iPad Purchasing Options

For parents who wish to purchase the iPad through the school, we have teamed up with an Apple reseller - Next Byte Education in Adelaide St, Brisbane. While their options may not be the the cheapest upfront, Apple has advised us that nominating a reseller will facilitate any warranty claims on devices purchased this way. Next Byte also offer a hire purchase option, which they call "Flexirent", for those of you who would prefer to pay for the iPad in instalments over 12 or 24 months (further details in the documents below).

Please be assured that there is no obligation to purchase your iPad from Next Byte. If you prefer to look out for specially priced offers and purchase at another retailer of your choice, you are most welcome to do so. Large department chains will run specials for special events like Father's Day and Christmas. This will always be the cheapest option, however these retailers cannot supply iPads in the large numbers that we require for this program. Our Next Byte rep explains that warranty and after sales service is facilitated when purchasing through a Premium Reseller (such as Next Byte). The school receives no commission, rewards or any other benefit from our arrangement with Next Byte. The decision of where to purchase is totally up to you. 

At some point in the first quarter of 2013 a new model of iPad is likely to be released. We will have no warning of when this will occur. It is expected that any new iPad model would be priced similarly to the current iPad 3 so the release will affect pricing of previous models. When a new iPad model is available, iPad 3 prices will be reduced. It is also likely that production of the iPad 2 will cease and existing iPad 2 stocks will then be priced to clear. 

As is the case with any technologies, new models are continually being developed and this will be inevitable at some point during the 2 year iPad program. We will not be delaying our learning program to await the release of any new device. Pricing in the documents that follow is correct at the time of posting. We will communicate any changes in price or availability as soon as the information is available to us.

We have a few weeks up our sleeves as yet and we plan to hold off as long as we can. However, orders placed through Next Byte or the school will have to be submitted by mid-October to ensure delivery by the end of November when we will be holding our optional Setup Workshop evenings at school. You may prefer to rely on the Handbook we will publish instead, and wait longer to purchase. Your child will be at a great disadvantage however, if they do not have their iPad ready for the start of school next year. We have been advised that stocks can run low over Christmas and delivery times can be longer than usual.

In order that you have as much information as we can provide about these options, you can preview or print the order forms and Flexirent information below. Hard copies of all of these documents will be available at the school office by the beginning of October.

Student 1-1 Credit Card Flexi Idea

St Catherines - In School Only Chq

Flexirent Brochure

Flexirent Repayment Guide

Welcome to Padwise

Welcome, Year 4 parents of 2012, to your blog...

This site will offer you up to date information on our 1 to 1 iPad program so we can all be ready to hit the ground running when school begins next year. You can subscribe to this blog via email (to sign up, use the "Follow by email" form to the right) so any new posts will land straight in your inbox. Use the comment section below each post to ask questions or start discussions. You will need to sign up for a free Google account if you haven't already got one.

This kind of information access may be new to you, especially where you child's schooling is concerned. It will be beneficial if we are all accustomed to the process however, as blogging will be an important means of communication for the year 5 classes next year, when your children are learning with iPads. You will be able to 'step inside the classroom' via the 2013 class blogs, wherever and whenever it suits you.

New Leaf
[Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Leaf_detail.jpg]

This blog was actually launched about a year ago when we were exploring the use of iPads to enhance students' learning in year 5 classes. You will see a couple of older posts below that were published during that time. From now on, all new posts published here will directly concern you and your Year 4 child. We intend to use this space to streamline preparations for our Contemporary Learning program for 2013. This blog will replace the stream of printed letters and documents that would otherwise be sent home with your child... very possibly to become lost, crushed to oblivion, saturated with fruit juice or rendered illegible in numerous other ways. 

We hope and trust that you will find this blog useful. So please subscribe. Don't be shy about commenting. Our aim is to create an online space where you can discuss your experiences and concerns, gain advice and share different perspectives with your child's teachers and each other. The sooner we can forge an active, supportive online community for you all, the clearer and smoother this 1 to 1 iPad implementation will be for everyone.

More information about iPad purchase options will be posted here very soon. 

Stay tuned.

Maria