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August 26, 2020

Last spring when the district made the decision to go to remote learning, the technology department distributed approximately 1200 chromebooks to support our families through a district wide effort. In preparation for this coming school year, our goal was to begin our transition to a 1-1 Chromebook program where every student in Grade 3 - 12 would receive their own device for use at home and in school. Students in Pre-K - 2 would continue to be supported, to engage in remote learning, with district devices, if needed.

Due to worldwide component shortages and factory delays, our shipments of chromebooks that were ordered in April, will not be here for the beginning of the school year. Our first shipment is supposed to arrive in Ossining by mid-September and the second shipment will be here by late November.

We remain committed to making sure that any family that does not have access to a personal device has a chromebook for their use during this transitional time. Please note that the delayed shipments mentioned above will not impact our ability to provide devices for those who need them.

If you do not have personal computers to use at home and need a Chromebook, please contact us as soon as possible through the Family Technology Needs Form or by emailing the familyhelpdesk@ossiningufsd.org.

Chromebooks

Pre K - Grade 2

Students in Kindergarten - Grades 2 who have a Chromebook from the spring should keep that Chromebook for use while we are in our hybrid model or if the district decides that we need to move to fully remote learning. If Pre-K through Grade 2 families do not have personal computers to use at home and need a Chromebook, please let us know via the links above, and we will do our best to help.

Grades 3- 4

Due to supply chain issues and factory delays, we are expecting the Chromebooks for grades 3 and 4 to be delayed until late November. Until that time, those who have a Chromebook from the spring should keep that device for your use. If you do not have personal computers to use at home and need a Chromebook, please let us know via the links above, and we will do our best to help.

Grade 5

Students in grade 5 who have a district chromebook from the spring should plan to bring that Chromebook to school for use on the first day of school. If you do not have personal computers to use at home and need a Chromebook please let us know via the links above and we will do our best to help. Your child's Chromebook will be traded out for a newer one towards the end of September, when we receive our first delayed order. By the end of September, the entire 5th grade should have their own chrome book for use at home and school daily.

Grades 6 - 8

Middle School students will be the first school to move to our 1-1 Chromebook program during the first week of school. If the student has a Chromebook home from the distribution in the spring, this device must be returned on their day of distribution, in order to pick up their new one. The plan for AMD distribution is 6th Grade- 8/28, 7th Grade- 8/31, and 8th Grade- 8/31. Please keep an eye out for more information from the AMD administrators regarding family contract signing, location and times.

Grades 9 - 12

Once the delayed shipment arrives in September, Grade 9 - 12 students will move into the district's 1-1 Chromebook model. OHS students will be given the option to participate in the 1-1 program and receive a district device or they can choose to use their own in a BYOD (Bring your Own Device) model. Even though we will allow students to opt-out of the 1-1 program, we highly suggest that every family have their child(ren) use an OUFSD assigned Chromebook, instead of a personal computer. Students have a more consistent experience when using an OUFSD Chromebook. Using a District Chromebook means that students have access to district Chrome apps and extensions, which have been pre-installed and will have an easier time working within these apps at school. Additionally, District Chromebooks are filtered to comply with law and policy providing a safer Internet browsing experience while at school or at home.

Distributing Chromebooks

Once we have a good idea of family needs in each building from the online form and emails, we will be working with the building administrators to develop a schedule for distribution. Please be on the lookout for more information within the next couple of weeks.

Getting Technology Help

In-School Help

When in school, students can get help with any technology by speaking with their teacher or ask to go to the building technology office. Students will also have access to a student help desk that is being developed to support the 1-1 in the fall.

Help from Home

When not in school, students may request help by using our Family Technology Help Desk form, linked here in English and here in Spanish and available on the district's technology department website.

Home Internet

There are many opportunities for free internet access in the community. Use this link for a list of companies helping to support wifi for families in Ossining. Families that are still having difficulties accessing reliable home Internet access may request an OUFSD hotspot for students to access remote learning. If you are in need of a hotspot, you may request on by completing this form. We will contact you as soon as possible.

Resources for Parents

For Information on Instructional Technology Resources, or how to navigate Instructional Technology Tools, you can visit the Family Technology Resources section on the district technology website.

Thank you,

Michael Hanna

Director of Technology/CIO

Ossining UFSD