To complete classwork at school and at home, Beaver requires students to have a current Mac or Windows laptop with a webcam. Students who receive significant financial aid may be eligible for assistance in securing a laptop. Families should discuss this with the admission office.
It must run a currently supported (by the manufacturer) version of the Operating System and have all security-related updates installed. Chromebooks are inadequate, as they cannot run some of the software licensed by the school (notably Adobe Creative Cloud) or work well with some of the robotics hardware in use at the school.
We recommend purchasing a laptop with at least 16GB of RAM, but if you have an existing laptop with 8GB of RAM, it will meet basic requirements. We strongly urge you to purchase a hardware protection plan along with the computer. Apple, Dell, and Microsoft offer comprehensive coverage, including options for accidents and spills.
Students are welcome to use non-supported hardware (Chromebooks, iPads, Linux laptop, etc.) for daily use but must have a Mac or Windows laptop they can bring in and use for assignments/courses that require software that cannot run on their preferred device. The school is unable to loan devices to students who do not have a supported device.
While either platform is supported and will work, most students and faculty have Mac laptops. Some students may want to run software outside of school that only works on Macs or PCs and that should be a consideration when purchasing a laptop.
Students should at least be able to type on a keyboard, have some basic familiarity with word processing such as creating and saving documents, and they should know how to perform a web search and use basic email functions.
Families will need an internet connection at home. Families who have difficulty meeting this requirement should discuss the issue with their child’s advisor or the admission and financial aid office.
Beaver provides students with access to the software that is required for classes. You do not need to purchase additional software. Windows PCs should have antivirus/anti-malware software installed and kept up to date.
If a student has a laptop issue or needs help with a project, they should submit a help request by emailing techsupport@bcdschool.org with a description of the issue, or by visiting the Help Desk on the R-Level. Staff is happy to assist students with most technology issues, such as connectivity, computer freezes, Google Apps, and uploading class projects to the Web. If the computer problem is physical, such as damage from dropping or a liquid spill, a technician can help the student understand the next steps.
Yes! If a student needs to borrow a laptop for the day they can arrange to check one out till 4:00 p.m. Please send an email to techsupport@bcdschool.org to make a request or visit the Help Desk on the R-Level.
In our experience, Google Chrome works best in our environment with Firefox being a close second.
Yes. If a student needs to borrow a laptop for several days they can arrange to check one out (if available). Please send an email to techsupport@bcdschool.org to make a request.
Several public printers are available at school. Families are not expected to provide their own printer setup at home.
Each student at Beaver Country Day School is expected to be able to have access to their own computer.
Accidents and poor decisions are unfortunate realities in any community, but they are few and far between at Beaver. Students generally respect one another’s boundaries and property, and lost items are often found within a day or two.
Beaver does not offer discounts, but individual computer vendors often offer educational pricing for students.
We have found that parental control programs hinder more than they help because they often block websites and applications required for classes, with Google Apps being one example. If you have questions or concerns, please visit the Help Desk; we will happily address them with you.