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St Leonard’s College has a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) model of student technology provision.

Please note that specific information relating to device requirements and App Lists may change from year to year. Families are asked to re-visit this site in October before purchasing devices or Apps for the following school year.

Technology at home

There are always questions that arise about the use of technology at home.

Some important first steps with iPads are to ensure that your child has their own Apple ID and that Family Sharing (and ‘Screen Time’) is set up:

Apple has more family information to help on its Families page. And many questions have been asked and answered on our own FAQ page.

Students in years Prep to 9

Every day students in years Prep to 9 are required to only bring their own:

– iPad, iPad Air or iPad Pro (64GB or greater, not an iPad mini) in a cover.
– A brand new iPad is expected to last students three to four years. Due to the life cycle of technology students are expected to bring an iPad to school that is no more than four years old.
– iPads should be running the latest version of iPadOS (the iPad operating system software), v17 or higher in 2024. If your iPad cannot run the latest version you will need to purchase a new iPad.
– While the iPad is a touch screen device, students are able to connect a keyboard and mouse to their iPad for typing and navigation if this is desired.

Students are also required to install all of the apps listed on the St Leonard’s College App list for Prep to Year 2, or Year 3 and 4, or Year 5 to 9 depending on their year level.

This short video highlights some of the benefits of using iPads:

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Students in years 10 to 12

As students move into the VCE and IBDP programs they are presented with an increasing array of subject selections and as such an iPad may not meet some students’ requirements. A student who is studying Computing in the senior years, while they would have access to high end computer labs at school, may choose to bring their own high end laptop as it may serve their chosen learning journey more appropriately. Due to such variations in subject selection we believe it is important that students in the Senior School have the ability to choose the most appropriate technology to meet their needs. We also understand that this technology choice may very well see them through to their tertiary studies. Students in years 10, 11 and 12 are required to bring a device of their choosing to school on a daily basis.

The device that students in years 10, 11 and 12 bring must meet some very basic minimum requirements:

  • Devices must have 802.11ac WIFI networking capability or better. If your laptop is missing this capability you can easily buy an adapter such as this one from JB Hifi.
  • A modern up to date web browser such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
  • The ability to create .docx or .pdf files for work submission to teachers. Microsoft Word, Apple Pages or Google Docs are all capable of creating .docx or .pdf files.
  • Students should download Microsoft Office 365. For more information about signing in with your STL account to gain access to the Office 365 apps click here.
  • The ability to create a presentation to display to the class. Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote or Google Slides are all fine.
  • The ability to read .pdf files is required. Adobe Reader is a free program that performs this function.
  • A minimum display size of 9 inches diagonal.
  • At least 128GB of onboard storage.

An iPad coupled with the St Leonard’s College App list meets all of these demands and we understand that this may remain the choice for some Senior School students.

However, the majority of Senior School students do choose to bring an ultrabook style laptop device. That is a light laptop with excellent battery life whether that be a MacBook (Air) or a PC.

Discounts

St Leonard’s College families can obtain a discount on technology purchases:

JB HiFi Education are offering our families a discount on iPads and laptops via an online portal. If you would like to purchase your device via this site please click here and login with the password ‘STLEONARDS2024’.

To learn more about the JB Hifi buying portal click here.