Frequently Asked Questions

Who is required to have a laptop?
All students grades 6 through 12 are required to have a school-issued laptop.

When will students receive their computers?
Students will be issued their laptop the week before school begins in August.  Students will be assigned various time slots for distribution.

What kind of computer will be used?
Each student will be provided with an Apple MacBook Air laptop. The laptop will include an integrated video camera, wireless network card, latest version of the Operating System and Internet filtering software. Many more features and software are included.

Why Mac?
Apple is known as a leader in educational support with a wealth of resources to ensure the success of our program.  The seamless integration of applications, cross-platform compatibility, and a secure operating system allow for maximum educational use with minimal support needed.

Is there the option of a Windows platform?  
No. The entire 1:1 program will use the same model in the same configuration.

What if a more powerful computer is wanted?  
The computers provided in this program are appropriate for academic computing needs. There is no option for a different laptop.

Who owns the computer?  
The computer is the property of Trinity Presbyterian School.

What kind of contract or agreement needs to be signed?  
A Responsible Use Policy must be signed by the student and the parent.

How much will this cost me?  
The cost is included in tuition and will provide a student with access to a laptop and accompanying software, internet filtering software, technical assistance and AppleCare warranty service.

Will textbooks still be needed?  
Yes. While some textbooks are available in a digital format, many are not yet available in this format. If available, they will be utilized.

Can more than one laptop be purchased?  
We are sorry that we do not have the ability to serve as a computer reseller and cannot obtain laptops for other family members.

Will the laptop support external hardware (keyboard, mouse, printer, etc.)?  
Yes. USB and Thunderbolt peripherals such as a mouse, keyboard, printer, flash drive, monitor, headphone, iPod, iPad, etc. can be used.

​What software and operating system will be used?  
The laptop will have the latest Mac OS X operating system. Additional applications come with the laptop. The software we are adding to the laptops are:

• Life Suite (Photos, iMovie, Garageband)
• iWork Suite (Keynote, Pages, Numbers)
• Quicktime
• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Barracuda Internet Content Filter

What if a student transfers or leaves Trinity?  
Under the terms of the program agreement, students who transfer or leave Trinity must return the laptop and all equipment.

What if I am a new student transferring in to the program?  
Students joining the program "late" will be issued a laptop and must sign the appropriate paperwork.

Can a student take the laptop to class? Individual instructors will establish their own policies for laptop use during class, but students generally carry their laptop to each class.

​Will the laptop be used in every class?  Not necessarily.   Laptop usage will be significant; however, usage depends upon the individual instructors. Some classes are not conducive to daily incorporation of laptop use, such as physical education or team sports.

Where should the laptop be kept when it is not needed for class?  
The laptop should be kept in the student’s locker.

​Since there is content on the Internet that is unsuitable, what kind of filtering will Trinity provide?  
Internet-assisted learning extends beyond the classroom and into a student's home, providing more resources and better teacher-student communication. To address these urgent needs, Trinity has installed the Barracuda Content Management Solution to filter and secure students from accessing inappropriate and malicious Web content. The Barracuda Mobile Client provides total filtering for students anytime, anywhere, regardless of their Internet connection. Parents can be assured that whether students are working at Trinity, Starbucks, or at home their Internet surfing is being filtered.

Will Trinity update the operating system or software?
The major software updates will be provided through re-imaging the laptop every summer. During the school year, only critical updates will be performed.

​Will the computer and software become outdated during the four years of study?
The Technology Department provides a program for updating the operating system and iLife/iWork suite of software. The laptops will be updated every summer if such an update is available. Other software may be upgraded or added ensuring that students' laptops are always up to date.

Can I install my own software updates?
We regret that we do not have the ability to allow custom/individual application installations.  Applications installed on the laptops are standardized so that the configuration on the laptop is stable and reliable for support of the curriculum.

What accessories come with the laptop?  The laptop comes with a power supply and its extension cable. All school–issued laptops must be carried in the school issued Higher Ground computer case.

​What additional options would you recommend?  
You don’t NEED additional options. Sometimes students purchase a mouse to be used with the computer.  Home printers can also be used with the laptops. (See "Can my son or daughter print at home?" above for more information.)

​Is any software banned or forbidden?Yes, Spotify, Limewire, Kazaa, Gnutella, and any other music sharing software other than iTunes is banned. iMessage is on the computers and will work seamlessly with AIM. It is written for Macintosh and much faster and trouble free. During the school day the use of iMessage is only allowed as part of classroom instruction with administration/teacher’s permission. Disciplinary action will be taken for having banned software on the laptop or IM-ing (instant messaging) during the school day.

Is a printer required?
No. Each laptop is configured to work with the network printer in the MS/US Library on campus. However, if the student wishes to use a personal printer at home, it must be provided by the parents. (See "Can my son or daughter print at home?" above for more information.)

How will the laptops be carried?
Laptops will travel to and from school with students in their Higher Ground computer case.

What should be done if the laptop is damaged?
If a laptop is damaged, it should be reported immediately to the Trinity Technology Department. Trinity Technology Department personnel will troubleshoot the problem.

What should be done if the laptop is stolen?
If the laptop is stolen, immediately contact your local police department and obtain an incident report.  Please forward the incident report to the Trinity Technology Department as soon as possible. Upon notification, a loaner laptop will be issued.

Where does a student go for maintenance?
Students will receive instruction regarding basic care and maintenance.  Should the issue be beyond that of their classroom training, the student should notify the classroom teacher so that the issue can be further investigated by the Technology Department.

What if there are hardware or software problems with the computer?
If a problem occurs, students should immediately report the issue to their classroom teacher who will determine if the issue should be forwarded to the Trinity Technology Department.

What does my son/daughter do if his/her laptop needs repair?
The student should bring the laptop to the Technology Department and will provide the student with a loaner laptop.

With what problems can the Trinity Technology Department help a student?
The Technology Department can help the student troubleshoot numerous common problems, such as:

• printing issues
• connecting to our network
• email problems
• school installed software
• making suggestions for equipment for home

What if there is a problem at home?
Due to the considerable variety in computer setups in homes, the Trinity Technology Department can only offer suggestions on home equipment. Any problem with school supplied software or the laptop itself should be reported immediately to the Trinity Technology Department upon return to school the next day.

Will someone from Trinity come to our home and help set up our home network? 
No, but there are many qualified computer consultants/companies in the Montgomery area who can assist.

When is help available?
During the regular school year, the Technology Help Center is located below the Fine Arts Hall.  The Technology Center opens at 7:30 AM and closes at 4:00 PM daily. During this time students may seek the assistance of the Technology Department staff or wait until their Computer Applications class for assistance from the teacher.

Where on campus can someone plug the laptop into the network?  
A cable is not needed for connecting to the network. All student laptops are wireless. The entire campus can connect to the network wirelessly. There may be a couple of unimportant blind spots such as stairwells, locker rooms, etc.

​Where on campus can students connect to the Internet?  
When you connect to the Trinity network, you are automatically connected to the Internet (web surfing, email, etc.), as well as school network printers and file servers.

Will the student be able to back-up their information? Is the data protected?
Each student is expected to back-up their own information in a timely fashion. This can be a Google Drive account or they can utilize personally owned flash drives or external hard drives.  No back-up services will be provided at the school.

Can the student keep the computer during the summer?  
The laptop must be turned in to the Trinity Technology Department each summer in order to be re-imaged with the latest operating system and software.

​Will Trinity provide Internet access and wireless at home?
No, that is the responsibility of the parents. If Parents have wireless Internet access at home, then students can simply connect their laptop to their Internet Service Provider.  The laptops are not configured with a dial-up modem which is required for dial-up Internet access.

Why is dial-up not supported on the Laptops?  
Due to the performance requirements of online resources, dial-up access is not a feasible option.

Can my son/daughter print at home?  Certainly. However, it is up to the parents to provide a printer at home. The Macintosh operating system has built in support for printers and is compatible with most printers.

​Trinity monitors laptop usage at school, but who monitors it at home?  
That is the responsibility of the parents. It is the Trinity Presbyterian School belief that when off the Trinity campus, parents have full authority to restrict laptop usage. Examples of this:

• Only to be used in a family room and not in a bedroom.
• Only to be used at certain times of the evening or weekend.
• Parents have the right to examine the documents and other contents of the laptop.
• Parents can bring the laptop to the Trinity Technology Department for examination of contents.

What does it mean to "re-image" a laptop?
Re-imaging a laptop wipes out everything on the laptop and installs a new image. The laptop is setup identical to the first time the student received it.

VERY IMPORTANT!  It is the responsibility of the student to backup and restore any of their personal documents, music, pictures, software programs, etc. before a laptop is re-imaged.

Will each student be given an email address?
Yes. Trinity will provide a Gmail account to each student in the www.trinitywildcats.com domain.  Accompanying this email account is a free Google Drive account that provides 30GB of online storage for each student.

What does this term mean?
For a list of common technical terms and their meanings, please refer to the file below.

​Who should be contacted if you have more questions?

• For hardware or software questions, please contact the Director of Technology, Pete McCoy (pmccoy@trinitywildcats.com).


• For policy questions, please contact Analyn Coker, Head of Middle and Upper School  (acoker@trinitywildcats.com)