As we are nearing the end of the year, it is time to begin the process of updating our iPads with apps and content for next year. This is the third year of our 1:1 iPad program. At the start of the program, we made a promise to parents that students would receive a new iPad every three years to ensure that the device they used in class was in peak working order. As part of that agreement, next year all parents will be required to pay a yearly technology fee of RO 100 to offset the cost of the 1:1 program, but also to cover the cost for printing, network and other technology related expenses. Our agreement with the students of ABIS was that if they took care of their iPad, it would be theirs to keep after three years. With very few exceptions, your children have lived up to their end of the bargain, and at the end of this year, we will remove the restrictions on their current machines, and those machines will be sent home for good. We are currently in the process of preparing the new batch of 32 GB iPad Airs, preloaded with apps and content for each grade level, and we will distribute them to students from G6-G12 before the end of the school year. Students who either joined the school or joined the 1:1 program after the start of the 2012-2013 school year will get their iPad updated with new content and apps for the coming year. Students who will move up to G3 next year will receive their new iPads after they have completed our induction sessions at the start of next school year. The coming year will bring with it some changes to our 1:1 program, including Gmail and iCloud accounts for all students in G3-G12, and information about each of these changes will be coming home soon. Please read through these documents carefully. In the meantime, Mr. Wolfe will be meeting with each grade level to prepare them to transition to next year. As always, should you have any questions, feel free to drop by the IT office, or contact Mr. Wolfe via email at j.wolfe@abisoman.com.
