The FAST Flyer

FAST is full of many talented students and we enjoy every opportunity that we get to show them off. We were so excited to see our middle school students in the talent show last semester, this semester, Mr. Hendry and Mr. Edge will be sponsoring a talent show for our elementary students. Auditions will be held on March 18 at 12:45 in Mr. Hendry's classroom for students who are interested. We can't wait to see what they can do!

If you have been at FAST for a while, you probably know Ms. Holcombe. For the past 7 years, Ms. Holcombe has been an integral part of our school community from working as a paraprofessional and after school teacher to teaching second grade. In 2022, she was voted teacher of the year. She has touched the lives of countless students and families along the way. We wanted to let you all know that Ms. Holcombe will be retiring at the end of the month, please join us in wishing her well. We are all going to miss her.

It's nomination time! Nominate charter school of the year, charter school teacher of the year, or charter school leader of the year. Nominations can be submitted through the links below.

Nominate a school now!

Nominate a charter school leader now!

Nominate a charter school teacher now!

On Thursday, our 4th grade students created a living wax museum for Black History Month. Students researched and put together presentations on famous politicians, musicians, athletes, scientists and more. Visitors were invited to press the button at each student's stop where the student "came to life" and educated visitors about the life of the person they studied.

It's time to order your yearbook! Orders can be placed at: https://shop.memorybook.com use school code: 246825M. Orders must be received by March 29, 2024.

As the weather begins to warm up, the lost and found begins to fill up. Students come to school in the morning with a jacket and by mid-day the temperatures have risen and the jacket has been shed. We have been finding all sorts of outerwear - from winter coats to FAST fleece jackets - around campus all week. Please encourage your student to stop by lost and found to identify any misplaced items.

The competition is heating up for the Kids Heart Challenge. Donations can be submitted through March 29. Click Here to Register. or download the AHA Schools app. Check out the current standings:

#1 Ms. Jackson's class $622

#2 Mrs. Naarding's class $579

#3 Ms. Addison's class $336

#4 Mr. Haines' class $302

#5 Ms. Holcombe's class $266

Feb. 27: Rising Middle School information session (postponed; new date TBD)

March 1: Bingo Night

March 8: No School

March 11: Teacher Work day (students off)

March 12: Professional Development Day (students off)

March 15: Movie Night at Aurora Cinema

March 28: American Heart Challenge

April 1-5: Spring Break

We need volunteers to help organize this event.

Please sign up here to help on one of the committees.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094FA8AE2AA4FCC52-47614017-international

• Bingo Night, Friday, March 1, 5:30-7pm get tickets at: https://fastk8pto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/270985
• Movie Night at Aurora Cinema, Friday, March 15, 4pm Get tickets here: Spirit Night for Kung Fu Panda 4

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

The FAST Library is accepting donations for the most requested book titles and genres. The students have been making book requests over the past few months and are excited for the refresh. Let's fulfill their requests and continue to foster their love of reading! Help us add some new books to the FAST library for students to enjoy for years to come.

Things to Note:

*Gently used and new books are welcomed

*Hardback are preferred, but paperback are fine too

*Please use this sign up to select a book or books that you will donate so that we can keep track of donations

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090D4FAEAD2FA5FD0-47054523-newbooks

*Please note that the FAST library has limited space, therefore we can only accept books from the list at this time. Thank you in advance for your donations.

• You are encouraged to write a short note in the front cover of the book that you donate to add a personal touch. Students and teachers who check out these books, this year and future school years, will cherish the personal connection. Example: "We hope this book inspires your creativity- Donated by The Smith Family 2024"
• Please place book/books into a plastic grocery bag with a note stating "library donation". You can place (or have your child place) the bag into the grey bin by the front door of Innovation Hall. It will be checked daily.

Questions? Please email the volunteer parent coordinator, Courtney Lee, at library@fastk8.org

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. Effective immediately, 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.

With cold and flu season upon us, please help us prevent the spread off illness throughout the school by keeping your student home if they are not feeling well. You can contact the school nurse at victoria.murray@fastk8.org if you have any questions or concerns.

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.

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.

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.

While we manage morning and afternoon carpool every day, now and then we like to remind our families of some of the rules. It is important that you adhere to the carpool process and follow staff directions as they are there (in all kinds of weather!) to keep our students safe and get you through carpool as quickly as possible.

• Students should only enter and exit vehicles on the passenger side in the carpool area. They should never be walking between cars. This is a safety issue.
• Students should not be retrieving their backpacks from car trunks during drop off or pick up. Please be sure they have access to all of their belongings without having to step between cars. This is a safety issue.
• Please do not navigate around the cones in the carpool area. They are placed there for a reason. This is a safety issue.
• No one should be dropping off or picking up students in front of Innovation Hall unless they have been issued a FAST pass. All other vehicles should go through the carpool queue.
• There are no left turns when leaving campus during carpool - whether or not there is an officer directing traffic.
• If your student is a bus rider that will be picked up at carpool, please be sure to inform your student's teacher as well as the front office.

We appreciate your cooperation in adhering to these rules for the safety of both the students and staff.

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.

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.