Westminster Laptop Program

Our student laptop program plays a critical role in ensuring that our students have the right access to technology to meet their learning needs. Our laptop program is reviewed annually. The information below is for the information of all parents, but particularly those who are joining the school, have students entering Years 6, 7 or 8, or have a need to upgrade or replace an existing device.

The arrangements for student devices are as follows:

• Early Learning Centre will continue to offer access to iPads and desktops as per their existing program.
• Reception to Year 4 students will have access to devices in the classroom and specialist computer suites at no additional charge.
• Year 5 students will have one-to-one access to classroom sets of devices for use at School only, which will incur a minimal annual charge of $125, to be included in the core costs of the School Fees schedule.
• Years 6 to 12 students are expected to have their own laptop in readiness for Term 1 Week 1 of the new school year. This laptop must be either a device recommended by the School, available for purchase through its supplier, or a Bring Your Own Other Device consistent with the School’s Laptop Device Specifications.
• Core costs and consumables related to IT for all year levels will continue to be covered as part of the annual core costs component of the School Fees schedule.

We highly recommend that families take advantage of the device recommended by the school and the associated benefits for doing so. A laptop ordered through the school recommended program will be delivered with a Westminster image, pre-loaded with school supplied software, and be ready to connect to the school network. Recommended devices will receive full support from our ICT Services Department, including software updates and anti-virus.

Experience from previous years has shown that the School recommended device has allowed ease of access for the students and swift resolution of issues via IT support. The Westminster ICT Services team provide only limited support for BYOD machines beyond connection to the network. Maintenance, repairs and software updates on those devices are the responsibility of the student or parents/caregiver.

The Laptop Program

If your son or daughter requires a new laptop, the following outlines the options available to meet the School’s Laptop Device specifications:

Option 1 - Bring Your Own School Recommended Laptop

The School regularly reviews what is available in the technology marketplace to ensure the annually recommended laptop meets the requirements of today’s learning environment. Currently, we highly recommend purchasing one of two specified Lenovo laptops:

• the Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 11e;
• the more advanced Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga L380 - this model is recommended for senior students who are doing subjects that may require a more powerful processor and storage (eg design, arts, IT, technology).

Devices can be purchased with optional Accidental Damage Protection insurance for approximately $100. This protects you from accidental damage such as water spillages and dropped laptops, with $0 excess. An average damage repair bill is $600 so this policy offers great peace of mind.

Please follow the link for specifications for the Westminster recommended Lenovo laptops.

Both of these laptops are competitively priced and known for their durability. Each will meet the personalised learning requirements for students from Years 6 to 12. It is ultimately a family decision as to which laptop best suits your son or daughter’s needs and your budget.

A laptop ordered through the School recommended program will be delivered with a Westminster image, pre-loaded with school supplied software, and be ready to connect to the school network. Recommended devices will receive full support from our ICT Services Department including software updates and anti-virus.

Both recommended laptops will be available from the School’s supplier, Datacom, through an online ordering portal, expected to open on Monday 1 October 2018 and close on Friday 16 November. Placing an order within this timeframe will ensure that the laptop, which will be delivered to the school, is ready to collect on the first day of Term 1 2019.

The portal address and any other required information has been emailed to parents. If you have not received this email or misplaced it, please contact us via Email.

Option 2 - Bring Your Own Other Device

If your son or daughter requires a new laptop then we strongly recommend that you consider the preferred Lenovo models for purchase through the School’s supplier. However, widening the Laptop program to allow for students in Years 6 to 12 to bring their own device does provide a degree of flexibility for families to make their own purchases or use an existing home device for student learning, should they prefer.

In order for all student devices to be effective in our network and programs, we ask that any device you have or are intending to purchase is consistent with the School’s Laptop Device Specifications, which provide the benchmark when determining the School’s recommended laptop models. Unfortunately, devices not consistent with these specifications cannot be supported and may compromise your child’s learning at Westminster. Your own device will also require the necessary software to be loaded at home or by your vendor in readiness for school usage.

Non-recommended devices will receive limited support from our ICT Services team beyond assistance to connect to the network. Maintenance and software updates will be the student or parent/caregiver’s responsibility for those devices.

If you wish to Bring Your Own Other Device and you are unsure if the device is suitable, or if you have any technical questions in relation to laptop program, then please contact our IT Support Desk via Email in the first instance.

If you have any other questions regarding the Westminster Laptop Program, please contact the Director of Learning, Andrea Sherwood, via Email.

Further details regarding purchasing of devices through the Datacom portal will be emailed to families in late September/early October 2018.

Policies

Use of ICT and devices by students at Westminster School is subject to the following policies:

• Westminster School Acceptable Use of ICT Policy
• Westminster School Laptop User Policy