Amy Romero helps her third-grade son Austin, 8, set up his email account and get used to using a new iPad he received Tuesday at Buckingham Elementary. Students in third through fifth grades got the devices as part of the school district's digital conversion pilot program.

Students from Buckingham Elementary got something in return for spending their Tuesday evening at school — a new iPad.

Students in third through fifth grades received the devices as part of Bend-La Pine Schools’ digital conversion pilot program. Students will have their own iPads, which they will be able to use in the classroom and at home. They will not have free rein with the devices, as the district controls what apps the students can use and what websites will load. To get students and parents acquainted with their new gadgets and responsibilities Tuesday, the school set up five stations meant to introduce students to their new tools.

“The high school kids are so good with technology, but with these little guys, we don’t want to assume anything,” said Buckingham Principal Skip Offenhauser. “To help each student, we’re going to be methodical and go step-by-step getting everyone set up.”

At the first station, students and parents turned in an “acceptable use” agreement and 15-point “student pledge for iPad use.” Included in the pledge were items related to appropriate use and care, including “I will know where my iPad is at all times” and “I will not place decorations (such as stickers, markers, etc.) on the iPad.”

At the next station, students created an Apple ID, which allows them to log in to various Apple programs.

At the next station, students were given their iPads, which Offenhauser said are “checked out just like library books, so we know who has which iPad.”

Instead of coming in the familiar Apple packaging, the iPads were in plain brown cardboard boxes, a sign of the security programs the district had already installed in the devices.

“We’ve physically touched all the iPads already,” said Shay Mikalson, the district’s executive director for curriculum and instructional technology. “We’ve also, in effect, removed access to the App Store, so students will only have what we’ve put there.”

The restriction on the App Store will come as sad news to Darrian Szymanski, a third-grader who was looking forward to downloading a game called “Temple Run.” Either way, Darrian was excited “to use it for what we usually do with paper.” Ciarra Szymanski, Darrian’s older sister and a fifth-grader, said she was looking forward to “learning how to use all the apps we have.”

Of course, with the new tools come new responsibilities. At the fourth station, students watched a video about the appropriate use of their devices. During the video, students and parents were encouraged to buy insurance for their iPads. The district is also requiring students to purchase cases that protect the iPad from all angles. At the last station, parents had the opportunity to buy cases for $10 and to learn about insurance plans. Students do not have to purchase a specific case, and Mikalson said one student from a high school in the program got approval to use a case he fashioned out of duct tape and cardboard.

To prepare his teachers for students now armed with iPads, Offenhauser created a document titled, “All my kids have iPads, now what do I do?” Included are simple activities that will allow students to develop basic skills with the devices.

“Basically at first we will be doing on the iPads what we used to do on paper, but as we get better with them, we’ll go more in depth with the technology,” Offenhauser said.

The other elementary schools hosting pilot programs are Lava Ridge, High Lakes, Juniper and Rosland. All of Summit High School’s students and ninth-graders at Mountain View High School will also be involved.