As part of a modern education that incorporates technology into classrooms, students are required to bring a laptop to school. The laptop can be sourced independently or through our recommended reseller following the eCommerce link below.

St. Mary's & DELL - BYOD Portal 
St. Mary's & CompNOW - BYOD Portal - for Apple Mac products

Due to the many advantages outlined in 2021 BYOD - Parent Information it is recommended that parents purchase laptops through our reseller, DELL for our popular touch device options, and CompNow for Apple Mac devices. 

Parents who do not wish to purchase machines from the portal's provided are asked to ensure their child’s laptop has the minimum specifications listed below:

• Intel Core i5 Processor
• 8GB RAM
• Wireless AC 5GHz (2.4GHz not advised)
• 128GB Solid State Drive (256GB preferred)
• Windows 10 / macOS Operating System (Chromebooks not supported)

For details regarding how to enroll your device into the College Device Management Platform, please follow this link: Device Management Platform

To install the printers on your Windows device, please follow this link: Mobility Print (Windows)

Please direct any technical questions to Nick Purvis or Nathan Elsum.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Should we purchase a Dell or Apple device? 

Feedback from students is that they appreciate the touch accessibility of the Dell devices. It's important to remember that both brands have the same device specifications, and similar purchasing costs. The main difference (apart from the touch screen option with Dell) is around the Accidental Damage Protection and repair costs and servicing.  Please refer to the section titled Accidental Damage Protection (Online Portal Purchases Only) in the BYOD - Parent Information Guide for a clear breakdown of this service. 

Should we spend more for the higher spec device?

This is entirely your families decision. We have identified the minimum specifications required for students to successfully and consistently access resources required within all Curriculum areas as well as NAPLAN online. 
Recommended Minimum Device Specifications:  i5/16Gb/256SSD - i5 (IntelCore5 Processor)/ 16Gb (Memory, how many apps and windows we can run at the same time) / 256SSD (amount of local storage on the device)

Can I purchase elsewhere?

Yes. However, we have identified significant benefits through our Dell and CompNow partnerships that are not available through retailers, the quality of service and turnaround time on repairs is far superior than that of retail outlets. In addition the devices that are offered are robust and durable, the school is resourced to offer support with these devices. If you decide to purchase elsewhere we do ask that you ensure the device meets our minimum device specifications i5/16Gb/256SSD. Be sure to inquire about warranty claim turn around times as the device is often sent interstate for repair. 

If purchasing elsewhere do I need to buy any software? 

Particularly towards the end of the year we start to see retail outlets bundle educational device deals commonly known as "Back To School" specials. With this it is common for families to be 'upsold' certain software additions such as anti-virus and/or the Microsoft Office Suite. St Mary's in accordance with Catholic Education Services have secure network filters to protect devices while at school. Windows defender comes pre-installed on Windows based devices (at no extra cost) and is a good screen for malware concerns. We would recommend investing in your home wireless management as opposed to individual anti-virus device software.

We provide all students with the Microsoft Office Suite free of charge. Even better, every student can access 5 copies of the whole suite, meaning they can install the Microsoft Office Suite on a desktop computer at home, their school laptop and an additional 3 devices. Any subject specific software will be provided by the College at no extra to the family.