The FAST Flyer

When I accepted the Principal position at FAST, I was so excited! I reviewed documents about Innovation, Genius Hour and STEM at FAST. I said to myself, “Working at FAST is my dream come true!” I love Innovation and STEM, and what I learned about Genius Hour just piqued my interest even more.

My vision became so real to me. I wanted my students to be a generation of innovators! I wanted them to be able to solve real world problems and be global citizens. I wanted my students to be actively engaged in creating, designing and building things that will make our world a better place. I wanted my students to have fun learning about innovation and have fun designing STEM projects! I wanted our families to be engaged in supporting all kinds and sorts of engineering and STEM projects at home and in the community! I wanted us to love innovation and Genius Hour so much that we would do anything to make sure it happened everyday! I wanted everyone to love innovation and STEM as much as I do!

Then I realized that my vision, although absolutely possible, will take time.

It will take time for many of us to adjust to being in a new building, working with new people, and getting to know new systems and processes that are unique to FAST. It will take time for some of us to rethink how we think and learn. It will take time for us to discover what innovation is. What STEM is. What Genius Hour is. It will take time for us to process through what innovation, Genius Hour and STEM really means to FAST. It will take time for us to pull all of this together in a very unique way so everyone can embrace the vision for our students to be the next generation of innovators and global leaders!

And guess what…we have the time! I know we can do this! And we will!

Stay tuned for more information about our first quarter Celebration of Innovation. It will be held on October 6th. A link will be posted on our website soon. In addition to this celebration, students have been working on creating videos about STEM Careers. The K-2 team had a STEM Day this month, and the 7th grade Team invited guests to discuss STEM Careers. Our 8th graders pitched their Capstones (innovation) projects today to Dr. Robertson! Innovation and STEM are in the air! Let’s Celebrate!

We’re the FAST Astros! Together, we will achieve great things!

Our vision: To be recognized as a premier STEM school that creates and nurtures the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, and leaders.

With just a week left of the season, our Astros remain without a win. Despite their record, our team has been playing very well and is looking to close out the season with a win next week. This past Wednesday's game against Holcomb Bridge resulted in a 6-1 loss with the only Astros' goal having been scored by Aadi Batra. Last night's game against Elkins Point saw FAST goaltender, Daniyal Ashraf, play extremely well allowing only 2 goals for a 2-1 loss. Shoutout to Shyan Ashtin for scoring the only goal last night!

The annual scholastic book fair is scheduled for the week of October 31- November 4. We will host a family shopping night on Thursday, November 3. We strongly encourage parents to utilize the ewallet option so they do not have to send students to school with cash. You will be able to set up your email starting October 7 on our book fair site at: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/FAST

This week our 8th grade students pitched their ideas for their capstone projects. The yearlong capstone project is the culmination of the innovation curriculum at FAST. Students’ pitch is the first formal milestone for the project. As in years past, our students’ visions are impressive and we cannot wait to see where they take these ideas.

Monday, October 31 we will hold our annual costume parade. Students are encouraged to dress 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!

As we approach the upcoming holidays, it important to remind parents and families that candy,

desserts, baked goods (store bought/homemade), or any other edible items are not to be sold or

distributed at school or on the bus unless approved in advance by school administration. Per our Student Code of Conduct, students who do not adhere to this expectation are subject to disciplinary action for violation 7A: Failure to Follow Rules and all candy or food items will be confiscated.

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.

Retakes for student pictures is scheduled for November 8, 2022. If your student did not get their individual picture taken, they will be able to have that done at that time.

The FAST Family PTO Membership Contest is coming to an end on Friday, October 7th.

IF WE GET 50% of ALL Families to join the PTO, Ms. Miller, Assistant Principal, has agreed to do one of the following CRAZY THINGS to help us celebrate!

Dye her hair blue

Get slimed

Get a pie in the face

Students have been asked to vote on what she has to do, but it's up to parents to join the PTO to make it happen!!

Did we get your attention? PTO has a large stash of gently used Uniform Pants that we are giving away for FREE! Stop by the Innovation Hall on Friday to grab some before we donate them to a local charity.

Moving forward, PTO will only accept the following Gently Used Uniform Donations:

Land's End TOPS (polos, fleece, sweaters, etc.) and DRESSES

Spirit Wear SHIRTS & HOODIES

We just don't have enough storage space to sort & store the piles of uniform bottoms that have been generously donated over the years!

PTO MEMBERS - PERK ALERT
Be sure to check out the USED UNIFORM REQUEST FORM if you need uniform items between our big sales.

Oct. 7: Teacher work day (no school for students)

Oct. 10: Holiday, School closed

Oct. 11: Teacher work day (no school for students)

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.