The FAST Flyer

As you know, there was a level one lockdown at FAST yesterday. We are grateful that there was no actual danger to anyone at any time. I understand how concerning it can be for parents when they hear about things like this at their child’s school. Please understand that it may not be possible for us to communicate with you in real time as we are following protocols to make sure everyone is safe. As a charter school, our communications come directly from FAST not FCS. When we are actively responding to a situation, we are focused on student and staff safety. We are not ignoring your concerns, we are prioritizing your children. Depending on the situation, it is also possible that we can’t provide you with as much information as you would like and I know that’s frustrating. For safety and privacy reasons we may not be able to share details of everything that happens at school. What I can tell you is that yesterday morning, we received a report of a threat to the school. The report was made by a student who upon hearing something that concerned them, they reported it to FAST staff. The police were called, the threat was investigated and it was found not to be a credible threat. The student who reported it did exactly what they should have.

We work hard to provide an environment for our students in which they are not afraid to speak up if they see or hear something that isn’t right. We applaud their courage for coming forward when others might sit by and do nothing. We often speak with students about the power of words with regards to bullying, gratitude, and kindness. It is just as important that they understand this applies to safety as well. Schools must take every reported threat seriously no matter how unlikely it seems. What often starts as a joke or hyperbole can quickly become a serious situation. School threats cause a lot of fear and anxiety for students, parents, and staff. Not to mention the use of police resources to investigate. We don’t want to disrupt the school day and frighten students to investigate, but it is important that we do. In this case, there was a lot of worry for what ended up being no real threat.

Until recently, I have been dealing primarily with our younger students. This week I got to spend some time with all of our 8th graders. We talked about expectations for their Capstone projects, and we talked about student behavior. What struck me most when talking to them is that they don’t seem to realize how much the elementary students look up to them including the things they do and the things they say. They are models of behavior - for better or worse. It’s important for students to understand how impactful their words are. Please talk to your children - especially the older ones – about how important it is that they are mindful of the things they say. Whether they are talking to a younger student in the hall or on the bus or joking around with friends, the things they say matter.

As parents and educators, we are on the same side when it comes to your children. We all want them to be safe, happy and the best versions of themselves by the time they leave FAST.

Sincerely,

Mary Miller

Interim Principal, FAST

Paperwork for all students interested in playing volleyball must be completed and turned in by no later than October 19. Any student who did not have a physical on file for try outs this week will be able to participate in an abbreviated tryout on October 20th provided they have turned in their paperwork.

The following forms are required to participate:

1. PreParticipation Physical

2. Emergency Contact

3. Insurance Verification

4. Sudden Cardiac Arrest

5. Application to Participate

6. Review Code of Conduct

All forms can be found on the FCS website at: https://www.fultonschools.org/Page/612

There will be a parent meeting held on October 17th @ 4 pm. This meeting will be held in person in the Innovation Hall, and via Zoom. Please contact Mr. Moore at jonathan.moore@fastk8.org for any additional information, questions or concerns.

The Fulton County Technology Competition is coming in December. FAST has a history of great representation and impressive results in this annual competition and we can’t wait to see how our students represent us this year. Please read through the information below for registration and participation.

• All students interested in participating in the FCS Student Technology Competition need to complete the initial registration form and copyright form. They will need to drop these off in Innovation Hall as soon as possible.

• Students will be judged by a panel in their respective category to determine if they will move forward to the district competition.

• Only 1 project per category per grade level band is eligible to move forward.

• The list of categories for the competition is located here.

• Update for this school year: Students may compete in the programming challenge AND another category since they are no longer on the same date.

We are looking forward to holding the FAST Tech Fair on Thursday, December 1 when parents and students will be able to see all of the projects submitted.

The annual Scholastic Book Fair is coming! Mark your calendar for the week of October 31-November 4. Students will have an opportunity to shop during school and we are thrilled to bring back Family Night! Parents are invited to join their students from 5pm-7pm on Thursday Nov. 3 to shop the book fair in person.

We strongly encourage you to set up an eWallet for your student to shop. Scholastic eWallets are easy to set up and allow students to shop the fair during the school day without having to carry cash. You can set up an eWallet any time until the book fair on the FAST Scholastic web page at: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/FAST

If you have some time to help, we will need lots of volunteers to help with the fair.

Monday, October 31 we will hold our annual costume parade. Students are encouraged to dress in a STEM related costume or as their favorite book character to celebrate the kick off of the book fair. Let’s see how creative our kids can get. There might just be a prize for the best costumes!

Ms. Miller will be hosting her first Parent Cafe on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 8am. Questions can be pre-submitted HERE This meeting will take place in person in the Innovation Hall at FAST as well as be broadcast via Zoom.

Makeup picture day is scheduled for November 8. If your child did not get their picture taken on picture day, they can have their picture taken then.

If you pre-paid for individual pictures and your student did not get their picture taken or you are not happy with their picture, please contact Lifetouch directly to have your money refunded/reapplied to makeup day.

If you did not order pictures and would like to, Lifetouch will be sending proofs of all student photos which we will send home. The proofs will have an access code that you can use to order pictures online through Lifetouch.com.

If you did not order a class picture and would like to, you will need to mail the order form that was sent home with check or money order to the following address: Lifetouch, 2300 W Fourth St, Ontario, OH 44906.

The FAST Governing Board is planning to host a fireside chat in the coming weeks to talk about recent changes at the school and answer any questions you may have. We will let you know as soon as the day and time have been confirmed.

Did you find this email in your spam folder? Do you think you’re missing information from school? It is important that we be able to contact you. Please be sure we have current/accurate contact information on file. Your contact information must be updated in Infinite Campus. All parents should have access to Infinite Campus as this is the only place you will be able to see student report cards and Milestones results. If our emails are going to your spam folder, please follow the steps below.

If you are a Gmail user, you may want to whitelist FAST to prevent emails from going to your spam folder. Go to gmail in the desktop browser and select "Settings".

Go to the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab.

Click "Create a new filter".

In the "From" field, put "@fastk8.org", without the quotes.

Click "Create filter".

Check "Never send it to Spam".

Click "Create filter".

Orders for YAY Lunch must be placed by noon on Sunday for the following week. Please be sure to add your student's correct grade and homeroom teacher when placing your order to ensure proper distribution.

We had so much fun last year and we can’t wait to see what our awesome families and staff create this year. Come and enjoy the candy chutes and creativity or break out your creative side and design an awe-inspiring candy chute!

RSVP here: Fall Family Event - Trunk or Treat & Candy Chute Contest

FAST has two scarecrows in the Alpharetta Scarecrow Harvest! Come check out our scarecrows behind the Alpharetta Community Center.

BIG THANKS to the parent volunteers who helped create our scarecrows this year!

Oct. 19: Parent Cafe

Oct. 20: Trunk or Treat & Candy Chute Contest

Oct. 31: Costume parade

Oct.31- Nov.4: Scholastic Book Fair

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.