The FAST Flyer

Red Ribbon Week starts on Monday, October 23 and runs through Friday, Oct. 27. This week is intended to bring attention to anti-bullying initiatives. Students are invited to dress in the daily themes for the week. We look forward to seeing their school spirit! Students who choose not to participate are expected in uniform.

Monday 10/23: Rally in Orange

Dress in orange to send a message and make positive choices

Tuesday 10/24: College Spirit wear

Dress in a future career or college spirit wear

Wednesday 10/25: Super Hero Day

Dress like your favorite super hero to show your bravery against bullying

Thursday 10/26: Crazy Hat/Hair Day

Students can wear the craziest hat or hairstyle they have because bullying is crazy.

Friday 10/27: FAST T-shirts and Jeans

If your student is interested in participating in the Fulton County Tech Fair, they must complete this Registration Form and bring it to Ms. Sawhney by no later than 12pm (noon) this Friday, Oct. 26. (There is a box in her office in Innovation Hall if she is not there). Late registrations will not be accepted - no exceptions will be made.

The competition is open to students in grades 3-8. A full list of the categories for projects can be found at: https://www.gastc.org/category-information, additional information can be found at: https://www.fultonschools.org/techcompetition. Students will also need this Copyright Verification form at the time of competition.

This week, middle school students auditioned for the FAST talent show. The performances were all fantastic and the judges had their work cut out for them when it came down to deciding which students would move forward to perform on November 15. At the end of the day, they selected ten students who will show off their talents for their peers. We look forward to seeing the following acts at the middle school talent show:

Cameron Lanzo, Sarayu Chatakondu & Ridhi Mirchandani, Mary Okugbeni, Ethan Fowlkes, Amelia Rein, Alicia Warren, Jerrick Jayasarathi & Pratyush Patel, Barret Rixey, Alexa Chamberlain, and Corina Brewster. It should be a great show!

This year's GaSTC Programming Challenge is scheduled to take place virtually on November 11. The competition has expanded this year to include 5th and 6th grade so it is now open for all students from 5th-12th grade.

Students may compete individually or in teams of 2 or 3. On competition day, student participants must be in the same room as their teacher/sponsor and they will not be permitted to use ChatGPT or any other AI. The competition room will open at 8am and the competition will begin at 9am.

In order to compete, one member of the team must register by no later than October 26 by completing this REGISTRATION FORM. In order to complete the registration form, each team member must have a log in for the competition platform: https://actecomp.org. The registration form will ask for username information for each team member so this must be completed before registering. If your student competed last year, they should already have an account.

The top Ten teams will move on to compete in the Spring competition against Alabama which is tentatively scheduled for February 10th, 2024.

Registration must be completed by October 26th - no exceptions will be made for late registrations. Students who are interested in competing should speak with Ms. Sawhney, Mr. Allen, or Ms. Ushakumari.

8th grade parents are invited to join FAST Middle School Assistant Principal, Demetria Walker for an information session on October 24. The meeting will be held in person at FAST at 9am. The purpose of this meeting is to help keep parents informed about what to expect for their students through their last year of middle school. We encourage you to attend to ensure that your student's last year at FAST sets the stage for a smooth transition to high school .

On Tuesday, October 31 students are invited to wear their favorite STEAM costume. K-5 students will participate in the costume parade at 10am. Parents are invited to attend the costume parade which we will also live-stream for those who can't make it in person.

This year's book fair is scheduled for the week of October 30-November 3. During that week, students will have the opportunity to stop by the fair to shop. We encourage parents to set up an e-wallet for their student so they can shop without having to bring cash to school.

Family night is scheduled for Monday, October 30 when parents will have an opportunity to shop with their students. You (or friends and family near and far) can also shop our book fair online between October 27-November 9 and FAST will get credit for the sales.

Do you love FAST? Tell your friends! Applications for the 2024-25 school year will open on January 1, 2024 and tours for prospective families are already scheduled. During these informational tours, parents will learn about our curriculum, find out what sets FAST apart from traditional schools, and tour our campus. Tour spots can be reserved at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BADAA2CA1F8C70-fast

School pictures taken earlier this month are ready for viewing. You should have received an email with a link for you to preview your child(ren)'s picture. You can also log in to Jostens at https://shop.jostenspix.com/login and reference your student's id number and the information below. Pictures will be shipped directly to your home. For students who were out on picture day, re-takes will be held on November 3.

Jostens reference information:

• FULTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCE & TECH
• Event Code: FE103523

We are so excited for the FAST Family PTO's 3rd annual Trunk or Treat. Many of our teachers and staff are planning to host a trunk. As of now, it looks like the weather will be perfect for this outdoor event. The PTO has invited middle school students to participate by hosting a trunk with their friends. There must be at least one parent with each group of students who host a trunk to provide the trunk and supervision.

Parking on campus for Trunk or Treat will be limited. The PTO has arranged for overflow parking at Northbrook Church (11225 Crabapple Rd.) This is on the same side of the street as FAST so you do not have to cross Crabapple Road. Please do not park at Lebanon Church across the street from FAST.

We would like to welcome two new members of the FAST team. Ms. Jodi Kubat has joined us as a Special Ed teacher and Ms. Gabrielle Dudley joins us teaching middle school math and social studies. We are excited to have them here. Please help us make them feel welcome.

You asked, we will provide! Round four spirit wear is in full action! Order in the link, it will be open until October 21 to have before Thanksgiving break! https://fastk8pto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/235904

When: Friday, October 27th, 2023 (rain date November 3rd)

Time: 5:30pm - 7:00pm

*FREE event for all FAST families

*Activities and games for the whole family to enjoy!

*Kona Ice will be there for purchase

*Vote for the Most Innovative Candy Delivery System, Best STEM Theme, Best Overall, and a bonus category

*Costumes are encourged! (non-scary costumes, please)

*Easy parking at Northbrook church (same side of the street as FAST-no street to cross)

HOST a trunk and candy chute: Families and FAST Teachers and Staff are all welcome to host a trunk! We are hoping to make this year bigger than ever! Trunk decor can be as simple or elaborate as you like!
Trunk Or Treat

Candy Donations NEEDED: Please put donations in the gray PTO Collection bin at Innovation Hall entrance between now and October 25th, 2023.

Questions or more information, reach out to Trunk or Treat Event Chair, Courtney Lee courtneyhlee@gmail.com

Please drop off large bags of individually wrapped candy to the grey bin outside Innovation Hall by October 24th. Extra candy is needed to support the teacher-hosted trunks and overflow if needed.

Library Volunteers Needed!

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

Our yearly Scholastic Book Fair is coming up! The Fair will be at school from Oct 30th to Nov 3rd. The kids love to shop at the fair with their friends. You can also choose to shop with your kids during Family Night on Oct 30th from 4.30pm to 7pm!! As like every event, we need your help to make this happen. Please sign up in the link below to volunteer:

Book Fair Volunteers

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. If you arrive any time after 8am, you are required to sign your child in at the front office.

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.

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.

Oct. 23-27: Red Ribbon Week

Oct. 24: 8th Grade Parent Meeting

Oct. 24: 2nd grade field trip

Oct. 27: Trunk or Treat

Oct. 30-Nov. 4: Scholastic Book Fair

Oct. 31: Costume Parade

Nov. 3: Picture Day Make-ups

Nov. 6-10: Student Council Canned Food Drive

Nov. 17-24: Thanksgiving Break

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.