The 2012-2015 Strategic Plan was approved at the May 15th School Board meeting.

The Plan includes the following goals: 

• Meet the academic needs of each student
• Provide a safe, healthy, and orderly school environment and improve student behavior
• Provide for effective and efficient District operations
• Improve parent engagement
• Improve student engagement

You can view the Strategic Plan here as a PDF attachment:

Attachments:

StrategicPlan_2012.pdf

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(A PDF with the Interest Form is available as an attachment at the bottom of this article)

The District has surplus computers and monitors that we are offering to District parents and students. These machines were used for several years at Gannett Peak Elementary. Although they are older computers, they can still serve as adequate home machines for Internet access, email, educational software and websites, and basic productivity. We are offering to prepare these computers to be given to students and families of students for home use. This is not a loan – families will own the equipment and can use it as they see fit.

Computer Details
This program will offer Lenovo tower PC computers. Each computer will have a 14” or 15” flat-screen monitor (various brands), a keyboard, a mouse, and two power cables. The computers are either Lenovo model 9637 or model 9851 towers. Each has an Intel Core Duo processor, 1.5gig RAM, 80gig storage, and DVD player. Computers have wired network capability so they can be connected to existing Internet connectivity in your home (cable, DSL, etc).

Any additional hardware or software needs, as well as any Internet connectivity, are solely the responsibility of the household.

An instruction sheet will be provided that demonstrates how to connect your computer and describes some of the basics of the software that’s installed on it. Beyond that instruction sheet, the District will not provide any maintenance, support, configuration, or troubleshooting on any hardware received. No warranty is provided by the manufacturer.

Computers will be delivered with Ubuntu Linux installed and ready to use. Ubuntu is a modern OS (operating system) that is freely available to anyone, is very powerful, and is secure. With Ubuntu, you can use either the Firefox or Chrome web browsers to access Internet websites, check email, and follow your student’s progress. Ubuntu also offers an App Store where you can add free educational software, games, and other software with a single click.

I’m interested. What do I need to do?
You can obtain an interest form at www.landerschools.org, or from the main office at any District school. One is attached to the bottom of the back page of this document. A $5.00 processing fee for each computer is required. The interest form and the $5.00 fee are to be submitted to the District Technology Office at 400 Baldwin Creek Road.

You will be contacted via email in early June with a pickup date. Machines will be available for pickup through the end of June. Pickup location will be at Gannett Peak Elementary and hours will depend on summer work (details to be outlined in the email).

Computers are subject to availability and requests will be processed on a first-come first-served basis (in the order they were turned in). If for any reason your request cannot be filled, your $5.00 will be returned to you. A family may request up to two computers as part of this program.

Questions

Are these computers any good?
For the District, these computers and monitors are at the end of their useful life. However, for some uses they may still function adequately for several years. In situations such as general Internet access, checking email, running educational software, basic photo editing, and doing basic productivity work, these computers are still useful. For more advanced needs, such as gaming and graphics work, you may consider purchasing a more modern computer from a vendor.

Why Ubuntu Linux instead of Windows?
Ubuntu is a more modern and more secure OS alternative than Windows XP, which is now eleven years old whose support and updates from Microsoft are ending next year. In this age of “the cloud” and Internet-based software like Facebook, Instagram, and Google Mail, the actual client you use is not as important as the web browser you use. Ubuntu includes Mozilla Firefox, one of the “top three” premiere browsers, and you can choose to install Google Chrome as well. Also, Ubuntu is consistently faster than Windows XP on the same hardware to start and operate.

Will I have difficulty learning Ubuntu?
Websites and applications like Facebook and Google operate exactly the same on Ubuntu or Windows, as they run in a web browser and not on your computer. Ubuntu is specifically designed for ease-of-use and low maintenance. You can get an online demonstration of Ubuntu’s look and feel by visiting www.ubuntu.com/tour.

Can I get Windows installed instead?
Although each computer has a Windows XP license sticker on it, the District cannot install Windows or any other commercial software. What you choose to do with your computer after you take possession of it is up to you.

What about Microsoft Office, or Office-like software?
Ubuntu provides LibreOffice, which is a free productivity software package that lets you open and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. Also, District students in grades 6-12 can also use Office Web Apps, part of their student email account, to edit Word and Excel documents within Firefox or Chrome. Documents can then be easily retrieved from a school computer.

Is there any kind of a warranty?
There is no warranty or support at all from the District. No warranty is provided by the manufacturer. The District cannot and will not provide any maintenance, support, configuration, or troubleshooting on any hardware received. Also, when the machine is at the end of its useful life, disposal is solely the responsibility of the owner.

Attachments:

Fremont1ExcessTechDisbursal.pdf

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