The FAST Flyer

Wishing all of our FAST families a safe, relaxing, and joyful winter break. We'll see you next year!

On December 10, 23 FAST students participated alongside students from all over the county in the Fulton County Technology Competition. Many parents were fortunate enough to get a preview of their projects at the FAST Tech Fair the prior week. FAST had students from grades 3-8 submit projects in a variety of categories including Animation, Digital Game Design, Video Production, Mobile Apps, and more. The 2nd and 3rd place winners won't be announced until January, but for now we are thrilled to announce the 1st place winners. FAST has more 1st place winners than any other school in Fulton County. All of the 1st place winners will go on to compete in the Georgia state competition, and we couldn't be more proud of them all!

Congratulations to.....

Nirwaan Kayastha (4th Grade Device Modification)

Casey Lee (6th Grade, Device Modification)

Shivi Bangwal (8th Grade, Digital Game Design)

Teams:

Joreoluwa Akinsola (4th Grade) & Oluwasemilore Akinsola (6th Grade, Productivity Design)

Sarayu Chatakondu (7th Grade) & Ridhi Mirchandani (7th Grade, Audio Production)

As we have mentioned previously, FAST has a new data clerk. Courtney Hodacs can be reached at courtney.hodacs@fastk8.org if you have questions or attendance updates. We have worked to update attendance for all of the absences we have printed documentation for.

Unfortunately, Mr. Zuber took ill prior to leaving FAST and we do not have access to emails or voicemails that were left for Mr. Zuber after November 11. If you have been trying to reach Mr. Zuber either by phone or email for attendance, transcripts, school transfers, etc. please reach out to Ms. Hodacs directly.

We want to take this opportunity to clarify school policy regarding absences as there have been many recent questions. Attendance for elementary students is marked at the beginning of the day. Middle school students have attendance taken for each class.

Absences are considered "Excused" if a student is ill, has a medical appointment, or bereavement. A full list can be found on the Fulton County Schools website.

Family travel is not considered an excused absence with very few limited exceptions such as bereavement. If your student will miss school for an extended time due to family travel, please notify your child's teacher and our data clerk, Ms. Hodacs. We will work with you to help your student keep up with their assignments and ensure they are not unenrolled from FAST. This does not mean that the absences will be marked as excused.

When a student has more than five absences, parents will receive a letter from Ms. Miller noting their student has "excessive" absences. This letter is generated automatically by Fulton County and will be sent regardless of whether absences are excused or unexcused. The reason for this letter is because it is important for students to be at school consistently. Any further action regarding absences is at the discretion of FAST administration.

Yearbooks for the 2022-23 school year can be pre-ordered now! Go to ww.balfour.com to order yours today. Yearbook ads are also available for purchase, see attached flyer for details.

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.

After winter break, our middle school students will no longer be permitted to bring their laptops home from school. Students should have returned their devices this week. If your student still has their device at home, it is imperative that they return it to school on January 4 or they will be charged for it.

The next Parent University with Ms. Miller will be held on January 19, 2023. Mark your calendar now. Is there a topic you would like to learn more about? Let us know, it could be the topic of a future meeting.

We need parent volunteers on the weekends to volunteer to put the garden to the bed for the winter by cleaning out the beds and spreading the mulch. We can get this done quickly if a few people volunteer. Please contact Jennifer Farnham, PTO Academic Enrichment Chair farnham.jenn@gmail.com for more details.

The Parent Classroom Volunteer Program has begun!

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!

Dec. 19-Jan. 2: Winter Break

Jan. 3: Teacher Work Day

Jan. 4: First Day of Semester

Jan. 19: Parent U

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.