Frequently Asked Questions about MyDevice progam

We believe that all students of St Maria Goretti’s Catholic School deserve the best, which is why our school has undertaken a major building redevelopment program over the past four years. In addition to amazing teachers and state of the art facilities, we know that technology plays an important role in our classrooms.

As technology continues to evolve, keeping up with those changes can be costly. To help ease the financial pressure on families, we are introducing the MyDevice program to ensure all students have access to the best technology possible, to support their learning and best prepare them for the workplace of the future.

The staff of St Maria Goretti’s Catholic School have carefully chosen the most appropriate device to best support your child’s learning. Students in:

• K-3 will receive an iPad 32GB space grey, 6^th Gen with an Apple operating system
• 4-6 will receive a HP Pro, X2 612, 256 GB operating system

Early years students will benefit from access to iPad technology which has been successfully operating in our school for a number of years, whilst upper primary students will use HP technology, using the Windows platform, which has touch screen capability and stylus, so that important writing skills can be maintained.

Yes. All parents of Catholic Schools are entitled to download 5 copies of Windows Office 365. Office 365 will provide the platform on which classes will work, and the students’ work will be stored online with access from the web.

No. The staff of St Maria Goretti’s Catholic School have carefully chosen the most appropriate device to best support your child’s learning.

Early years students will benefit from access to iPad technology which has been successfully operating in our school over a number of years, whilst upper primary students will use HP technology, on the Windows platform, which has touch screen capability and stylus so that important writing skills can be maintained.

We believe that all students of St Maria Goretti’s Catholic School deserve to have access to the most appropriate technology that best supports their learning, without families worrying about how to pay for them. Our MyDevice program will ensure that every child enrolled in St Maria Goretti’s Catholic School has a personal device for their exclusive use for as long as they are enrolled with us, at no cost to their parents, guardians or families.

To make this happen, the school Principal in consultation with the teaching staff, School Board and Catholic Education WA, have worked together over the last four years to make this scheme a reality.

Students in:

• K-3 will receive an iPad 32GB space grey, 6^th Gen with an Apple operating system
• 4-6 will receive a HP Pro, X2 612, 256 GB operating system

We understand that sometimes accidents happen, but we are seeking your support to reinforce with your child, the need to care for the equipment entrusted to them. Each child will be responsible for their device and each class will discuss practical tips to make sure the devices remain in good condition.

In the unlikely event of reasonable damage, you don’t need to worry, it will be covered by insurance.

Any damage that isn’t caused by reasonable wear and tear, will need to be paid for by the child’s family.

At St Maria Goretti’s Catholic School we believe that all students deserve to have access to the most appropriate technology that best supports their learning, without families worrying about how to pay for them. That’s why we have chosen to implement the MyDevice program at no cost to families.

It’s just another reason why you can be certain that in choosing St Maria Goretti’s Catholic School, you have not only made an outstanding educational choice for your child, you’ve also made a great choice for your family.

We understand that sometimes accidents happen, but we’re seeking your support to reinforce with your child, the need to care for the equipment entrusted to them. Each child will be responsible for their device and they will make a commitment in their class acknowledging that responsibility. In the unlikely event of reasonable damage, you don’t need to worry, it will be covered by insurance.

Any damage that isn’t caused by reasonable wear and tear, will need to be paid for.

We’ve negotiated replacement lease arrangements that best suits your child’s educational needs.

So, for example, in Kindy to Year 3, iPads will be replaced every two years, while when your child reaches year 4, their iPad will be replaced by a HP device. In all years your child will have exclusive use of and responsibility for their personal device under the terms of the lease.

The MyDevice program is just one of the many benefits that have come from our school growing substantially over the last three years, from a single to a double stream. As a result of the additional funding we have received from having more students, we have been able to allocate enough funding to cover the cost of the MyDevice program entirely.

No.

We want every family who attends our school to benefit from our amazing facilities and access to our caring and dedicated teachers and we don’t want them to worry about costs. As a result of the additional funding we have received from having more students, we have been able to allocate enough funding to cover the cost of the MyDevice program entirely.

The School Board of Financial Management have given a clear commitment that there will be no impact on fees as a result of the introduction of this program.

Children in Year 5 and 6 will have access to the device after school hours and during the holidays.

As a school community we will work together to develop some agreed rules about responsibilities, school expectations and establish clear guidelines and limits to screen time after 6:30pm at night.

More details will be available as part of our information for parents.

Absolutely! We know how important it is for your child to continue to develop their fine motor skills and despite technology, the ability to write remains absolutely essential. Our dedicated teachers will continue to plan their lessons with your child’s best interests and learning opportunities at the front of their minds.

What they are teaching and the particular outcomes they want to achieve, will determine what the most appropriate device is to use, whether that’s a pen, paintbrush, computer, basketball, or sand in the sandpit!

Yes. We’re seeking your support to reinforce with your child, the need to care for the equipment entrusted to them. We are asking both parents and children to complete a simple form acknowledging responsibility for the device allocated to them.

Yes. We have a number of safety mechanisms in place to ensure that your child only has access to appropriate material. No devices will be available during recess or lunch, because we want your child to continue to build positive relationships with their classmates inside and outside of the classroom environment.

Before the devices are introduced into classrooms, all classes will participate in lessons that will help them understand what it means to be a responsible Digital Citizen.

Your child’s safety is our highest priority whether that’s on the playground or online. The devices will be locked down so that other applications cannot be loaded except by approved school staff members.

The school’s existing internet filters and monitoring software will be pre-installed on all devices prior to distribution to students.

We understand those concerns which is why we already have well established cyber bullying policies in place. Students will continue to work through Digital Citizenship programs so that they understand exactly what is expected of them when participating in the MyDevice program.

As St Maria Goretti’s Catholic School owns the devices, parents and guardians can feel very confident that we will act promptly should we become aware of any issues affecting our students.

All devices remain the property of the school and are provided to all enrolled students without charge. When a student leaves our school, the device will need to be returned in a condition similar to that in which it was provided.

If your child moves to a new Catholic School, they will still be able to access their information on relevant Office 365 applications.

Yes. The lease agreement includes next day service and replacement arrangements.

In the unlikely event of a device failure, we will have a number of spare devices available for your child to borrow, until theirs can be fixed or replaced.

Yes. We want all parents and guardians to feel comfortable with the program and we understand that not everyone is a technological expert – and that’s okay because our staff is here to help. We have a number of sessions planned, including the following topics:

1. Why are we doing this?
2. Digital Citizenship.
3. The St Maria Goretti’s Catholic School approach.
4. Integrating devices into the class program.
5. How to use and protect the device.