The FAST Flyer

Dear Families,

As a school community, we must spread the word that attendance counts!!!

As a parent, I totally understand how hectic and busy our lives can be. I also understand how difficult it is to raise a child. We know that there are situations where your child may not be able to attend school. As an educator and a parent, I know the best thing we can do for our children is to ensure they attend school regularly.

There is one day that is critically important for FAST and all public schools, and that is Seat Day!

Monday, August 15, 2022, is Seat Day. This is the day when all Fulton County Schools, including FAST, tally the number of students attending their schools. The Seat Day count is the count used to apportion funding for schools. This day is critical to FAST, because state funding is based on those students in attendance on that day. For example, every student counted on seat day brings thousands of dollars per student to FAST.

We are asking ALL our fantastic families to assure your child or children are in attendance this coming Monday, August 15th.

So, we have planned some fun activities to encourage 100% attendance on Seat Day!

Here’s our plan: Homerooms with 100% attendance on seat day can choose from the following activities:

1. Popsicle Party

2. Classroom Movie Day

3. Popcorn Party

4. Ice Cream Party

5. A Bounce House Day with Music

6. Kona Ice Day

7. Ultimate Frisbee Day

8. Mystery Day Activity

Note: Some activities must be scheduled in advance and supplies purchased; therefore, the activities may not be available on seat day!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Dr. Kay Williams

Our vision: To be recognized as a premier STEM school that creates and nurtures the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, and leaders.

Yay Lunch will be our new lunch vendor by September 12. Until they begin, all of our students will need to bring lunch every day. Click HERE for FAQs from Yay Lunch. We hope to provide a short term option before Yay Lunch starts, but please plan to pack lunch to start the year.

If you think you are eligible for a free or reduced lunch, please contact ron.rhodes@fastk8.org. This is a confidential matter.

The first week of school is always a challenge for carpool - particularly in the afternoons. We were so happy with our dismissal times this week and know they will continue to get better over the coming days. There are a few things you can do to help keep carpool flowing smoothly.

• No one should arrive for pick up before 3:10pm. Arriving later helps stagger cars, ensures the buses can get in and out on time, and keeps cars moving.

• Have your carpool tag visible in your window in the afternoon.

• If you have a FAST Pass tag, please have the blue tag in your window when you pull in the lot.

• FAST pass users should not arrive until 3:20 (or later) to ensure the buses can get in and out without blocking cars.

• During morning drop off, have your student(s) ready to go by the time you pull up to the drop off area. (Unbuckled seatbelts, backpacks handy, etc.) Please avoid having them retrieve items from the trunk.

• At morning drop off, students should quickly exit the car as soon as you are stopped. They do not need to wait for someone to open the door for them if they can do it themselves. We have staff on hand to assist younger students who need help.

• If you have four or more students in your carpool, you may request a FAST Pass by completing this form

• You may find families to carpool with through our Carpool Connections by completing this form. More than 90 families have already added their information!

The end of the first week of school brought the first meeting of MicroSociety®. We look forward to seeing our students learn from this experience. Registration is still open on our website. After school enrichment clubs will be posted on our website soon. Clubs are scheduled to begin the week of August 28.

• Students must bring lunch every day until YAY Lunch starts on September 12.

• School starts at 7:40am and dismisses at 3:20pm Monday-Thursday. Dismissal is at 12:30pm on Fridays.

• Morning carpool begins at 7:05am. All students must be in their seats by 7:40am or they will be marked tardy. Please allow for enough time to get through the carpool line.

• For afternoon carpool, please do not arrive on campus prior to 3:10pm. Families who have been issued a FAST Pass should not arrive until after 3:20pm to allow for the buses to pull out. The same procedure is to be followed on Friday for 12:30 dismissals.

• FAST is a nut free school. Please do not send any nut products to school.

• Students may not be dropped off or picked up on the street around school.

• No one coming to FAST should park across the street at the church.

• Students who walk home must have written permission on file with the school.

• All students should be in uniform every day. For those who are waiting for uniforms to arrive, please have your students wear solid color polo in school colors until they arrive.

• Schedule change requests should go through the assistant principal. Note that schedule updates are actively being worked on so if you have already requested a change please be patient. Please contact mary.miller@fastk8.org for elementary school or demetria.walker@fastk8.org for middle school requests.

• We are following CDC guidelines with respect to Covid protocols for exposures and illness. Contact Nurse Murray at victoria.murray@fastk8.org for further guidance or to report illness.

As we launch the new school year, we are looking to add to our sub-pool. If you or someone you know has teaching experience and would like to be a substitute teacher for FAST, please complete this application and email it to mary.miller@fastk8.org. You will need to save a copy of the application to complete it.

Enrollment is open for Extended Care (Mondays-Fridays 3:30-6:30 pm), and for MicroSocietyⓇ (Fridays 12:30-3:30 pm). Registration must be completed online annually.

A printable version of the school calendar can be found HERE

To keep up to date with the most recent information available from our district offices, please click on the image below.

Email: info@fastk8.org
Website: www.fastk8.org
Location: 11365 Crabapple Road, Roswell, GA, USA
Phone: 678-321-1100
Facebook: facebook.com/FASTK8.School/
Twitter: @fastk8charter

The FAST Flyer is the electronic newsletter at FAST. Feedback is always welcome. If you have any questions, please call the school (678-321-1100) or email the FAST Communications Director at marie.emerson@fastk8.org.