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.

Classes at Beaver Country Day School use Google Apps exclusively for word processing, so there is no need to purchase additional software of that nature. Apple and Windows PCs should have antivirus and anti-malware software installed, there are many free options available. We strongly urge families to purchase extra support coverage from the computer manufacturer, such as Applecare or Dell Protect.

We strongly urge families to purchase a support plan from the laptop manufacturer. Applecare hardware protection with Apple Computers or and OEM plan like Dell Protect offer accidental coverage.

When a student has a problem with their laptop or they need help with a project, they should submit a help request by emailing techsupport@bcdschool.org, and describe their problem. An automated message will respond with up-to-date details regarding office hours and instructions regarding walk-up support. Support staff are more than happy to assist students with most technology issues that come up such as connectivity, computer freezes, help with Google Apps, and uploading class projects to the Web. If the computer problem is physical in nature such as damage from dropping or a liquid spill, a technician will help the student understand what the next steps might be, including capturing the diagnosis in the help ticket. The laptop owner may use this information when contacting the manufacturer regarding any warranty work that might be necessary.

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.

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.

Middle School students new to Beaver will receive a training session during Middle School Orientation and will learn how to access support documentation. There are a variety of resources available to assist students with all their learning needs. Technology and innovation skills are integrated into all classes at Beaver Country Day School. Students are encouraged to visit a member of our Digital Innovation Group to experiment with all kinds of technology.

This is most likely an Adobe Flash or Shockwave error. The latest versions can be installed from adobe.com/downloads. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, please submit a help request by emailing techsupport@bcdschool.org with the relevant error details.

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.