a D7 to skip H1 CL. That is 45 marks? Unlikely that with the SAP culture surrounding you all day, and teachers looking after you, and you cannot score even 45. The school organises remedial classes for those who are weaker in HCL but I do not know how many marks you need to get, in order to get to join this class. So to answer the question, it is no.

[phtthp]

MerlionInGermany\" post_id=\"2021005:

1) BSP in SNGS is not by application.


2) I am not completely certain but I think the sequence is wrong — you dont get offered BSP and then accept and then switch to IP. You need to be offered to switch to IP first, before anything else can happen.

fyi


Guideline from St Nick Secondary -


\"
Concerning BSP Admission guidelines :-

O-level candidates who wish to offer the BSP will need to meet a certain minimum requirement in Higher Chinese

And

join the IP program, as the IP course structure is needed for students' BSP research projects. \"

As for crossing over from end-of-Sec2 OP into IP (Year 3), that will be another different set of criteria

[MerlionInGermany]

phtthp\" post_id=\"2021010\" time=\"1619060187\" user_id=\"35251:

MerlionInGermany\" post_id=\"2021005:

1) BSP in SNGS is not by application.
2) I am not completely certain but I think the sequence is wrong — you dont get offered BSP and then accept and then switch to IP. You need to be offered to switch to IP first, before anything else can happen.

Concerning BSP Admission guidelines :-
A) O-level candidates who wish to offer the BSP will need to meet a certain minimum requirement in Higher Chinese
And
B) join the IP program, as the IP course structure is needed for students' BSP research projects. \"

C) As for crossing over from end-of-Sec2 OP into IP (Year 3), that will be another different set of criteria

1) and A) No conflict here. It is not by application. You meet a set of criteria and then you get offered the programme, which you can accept or decline.

2) and A) and B) and C) No conflict here. You meet a set of criteria for OP to IP first, and then you meet a set of criteria for BSP, then you get offered to switch to IP and to join BSP, which you can accept or decline. I cannot imagine it is meeting BSP criteria first then IP criteria because IP criteria is higher than BSP criteria. What A) and B) is saying is simply that BSP is for IP so one cannot be in BSP OP. Or in your words,

phtthp\" post_id=\"2020991\" time=\"1619048053\" user_id=\"35251:

cannot still continue remain fixated inside O-level track any more.

But as I said in 2) bold, I am not completely certain if it is BSP-IP or IP-BSP, so if it concerns any of you, you should really check and not just look at ksp.

[phtthp]

.

[doodbug]

I am not sure if SCGS conducts remedial/supplementary classes for students who are weak in HCL. All I know is that all remedial/supplementary classes are compulsory, if you have been identified to attend for any subject. As to which subjects and what the cut off is for such classes, I am not sure. For my DD (also applies to my DS), her weakest subject by far is HCL (I think her grades are anything from B3 to C5 but I don’t track regularly - I guess I have zero expectations for my kids’ HCL cos they didn’t even do it in primary school) and she has not been called for any remedial/supplementary.

[lee_yl]

MerlionInGermany\" post_id=\"2021008\" time=\"1619060056\" user_id=\"2964:

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2020996\" time=\"1619051610\" user_id=\"17023:

1) For IP students (e.g. DSA) who don’t meet HCL eligibility criteria set by MOE, can they take HCL once they get into SAP Sec? That is, top 30% in psle with A* for Chinese or HCL Merit.

2) As students proceed to upper sec and are not coping well with HCL, there is no option to do normal Chinese?

1) Yes. IP = HCL.
2) Coping well or not is subjective, you only need a D7 to skip H1 CL. That is 45 marks? Unlikely that with the SAP culture surrounding you all day, and teachers looking after you, and you cannot score even 45. The school organises remedial classes for those who are weaker in HCL but I do not know how many marks you need to get, in order to get to join this class. So to answer the question, it is no.

Some years back, I have a friend whose DD was from St Nic IP, although in a SAP environment, she still required a private tutor cos she wasn’t coping well with HCL.

In SCGS, even before one hits 45marks, probably already “forced to drop” to normal Chinese. There is always a handful who will opt out of HCL so that the overall % can hit minimum of 65% (for sec 4) in order to be promoted.

[MerlionInGermany]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2021032\" time=\"1619071974\" user_id=\"17023:

MerlionInGermany\" post_id=\"2021008\" time=\"1619060056\" user_id=\"2964:

[quote=lee_yl post_id=2020996 time=1619051610 user_id=17023]As students proceed to upper sec and are not coping well with HCL, there is no option to do normal Chinese?

Coping well or not is subjective, you only need a D7 to skip H1 CL. That is 45 marks? Unlikely that with the SAP culture surrounding you all day, and teachers looking after you, and you cannot score even 45. The school organises remedial classes for those who are weaker in HCL but I do not know how many marks you need to get, in order to get to join this class. So to answer the question, it is no.

Some years back, I have a friend whose DD was from St Nic IP, although in a SAP environment, she still required a private tutor cos she wasn’t coping well with HCL.

In SCGS, even before one hits 45marks, probably already “forced to drop” to normal Chinese. There is always a handful who will opt out of HCL so that the overall % can hit minimum of 65% (for sec 4) in order to be promoted.[/quote]So was the SN girl forced to drop HCL? Did the school not identify her for remedial? Or was she opting for a private tutor because her grades were not meeting her own expectations and not because she was scoring below D7?

But yes, I get what you say about being in SAP and yet still not coping well but what I meant was, being in SAP and teachers looking after you (and calling you out for remedial) and still not hitting min D7. Is an unlikely scenario. But yes, I will say unlikely but not impossible, so there could be outliers like maybe your friend’s kid.

And if in SC you are forced to drop HCL before you even go below 45 is because they want to make sure you get min 65% to promote? So HCL is included in the 65% promotion criteria to EJC? Then I guess here is why it is different. HCL is not a compulsory subject to be included in the promotion criteria to EJC, You can use EL or HCL, or both if you like.

My friend’s child in another school was not forced to drop to HCL (even though grades were D7 region), eventually scored a D7 and is now exempted from H1 CL in the JC. Lucky kid was not in SC.

Edited to add
Actually it is strange that in SCGS they let b4 HCL people (60%) do bsp out of interest but yet force you to drop HCL (at some point) in order to help you ensure you get avg 65% to promote. Oh well, I guess the school knows best where the balance is.

[lee_yl]

I’m not sure whether the SN girl was forced to drop or must go for remedial. I only heard the mum saying that she prayed her daughter could get a B for her coming O level HCL then she would be very happy liao.


Why strange? In fact, I am very appreciative of the school to let my DD1 do BSP even though she was a B-grader in HCL. Scoring a B in HCL at lower secondary doesn’t mean that at end of sec 4, can still maintain at B right? If a student gets A1 for everything and a C for HCL, of cos the school won’t advise student to drop HCL because there is no need to. If a student were to score D7 for HCL, and a better grade in MT means a difference between promotion or retention, I supposed the student should revert to normal Chinese instead of continuing to struggle in HCL.

I also find it strange that for SAP sec where students study so hard for Chinese, yet they can opt not to include HCL in the overall computation of their results. You mean promo for sec 4 to JC1 or from sec 1 onwards?

[MerlionInGermany]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2021045\" time=\"1619084709\" user_id=\"17023:

i did mention that I think the school knows best where the balance is.

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2021045\" time=\"1619084709\" user_id=\"17023:[quote=lee_yl post_id=2021045 time=1619084709 user_id=17023]I also find it strange that for SAP sec where students study so hard for Chinese, yet they can opt not to include HCL in the overall computation of their results.

I find this strange too. That St Nicholas uses L1 (EL or HMT) whereas SCGS requires HCL to be included. Because I know NY requires both EL and HCL too (so can they drop to CL if they are terrible in HCL? Will they be forced to drop in order to preserve their overall MSG?) Could it be because St Nicholas follows the L1R5? The underlined parts, erm...some students study hard for Chinese, some dont. SAP does not immediately translate to studying hard for Chinese.

Then also, if I take EL and CL in SC IP and I get avg 65% because all my subjects are 65 and you take EL and HCL in SC IP and you get avg <65% because all your other subjects are 65 but your HCL 50, and you fail to promote? Is this a likely scenario?