At the Ithaca City School District (ICSD), we believe it’s critical to prepare our students for life beyond the classroom. This means that as leaders and educators, we must be forward-thinking and prepared to transform our teaching methods as technology advancements develop. In September 2015, the ICSD began providing each student (grades 4 - 12) with a district-managed Chromebook. This 1:1 initiative provides equitable access to digital learning tools and allows for a sustainable, low-cost, and manageable approach to instructional technology throughout the district.

We are pleased to empower our students with access to the powerful Google Apps for Education (GAFE) resources, as well as Chromebooks. Thank you in advance for your support in helping us educate children on how to care for and utilize technology appropriately.

The Ithaca City School District will provide students with Google Apps for Education accounts in grades 4 - 12. Google Apps for Education includes free, web-based instructional collaborative tools. This service is available through an agreement between Google and the ICSD. Once you have read through this letter, please click the icon to the right to print, sign, and return the permission form to your child’s teacher. 

Google Apps for Education is intended for educational use only. Your student’s teachers will be using Google Apps for lessons, assignments, and instruction. Email features will be restricted to use within the ICSD domain (Grades 4 - 5) unless outside access is specifically requested by instructional staff and approved by the administration. This means that students will not be able to send or receive emails from anyone outside the school district using this system. Standard Email features for grades 6 - 12 will be available.

Google Apps for Education is also available at home, the library, or anywhere with internet access. School staff will monitor student use of Apps when students are at school. Caregivers are responsible for monitoring their child’s use of Apps when accessing programs from home (caregivers will be given student passwords). Students are responsible for their own behavior at all times.

Chromebooks and Google Apps for Education - Procedures and Information for Students and Caregivers

Updated June 5, 2015

The mission of the 1:1 program in the Ithaca City School District is to provide equitable access to digital educational resources for all learners. This allows students and teachers to engage in transformative uses of technology while enhancing student collaboration, communication, and creativity.  21st Century learners have transitioned from consumers of information to creative producers and owners of knowledge.  

This initiative prepares students for a globally interconnected and evolving world that experiences rapidly changing technological advancements. This will help fulfill the mission and vision of the district to engage, educate, and empower all learners.  

Google Apps for Education (GAFE) is a free web-based suite of programs provided by Google for schools to use. GAFE includes such programs as Google Drive, Google Calendar, Gmail, and Google Sites. GAFE can be accessed from anywhere you have an internet connection (school, home, smart phone, etc.). This reduces and replaces the need for flash drives and/or external data drives. Furthermore, since GAFE is all online, it is the same everywhere you use it. There is no issue with having one version of a program at home and a different version at school. All staff and students in the Ithaca City School District will have access to GAFE through a secure account managed by the ICSD.  

Access to GAFE allows your child to:

• create a wide variety of products (documents, presentations, videos, etc.) to demonstrate their thinking and learning;

• easily share documents and files with teachers and other students so they can turn in assignments electronically, receive timely feedback and support, and collaborate on projects with classmates; and

• connect and communicate with classmates, teachers, and a global audience through Gmail, Google Hangouts, and Google+.