Special Information


Bring Your Own Device


New and evolving technologies are providing positive educational benefits for classroom instruction. A Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program was implemented at St Mary MacKillop College in 2015 and is now College-wide.

The BYOD program enables students to bring their own laptop to school for the purpose of learning. This program allows for diverse and flexible learning skills to be developed in and out of the classroom.

Students are responsible for any personal device they bring to school. All students must read the Student Acceptable Use of ICT Policy and sign the Acceptable Use and Personal Digital Device Agreements before using their device at school.

Download the Agreements

BYOD technical requirements and recommendations are listed below. This list is useful when making purchasing decisions and will ensure the laptop you buy will work in the College.

As with any program, we are dependent on collaboration and communication with parents to continue the success of the BYOD program. If you have queries or questions about the BYOD program, please do not hesitate to contact us.


Summary of Requirements

If you intend to visit a retail shop to purchase a new laptop for your child, please take this list of requirements with you to guide your purchase.

Essential for any device:

  • WiFi with 5GHz connectivity
  • 8 hour battery life (or more)
  • 8 GB RAM (or more)
  • 128 GB storage (or more), with a solid state drive (SSD) recommended
  • 12” to 14” screen
  • The ability to connect a USB A device (either through a USB port or adapter)
  • Headphones that can connect to the device
  • A current version of Windows or MacOS
  • A rugged, well-padded case

Not Recommended:

  • Chromebooks are not recommended as these will not support software/apps required for some classes (particularly for students in Years 9 and above).
  • Tablets are not recommended, unless they are running a full version of Windows (eg Surface devices) and have a physical keyboard.

Please consider the following:

  • St Mary MacKillop College does not recommend any particular brands or devices.
  • Families of students, in Year 10 and beyond, who are considering taking media, graphic art or industrial design courses, may wish to purchase a device with more RAM, storage and CPU power.
  • Students who bring their own device will be provided with support to access the College network and systems, by SMMC staff and IT.
  • Repairs or physical damage to the device will not be the responsibility of the College.
  • Software applications needed to work in the College, including Microsoft Office, are available free to students and need not be purchased.
  • Consider accidental damage and extended warranty options. Laptops are prone to damage in a school environment. Such protection may lessen repair bills when damage occurs. Extended and Next Business Day warranty options will result in your device being protected for longer in case of a fault, and repairs are completed in a shorter time frame. We recommend reading the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for any options you are considering.
  • Consider anti-virus software options, however, please be aware that some anti-virus solutions include a VPN that will interfere with the College's web filtering and lead to connectivity issues. Windows Defender is a sufficient anti-virus solution and included with Windows.
  • Parental control settings may need to be modified for devices to work on the College network.
    • Students will need to be able to add a WiFi network.
    • Students will need to be able to install software.

Acknowledgement of Country

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop made the statement: “We are but travellers here, so while we are here we should do as much good as we can and live in peace with each other.”

With this in mind, the College respectfully acknowledges the Ngunnawal people who are the Traditional Custodians and First People of the land on which we gather each day. The College also pays its respects to the Elders past, present and emerging, and any other Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples living and working in the MacKillop community.

MacKillop crest

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ABN 80 979 302 259

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PO Box 1211
Tuggeranong ACT 2901