The FAST Flyer

Did you hear the news? FAST has ranked #1 among all elementary charter schools in Georgia and #2 among charter middle schools in the state! This recognition is based on test performance and how well our students are prepared for high school. As a fairly new school, we are incredibly proud of this achievement and look forward to many more years of outstanding performance.

School begins at 7:40am every day. Students who arrive late are not only missing instructional time, but may disrupt the rest of the class when they come in after class has begun. We have historically allowed students who arrived by 8am to go directly to class without being signed in. When we return from the break, we will be pushing that up to 7:50am. All students who arrive after 7:50am will need to be signed in at the front office by a parent. Please be sure that you arrive on campus early enough to navigate carpool so that your student can be in class on time.

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.

On January 24, students will be treated to a special assembly thanks to Wild Birds Unlimited of Alpharetta. We can't wait to see how our students react to seeing birds like bald eagles flying over their heads in Innovation Hall. We greatly appreciate business sponsors like this who can provide such unique opportunities for our students.

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. Please refer to the email that was sent last week 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.

Happy Holidays to everyone at FAST. We know that you have all shown your teachers some holiday love. This is a poem dedicated to the teachers and staff at our school who are not homeroom teachers.

Ms. Miller is the captain of our spaceship known as FAST

Ms. Walker makes sure middle school learns things and has a blast

Ms James is over lower school and makes sure they go far

Mr Rhodes takes care of money and the safety of each car

Mr Taylor, quite the Innovator, loves to do carpool

Ms. Cadogan, as our Dean, helps us know the rules

Ms. Batista, runs the office and does it with precision

Ms. Emerson assists administration with every decision

Nurse Murray checks our temperature and makes sure that we feel fine

Ms. T. Smith runs our afterschool and makes experiences divine

Ms. Thompson and Ms. M. Smith enrich our lives with TAG

Ms. Chelsy helps us exercise so our physical health won’t lag

Mr. Ray teaches healthy habits that we all need to learn

Mr. Hendry is so musical and gives up each a turn

Dr. Mason is here for us when feelings we must share

Ms. Ayeni teaches us peace and how to play fair

Ms. Kubat’s math skills help us do our best

Ms. Jarvis helps so many students prepare for all their tests

Ms. Burns teaches English to our friends from far and near

Mr. Justin makes sure our tech connections always stay clear

Ms. Robinson, so positive with words and loving deeds

Mr. Jeff makes sure our classroom has everything it needs

With Mr. Edge we explore everything artistic

With Mr. Ajagbi we create Innovations that are stylistic!

Ms. Rooke and Ms. Dudley set 7th and 8th grade pacing.

Mr. Cors is EVERYWHERE. Around the school he’s racing.

Ms. Tjoe runs Special Services and it runs so smooth

Ms. A. wants us to be happy and always in the groove!

Mr. Harwood is our newest teacher and we’re happy that he’s here

Without Ms. Hernandez fixing schedules, we’d be lost all year!

Ms. Sawhney is the tech queen and with her we have a blast!

Happy Holidays to all the wonderful staff at FAST!

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

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.

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.

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. 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.