The FAST Flyer

Ms. Miller wanted to express her sincere gratitude to all of the parents, grandparents and everyone else who came to the Holiday Jubilee yesterday. A big shout out to Mr. Hendry who worked so hard preparing his students for the performance and spent his birthday leading our elementary students through the concert. The performances were all streamed on Facebook and the videos will remain on the FAST Facebook page for you to enjoy.

In light of the changes to the math standards in the state, FAST recognizes the opportunity to further support our students in their preparation for high school. Middle school parents should have received an email with two surveys - one intended for all middle school parents and one just for current 7th grade students. We would appreciate our middle school parents taking a few minutes to respond so that we can be best positioned to support your child's academic needs.

Basketball season will officially begin when we return from Winter Break. All 7th and 8th grade boys and girls are invited to play. If your student is interested in trying out for the team, please contact Mr. Starr at william.starr@fastk8.org by no later than December 15. Please refer to the email that was sent on Wednesday for further information including all of the forms required for participation. Try-outs will be held January 3-5 with practice scheduled to start on January 8. All forms including having a physical on file are required to participate.

Please keep in mind that our students have outdoor PE and recess everyday unless it is raining or below freezing. It is important that you are sending your student to school with the appropriate attire for the weather (i.e. pants and jackets). We understand that some students prefer wearing shorts every day, but it may not be the best choice when the temperatures begin to plummet.

Library Volunteers Needed!

Library Volunteers are also needed. Please email library@fastk8.org if you would like to be added to the library volunteer email list.

Spirit wear sales are currently open. You may order spirit wear through Membership Toolkit until December 16. Orders will be delivered in January. https://fastk8pto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/235904

Winter Parties will be on the 13th and 14th of December. Your parent representatives will be reaching out via email and/or WhatsApp if they need supplies or volunteers.

If you would like, please help by contributing to grade level funds. These funds not only help with parties, but in getting classroom items for the teachers. You can contribute here: Make A Donation 2023 2024

The winter break and the new year will be here soon! We are sure you will agree when we say how thankful we are for the dedication our children's teachers have shown this semester. Let us show our gratitude!

Action Items: the week of December 11th, 2023

1. Please consider sending a handwritten note or card with kind sentiments before the winter break. Teachers hold notes of sentiment near and dear to their hearts!

2. In addition, please feel free to gift the teachers with a gift card, a treat you think they would like, or anything that you feel would brighten their day and remind them that they are appreciated!

LIST OF FAVORITE THINGS: You can find the Favorite Things lists for most FAST teachers and staff here (including allergies, likes, dislikes, etc): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LLgLClHykskMQgUkXNjySvp8Qcn_qthrRv4k2rv0ISc/edit?usp=sharing

3. Please don't forget the special area teachers (Art, Music, Innovation, Coding, Health, PE). They are an intricate part of your students' school experience as well. I am certain that Ms. Miller and her hard working admin team would adore a note of sentiment. A little bit of kindness goes a long way and reminds us all of what matters most!

To preview your child(ren)'s picture from picture day, you can log in to Jostens at https://shop.jostenspix.com/login and reference your student's id number and the information below. Pictures will be shipped directly to your home.

Jostens reference information:

• FULTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCE & TECH
• Event Code: FE103523

The school day begins at 7:40am Monday-Friday. All students are expected to be in their classroom ready to start the day by 7:40am. Please allow for enough time to navigate carpool for your student to get to class on time. All students arriving after 7:40 are considered tardy. If you arrive any time after 8am, you are required to sign your child in at the front office.

All students are expected to be in proper uniform every day. Repeat violations of uniform code will result in a call from the front office with a request to bring the appropriate clothing for the student. FAST uniform includes FAST logo polo or spirit wear, khaki or navy bottoms (or black for middle school). Shirts without the FAST logo are not considered proper uniform.

Do you love FAST? Tell your friends! Applications for the 2024-25 school year will open on January 1, 2024 and tours for prospective families are already scheduled. During these informational tours, parents will learn about our curriculum, find out what sets FAST apart from traditional schools, and tour our campus. Tour spots can be reserved at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BADAA2CA1F8C70-fast

All questions or concerns you have regarding your student should first be directed to their teacher. Please allow up to 48 hours for a response. If the teacher is unable to provide resolution, you should contact the Assistant Principal for your child's grade. On the off chance that you still have not been able to reach a resolution after contacting the teacher and the AP, you can contact Principal Mary Miller at mary.miller@fastk8.org. Our communication and escalation policy can be found on our website.

While under the auspices of Fulton County Schools, we are governed by our own governing board. Sending your issues directly to Fulton County rather than following the FAST communication chain will cause a delayed response as they will only defer to FAST and forward the issue back to us to address.

FAST is a smoke-free environment. Whether you are in the building, in your car, or anywhere else on campus please refrain from smoking or vaping at all times.

We cannot release students for early dismissal after 2:40pm Monday-Thursday and 1:40pm on Friday as this is too disruptive to our afternoon dismissal process and end of day activities. If you are picking up your child after those times, you must go through the carpool lane which begins at 3:15pm. As a matter of student safety, all students leaving before the end of the school day must be signed out in the front office by an authorized person. Please do not call or text your students for early dismissal. Students are not permitted to have their cell phones during school hours.

Please keep these times in mind when scheduling afternoon appointments and plan accordingly.

Please remember to send your child to school with lunch every day or order through Ordo at ordo.com. Ordo orders must be placed by midnight on Friday for the following week. Lunches must be nut free and ready-to-eat (we cannot microwave lunches).

As a reminder, all visitors - including parents - must check in at the front desk in Innovation Hall upon arrival. No one is permitted to enter Student Hall without having first checked in at the front desk. Parents are not permitted to walk their student to their classroom. We have staff available during morning drop-off to ensure students are attended to.

FAST leverages various means of communications to keep our families up to date with what is happening at school. Since most people are on social media, we post to different platforms to keep you up to date. If you aren't already following us, check us out on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Dec. 13-14: Class winter parties

Dec. 18-29: Winter Break

Jan. 1: Applications open for 2024-25

Jan. 3-5: Basketball Tryouts

Jan. 15: MLK Day (School closed)

Feb. 12-16: Kindness Week

Feb. 16: Lottery Day

Feb. 19: President's Day (School closed)

Feb. 20: Professional development day (Students Asynchronous)

A printable version of the 2023-24 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.