Laptop requirement and recommendations

Every student at South Kent School is required to bring a personal laptop to campus to use as their primary device for their coursework.  It is recommended that student laptops are PC or Mac, no more than 3 years old, and covered under warranty.  Chromebooks can meet many academic needs, however, issues may arise due to their limitations with running 3rd party software.

Additionally, it is recommended that students also bring the following accessories:

  • Earphones/Headset
  • Extra charger
  • Protective case/bag
  • A label to identify their devices

We are a Google Workspace school, and all students will have access to the full suite of Google productivity software (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive for file storage and collaboration).

It is highly recommended that student laptops are protected with anti-virus/malware software.  Many reliable solutions are available - some we recommend are Avast, AVG, Norton/Symantec, Kaspersky, or Trend Micro.

STUDENT GOOGLE/EMAIL ACCOUNTS

All South Kent School students are issued Google accounts which are used for email, school portal access (for assignments, schedules and grading), and other services.  Google accounts for incoming students will be available no later than July 6th for email use (for students who enroll after that date, accounts will be created within a week of the completion of the enrollment process).  Student portal access is granted later in the summer.

To log in to your SKS Email account, please find login and password information below then go to the SKS Email Login.

Email Address
Your South Kent email address is your last name, followed by your first initial.  For example, if your name is John Smith, your email address would be [email protected].  Be sure to enter your entire email address when logging in.

Password
All new student accounts are set up with a temporary password that is an 8 digit number based on their date of birth, in the following format: mmddyyyy.  For example, if your birth date is January 15,2002, your password would be 01152002.  After the initial login, users will be prompted to create a new, strong password.

You may change your SKS Google account password at any time by browsing to:  https://accounts.google.com, clicking Security, then clicking Change Password.

SUPPORT

The Technology Department will offer technical support for network connectivity and the access and use of academic-related applications. For hardware issues, the School can assist with diagnostics and provide support when possible, but it may be necessary to refer students to the device vendors for repairs. 

Information on connecting to the South Kent network will be provided prior to the start of school.  On Registration Day, the Technology Department will be available to assist with connecting student devices to the campus network. The School also provides assistance with downloading textbooks and any necessary School applications.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact us at: [email protected]