Laptop Program

Students in grades five through eight on the Carmel Campus are required to have a working laptop computer that meets the school's minimum standards. Grade 5 and 6 students will be issued a school owned Chromebook. New 6, 7 and 8 students may elect to use a school owned Chromebook or purchase a MacBook Air. The MacBook Air may purchased at the Apple store in Monterey or online. For returning grade 6, 7 and 8 students, other configurations are acceptable.

Questions about the laptop program can be directed to Jim Fannin at jfannin@stevensonschool.org or 831-625-8375.

We piloted an iPad program in Grade 4 to assess the use of iPads in the classroom. The results are mixed. While iPads are a wonderful tool, they continue to lack some advanced features needed for the Middle Grades. For example, word processing can be awkward and web publishing or programming is difficult. iPads are still ideal in early grades, and the Grade 4 class will continue to advance creatively and academically with tablets while we continue to assess the usefulness of adopting them in later grades.

Because the Upper Division campus has an international population of more than 500 resident and day students, in addition to other dynamics that differ from the Carmel Campus, we will continue supporting the current mixed-platform laptop program. As the technology applications advance in conjunction with our academic program, we believe high school students should have the option to choose a laptop make and model based on their needs and interests. On the other hand, we expect parents and students will be delighted by what the Chromebook and MacBook Air offers, and that you will find its usefulness lasting well into the high school years.

As part of the Chromebook program, students will only take Chromebooks home for specific assignments. Additional cases may purchased for the Lenovo 500e Chromebook  or MacBook Air online. 

Each school owned Chromebook has a warranty to cover most incidental damage. If a student loses or significantly damages a Chromebook they will be required to pay the cost to replace it. Note that accidental damage - such as screen breakage - is not covered. 

As part of the laptop program and the Community Citizenship curricula in Middle Grades, students explore themes of digital safety and security, search and research, kindness and respect, digital footprint, creativity, and screen time. Students learn how to change settings on their laptops to minimize distractions such as pop-ups, messaging, and volume controls. Middle grade students also engage in an ongoing dialogue with their teachers and peers about what is working and what is not, and support is provided to work through tech challenges.

Historically, laptops have remained useful for students for 4-5 years. We encourage laptops to be replaced somewhere in this time frame.

No. Students in grades 6 will be issued school owned Chromebooks. Students in grades 7 and 8 may continue using the same laptops; however, if you choose to purchase a new laptop, we encourage you to contact the technology coordinator and consider purchasing the same MacBook Air used in the program.

With the adoption of Grade 5 into the Middle Grade program, and with the extra responsibilities and skills empowered to students in the STEM and Humanities programs, we believe that grade 5 students are ready and capable to enter into the laptop program.

No. The technology fee that is part of tuition covers all software used at the school. If you wish to purchase and install other software for your child, you may do so, as long as it will not conflict with other software or hardware used at the school. You are encouraged to contact the technology coordinator about such additional software. Please also read through the list of provided software so that you are not buying a duplicate copy of a title available through the school.