Bring Your Own Device

• The device (see minimum specifications below)
• A keyboard
• A stylus/pen
• An accidental damage protection (ADP) plan that provides for at least two claims during a minimum 2-year coverage period.

• Windows 10 or 11 Pro operating system
• 16GB of RAM
• 256GB hard drive
• Wireless card must support the 802.11a (5GHz) standard
• Screen size should be a minimum of 11”
• Digital Inking capabilities (the kind of stylus that emulates the tip of a finger is not acceptable)
• Battery life rating for a minimum of 5 hours of video playback
• Full-size keyboard
• Front and Rear camera

You may purchase a Surface Pro through our campus store (Please note the Surface Laptop and Surface Go Laptop do not meet our minimum specifications). You can also purchase from the Microsoft online store, BestBuy, CostCo, etc. The devices offered through the Bolles Campus Store include Bolles' negotiated discount prices and have distinct advantages from what you might see in BestBuy, Costco or even the online Microsoft store. Our devices and warranties are commercial SKUs. What does that mean? Here is a table to help you compare:

Devices ordered through Bolles also have the benefit of handling a warranty claim through the IT office and, if the device is inoperable, a loaner will be provided. 

To order your device through the campus store please click here. 

If your child ever needs assistance from our IT department, they can come by the IT office (Pratt Hall at Bartram and Swisher Library at San Jose) on campus during zero-hour and activities period. Outside of zero-hour and activities, your child can still come by the IT office at each campus but there is a chance our techs will be out of the office supporting tickets with teachers, etc. The other way to contact us is via email at ITDesktopSupport@bolles.org. That address is monitored by our techs for all four campuses.

1. An accidental damage protection (ADP) plan is the most important thing you can do to protect your investment. This is automatically part of the Bolles campus store bundle.
2. The second thing is to purchase a case or sleeve to carry your device. This is a personal choice and can be purchased from the campus store or online.
3. Another form of protection you can add to your device is a protective glass shield. It can protect your screen from scratches and abrasions and some screen impact scenarios. This is a personal choice and can be purchased from the campus store or online. 
4. Show your device some TLC and treat it with respect. Based on experience, the most common way a student seems to break their device is by putting it in their backpack. Please do not have your child carry their device in their backpack or other case where they tote their books and other belongings. Even in a protective case or sleeve the pressure of the books and tossing of their backpack to the ground will easily crush their device screen. It is advisable to have them carry the device separate from their backpack in a protective case or sleeve.

One-to-one means each student has access to a technological device, which may be either a laptop, a tablet or tablet PC.

Bolles highly recommends the Surface Pro or Surface Book lines of devices. Those devices can be purchased through our campus store. When selecting a device please make sure it meets the Bolles published BYOD minimum requirements. Smartphones, iPads and Android tablets, and Mac PCs are not approved BYOD program devices. Windows devices that do not have native digital inking capabilities are not approved BYOD program devices.

To order your device from the campus store please click here. 

You may contact our campus store via email at campusstore@bolles.org.

WiFi (802.11a/ac 5GHz standard only) is available to all students in all academic buildings on all campuses.

A web filter on the student WiFi network currently does restrict access to certain web sites deemed inappropriate by the School.

Our students live in a digital world. Their academic lives, through college and for some graduate school, will include digital distractions. Their eventual work lives will as well.

We believe it is not only important for students to be more than gadget-savvy – and many students already are very adept – but also to use devices as tools for research, inquiry and analysis. They can only learn to do this effectively and efficiently by using devices at school, at appropriate times and on academic activities specified by the teacher, both inside and outside the classroom. Yes, there is a risk of distraction that comes along with this. We believe it is better for students to learn to responsibly practice focus in school, where parents and teachers are still very involved, before they experience the additional freedoms of college. In the middle school enrichment classes and through Digital Literacy lessons, we teach students techniques to manage technology responsibly and avoid distraction.

Assistance will be provided by our Technology Department for the following issues:

• Accessing the school WiFi network
• Printing at School
• Assistance with School-approved e-books

Support will NOT be available for:

• Hardware
• Operating Systems
• Personal Applications

The School has used Microsoft Office with our students for many years. We also make Microsoft Office available in classrooms, so students, for example, who choose to develop a presentation in Power Point are more certain the presentation will work. It was a natural progression to adopt Office 365 as our cloud tool. We also have Microsoft Certified Educators to support the faculty in their professional development and use of the applications in the classroom.

Ultimately it is the student/family’s responsibility to have a working device that meets the minimum standards listed above. Breakages and malfunctions will happen which is why having an Accidental Damage Protection (ADP) plan such as Microsoft Complete is so important. If you purchase your device through our campus store, our desktop support at the Bartram and San Jose Campuses can assist you in making a warranty claim.

Surface pens and power adapters will be available for purchase from the campus stores in the event they lose or break theirs. Styluses and power adapters for other brand models will not be available for purchase on campus.

Students are expected to be the experts of their own devices BEFORE bringing them to school. The School holds voluntary technology orientation sessions for incoming students in Grades 6-12 in August. Each student new to BYOD is encouraged to bring their device to one of these sessions. These sessions will provide students with information and some basic instruction to assist them in starting the year prepared and organized with their new device. Further details regarding these sessions will be forthcoming.

No, writing will still be a part of the learning process and used to prepare students for assessments. However, digital inking is a powerful alternative in many instances and is a teacher requirement in some math, science, and language classes.