St. Margaret's Secondary School
St. Margaret's Secondary School (SMSS) is a government-aided autonomous girls' secondary school in Bukit Timah, Singapore, under the purview of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. It is the first girls' school in Singapore and often regarded as the oldest existing girls' school in Southeast Asia. History. St. Margaret's School is the oldest girls' school in Singapore and the Far East. It was founded in 1842 by Maria Dyer, a missionary of the London Missionary Society. In 1853 the Society for Promotion of Female Education in the East sent Sophia Cooke to Singapore  to became the Principal of what was then called the "Chinese Girls' School". Cooke would use her influence to persuade the Anglican chaplain to begin a mission there. The society paid Cooke's salary but she had to rely on fund raising to keep the school viable. She arranged for Christian services to be conducted in Chinese in the school grounds. It was later known as the Church of England Zenana Missionary (CEZMS) School in Singapore, before being renamed St. Margaret's School. The secondary section was split from the primary in 1960 and it moved into new premises along  Farrer Road. Identity & culture. Crest. The green background represents creation, of which we are a part. It stands for life and activity, creativity and growth. The white band running diagonally across from the upper left-hand corner to the lower right-hand corner stands for purity in thought, word and deed. The white cross represents the Christian mission of the school. Like a directional compass, it shows the right way to take and it points us to God's love, truth and provision. Motto. Charity, Patience, Devotion The school is named after Queen Margaret of Scotland who was known for  many good qualities, among them, love (charity), patience and devotion. Uniform. The school uniform is a one-piece dress which features a dark green polka-dotted top, a dark green skirt up to knee length and a dark green school tie with the school logo pinned at the bottom. There are also separate PE shorts, a shirt with different colours depending on different houses and a CCA skirt. White school socks with or without the SMSS logo can be worn. A name tag is worn. The only jacket allowed is the black school jacket or any plain black jacket, and  earrings are restricted to plain studs of green, white, black, gold or silver. Hair accessories can only be dark green, white and black. Despite this, coloured top undergarments are not allowed - only white or nude colours are permissible. Affiliation. St. Margaret's Secondary School is affiliated with St. Margaret's Primary School (SMPS) and Saint Andrew's Junior College (SAJC). Academic information. Being a non-special programme secondary school, St. Margaret's Secondary School offers three academic streams, namely the four-year Express course, as well as the Normal Course, comprising Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) academic tracks. O Level  Express Course. The Express Course is a nationwide four-year programme that leads up to the Singapore-Cambridge G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination. Academic subjects. The examinable academic subjects for Singapore-Cambridge G.C.E. Ordinary Level offered by the school for upper secondary level (via. streaming in secondary 2 level), as of 2017, are listed below. "Notes:" Normal Course. The Normal Course is a nationwide 4-year programme leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination, which runs either the Normal (Academic) curriculum or Normal (Technical) curriculum, abbreviated as N(A) and N(T) respectively. Normal (Academic) Course. In the Normal (Academic) course , students offer 5-8 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination. Compulsory subjects include: A 5th year leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination is available to N(A) students who perform well in their Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination. Students can move from one course to another based on their performance and the assessment of the school principal and teachers. Normal (Technical) Course. The Normal (Technical) course prepares students for a technical-vocational education at the Institute of Technical Education. Students will offer 5-7 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination. The  curriculum is tailored towards strengthening students’ proficiency in English and Mathematics. Students take English Language, Mathematics, Basic Mother Tongue and Computer Applications as compulsory subjects.