Frequently Asked Questions

Does my daughter/ward have to wake up and report her attendance to her teacher on HBL Day?

Yes, she will need to report her attendance by 7.30am by filling in the "HBL Day Check-In" form. We would like to inculcate a sense of responsibility and punctuality in our students. All students, well or unwell, need to complete the above-mentioned check-in form for accountability purposes.

My daughter/ward is sick on HBL Day. Who does she inform?

If your daughter/ward is having a fever above 38°C, she should see a doctor to receive the necessary treatment so that she can recover soon. All students, well or unwell will need to complete the "HBL Day Check-In" form for accountability purposes. When she has recovered, she should also catch up with the work that she has missed during HBL.

Is it ok for me to arrange tuition or a family outing on HBL Day? My daughter/ward will complete the work assigned when she reaches home.

Your daughter/ward’s schedule for the day is unstructured, which means that she will be taking ownership of their learning and completing their learning at their own pace. Students should ensure that they have ample time to complete their learning and any other homework before embarking on other activities.

Why isn’t there a timetable for HBL Day?

The decision not to have a structured timetable for HBL Days is aligned to the intended outcomes of Blended Learning. Asynchronous or less-structured learning activities provide students the scope to exercise self-directedness in learning. This allows students to plan and manage their learning at a suitable pace for themselves.

Is is possible to request for my daughter/ward to come back to school for HBL Day?

A conducive environment is necessary for students to focus on their learning. As such, students are encouraged to complete their HBL in their own homes. Under special circumstances, students may return to school to complete HBL under supervision. Such requests need to be via email (stmargaretss@moe.edu.sg) , and will be considered on a case-to-case basis.

On HBL Days, my daughter seems quite 'free', as I do not see her attending Zoom lessons with her teachers. Is she missing out on something?

HBL Days are designed to help our students develop the necessary dispositions learn independently. They have 4 scheduled subjects that day (1 hr of learning each), with an additional hour for them to engage in Student-initiated Learning (SIL). Learning is designed to be asynchronous, which means that the lesson tasks and objectives have been shared with the students, and they are free to complete it at their own time and pace. Even though your daughter would not likely have synchronous Zoom lessons with her teachers, she has been assigned learning tasks to complete and is not missing out. You may support your daughter by asking her to share about the work she has been assigned, and sharing with you her plans on how she intends to complete it.

My daughter/ward is having trouble with her homework. Can she call her teacher?

Your daughter/ward’s teacher is very likely having lessons for other levels or engaged in other school activities while your daughter/ward is attempting her lesson. Should she have any trouble with her work, she is welcome to email her subject teacher, and he/she will get back to her as soon as possible.

Can my daughter/ward complete the work assigned on another day or at night?

Work assigned on HBL Day should be completed that day, since ample time has been set aside for your daughter/ward to complete it. HBL Day is part of a larger blended learning experience, and completing the work assigned on HBL Day itself would ensure that her learning continues seamlessly when she returns to school. Additionally, leaving it to another day may mean that your daughter/ward would be adding to her workload in the later part of the week where there will be other tasks to complete.

My daughter/ward is unable to complete the work assigned on HBL day by the given deadline. How will she be affected?

Work assigned for HBL is part of a larger blended learning experience that seeks to integrate home-based learning and learning in school. Students who are unable to complete the work assigned on HBL Day should inform their subject teachers as soon as possible, so that necessary provisions (where applicable) can be made to ensure that the transition from learning at home to learning in school is made as seamless as possible.

My daughter/ward is having difficulties coping with HBL. In addition to her HBL tasks for the scheduled subjects, there is still homework to complete, and other teachers are also giving more homework. What is the school doing about this?

Care is taken in the design of HBL to ensure that there is no additional workload as compared to regular school days. All work assigned to the students adhere to our school’s homework policy. If your daughter/ward has trouble coping, she may speak to their form teachers or subject teachers to discuss a reasonable solution.

Why is Physical Education one of the subjects for HBL? Shouldn’t this subject be taught face to face?

Aspects of PE that are deemed suitable for HBL have been selected for students to carry out at home which will enhance their learning of the subject, and to allow students to become more self-directed in the management of their own physical well-being.

My daughter/ward finds the SIL assigned to her this year restrictive. Can she embark on her own SIL?

The broad themes and outcomes assigned for each level have been carefully assigned to ensure that your daughter/ward’s learning experiences are meaningful, empowering and impactful. While broad perimeters are provided, it should not overly restrict students’ choices as they are still free to identify areas of interest from a broad spectrum to pursue. Should your child find it difficult to decide on what to learn, she can approach her form teacher(s) for guidance.

Is SIL compulsory?

As part of the blended learning experience for students to become more self-directed and independent in their learning, students are expected to complete their SIL.

My daughter/ward cannot log into the Student Learning Space (SLS) or Google Classroom. What can she do?

a) For password matters

Reset passwords (student iCON/window login/ SLS/ stmargs.edu.sg)

• Please use the following link to submit your request for password reset: https://go.gov.sg/stmargs-password-reset

How to do self-reset of your SLS password?

Providing an email allows a verification code to be sent to you when you do a self-reset of your password. You no longer need to ask your form teacher or write in to admin for another password reset.

After logging on to SLS:

1) click on your profile icon at the top right corner of the page

2) click on 'Edit Profile'

3) click on the 'Email Address' tab

4) enter your email addresses

5) click 'Save'

b) Technical Assistance

Self-help tutorials

Please go to the Students' Learning Site for video tutorial guides for technical assistance on SLS and Google Classroom.

Contact school's helpdesk

If you need technical assistance during HBL, please contact the school's helpdesk:

• Telephone: 82001676

• (Mon - Fri, 7.30 am to 4.00 pm)

• Email: stmargsadmin@stmargs.edu.sg

• Helpdesk will get back to you within 1 working day. Please write in using your stmargs.edu.sg email.