The FAST Flyer

In the last FAST Flyer, we introduced you to several of our new teachers. We wanted to take some time to let you know what else you can expect when students return to school this year.

The admin team has been working all summer to make sure we have a smooth start to the year, and teachers are already setting up their classrooms. We are fully staffed with the majority of our teachers fully certified and the remainder in the process of having certification renewed or transferred from another state. We have also returned to the class schedule we used in 2021-22 which we found to be the best way to accommodate all of our students' diverse academic needs.

We have created a master calendar of events for the entire year which will allow ample planning time for all events and avoid any potential conflicts around holidays.

Keep reading to find out more about what we've been up to this summer and what you can expect this fall. We are so excited for a great year!

Since stepping into the role of Principal, Ms. Miller has been working hard on moving the innovation program at FAST to the next level. In order to accomplish this, we are adding a Design Thinking/Innovation day to the weekly school calendar so students will have Innovation class more often giving them more opportunity for design thinking. Additionally, students will have Genius Hour 1-2 times a week which will be supported by the Innovation staff.

How will we bring all of this innovation to the classroom you may wonder? We now have three full time Innovation teachers. In addition to the extra time in classrooms, they will be working with Ms. Miller and Stacy Perlman to build a framework to integrate design thinking across all subject areas. Ms. Perlman has a been a teacher, principal, and lead trainer for Atlanta K12 Design Challenge and she is well versed in design thinking.

In order to have a cross-curricular approach to design thinking, the entire staff will have quarterly training in Design Thinking/Innovation which will be led by Ms. Perlman.

Our 8th grade students who will be working on their yearlong capstone project, can expect to work with Ms. Walker to lead them through their projects. Our goal this year is to invite community stakeholders to the end of year capstone presentations to show off all of their hard work.

In addition to adding more innovation, we have updated our curriculum for math and reading which means all new books for students. The new ELA curriculum is Wit and Wisdom.

We will continue with Singapore math using updated Math in Focus textbooks.

The FAST campus has been a hotbed of activity this summer with updates to the campus. When students return to school in August, you can look forward to a freshly painted parking lot including clearly marked carpool lanes. Landscaping has been updated, the walkway to the trailers has been made permanent, the trailers have been painted and repaired, the kindergarten playground has been freshly mulched, and the Student Hall has been painted.

The classroom plan for this year has all homeroom classes inside Student Hall. The portables will be used for TAG and middle school math and social studies so students who are in the portable are only in there for one class.

This summer, Ms. Miller and Mr. Moore had the opportunity to attend the Georgia School Safety and Homeland Security Conference. They were able to meet with experts in the area of school safety to get recommendations on how we can ensure student safety at FAST. While they were impressed with what we are already doing, there were a couple of recommendations made and we are looking into how we can implement those changes as well.

We all know carpool can get busy at FAST. One of the best things we can do to help minimize the volume of cars going through the line is for families to carpool whenever they can. If you are looking for a family to carpool with, please consider adding your information to the Carpool Connections list. By adding your information to the list, you will get access to the full list of families who are trying to coordinate a carpool.

Click here to opt in: https://forms.gle/xwdW4GofcEtFtcak9

Families in the South Fulton area who are looking for transportation options may be able to use a shuttle identified by Dr. Dionne Roberts who is the parent of an incoming 6th grader. There is a minimum number of students required for the route so if you are interested, please contact Dr. Roberts directly at 770-906-3366 (texts preferred). She has offered to keep track of interest so she can have the route set up timely if there are enough students for it.

The shuttle information is below:

Prestige Transportation Services

Phone: (404) 552-4924

Email: lpicart@lcptransportationservices.com

Pricing is as follows:

• Roundtrip daily transport for students will be $390/month.
• Afternoon pickup only is $225/month.

Optimal Reliability Transportation is offering transportation in the following areas:

South Fulton-Lowes Camp Creek

Stars and strikes - Mountain Industrial Blvd.

Kroger-Caroline Street, Atlanta

Dicks Sporting - Johnson Ferry

They may add more pick up locations based on need. Please contact them directly to inquire about costs. You may contact them directly at: 470-258-8114 or by email at ceo@optimalreliabilitytrans.com

July 25: Popsicles with the Principals

August 7: All Student Orientation

August 8: First Day of Class

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.