LAPTOP USE
Can a student take the laptop to class?
Individual instructors will establish their own policies for laptop use during class but students will need to bring the laptop to each class.
Will the laptop be used in every class?
Not necessarily. Laptop usage will be significant; however, usage depends upon the individual instructors. Some classes are not conducive to daily incorporation of laptop use, such as painting or team sports.
Does the student have to be a computer whiz?
No. Students are provided with individualized and classroom instruction as part of their year-long Computer Applications course. This course will provide students with the skills needed to care for and maintain their laptops, but more importantly, the course will focus on the applications that will assist and enhance the educational experience.
Where should the laptop be kept when it is not needed for class?
The laptop should be kept in the student’s locker.
There is content on the Internet that is unsuitable for children. Is there any type of filtering?
Internet-assisted learning extends beyond the classroom and into students' homes, providing more resources and better teacher-student communication. To address these urgent needs, St. Francis Catholic High School has installed layers of filters on campus as well as off campus to keep students from accessing inappropriate and malicious Web content. The filters provide total filtering for students anytime, anywhere, regardless of their Internet connection. Parents can be certain that whether students are working at St. Francis Catholic High School, Starbucks, or at home, their Internet surfing is being filtered.
LAPTOP & NETWORK
Where on campus can someone plug the laptop into the network?
A cable is not needed for connecting to the network. All student laptops are wireless. The entire campus can connect to the network wirelessly.
Where on campus can students connect to the Internet?
When you connect to the St. Francis Catholic High School network, you are automatically connected to the Internet (web surfing,, etc.), as well as to the school network printers and file servers.
Will the student be able to back-up information on the network? Is the data protected?
Each student is expected to back-up their own information in a timely fashion. This can be on CD or DVD media using the laptop built in CD/DVD-RW drives. They can also back up to personally owned flash drives or external hard drives. Students may also take advantage of their Share drive (H) that will allow them to save school projects and documents for the duration of their 4 years here at St. Francis Catholic High School.
Personal data such as movies, itunes libraries, and photo libraries should not be saved on the H Drive. The students should backup this type of data on their own storage device.
LAPTOP USE OUTSIDE CAMPUS
Can the student keep the computer during the summer?
The laptop must be turned in to the St. Francis Catholic High School Technology Department each summer in order to be re-imaged with the latest operating system and software.
Can the student connect to the school resources from home?
Not at this time.
Will St. Francis Catholic High School provide Internet access and wireless at home?
No, that is the responsibility of the parents. If parents have wired or wireless Internet access at home, then students can simply connect their laptop to their Internet Service Provider. The laptops are not configured with a dial-up modem.
Why is dial-up not supported on the Laptops?
Due to the performance requirements of online resources, dial-up access is not a feasible option.
Can my son/daughter print at home?
Certainly. However it is up to the parents to provide a printer at home. The Macintosh operating system has built in support for printers and is compatible with most printers. Any printer which requires a drive or software to be installed will not be supported.
St. Francis Catholic High School monitors laptop usage at school, but who monitors it at home?
That is the responsibility of the parents. It is the St. Francis Catholic High School belief that when off the St. Francis Catholic High School campus, parents have full authority to restrict laptop usage. Examples of this:
- Can only use laptop in a family room and not in his/her bedroom.
- Can only use laptop at certain times of the evening or weekend.
- Cannot take it along on a trip.
- Examine the documents and other contents of the laptop.
- Confiscate the laptop and bring to the St. Francis Catholic High School Technology Department for examination of laptop contents.
LAPTOP UPGRADES
Will St. Francis Catholic High School update the operating system or software?
The major software updates will be provided through re-imaging the laptop every summer. During the rest of the school year, only critical updates will be performed.
Will the computer and software become outdated during the four years of study?
The laptop lease includes a program for updating the operating system. The laptops will be updated every summer if such an update is available. Other software may be upgraded or added, ensuring that students' laptops are always up to date.
Can I install my own software/apps ?
We regret that we do not have the ability to allow custom/individual application installations. Applications installed on the laptops are standardized so that the configuration on the laptop is stable and reliable for support of the curriculum.
LAPTOP SUMMER RE-IMAGING
What does it mean to "re-image" a laptop?
Re-imaging a laptop wipes out everything on the laptop and installs a new image. The laptop is setup just like the first time the student received it. Re-imaging will be done every summer. It is the responsibility of the student to backup and restore any of their personal documents, music, pictures, software programs, etc. before a laptop is re-imaged. The laptop must be turned in to the St. Francis Catholic High School Technology Department each summer for a brief period of time in order to be re-imaged.
ACCESSORIES
What accessories come with the laptop?
The laptop comes with a power supply, its' extension cable, and protective carrying case for the notebook. All school–issued laptops must be carried in the school–issued laptop case.
What additional options would you recommend?
You don’t NEED additional options. Sometimes students purchase a mouse to be used with the computer. Home printers can also be used with the laptops.
Is any software banned or forbidden?
Yes, AIM, Limewire, Kazaa, Gnutella, and any other music sharing software or peer to peer other than iTunes is banned as well of any two way communications such as Facebook, iChat, and Skype.
Is a printer required?
No. Each laptop is configured to work with several network printers on campus. However, if the student wishes to use a personal printer at home, it must be provided by the parents.
How will the laptops be carried?
Laptops will travel to and from school with students in their specially designed carrying case. The laptop must be kept in this case at all times.
EMAIL
Will each student be given an email address?
Email is not provided by SFCHS. Students will receive a Wolfden, Google apps (that does not include email) and network account by the first day of school.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
What should be done if the laptop is damaged?
If a laptop is damaged, it should be reported immediately to the St. Francis Catholic High School Technology Department.
What should be done if the laptop is stolen?
If the laptop is stolen, immediately contact St. Francis Catholic High School Technology Department. There will be some paperwork to fill out for the accident/theft insurance policy. The insurance has a $100 deductible which is the responsibility of the parents.
Where does a student go for maintenance?
Students will receive instructions regarding basic care and maintenance as part of their Computer Applications class. Should the issue be beyond that of their classroom training, the student should notify the classroom teacher and the Technology Department so that the issue can be further investigated.
What if there are hardware or software problems with the computer?
If a problem occurs, the student should immediately report the issue to the Computer Applications teacher who will determine if the issue should be escalated to the St. Francis Catholic High School Technology Department. The Technology Department personnel cannot help if they are unaware of a problem. While on campus, the student may use the online help desk to report a problem.
Who pays for repairs to the laptop?
Any repairs not covered under the four year extended warranty or insurance are the responsibility of the student and parents. There is a $100 deductible for repairs under the insurance policy for any repair that is not covered by the basic AppleCare insurance. Typical examples of non-warranty repairs are user caused damage due to the laptop being dropped, stepped upon or liquids spilled on it.
What does my son/daughter do if his/her laptop is sent in for repair?
Students will be provided with a loaner laptop. Their user profile and files will be transfered to the loaner laptop until their own laptop is returned from the repair center.
What problems can the Computer Applications teacher help a student with?
The Computer Applications teacher can help the student troubleshoot numerous common problems, such as:
- Troubleshoot printing issues
- Troubleshoot connecting to our network
- Troubleshoot Wolfden or Google Apps
- Make suggestions for equipment for home
- Troubleshoot school installed software
What if there is a problem at home?
Due to the considerable variety in computer setups in homes, the St. Francis Catholic High School Technology Department can only offer suggestions on home equipment. Any problem with school supplied software or the laptop itself should be reported immediately to the Computer Applications teacher, media center specialist or the Instructional Technology Department upon return to school the next day.
Will someone from St. Francis Catholic High School come to our home and help set up our home network?
No, but we can provide names of consultants who will make house calls for a reasonable charge.
When is help available?
During the regular school year students may seek the assistance of the Media Specialist, the IT Department Specialist or the Computer Applications teacher between the hours of 7:55AM and 4:00PM.
MORE INFO
What does this term mean?
For a list of common technical terms and their meanings, please refer to the file below.
Who should be contacted if you have more questions?
1. Open a Help Desk ticket (while on campus)
2. Contact the appropriate person below:
For finance or policy questions, please contact the Finance Director, Cindy Croom at (352) 376-6545 x351 or email.
For Computer Applications support, please contact Dante Buckley at (352) 376-6545 or email.
For Level I technical support please contact the Media Specialist TD Cartell at (352) 376-6545 ext 359 or email.
For Level II technical support, hardware or software questions, please contact the Technology Specialist, Claudio Faenza.
3. Technical support after school hours: support@sfchs.org