Overview

Starting in September 2012, all students in Westmount Charter School from grades 6-12 will be expected to have a laptop.  Grade 5’s will be joining the 1:1 MacBook program starting Term 2 (Jan/Feb 2013) of the 2012/13 school year.

The Middle School (gr 5-8) will be a 1:1 MacBook environment and in the High School (gr 9-12), students will have the option of choosing any device that best meets their needs, with a minimum standard expected at school.  Students in the high school will still have the option to continuing leasing their current macbook, as we will grandfather the program, however, they will no longer be restricted to a mac platform.  Westmount would like to focus its resources on improving the instructional resource and use of technology, rather than being consumed with the business of leasing.  We will be concentrating our efforts on teacher training and student engagement in the appropriate and effective use of technology.  Thus, we will be phasing out the lease program offered by Westmount Charter School. We won’t be purchasing any new laptops for leasing, but will continue to lease out our current inventory.

Rationale

The Laptop Initiative to date has been very successful and created unique learning opportunities on campus.  However, in light of this success, there are some logistical realities of a new campus with grade 5-12, that have prompted us to re-examine the current program and re-evaluate how we can best meet student needs.  In addition, we feel that we can expand the program to grade 5 students, to include them in the laptop program, given their proximity to and potential benefits of the technology program at the mid/high campus.

Middle School

The Middle School will remain a 1:1 MacBook environment (MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro) for several reasons.  Most importantly the middle school teachers feel that maintaining a single OS environment is best at this young age as file format and compatibility issues are difficult for young students to comprehend.  We also feel that young students require more support and directed learning and a single OS environment is best for this situation. The decision to continue with MacBooks also allows teachers to utilize Apple Remote Desktop to ensure students are on task and the user interface is simpler to navigate.  

High School

The High School will migrate from the current 1:1 MacBook environment to having the opportunity to work on a laptop that has a platform they feel most comfortable using.  This move is a reflection of the fact that in this age group many students are capable of controlling file formats without teacher assistance and trouble-shoot their own problems.  We also recognize that our student population may be heading into very different post-secondary directions with differing technological requirements.  This move will allow students to purchase a laptop better suited to their long-term plans.  Our teaching staff will continue to use MacBooks; so all file submissions must be Mac compatible.  Westmount will also provide a list of minimal requirements that will be expected for each laptop used within this framework.

School-owned MacBook and Leases

We currently have a large number of school-owned MacBooks leased to students, and we will continue to lease out the MacBooks we have available.  Students who currently have leases will have the option to buy-out their lease, continue their lease next year or opt out and provide their own laptop.  Any surplus MacBooks will be leased out to students on a priority basis.   While you may be able to request a lease during the registration process, you will not be guaranteed one, unless you are currently leasing.  Furthermore, leased machines will no longer be administered by IT and, will instead be administered by parents, though providing administrator accounts to parents.

Financing

In the past, one of the advantages of the school leasing program was the fact that the cost was spread out over several years.  Under the new framework, families will now have more flexibility to choose financing options that best suit their financial needs.  In addition to the leasing option provided by Westmount, parents may also explore other leasing institutions, such as Apple.  If you are interested in financing options, please ask the Apple Staff at the Apple Store or via the Apple Online Store, through our parent portal.

Support

Mr. Scott Ferg will be planning parent information and workshop nights to help prepare parents for the changes to the 1:1 program.  Some of the topics that may be discussed will be Administrator/User Settings, Parental Controls and Social Media.  Details of workshops will be in Westmount's Online Newsletter as they become finalized.  If you feel there’s a subject you’d like covered please contact Mr. Ferg.