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Schools

Salisbury School Officials Laud Laptop Initiative

Salisbury faculty to get more training on laptop applications.

The distribution of to Salisbury Township School District students is off to a strong start, Superintendent Robert Gross told the school board.

The new laptops, which were given to students in middle school and high school, are part of the district's plan called

“The initiative is going very, very well at this early stage,” Gross said at the Sept. 14 meeting.

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Salisbury Middle School Principal Robert Cassidy said he was pleasantly surprised with how well the students in the middle school level have been handling the laptops.

Salisbury High School Assistant Principal William Dovico said students and teachers are really excited about the laptops. The only problem students have is with the laptop case, which does not have shoulder straps, he said.

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Student Representative Sarah Kinsell told the board the laptops have made it easier to work on collaborative projects. She said it saves time now that each student has his or her own laptop because last year they had to search for a cart with a limited number of laptops.

Before school started, the district held orientations to inform students and parents about the new laptops and policies regarding them.

“The seven parent sessions were handled very well by the administration,” Gross said. “I cannot commend enough the technology department. [The technology department] answered every single question posed, although the [questioner] may not have agreed with the answer, but they did receive comprehensive answers.”

Gross said 388 parents at the middle school level opted to purchase the insurance policy on the laptops for 24/7 access. Only 14 parents opted to only allow their student to use the laptop at school.

At the high school level, 539 parents purchased the insurance policy on the laptops for 24/7 access, with only 12 opting to only allow their student to use the laptop during school.

Gross said there will be 16 days of training for the staff to become accustomed to “the newest, greatest educational applications available for students.”

The school board voted to open a repository account to deposit the monies gathered for the laptop insurance purchased.

The district will be holding three computer technology workshops for parents:

  • Internet Safety, 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 4 at the administration building, 1140 Salisbury Road.
  • Social Networking, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 9 at the Salisbury High School library, 500 E. Montgomery St.
  • Google Apps, 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at the Salisbury Middle School library, 3301 Devonshire Road.
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