Technology
“Save the Date” for Laptop Orientations
All 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and at least one parent are required to attend a laptop orientation prior to the start of school in September. Families will choose from three dates.
Wednesday, August 25th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm – 40 students
Tuesday, August 31st from 6:00pm – 8:00pm – 40 students
Thursday, September 2nd from 6:00pm – 8:00pm – 40 students
A questionnaire will be emailed to you in July to sign up for one (1) Laptop Orientation date. Sign-up is on a first come-first served basis.
Students will receive laptops during the first three weeks of school, beginning with 8th graders and followed by 7th and 6th graders. Teachers and staff will provide orientations for students to provide information about student server access, sending homework to a teacher electronically, and laptop use expectations. Students will use their laptop for school-related work ONLY and will not be permitted to access social networking sites such as FaceBook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. Please manage your child’s expectations to ensure their understanding that the laptop program is intended only for educational purposes.
The school Laptop User Fee will be $150.00 per year and includes:
One Apple MacBook laptop computer
Microsoft Office Software, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
A protective carrying case.
Laptop User Fee payment options:
Full payment at the orientation session
One-time payment via your FACTS account
Add the fee to your monthly/quarterly payment plan via your FACTS
Watch for an email in July for the orientation date sign-up procedures. If you have any questions, please contact Peg Sibbet at: sibbet1@mchsi.com, or Rhonda Thibault at: thibault@integra.net 952.226.4735.
Laptop Resources
MacBook User Guide
Mac 101
iLife Suite
Find Out How
Laptop User Fee
Technology Committee
The St. Michael Catholic School Technology Committee is charged with integrating a 21st century learning environment throughout the school. Early initiatives included converting the school newsletter to a paperless eNewsNotes on-line format. Family email addresses were utilized to streamline school communications, saving hours of time and reams of paper. Eleven SMARTBoard interactive whiteboards were installed in the Art and Music classrooms and in each middle school classrooms in 2009. Teachers were provided with MacBook laptops and received SMARTBoard training. School servers were upgraded in anticipation of implementing the 1:1 laptop program for students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade beginning in 2010. SMARTBoards will be installed in elementary classrooms in 2010, a new school website will be unveiled in August 2010, and a project-based technology curriculum will begin for all students in 2010.
Blues Technology Weekly
During the 2009-10 school year, St. Michael Catholic School began publishing a technology column in our school’s weekly NewsNotes. Because we had so many projects focused around technology, we thought it was important to begin communicating on a regular basis! BTW provides a wide range of information on everything from tips and tools to how technology is being used in the classroom! Watch for BTW to be back next school year! BTW Content 2009-2010 School Year
