School device & booklist requirements for Junior, Middle and Senior Years.
2024 Booklist Information
Years 4 to 8 Device Requirements
Device Requirements Years 4 to 8:
Our program aims to allow students to own devices that will enable them to participate fully in the educational opportunities offered at St Hilda’s. At the same time, we are mindful of the economic impact on parents of these decisions, and we strive to allow flexibility in our 1:1 program to enable us to adapt to the ever-changing environment.
New students entering Years 4 to 8 in 2023:
For new students in Year 4 – 8 that are needing to buy a new device, we recommend the new M1 or M2 MacBook. If you already own an iPad with a keyboard that is in good working order, then you can continue to use that for 2023.
Current students continuing in 2023
Students that have been in our iPad program since Year 4 will own an iPad that will be beginning its fourth year of service in Year 7. Our experience is that a well-cared for iPad will continue to cope with all the demands of the Year 7 course, if this is the case students can continue to use that device.
The change that we are making to our program in 2023, is that if the current iPad is no longer fully operational, or you wish to move to a MacBook earlier, then parents can buy a new M1 or M2 MacBook for their daughter in 2023. It is important to emphasise, if your iPad is in good working order, you do not need to purchase a MacBook in 2023.
Which MacBook should I select?
Any M1 or M2 MacBook is recommended. The entry level M1 MacBook Air is more than capable of satisfying the needs of the classroom program. Parents may also opt for the MacBook Pro – it is a matter of personal choice and budgets. Both MacBooks will also run all iPad applications, and will continue to be of use as your daughter moves into the BYOD program in Years 9-12.
Which iPad should I select?
The entry level iPad 10.2 is perfectly suitable; however, we allow you the flexibility to also choose an iPad Air or iPad Pro model if you wish to do so. (links below).
https://www.apple.com/au/ipad/
It is also required that all students have a Keyboard and an Apple Pencil. The Apple keyboards are recommended, they are well suited to the iPad and require no Bluetooth connections. Logitech also makes a range of keyboards that you might also consider.
Device Setup
To set up your device you must first have an Apple ID. While our school understands that some parents may already have an Apple ID, we strongly recommend that a new Apple ID is created for each student participating in our 1:1 program.
Through Apple’s Family Sharing options, parents are now able to create an Apple ID for their children. This provides a level of parental control options that most parents are comfortable with. It is vital that each student is provided with a password for their new Apple ID account to enable them to download new Apps as required from time to time in class.
For more information please visit: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201084
Where to purchase
We make no stipulation about where parents might purchase their daughter’s iPad, MacBook or other computing devices.
JB Hi-Fi offer a portal with pre-approved devices and education pricing. See more information here.
Apple Products
We have found that the Apple Store at Robina has provided excellent service to the St Hilda’s community and have no hesitation recommending them. You can shop online from the link below and have your devices delivered or mention that you are a St Hilda’s parent when in store. https://www.apple.com/au/shop
Years 9 to 12 Laptop BYOD Program
BYOD (Bring your own device) Program
In Years 9 to 12, the move to a BYOD environment supports our educational philosophy of offering student’s choice and flexibility in order to cater for an individual’s learning style and technology preference. In keeping with this approach, we make no stipulation as to the technology senior girls bring to school. We provide Wi-Fi access to the Internet, our email system, Learning Management System and a range of school provided software to freely download. We encourage and support this self-management as the girls prepare for tertiary study and other adventures upon graduation.
Our experience is that most girls choose to move to a laptop device in Year 9. Currently the vast majority choose one of the MacBooks (https://www.apple.com/au/mac/) while some choose a PC Laptop. Some girls continue to bring and use their iPad for some tasks. We feel it is important that students use a device in class that they are comfortable with and one that suits their learning style. A list of software available is below.
It is important that the student device is capable of loading and running this software. Any MacBook or PC laptop with the minimum of an i5 or i7 chip, 8GB or more of RAM and a 256 or 512GB SSD is suitable.
Calculator
If your daughter is in Year 11 or 12 and has chosen Math Methods and Specialist Maths she will require a TI-Nspire™ Non CAS by Texas Instruments graphing calculator.
Purchasing your daughter’s device
We make no stipulation about where parents might purchase their daughter’s device.
The Apple Store at Robina has provided excellent service to the St Hilda’s community, and we have no hesitation recommending them. St Hilda’s parents qualify for education pricing discounts at Apple. You can shop online via the link below and have your devices delivered or mention that you are a St Hilda’s parent when in store.
https://www.apple.com/au-hed/shop
Parents are encouraged to order devices early due to potential delivery delays of several months.
Software
As part of the school’s software licensing, we can provide free copies of the following software to students for both iPad and MacBook / PC Laptop.Please note: In order to access these free copies, students will need a St Hilda’s email address and password. New enrolments will be able to download this software in their first week at school after they are provided their St Hilda’s email details. Please do not purchase copies of this software prior to beginning school as you are entitled to free copies upon enrolment.
Microsoft Office
Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Teams and OneDrive.
For MacBook/PC Laptop – go to the link below and sign in with your St Hilda’s email and password. Make sure to choose School or Business and not Personal when you install Office.
https://www.office.com
For iPad apps – simply go to the App Store and search for each program Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Teams and OneDrive.
These are all free downloads. When you first open them, you will be asked to sign in with your St Hilda’s email and password. Make sure to choose School or Business when you install OneDrive.
Adobe Suite
Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, Premiere Pro, Light Room, After Effects etc.
For MacBook/PC Laptop – go to the link below, and sign in with your St Hilda’s email and password. It is a small button in the top right corner.
Make sure to choose School or Business and not Personal when you install Adobe software.
NOTE – if you already have versions of Adobe on your device, you may need to uninstall them before you can install CC 2020.
https://www.adobe.com/au/creativecloud.html
For iPad apps – simply go to the App Store and search for Adobe. These are all free downloads. The offerings are slightly different for iPad. There is now a version of Photoshop, and Illustrator will arrive by the end of the year.
When you first open Photoshop, you will be asked to sign in with your St Hilda’s email and password. Make sure to choose School or Business when you install OneDrive.