A simple checkout form is required. The form can be found in ParentSquare. Devices will be distributed before school starts and on the first days of school. 

Loaner devices are intended to be kept by students until they graduate, or leave our district

During the fall, families will receive a letter from their child's teacher similar to the one below.

Dear Fifth Grade Parents/Guardians,

In an effort to support fifth grade students as they transition to middle school as well as learn and practice the sixth grade expectations for Chromebook use, students will receive their district Chromebook this year. This device will stay with them through middle school and into high school. This rollout in fifth grade will allow students to build a sense of ownership and develop strong habits and responsible routines as they care for their device prior to starting middle school. Below is a description of what will occur during the year.

This year, your student received a district device at the beginning of the school year that will be theirs to use for schoolwork from fifth grade forward. Students will learn to care for their Chromebooks that will eventually travel between home and school once in middle school. Sixth grade students are expected to take their Chromebooks home each day to work on assignments and other projects and bring them back to school. It will be important for them to establish routines and habits that will allow them to be successful with these school devices.  While these devices will “live” at school for most of this year, we will ask for your support this spring in helping your fifth grader find a safe space to store and charge their laptop at home as well as reinforce proper care and use at home and at school.  

More communication will follow, but in the spring, students will participate in a Chromebook “sleepover” event where they will be responsible for taking their device home, charging it at home, and returning to school the next day with a fully charged device along with their charger (just in case it is needed). Following the “sleepover,” there will be a Home-and-Back Week Long Challenge where students will practice taking their device home, charging it at home, and returning to school each day with a fully charged device over the course of a week. Students will have the opportunity to earn “badges” for the successful completion of tasks as the year progresses such as charging their Chromebook at home, returning the device to school undamaged, and following expected habits and routines on a daily basis. Resources will be provided to students and families this year as students become more familiar and responsible for their device.

While distribution of Chromebooks for at-home use/practice won’t take place until the spring, we ask that you complete the Loaner Agreement form now in order to accept responsibility for the device. Please take a moment to complete the form attached to this ParentSquare post and read through the TSD Student Responsible Use Guide. Once completed, you can review the form in your ParentSquare account.  

Please note: The Chromebooks may come with a stylus pen. The district will not be replacing any lost or damaged pens. Families can look online to purchase a replacement pen if desired. 

We’re excited to provide students with the opportunity to be safe, responsible, and respectful Chromebook users and look forward to your support and cooperation. If you have any pressing questions feel free to contact me. An FAQ specific to Chromebook use at home will be sent closer to the “sleepover” event.

Thank you,

[Mr./Ms. 5th Grade Teacher]

As in the past, classes that require specialized software will have devices available in the classroom to support the specific needs of that class. 

Yes. Content filtering software is installed on the loaner devices. However, no filter catches everything so we encourage parents to supervise any computer use at home if concerned. 

• Reinforce your family’s expectations for carefully using and transporting the device to and from school. Make sure the student has a safe way to transport their device to school and between classes if bringing a personal device.

• Check for and install any necessary operating system, browser or security updates.

• Make sure the student is familiar with how the device connects to wifi. (Teachers will go over these general directions (directions for personal Chromebook) during the first few days of school, but it will be helpful if students are already familiar with the process.)

• If bringing a personal device, make sure the student is familiar with the operation of the device and how to adjust settings, etc. Our teachers and tech department will not be able to offer technical support for personal devices. 

• Clearly label personal devices and power adaptors with the owner’s name.

Normal wear and tear is to be expected. However, substantial breakage or damage that falls outside the scope of normal wear and tear or appears to be intentional or the result of negligence may be subject to a repair fee. Below are some examples. See Fine Schedule Here. 

The student/family is responsible for replacing any lost or stolen district device that is assigned to them. 

The Tahoma School District is committed to ensuring every student has access to Wi-Fi in their homes. The district maintains a limited number of hotspots for students who do not currently have this access. Information for requesting a hotspot can be found here.