The FAST Flyer

Dear FAST Families,

As we navigate the evolving landscape of technology and its effects on our children, I wanted to address an increasingly important issue: the impact of phones and social media on teenagers and the rising anxiety levels associated with their use.

In our digital age, smartphones and social media platforms have become integral to the daily lives of many teenagers. While these tools offer numerous benefits, such as enhanced communication and access to information, there is growing concern about their negative effects on mental health. Research and observations suggest that excessive use of phones and social media can significantly contribute to anxiety and stress among teens. Here’s how:

1. Social Comparison and Self-Esteem

Social media often presents idealized versions of life, leading teens to compare their own experiences and appearances unfavorably against those of others. This can undermine self-esteem and lead to feelings of inadequacy and anxiety.

2. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

The constant exposure to others' activities and social events on social media can heighten the fear of missing out. This feeling of exclusion can lead to increased stress and anxiety, as teens worry about not being part of popular trends or events.

3. Cyberbullying and Online Harassment

The anonymity of the internet can sometimes lead to cyberbullying and online harassment, which can be profoundly damaging. Such negative interactions can contribute to heightened anxiety, depression, and a sense of insecurity among teens.

4. Sleep Disruption

The use of phones, particularly before bedtime, can interfere with sleep patterns due to blue light exposure. Poor sleep quality is closely linked to increased anxiety and emotional stress, impacting overall well-being.

5. Addictive Behaviors

Many social media platforms are designed to be highly engaging and addictive. The constant need to check notifications and updates can lead to compulsive usage, which disrupts daily routines and exacerbates feelings of anxiety.

6. Reduced Face-to-Face Social Skills

Heavy reliance on digital communication can hinder the development of important face-to-face social skills. Teens may find real-world interactions more challenging and anxiety-inducing as a result.

7. Pressure to Maintain Online Personas

The pressure to curate and maintain a perfect online image can be overwhelming. Teens may feel anxious about their online presence and the expectations it carries, which can add to their overall stress.

8. Exposure to Distressing Content

Frequent exposure to distressing or negative content on social media can increase anxiety and contribute to a heightened sense of worry or helplessness.

What Can We Do?

As parents and guardians, there are several steps you can take to support your teen’s mental health:

• Set Boundaries: Establish clear rules regarding screen time and social media usage. Encourage breaks and offline activities.

• Promote Open Communication: Create an environment where your teen feels comfortable discussing their online experiences and any concerns they may have.

• Encourage Real-World Connections: Support your teen in developing and maintaining face-to-face relationships and participating in offline activities.

• Educate About Digital Literacy: Help your teen understand the curated nature of social media and the importance of privacy and online safety.

• Monitor and Support: Keep an eye on your teen’s social media interactions and be proactive in addressing any signs of distress or negative behavior.

By working together, we can help our teens navigate the digital world in a way that supports their mental health and overall well-being. If you have any concerns or need further guidance, please feel free to reach out.

In Partnership,

Mary H Miller, MA. Ed.

Principal

As we strive to make our carpool process as smooth and efficient as possible,we want to remind everyone of the importance of following the established carpool procedures. Your cooperation is essential in ensuring that all our students get home safely and promptly.

Please remember the following guidelines:

1. Follow All Staff Directions: Our team works hard to manage carpool effectively and safely. Please follow their directions at all times. Their goal is to keep the line moving and to prevent unnecessary delays while adhering to safety procedures.

2. Stay in Your Car: For everyone's safety and to keep the line moving, please remain in your car during carpool. Our staff is here to assist, and they will ensure that your child reaches you safely.

3. Talk to Your Child About Their Role: Many carpool delays occur because students are not paying attention to the dismissal board whether it is because they are talking with friends, playing, or possibly even in the restroom. Sometimes they are already outside but not looking for their car. Please discuss with your child the importance of being ready and attentive when their name is called.

It's crucial to understand that we cannot hold up hundreds of cars in the carpool line for a single student. If your child is not in the carpool area to load when you pull up, we will ask you to pull around to the holding area. We ask that you do so promptly. This allows us to keep the line moving and prevents traffic jams on the surrounding streets. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated. By working together, we can ensure that our carpool process is safe, efficient, and stress-free for everyone.

Monday’s unexpected emergency on campus that required the immediate dismissal of all students was a good reminder of the importance of having up-to-date emergency contact information for all students. In situations like these, it's crucial that we can reach you quickly and efficiently to ensure the safety and well-being of your child.

Please take a moment to log in to the Infinite Campus parent portal and verify that all contact details are current. This includes phone numbers, email addresses, and any alternate contacts. Having this information readily available allows us to communicate with you promptly during any emergency.

If you will have someone other than yourself sign your child out of school, please be sure that you add them as an emergency contact in Infinite Campus. Additionally, if you have any pick up restrictions, please be sure that we are aware of them.

If you are not receiving emails or text messages from FAST, please reach out to marie.emerson@fastk8.org. If you are not receiving our communications, it is possible that you have opted out or unsubscribed from either FAST or another FCS school as we use the same communication platform.

On Monday, we began MAP assessments for elementary students. We encountered network issues that prevented testing for middle school that day. The following day, we faced another challenge as many devices were not charged, a result of the abrupt campus evacuation during the fire incident. We have adjusted our testing schedule and should be finished with all testing and makeup testing by early next week.

Please note that these tests are not about passing or failing, instead they are used as a tool to help identify strengths and gaps to ensure students academic needs are being met.

Our annual curriculum night is scheduled for Wednesday, August 28 at 5pm. This event will be held in person at FAST for all grades. Overflow parking will be available across the street.

Please do not bring your children to this event as space is limited. Keep in mind that this is not intended to be parent-teacher conferences or the time to discuss specific concerns about your child. You are welcome to reach out to your child's teacher directly to schedule a meeting if necessary.

As a reminder, our communication process is designed to ensure that your concerns are directed to the appropriate team members so that they can be addressed promptly and efficiently. It is also important that you read the emails we send as they contain important information about things happening at FAST.

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

TRANSPORTATION CHANGES: If your child’s transportation arrangements need to change for the day, please notify both your child's homeroom teacher and Ms. Cadogan at gail.cadogan@fastk8.org by no later than 11:30am.

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. They are the best resource to explain classroom content, assignments, and expectations. 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.)

We understand that occasionally students who take the bus will go home via carpool, or students who are in ASP will go home by bus, etc. It is critical that we know of any changes to your student's dismissal. 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). Please be sure to email them as early in the day as possible as many teachers are not able to check their email throughout the day. It is imperative that we know about these changes to ensure students are where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there. This is a matter of student safety.

Per our charter, all students who attend FAST must reside within the Fulton County School district (FCS). Residency is verified at various points of enrollment. If your student will be in 6th grade in the 2024-25 school year, we will require verification that you still reside within the FCS district. You may find a list of acceptable documents on the FCS website: https://www.fultonschools.org/Page/660

Documents should be emailed to alexandra.hernandez@fastk8.org. If you are not able to provide the necessary documents, please contact Ms. Hernandez as soon as possible.

Georgia Certificate of Immunization Form 3231 is required for all students registered for school. In order to ensure that these are up to date, parents/guardians of 7th grade students must provide a current 3231 form for their student. We will require this information by no later than September 30. Please email completed forms to: alexandra.hernandez@fastk8.org.

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.

As a reminder, FAST does not have a kitchen for school lunch. All students are expected to bring their lunch (and snack as needed) or you may order lunch through Ordo at ordo.com. Lunch orders must be placed by no later than Friday night for the following week.

• FAST is a nut-free school. Please do not send any foods that contain nut products with your student.
• Please adhere to any additional food restrictions you may hear from your child's teacher due to allergies.

• All food sent to school should be ready-to-eat. Staff will not be able to heat food for students.
• Students should not be receiving food deliveries at school from anywhere other than Ordo. Please do not order UberEats, DoorDash, etc. to be delivered to your child.

Morning carpool begins at 7:05am. Please do not drop students off before carpool as begun. This is for student safety.

Students must be in homeroom by 7:40am each day. After 7:40, they are considered tardy. 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.

If students are late because the bus is in running late, they will not be marked tardy.

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.

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.

Due to a Membership Toolkit Error with the update of the 2024-2025 class lists, not all parents received the newsletter. If you did not receive the newsletter please follow the process below.

The FAST PTO uses Membership Toolkit for our directory, event registrations and online sales throughout the year.

At the beginning of each year, it is important that all parents update their information to continue to receive PTO communications.

IF YOU ARE RETURNING TO FAST, please log into Membership Toolkit to update your family contact info:

• Go to https://fastk8pto.membershiptoolkit.com/
• Click on the "Login" button.
• Click "My Account"
• Update your Parent and Student Information
• Once complete, you will be presented with forms for PTO Back to School Packet. This packet includes information on joining the PTO, spirit wear order forms, volunteer opportunities and more!
• Download the Membership Toolkit app on your apple or android device for quick access anytime!

IF YOU ARE NEW TO FAST, please create a free Membership Toolkit account by following these steps:

• Go to https://fastk8pto.membershiptoolkit.com/
• Select "Create Account" and enter the name, email, and password information.
• Click "Verify My Email" and then check your email for a link to complete the process. The link expires in 2 hours. If you do not receive the email, check your spam or junk folders.
• Once you have verified your email address, log back in and finish the registration process.
  • Complete the Parent/Family and Student Information.
  • Complete the Directory/Publish Preferences.
  • Once these forms are complete, you will be presented with forms for PTO Back to School Packet. This packet includes information on joining the PTO, spirit wear order forms, volunteer opportunities, and more!
• Download the Membership Toolkit app on your apple or android device for quick access anytime!

Questions? - If your 2024-2025 membership is not correct or you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at pto@fastk8.org

Our PTO Membership Drive has started for the 2024-2025 school year! Please join us in making a difference in our FAST school community. By becoming a member of the PTO, you can become an important part of supporting our school. PTO memberships raise funds that support FAST students and staff. This includes programs like field day, our learning garden, school assemblies, teacher grants, staff appreciation events, and more! This annual membership drive is our main fundraiser for the school year.

The FAST Family PTO is a non-profit organization, composed of volunteers, focused on supporting the educational experience of all FAST students.

The second round of Spirit Wear is now on sale! The sale ends TODAY August 24. Spirit Wear will be distributed two weeks AFTER the sale ends in the student's homeroom classroom!

The new school year is quickly approaching and we need a few great volunteers! Please reach out by contacting pto@fastk8.org to find out more.

What's a PTO volunteer? ANYONE who can help out within their capacity. We are looking for parents who can lead projects to parents that can volunteer an hour here or there. There is something for everyone!

Why volunteer? You are providing valuable support and building the FAST community! Be a positive impact to our school by clicking below to learn more.

August 28: Curriculum Night

August 30: Out of uniform day

Sept. 2: Labor Day (SCHOOL CLOSED)

Sept. 3-4: Professional Development (STUDENTS OFF)

Sept. 24: Town Hall with Ms. Miller

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.

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.