The FAST Flyer

FAST is committed to providing a learning environment that supports the whole child. We are unique in that we are one of the few charter schools to not only have a school counselor, but also a school social worker.

Dr. Ikone Mason is a Licensed-Certified School Counselor with a Master's Degree in School Counseling and a Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision. Dr. Mason has 17 years of experience in education, and says, “My goal as School Counselor at FAST is to provide a safe space for students to express themselves freely, provide peer mediation and to be an advocate for all students.” School Counselors help to create a positive school environment and deliver instructional lessons that focus on career exploration, citizenship and positive academic habits to name a few.

Ms. Edgina Smith is a Licensed-Certified School Social worker with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Social Work. Prior to becoming a School Social Worker, Ms. Smith worked as a Special Education Teacher. With over 20 years of experience in education, Ms. Smith says, “ My goal is to help students to master effective coping skills, peer relationships and self management skills.” School Social Workers offer an extra layer of support for students, families and the community by identifying potential barriers to academic and social success and linking the school community to outside resources.

At FAST, our School Social Worker and School Counselor work hand in hand to support the entire campus. If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Mason, Ms. Edgina Smith or the Director of Programs and Special Services, Ms. Leslie Mason.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to mark your calendar for the FAST Tech Fair! December 1, 2022 parents are invited to come to the FAST Innovation Hall between 10-11am to see our student submissions for the FCS Technology Competition. There will be projects based on digital game design, animation, video production and so much more. Our students never fail to impress us with their innovative ideas and stellar execution. We hope you’ll be able to join us!

Tours for prospective FAST families have begun! If you know of anyone considering applying or who might be interested, please let them know they can schedule a tour today from our website. Applications for the 2023-24 school year open on January 1.

We're kicking off Thanksgiving break with an out of uniform day! Thursday, November 17 will be dress down day for students. While they won't be required to wear a uniform, they should still be dressed appropriately for school.

Mr. Hendry is planning a holiday music performance for students in grades K-5. Parents will be invited to come see their students perform live in the Innovation Hall at FAST on Thursday, Dec. 8. Please keep an eye out for more details.

As a reminder, students are not permitted to use cell phones at all during the day. This is a policy change from last year and applies to all students (including all middle schoolers). If a student has a cell phone with them at school, it should be in their backpack or locker. Additionally, they should not have bluetooth headphones in during the school day. Students who are seen with a phone will have the phone confiscated and returned at the end of the day. Multiple offenses will require a parent to retrieve their phone. We appreciate your support with this policy.

The weather has been a little unpredictable these days which has left a lot of jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts, and other items in the lost and found. Please stop by to check for missing items and be sure that you are only taking your own child's items. If you or your student has accidentally brought home someone else's jacket, please bring it back because they are probably looking for it.

Cold and flu season is upon us already and we are seeing a lot of sick students and staff. If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home to avoid spreading germs to others. Do not medicate your child for fever before sending them to school. If they are running a fever, they should stay home until they have been fever free without medication for 24 hours.

All students are expected to be in uniform every day with the exception of approved out of uniform days. Please note that the only hoodies permitted are FAST hoodies for middle schoolers only. Students should not be wearing any other sweatshirts, hoodies or other outerwear inside. If they tend to be cold in class, they can wear a FAST fleece or layer long sleeve shirt in approved colors under their uniform shirt. We appreciate our parents supporting this by ensuring your students are dressed appropriately when you drop them off for school.

Please be sure that your students are bringing their devices to school fully charged every day. We do not have extras for students to use nor do we have outlets near enough to desks for students to plug in during class. It is important students have the necessary device to participate in class activities and keep up with their work.

Please note that students will no longer be permitted to bring their devices home after winter break.

The Parent Classroom Volunteer Program is ready to move forward! We will be starting the program with lunch/recess coverage on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but may expand depending on your volunuteer availability.

Parent volunteers will be required to complete a BeenVerified background check, attend a brief training session, as well as review a set of classroom guidelines and expectations. Please be aware you may not be placed in your own student’s classroom.

Time slots are approx. 30 mins long between 10:30am - 12:30pm. Perfect for a quick break from your regular work day!

SIGN UP HERE!

The City of Roswell will be hosting a special "Deck the Square Festival of Trees" during December and FAST will be represented!

Do you want to share your crafty creativity AND help promote FAST to the Roswell community? Please email Jennifer Rosenthal at jrosenthal98@gmail.com to help!

Our FBI crew is taking over morning carpool on Monday, November 14th and December 12th. Help us give our teachers a little extra time in the classroom to prepare for the day!

It was too dark for carpool photos, but the FBI dads were hard at work Monday, October 17th! Thank you to all the dads that helped out with carpool and putting together these PE items for our FAST students to enjoy!

Let us know if you can help so we can give the teacher's advance notice of their extra planning time! Sign up here: Nov FBI Carpool TakeOver! and Dec FBI Carpool TakeOver!

Join us for a special Parent Social and FAST Business Partner Event hosted by Platinum Partner, Wild Birds Unlimited of Alpharetta. You will have the opportunity to shop lots of local artisans and learn more about our fabulous FAST Business Partners all while supporting FAST - 15% of sales will be donated back to our school!

The FAST Library, run by parent volunteers, is now open a few days a week!

IMPORTANT: Please have your child keep their library book in their book bag when they are not reading it at home. This way it will be easy to return to school at the end of the one week borrowing window. This will help our precious library books from being lost.

Nov. 17: Out of Uniform Day

Nov. 18-27: Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 1: Tech Fair at FAST

Dec. 5-7: MAP Testing

Dec. 8: Holiday Jubilee

Dec. 14-15: Winter Parties

Dec. 16: Last Day of Semester

Jan. 4: First Day of Semester

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.