The FAST Flyer

FAST families,

I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone of the importance of arriving to school on time.

School starts promptly at 7:40 a.m. This means students need to be in their homeroom by this time—not just arriving in the carpool line. Please plan your morning accordingly to ensure you have enough time to navigate the carpool process and drop your child off with sufficient time for them to get to their classroom before the start of the school day.

Being in the carpool queue at 7:40 a.m. is not considered on time. Delaying students from beginning their day can impact the overall flow of the morning. Additionally, it is important for us to conclude carpool on time, as the teachers assisting in the carpool line need to be in their classrooms to begin teaching.

Late arrivals not only delay your child but can also disrupt classes that have already begun, impacting both teachers and students who have settled into their learning environment.

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain a smooth and structured start to the school day for everyone. Thank you for making punctuality a priority for your family.

I want to take a moment to remind you of our school’s policy regarding personal electronic devices. As outlined in our Code of Conduct, students are not permitted to have cell phones or personal laptops during the school day. If a student brings a personal computer to school, it will be confiscated and held in the office until a parent or guardian comes to pick it up. Students will not be permitted to retrieve their devices on their own.

We appreciate your partnership in reinforcing this policy to help maintain a focused and productive learning environment for all students.

We are proud to announce that our school was recognized by the Georgia Department of Education for outstanding literacy achievements during a district meeting this week! These prestigious awards were presented to Principal Mary Miller by State School Superintendent Richard Woods, highlighting the incredible dedication of our students, teachers, and staff—along with the support of our families.

📖 3rd Grade Gateway Literacy Achievement – Recognized for excellence in early literacy skills and reading growth.

📖 7th Grade Literacy Achievement – Honored for outstanding performance in reading and comprehension.

📖 8th Grade Literacy Achievement – Awarded for exceptional progress and success in literacy.

These awards reflect our commitment to fostering strong reading skills and a love for learning. Congratulations to our students for their hard work, and thank you to our parents for supporting literacy at home!

This week, we proudly celebrated National School Choice Week, recognizing the importance of educational opportunities for all families. It was a wonderful time to reflect on what makes our school special and to show appreciation for the choice you have made in entrusting us with your child’s education.

Thank you for being a part of our school family! We are grateful for the opportunity to support your child’s growth and success every day.

At FAST, we strive to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students. Rather than celebrating Valentine’s Day, we focus on something even more meaningful—Kindness Week Feb. 14-21!

Kindness Week is a special time where students engage in activities that promote empathy, generosity, and friendship. Through school-wide initiatives, we encourage acts of kindness, appreciation for others, and a spirit of giving that extends beyond just one day. This approach ensures that every child feels valued and included.

To maintain consistency with our school-wide celebration, we kindly ask that students do not bring Valentine’s cards, candy, or gifts to school. Instead, we encourage families to join us in reinforcing kindness at home and in the community.

Thank you for your support in helping us create a culture of kindness that lasts all year long!

One of our 8th grade students has endeavored to produce a musical for her capstone project. Auditions are on Monday after school. See her flyer below for the audition lines and additional information. Please email fasttheater@fastk8.org or andrew.hendry@fastk8.org with any questions.

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.

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 lottery application for any new siblings.

Important Reminder:

• All siblings who are not currently enrolled at FAST must apply for the lottery.
• 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

Alpharetta High School will be holding a transition night on 2/4/25 at 6:30pm. They will also be holding a 9th grade transition Q&A on 2/11/25 at 6:30pm. If you are interested in Alpharetta High School for your rising 9th grader, please reach out to them for more information regarding these events.

The International Arts & Culture Festival is a vibrant celebration of the diverse cultures within our FAST community. Our family- and student-driven event will feature cultural booths, exciting performances, delicious food, and a fashion show, all highlighting the unique traditions and talents of FAST families. This is our biggest and most popular PTO event of the school year and is not to be missed!

Important Dates:

• Passports go on sale today! Each student will need a passport to attend. Parents and children under 4 are free with student passport purchase.
• February 3 from 7-8 pm: Online information session will be held on Google Meet.
• February 14: Deadline to sign up for culture booths, performances, and fashion show.
• February 21 from 5-8pm: FAST's International Arts and Culture Festival

How Can You Get Involved?

1. Plan the Event: Join our planning committee to coordinate activities, decorations, and logistics.
2. Perform: Showcase your talent and share your culture through a performance!
3. Host a Culture Booth: Represent your country with a booth featuring music, art, crafts, or food. Each booth comes with a $50 stipend to help with materials. Participation is not limited to countries—families can also represent specific regions or individual states in the U.S.

Volunteers also enjoy special parking and VIP lounge access, complete with dinner.

Whether you have a little or a lot of time to give, your support will make these events unforgettable! Please reach out to ptoevents@fastk8.org with any questions or learn more.

We’ve got something special in store for you—introducing a brand-new Spirit Wear now available for sale!

Order by February 4th to be among the first to proudly wear your new gear. We have short sleeve, long sleeve, sweatshirts and hoodies available for sale. Plus, you can choose from Dri-fit material options in select tees! Items ordered by January 31 will be available in mid-February.

Bonus: Spirit wear can be worn as an everyday uniform option, and exclusive black shirts and hoodies are available only for middle school students. New hats can be worn for outdoor activities at school.

Book your mini photo session with our fantastic business partner and fellow FAST parent!

Feb. 6: Scoliosis screening (6th & 8th grades)

Feb. 7: Application deadline for lottery

Feb. 14: Lottery for 2025-26 admissions

Feb. 14-21: Random Acts of Kindness Week

Feb. 17: Presidents' Day (SCHOOL CLOSED)

Feb. 18: PD Day (STUDENTS OFF)

Feb. 21: International Night

Feb. 28: Out of uniform day

March 3-4: PD Days (STUDENTS OFF)

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.