The "Fresh Start" gives you an out-of-the-box experience with a new device. Standard MKA applications are installed, but none of your data is transferred. The "Fresh Start" ensures you have the best experience on your new laptop.
- Available for all employees and returning students currently in grades 5-11.
- Current 4th-grade students will receive their new device at the start of the 2025-26 school year.
- Students new to MKA will receive their device during orientation.
There are two options for your "Fresh Start": self-guided and assisted. Students and employees can complete these steps at home or with in-school assistance during pick-up. Instructions for a "Fresh Start" will be provided at the time of distribution and are available online here.
The self-guided and assisted are as follows:
- The self-guided option allows you to pick up your laptop, instructions, and set up your laptop on your own time at home.
- With the assisted option, you will schedule a one-hour time block and stay to go through the onboarding with the assistance of a technology team member.
Please see the IMPORTANT instructions below. If you have any question please see a member of the Technology Department.
Students, please talk with your parents before signing up for a slot to ensure they have not already selected a time on your behalf.
DUE DATES
The location for all aspects of the refresh will be the Middle School in the Higgins Common Room. Please use the main entrance off the parking lot on Brunswick Road and walk straight ahead to the Higgins Common Room.
Sign-ups are required for both self-guided and assisted options to prepare the laptops. Self-guided pick-ups will occur between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and one-hour, assisted slots will be offered between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.. Both options will be available for returning students in grades 5-11 and will take place on the following dates:
- Thursday, June 12th (100 self-guided - 120 assisted slots)
- Monday -Thursday, June 16th - 19th (100 self-guided - 120 assisted slots each day)
- Monday -Thursday, June 23rd - 26th (100 self-guided - 120 assisted slots each day)
- Monday -Thursday, June 30th - July 3rd (100 self-guided - 120 assisted slots each day)
Since space is limited each day. Please select a date from those provided above. If you cannot make one of the given days, you MUST contact William Stites (wstites@mka.org) before June 6th to arrange drop-off. You must return the laptops by July 10th (updated - 5/22/2025).
Students MUST return the laptop and power adapter, or the school will charge your account.
The daily schedule is as follows:
- Self-Guided Option:
- Schedule a day and arrive anytime between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
- Turn in your old laptop and power adapter
- Collect your new laptop, power adapter, case, and instructions
- Set up your laptop at home on your schedule
- Assisted Options:
- Schedule a day
- Arrive for the 1-hour time slot you selected
- Turn in your old laptop and power adapter
- Stay and walk through the process with the assistance of a member of the team.
- Leave with your new laptop, power adapter, and case set up and ready to go.
Whether selecting the self-guided or assisted options, see "STEPS TO PREPARE YOUR LAPTOP" below for instructions.
Steps To Prepare Your Laptop For Migration OR Fresh Start
If you have data (files, music, videos, or music) you want to save that is not already in your Google Drive, you may copy it to a USB flash drive (256GB). You can purchase a flash drive from Amazon or other retailers for as low as $20.00.
Employees may pickup a USB Flash Drive from their campus Tech Centers.
If you plan to backup data from your current machine it is recommended that you do this at least a day before your scheduled refresh date. The process may take some time depending on the amount of data copied.
Apple makes the process of backing up easy by organizing everything into your User Folder. Your User folder may be found in the left sidebar of any open window, or at the root level of the hard drive in the Users folder.
- Insert your USB flash drive into your device. You may be prompted to "Allow accessory to connect?" Click "Allow" if prompted.
- The drive should appear on your desktop or in the left sidebar of any open Finder window under the "Locations" heading.
- Select the following six folders and drag each to the USB flash drive. These represent the main storage areas for all of your data:
- Desktop
- Documents
- Downloads
- Movies
- Music
- Pictures
- This process can take some time, depending on the size of each folder. Please let each complete.
- Once the copy process has completed, you can eject the flash drive by dragging it to the Trash.
NOTE: Dragging your user folder over will copy more information than is needed. Once you have copied the data over and restored what is necessary to your new device, we STRONGLY recommend securing the flash drive or deleting everything from it to minimize data exposure or loss.
If you have signed into iCloud and are using iCloud based services, particularly "Find My Mac," you will need to "Sign Out" of your account.
- From the Apple Menu select "System Settings."
- Select the you icon/photo -Apple ID.
- Click "Sign Out..." at the bottom of the screen.
NOTE: You can also sign out from the "Internet Accounts" settings tab.
If you have signed into Music using your Apple ID, you will need to deauthorize your laptop.
1. Launch Music.
2. From the Account menu, select "Authorizations - Deauthorize This Computer...".
What next... after you have your new laptop.
- Do not place anything between the keyboard and screen, including paper, Post-It notes.
- Keyboard covers are not allowed as they impact the laptops ability to cool itself during use.
- All MKA issued software and resources can be installed from the MKA Resources application located in the Dock or in the Applications folder.
- If you have any immediate concerns, please email mkatech@mka.org immediately as we will hold your laptop and not erase the hard drive for 2 days.
- Certain applications may need to update themselves when launched for the first time (Mail, Calendar, Messages, etc.).
- Login to Uniflow SmartClient if prompted.
- The questions marks in your Dock are applications that you had previously installed that weren't migrated or older versions of installed applications no longer on the computer.
- Login to Adobe Creative Cloud (applications folder or toolbar) to install any Adobe applications.
- Reinstall any home printers.
- Rejoin your home network. You may have to re-enter the password.
- Authorize your Apple Music account for this machine. You may also need to deauthorize all machines prior to doing so.
Other Details
We are pleased to announce that MKA has decided on the 13” MacBook M4 Air laptops for our next three-year device cycle. These new, lightweight laptops will provide students with a next-generation M4 processor, improved battery life, TouchID, and the latest operating system.
Personally-installed apps will not be transferred. Make a list of such software so that you can reinstall it after migration.
Quick "copy & paste"
- Open the Application folder
- Select ALL (Command+A)
- Open a Google Doc
- Paste content (Command+P)
MKA wipes all data and resets laptops back to factory settings. This occurs two days after a laptop is returned.