The FAST Flyer

Dear FAST Families,

I hope you are doing well. I want to share important information about a proposed Georgia Senate bill 165 aimed at improving social media and internet safety for minors. This legislation is designed to provide families with greater control over their children's online presence and protect their well-being in an increasingly digital world.

Key Aspects of the Bill:

• Allows minors or their parents/guardians to request the termination of social media accounts.

• Requires platforms to delete a minor’s personal information upon request, with certain exceptions.

• Increases financial penalties for social media providers that fail to comply.

• Establishes a legal pathway for minors to seek damages from social media companies when necessary.

• Keep minors from using social media before the age of 14.

How This Benefits Our Students

At Fulton Academy, we are deeply committed to the well-being of our students. Research has shown that excessive social media use can contribute to anxiety, depression, and decreased attention spans, particularly in children and adolescents. This bill aligns with efforts to create a safer online environment, supporting our students’ mental health and academic success.

In his book The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt highlights the growing concerns surrounding social media use among young people. He states, “When we transitioned from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood, rates of anxiety and depression skyrocketed.” This bill provides a necessary step in helping families regain control over their children’s digital lives and prioritize real-world connections.

Haidt also emphasizes that “childhood should be filled with face-to-face interactions, physical activity, and unstructured play—elements that social media use has increasingly displaced.” By enabling parents to manage their children's online presence more effectively, this legislation supports our shared goal of fostering a healthy and balanced development for every student.

Moving Forward

As we await further updates on this legislation, I encourage all families to have open discussions about social media use and online safety. If you have any questions or would like additional resources on digital well-being, please feel free to reach out.

We are thrilled to announce that this year’s Elementary Teacher of the Year is Ms. Anna Moshefi, Middle School Teacher of the Year is Ms. Shazia Quraishy and our Professional of the Year is Ms. Marlo McNeil! These incredible educators go above and beyond every day to make our school a better place for students, staff, and families.

What their colleagues had to say about them:

• "[Ms. Moshefi] gets to know each and every student as an individual. She then goes above and beyond to make sure that they feel loved, have meaningful learning experiences, and that in order to learn we have to make mistakes."
• "Above all, Ms. [Quraishy] is so beloved among our students. She has this uncanny ability to connect to students and make the most reticent ELA student love the subject."
• "[Ms. McNeil] represents herself to the highest standards and expects her students to feel that way about themselves as well."

Please join us in celebrating them for their outstanding dedication and hard work!

Our students will be taking the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessments this March. These assessments help us track student growth and tailor instruction to meet their needs. They are not graded but provide valuable insights into each child's progress.

To ensure your child does their best, please make sure they:
✔ Attend school daily – Consistent attendance is key to success.
✔ Arrive on time – A calm start to the day helps with focus.
✔ Get plenty of rest – A good night’s sleep improves concentration.
✔ Eat a healthy breakfast – Fuel for learning!

Your voice matters! Help us create a safe, supportive, and thriving environment for our students by participating in the Georgia School Climate Survey.

This quick, anonymous survey gathers feedback on our school’s learning environment, safety, relationships, and overall climate. Your insights directly influence decisions to improve programs, policies, and culture—and impact school ratings with the State of Georgia.

Please take a few moments to complete the survey by March 31, 2025. https://survey.gadoe.org/FM?sid=447B545A

Please respond as your participation directly impacts your school ratings with the State of Georgia.

Thank you for your partnership in making our school the best it can be!

FAST Charter is excited to announce that we will be adopting a local stream to help monitor water quality and we need your help. If you are interested in becoming certified and volunteering to help with this program, please sign-up. More information about training dates will be sent to volunteers who sign-up.

Georgia Adopt-A-Stream is the state's volunteer water quality monitoring program. Our volunteers select a site along a local stream, wetland, lake, or estuary to adopt. They regularly monitor their site and submit monitoring data to our online database. Types of monitoring include chemical, bacterial, macroinvertebrate, visual, and amphibian monitoring.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C48ADA92DA5F58-54639375-adoptastream

As your student prepares for the exciting transition to high school, we invite you to join us for an 8th Grade High School Information Session. This session will provide valuable insights into what to expect in high school, important deadlines, and how to support your child during this next big step.

Join us at FAST, 9am on Thursday, March 20

As your child gets ready to take the next big step into middle school, we invite you to join us for a 5th Grade Middle School Information Session. This session will provide helpful information about what to expect in middle school, key dates, and how to support your student during this important transition.

This meeting will be held virtually at 9am on Friday, March 28.

We are excited to announce that this year’s yearbook is now available for pre-order! Our yearbook will be filled with special memories, class photos, and highlights from the 2024-2025 school year.

To reserve your student's yearbook or purchase an ad, please visit: https://shop.memorybook.com/ and reference School Code: 246825M. All users will have to Register the first time they access the site.

Looking for an engaging summer experience? Inspirit AI is offering a 25-hour project-based program designed for middle school students to explore artificial intelligence and its real-world applications. Taught by Stanford and MIT graduate instructors, students will work in small groups to develop AI-powered projects, such as legal assistants and mental health chatbots.

Applications for Summer 2025 are now open! Don't miss this chance for your child to dive into the world of AI.

If you haven’t already, please take a moment to complete our Intent to Return Survey. Your response helps us plan for next year by giving us an accurate count of returning students, which in turn allows us to determine how many seats we have available for the lottery. We ask all families to respond to this by the end of the week with your current plans -- we understand that things can change, you can always update us later on.

If you have a child who will be new to FAST next year, you’ll have the chance to indicate that while reserving your currently enrolled child’s spot. The website will guide you to the application for any new siblings.

Important Reminder:

• All siblings who are not currently enrolled at FAST must apply.
• Sibling spots are not guaranteed and depend on seat availability.

Please ensure you complete the lottery application process for any siblings who wish to join FAST. Currently enrolled students do not need to enter the lottery.

https://www.abcenroll.com/fastk8-intent-to-return.html

Get ready for a unique opportunity to preserve precious memories while giving back! Our business partner, Freckled Flower Photography is hosting a photo fundraiser on March 28. Book your mini-photo session with our fantastic business partner and fellow FAST parent!

It’s a win-win: you get beautiful images, and your contribution helps make a difference. Spots are limited, so be sure to book your session today!

Book Here!

We’re looking for volunteers to serve on the Nomination Committee to help select and interview candidates for the 2025-2026 FAST PTO Board.

🗓 This is a short-term role with a big impact — help us fill important positions and make next year amazing!

Why Volunteer?
✅ Play a key role in shaping our PTO
✅ Short commitment, lasting difference
✅ Support our school community

📧 Interested? Contact Jacquie DiCaprio at pto@fastk8.org

Your voice matters — help us find the next leaders of FAST PTO!

Get involved and make a difference at FAST! The PTO Board needs passionate parents to support students and teachers, plan exciting events, and strengthen our school community!

Join our Google Meets Q&A Session to learn more—no experience needed! Please fill out this interest form to help choose the best date.

Let’s plant the seeds for an amazing 2025-2026 school year! 🌱

For more info, contact Jacquie DiCaprio at PTO@fastk8.org. We can’t wait to grow with you!

March 3-4: PD Days (STUDENTS OFF)

March 14-17: School Closed

March 20: 8th Grade Parent Meeting (9am)

March 24-27: MAP Assessments

March 28: Out of Uniform Day

March 28: 5th Grade Parent Meeting (9am- virtual)

March 28-April 1: Makeup MAP Assessments

April 3: American Heart Challenge

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.

All students are expected to be in full uniform every day. The full uniform code can be found on our website at: https://www.fastk8.org/fast-apparel-and-supplies/

Students who are not in full uniform will have their parents contacted.

As a reminder students are not permitted to use their cell phones or Bluetooth devices throughout the day. Students who have a cell phone out after school begins at 7:40am through 3pm will have their phone confiscated for the day. Please remind your students of this policy so that you will not have to come to the office to retrieve their phone.

ABSENCES: Please report student absences to both attendance@fastk8.org and your student's homeroom teacher. You may send doctors' notes for absences directly to attendance@fastk8.org

CURRICULUM/CLASSROOM CONCERNS: If you have questions or concerns regarding your child's class, your first point of contact should be your child’s classroom teacher. If further clarification or assistance is needed, you can contact the respective assistant principal (anesha.james@fastk8.org or elementary or demetria.walker@fastk8.org for middle school.)

TRANSPORTATION CHANGES: If your student will have a change to their afternoon transportation (whether it is for a day or long-term), please be sure that you are communicating any changes to your student's afternoon dismissal to both their homeroom teacher and Ms. Cadogan (gail.cadogan@fastk8.org).

If your child is not feeling well, we encourage you to keep them home to avoid spreading illness at school. Please keep in mind that if a student is running a fever they are expected to remain out of school until they have been fever free without the use of medication for a full 24 hours.

Students must be in homeroom by 7:40am each day. Please be sure that you are allowing time to navigate carpool and your student to get to class on time. If you arrive after 8am, you will need to come into Innovation Hall to sign in your student.

Early dismissals are not permitted after 2:40pm (M-Th, 1:40pm Fridays). If you need to pick up your child for any reason, please plan accordingly.

Please remember that FAST is a nut free school. Students should not bring any foods for lunch or snack that contain any nut products including, but not limited to, peanut butter or almond butter.

This is a serious risk to those students with severe allergies. Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated.

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.