Fulton Science Academy
ACCREDITED AND STEM CERTIFIED COLLEGE PREP GIFTED SCHOOL
Week of April 26, 2020
Principal's Corner
Dear FSA Community,
I hope that everyone has enjoyed their weekend!
What a month is has been. In the middle of March we could never have expected where we would be today, but I would like to point out the resilience of our FSA community. It was a fast switch into this new world of Cyber School, but I personally feel as though we have all taken it in stride and continue to improve our ways of cyber teaching and learning. I and our teachers and staff continue to receive encouraging messages from our families and students, and I hope that you feel the same. This time has been a true testament of learning how to come together in a time of crisis, and I want to remind everyone that we are here for you. We are all just an email, letter, or phone call away. It has warmed my heart to see many of our teachers sending hand written letters to their students, taking the time to prepare virtual activities and presentations outside of class work to stay engaged with our families, and just keeping up with our families outside of the classroom. We miss you all, terribly. We continue to look forward to the day when we can see all of your smiling faces again and can greet one another with big hugs.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful week!
VIRTUAL SUMMER CAMP OPPORTUNITIES
Click the button below to see the full list of camps with descriptions, dates, prices, requirements, registration links, and more.
LIST OF VIRTUAL CAMPS
- Adventures in Storybooks
- Chess
- College Essay Writing
- Creative Writing
- Globe Trotters Passport Camp
- Java Coding
- Mindfulness, Movement, & Meditation
- SAT | Math & Reading
- Under the Sea S.T.E.A.M. Camp
FIND WHAT YOU WANT | ORDER OF ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE
- Virtual Tours & Admissions Testing for Prospective Families
- Mustang News & What's Vlogging: Apr. 20-24
- First Virtual Athletics Banquet
- Students have Strong Showing at the NATSP Poster Contest
- Highlight | Regional & State Literary Meets for the 2019 - 2020 School Year
- Pennies for Patients Update
- Summer Opportunities with Kids4Coding & The Coder School
ELEMENTARY NEWS
----------1.)Earth Day at FSA!, 2.)VIRTUAL STORYBOOK PARTY | NEW DATES & Readers / SAME TIME & PLACE, 3.) A Visit From a Climate Scientist, 4.)ELEMENTARY TALENT SHOW, 5.)90 Second Film Festival Showcase
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
----------1.) Highlight| 8th Grade Poetry Cafe: A Letter from Ms. Outler, 2.) Middle School Families Yoga Night, 3.) FSA 7TH GRADER JAEDEN B. TO ATTEND NATIONAL FLIGHT ACADEMY, 4.) Classroom Highlights: Creativity in the Classroom
HIGH SCHOOL NEWS
----------1.) First Ever HS Only Talent Show, 2.)CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS: WOMEN IN STEM & Student Art Highlight 3.) Last Week in College Guidance, 4.) Cornell University Suspends ACT/SAT Testing requirement for Applicants Next Year, 5.)Boston University Summer Journalism Institute: Reporting During a Crisis
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
Sincerely,
Kenan Sener
Principal
FSA MISSION & VISION
Mission
To deliver an educational framework designed to achieve the highest academic results and instill enduring strength of character by leveraging innovation and STEAM curriculums for college preparedness and lifelong student success.
Vision
Fulton Science Academy Private School endeavors to be a nationally ranked and recognized school for pre-K through 12th grade, serving advanced and gifted student populations committed to academic success, civic responsibility, global citizenship, and high ethical values within a safe environment that celebrates diversity and is nurtured by the collaborative efforts of its stakeholders and the broader community.
VIRTUAL SCHOOL TOURS & ADMISSION TESTING FOR PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES
Dear Prospective Families,
We would like to inform you that we are now hosting virtual school tours and admission tests for 2020-2021 school year.
This virtual tour will be helpful to prospective families who would like to learn more about Fulton Science Academy Private School, one of the region's fastest growing and most successful private STEAM schools teaching children from pre-k through high school.
During your tour, you can look forward to learning why FSA is an exceptional educational choice for children in the Greater -Atlanta area. Guests can learn about our school's mission and philosophy and why STEAM-based education is gaining favorable attention. Families can also look forward to virtually touring our beautiful campus, learning about our award winning academic teams, and previewing a list of our many extra-curricular programs.
TOUR TIMES:
- Elementary School Tours - Tuesday mornings at 9:30am
- Middle School Tours - Wednesday mornings at 9:30am
- High School Tours - Tuesdays at Noon.
Each tour takes about an hour. To sign up for a virtual tour please visit: http://openhouse.fultonscienceacademy.org
If you have any questions, please contact our Admissions Director, Pam Walsh at pwalsh@fultonscienceacademy.org
Mustang News & What's Vlogging From Last Week | Apr. 20 - 24
This will be MNT’s last week to be on air for this academic year. Please continue to check our newsletters for important dates and reminders and also how you can join the Mustang News Team for next academic year.
Even though MNT will be off the air from next week, continue to follow and share our What’s Vlogging Mustangs, and our Mustang minutes, matters and spotlight over social media. These are short clips that keep you informed on what’s happening at FSA.
Virtual Athletics Banquet | Friday, April 24th via zoom
FSA students show strong presence in national Spanish poster contest
Fulton Science Academy Spanish classes have always had a strong presence in the National Spanish Poster Contest, but this year, only students from our school won in every placement and category! We currently do not have pictures of the work but will display when we do! Congratulations everyone!
The National Spanish Poster Contest is an excellent project for Hispanic Heritage Month and world language celebrations, encourages cross-curriculum collaboration (social studies, art, and technology), verbalizes appreciation for other languages and cultures, promotes creative thinking, celebrates visual learners, celebrates artistic expression, is a great program-advocacy tool, and is an excellent way to engage the enthusiasm of our students.
--------------------PLACEMENTS--------------------
K - 3rd Placements:
- Arjun Airy (2nd grade) - 1st place | Teacher: David Surrett-Lesmes
- Arvin Ram (3rd grade) - 2nd place | Teacher: Paula Sanhueza
- Vera Ee (1st grade) - 3rd place | Teacher: David Surrett-Lesmes
4th - 5th Placements:
- Akhil Akella (4th grade) - 1st place | Teacher: David Surrett-Lesmes
- Shivain Chhatbar (4th grade) - 2nd place | Teacher: David Surrett-Lesmes
6th - 8th Placements:
- Varsha Ram (7th grade) - 1st place | Teacher: Paula Sanhueza
- Deetya Roy (7th grade) - 2nd place | Teacher: Paula Sanhueza
- Ummu Aydin (8th grade) - 3rd place | Teacher: David Surrett-Lesmes
9th - 12th Placements:
- Ashi Jain (10th grade) - 1st place | Teacher: Nadia Carmona
- Eugene Shapoval (10th grade) - 2nd place | Teacher: Nadia Carmona
- Pranavkrishan Suresh (9th grade) - 2nd place Digital Entry | Teacher: Nadia Carmona
- Shivam Jain (10th grade) - 3rd place | Teacher: Nadia Carmona
Highlight | Regional & State Literary Meets
While this year was cut short, we look forward to continuing to compete in literary meets in the future and giving our students the opportunity to grow in their writing abilities. There is no limit on the amazing lives that these students are destined for and we look forward to following them on their journeys of discovery and improvement!
1AA Regional Literary Meets
2019
- First Place - Persuasive/Argumentative Essay
- First Place - Rhetorical Analysis
- Second Place - Narrative Essay
- Second Place - Spelling
2020
- First Place - Rhetorical Analysis
- Second Place - Spelling
- Third Place - Persuasive/Argumentative Essay
1AA State Literary Meets
2019
- Third Place - Persuasive/Argumentative
- Third Place - Spelling
- Fourth Place - Narrative Essay
2020
- This year's meet was cancelled due to Covid-19
FSA Raises Money for Pennies for Patients
Prior to our cyber school days, our students were hard at work to raise funds for Pennies for Patients! This fundraising effort was led by our Elementary Student Council members.
Pennies for Patients works to provide funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Their mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
We are incredibly proud of our students for their BIG hearts and willingness to raise funds for such a great cause. While it was a bit delayed, we have been able to officially determine our final amount raised and send it to the Pennies for Patients campaign!
Our students raised a total of..... drum roll, please....... $4,495.88!
A special shout out to our top 3 grades for raising the highest amounts:
- 4th grade
- 5th grade
- 2nd grade
Our students truly are rockstars!
** We know some of our students were still raising money before we moved to cyber school. Pennies for Patients has agreed to send a second batch of raised funds when we are able to return to school. Hold on to your boxes and raised funds for now and we will collect these at a later date! **
Summer Opportunities | Kids4Coding & The Coder School
ELEMENTARY NEWS
Earth Day at FSA!
On Wednesday, April 22nd we celebrated Earth Day with our students. Teachers worked to plan various lessons centered around the Earth & completed activities related to Earth Day!
Some of these included...
• A lesson on pollution with Freddie the Fish
• Earth Day acrostic poems
• A visit from Dr. Ragen (a climate scientist)
• Class pledges to keep our planet clean and healthy
• Finding ways to spread knowledge about conserving energy or help the Earth
• “Trash to treasure” STEAM challenges (using recycled items to create something new)
& so much more...
VIRTUAL STORYBOOK PARTY | NEW DATES & Readers / SAME TIME & PLACE
A Visit from a climate scientist
Our 3rd grade students had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Ragen, a Climate Scientist from the University of Washington's School of Oceanography. She met our 3rd graders on Zoom and talked with them about what she does, climate and weather, the Earth's energy, and lots of other exciting things! It was a great connection to what our students are currently learning about in Science!
ELEMENTARY TALENT SHOW IS COMING!
On Monday, May 18th we will host a virtual talent show for our elementary students to kick off our last week of school. We always love ending each semester with an opportunity to highlight and celebrate our students and their many talents.
Interested in sharing your talent with your FSA classmates? Here is how...
1. Film your audition video
2. Complete the Elementary Talent Show Auditions Google form
**Submissions due by Wednesday, May 6th
On Friday, May 8th we will be reaching out to all who have auditioned, inform those who have been selected to participate, and share next steps.
We can't wait to celebrate the many talents we have at FSA through Zoom!
ELEMENTARY 90 SECOND FILM FESTIVAL
CLICK THE WIDE PICTURE BELOW TO VIEW THE FESTIVAL ENTRIES
Once you click the link you can "sign-up with Google" so you do not have to sign up for an account and view it in Full Screen.
middle school news
Highlight| 8th Grade Poetry Cafe: A Letter from Ms. Outler
Each Spring, 8th graders write original poetry and perform in a "café" setting for their teachers and peers. I'm always amazed by what comes from this project. Students create artwork to accompany their poems; it's a time for the quiet, artistic students to "have a moment."
This year, our annual Poetry Café happened to fall on what would be the last day of the 2019-2020 school year. I'm grateful to have these memories of my students bravely performing deeply personal work.
Had I known this was going to be our last day, I would have hugged them all and thanked them for their vulnerability. I miss you, 8th grade!
Love, Ms. Outler
Middle School Families Yoga Night
FSA 7TH GRADER JAEDEN B. TO ATTEND NATIONAL FLIGHT ACADEMY
Congratulations Jaeden! We are so proud of you and excited about your next adventure!
CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS
MS. ROGERS: "From one of my 7th grader's Much Ado About Nothing projects. So thoughtful!"
"Henry Finck once stated that 'love is such a tissue of paradoxes, and exists in such an endless variety of forms and shades that you may want to say anything about it that you please, and it is likely to be correct'. What he meant by this is that love is so expansive and relative and can never be truly represented by a definition or label. He went on to say in his recorded speech that love is so 'special and unique' to each couple that to "assign a definition" to love would be to "defeat the purpose."
Another one of Ms. Rogers' students, Nora E., created a double sided mask reflecting the appearance vs reality of a character from Much Ado About Nothing!
8th grade has been working on Presidential board games in Ms. Baran's class since spring break! If we were in school, they’d be playing each other’s but since we are doing cyber school, Ms. Baran encouraged them to play with their families over this weekend!
high school news
JOIN US FOR OUR FIRST EVER VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL TALENT SHOW | submissions due by may 14th
May 21st. That’s the date for the first ever high school only talent show and it will be virtual! Be creative with whatever talent you want to share, however there is a time restriction of no more than 5 minutes.
Deadline to submit is May 14th It’s a great chance to have some fun and win some cash : 1st place - $50, 2nd - $40, 3rd- $30
Submissions must be sent at least a week prior to the talent show so that we can plan accordingly. Submit by May 14th.
On the day of the talent show, we will air the submissions beginning at 10 AM, followed by voting. Winners will be selected based on YOUR votes.
CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS
WOMEN IN STEM
Highlights from the first round of Women in STEM presentations in World Lit: Sophia presented Neri Oxman, a professor at MIT who creates biological architecture. In the photo below, the center photo is of a structure she made by placing silk worms in a template, effectively making them function as a 3D printer. The photo of the quotation was from Sanika's presentation. She presented Missy Cummings, a professor at Duke and former fighter pilot, and the quotation was from an actual interview Sanika conducted with Missy.High School students complete a extra credit project for fun where they converted a scene from Night into the style of the graphic novel Maus.
Last Week in College Guidance
In an effort to provide our students with the real world experience of the careers, colleges and social awareness, we have a Professional Speaker address our students during College Prep time. The series include: Professionals from different career fields, University Admission Directors and Non profit organization experts. The experts share their experience in the industry, the path they took to reach their career, college admission process, and how to create the social impact.
TUESDAY GUEST SPEAKER
Umama Kibria, an entrepreneur that started a successful fitness company. She was recently nominated for Forbes 30 Under 30 leaders in sports.
WEDNESDAY GUEST SPEAKER
Charles Orgbon, Jr., special agent of the FBI who spoke to our students about what it takes to join the FBI and what that process looks like.
Cornell University suspends ACT/SAT testing requirement for applicants next year
"The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the cancellation of many SAT and ACT administrations. We recognize that due to this extraordinary circumstance, it may not be possible for all applicants seeking to enroll in the Class of 2025 to take the appropriate standardized tests usually required as part of the application process. Therefore, students seeking to enroll at Cornell University beginning in August 2021 can submit their applications without including the results from ACT or SAT exams. This will be true for both the Early Decision and Regular Decision rounds of review.
For all applicants and colleges
Standardized test results are a valuable indicator of preparation for college-level work. Cornell overall is not adopting a “test-optional admission” policy, but rather providing a relief for applicants who will not have had enough opportunities during 2020 to prepare for and to take either exam because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Applicants for the Class of 2025 who choose to apply without submitting test results may be required to provide additional evidence of continuing preparation, including grade reports from current senior year enrollment, following submission of their initial application.
Students who will have had reasonable and uninterrupted opportunities to take the ACT and/or SAT administrations during 2020 should plan to do so. In Cornell’s review during the 2020-2021 application cycle, results from the ACT or SAT might still be a meaningful differentiator in particular for students who:
- live near or attend a school that will be open, and where testing will be offered, or who live near a testing center that will be offering more testing seats or dates than they did in 2019; and
- have not experienced COVID-19-related personal economic hardship (i.e. lost income for one or more of their household providers) or serious illness or death among close family members.
Neither of these two criteria can be pre-defined in absolute terms. Our intent is to partner with applicants and their advocates to ensure that our interpretation of individual applicants’ circumstances is reasonable and well-informed.
Ivy League athletics
Applicants who anticipate participating on one or more of Cornell’s 37 varsity teams must continue to align their activity with Ivy League policy, which currently requires test submissions.
Online testing
Cornell is unable to analyze at this time proposals from ACT and the College Board for offering expanded at-home and other online testing during 2020. While we affirm each of the test-makers’ qualifications, research, and intentions, this method of testing can’t yet be validated as an indicator of college success during the upcoming cycle. Also, though we again credit the efforts the agencies will undertake, it seems likely that differences in access to technology and timing may mean some students could have less access to these online testing opportunities than others. Applicants who might choose to undertake any of these options during the months between September and December should submit the results if they’re an accurate reflection of their preparation.
For a complete description of this policy and further details, please see the official announcement on our admissions page."
Sincerely,
Shawn L. Felton
Director of Undergraduate Admissions
Cornell University
Boston University Summer Journalism Institute: Reporting During a Crisis
Boston University made a difficult decision to suspend all in-person summer programming on campus to keep students and staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our hearts were saddened by the thought of not teaching journalism to high school students this summer. Then, we thought: if journalists can keep reporting, then, why can't we?
With the help of Zoom and other technology, we decided to offer our Boston University Summer Journalism Institute as an online non-credit course. Students will still have the opportunity to:
- Work with award-winning journalists, such as Pulitzer Prize winners (and BU alumna) Lara Salahi and Rochelle Sharpe, who show them how to follow facts and get to the heart of stories affecting communities
- Hear from guest speakers in the field while learning important journalism tips when covering a crisis
- Connect with students in different parts of the world and time zones
- Have at least one article published to our Terrier website to showcase their work
Our photojournalism session, taught by veteran photojournalist and COM professor Stephen Haines, will also be online. Haines worked as a staff photographer, assignment, and photo editor for the Boston Globe. In this special session, he will help students sharpen their camera skills to teach them the basics of visual storytelling.
New Dates and a New Time:
Now that we switched over to an online format, the program tuition was reduced to $1,200. We also have changed the dates of our sessions to the following:
- Session 1a: July 6 to July 17
- Session 1b: July 6 to July 17 (Photojournalism)
- Session 2: July 20 to July 31
Our online classes will start at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time (9:30 a.m. Pacific Time) to accommodate our students in different time zones. We will also record the sessions to make them available to students who may need to see them at a later time.
If your student is ready for a challenge and ready to get a taste of reporting during a crisis, encourage them to learn more by visiting our website, and apply soon, as spots are limited. The final deadline for submitting an application for admission is June 1, 2020.
Best,
Jenifer McKim
Academic Advisor
Ermolande Jean-Simon
Student Program Manager
Easy Supply List
Need a top up on your child’s school supplies but don’t have the time to run to the store? Here’s an option from one of FSA’s newest partners and it’s as easy as 123… just …
SEARCH: Go to www.easysupplylist.com and search for the school supply bundle you need.
BUY: Click on the item to checkout.
RECEIVE: Receive your package at school. NO Delays. NO needed follow-ups.
That’s how easy it is to get your school supplies. While it is a great service to use at the start of the school year, it is not limited to that time frame. Not only are you getting a tailor made service but you are also doing a good deed and giving back to FSA and another worthy cause with your purchase. As a percentage of sales will be donated back to FSA annually and The Joshua Bembo Project. A cause that supports research to fund inoperable brain tumors, www.joshuabembo.com / www.gcregistry.com
FSA Sideline Store
20% off $100 orders only applies to select product on BSN SPORTS Sideline Store.
Exclusions apply. Offer valid while supplies last.
The FSA Sideline Online Store allows the user to select the item, color, logo, and team whether it be academic or athletic; even different sayings! The possibilities are endless! There is everything from cotton shirts to Dri-Fit Nike or UA workout shirts and so much more! Get the perfect item to rep FSA whether outside of school or for Spirit Days!
CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR SIDELINE STORE
SMART TUITION
FSAPS Tuition Information: http://fultonscienceacademy.org/tuition-information/
Smart Tuition is the tuition management system used by FSA. In addition to tuition, all incidental billing such as aftercare fees, sports and academic team fees, trips, etc., is also done through Smart Tuition. There is a $50 yearly fee for Smart Tuition.
If you have not set up your account or are having trouble setting up your account, please contact our Business Administrator Abdurrahim Kurt by phone or email.
Phone: (678) 366 - 2555 ext. 105
PLEASE SIGN UP FOR REMIND, OUR SCHOOL NOTIFICATION APPlication
JOIN FSAPS REMIND HERE: https://www.remind.com/join/fsaps
We have created a remind account to keep our community informed and up-to-date with what is happening at our school.
By joining "FSAPS remind," you will receive messages via push notifications, SMS, or e-mail. We recommend SMS option for our families and students.
We will use this tool as an addition to other communication portals we use at our school to keep our families apprised of what's happening at Fulton Science Academy. Thank you.
FSA SOCIAL MEDIA
Please connect with us online and grow our social media following!
FSA is proud to be building a strong social media presence and we encourage you to follow us using one or more of the following links:
1- FSA YOUTUBE CHANNEL
https://www.youtube.com/user/FultonScienceAcademy
If you subscribe to our YouTube channel, you will receive notifications whenever we upload a new video.
2- FSA FACEBOOK PAGE
https://www.facebook.com/FultonScienceAcademyPrivateSchool/
Many of you already follow our Facebook page. If you are not yet connected, please “Like" our Facebook page.
3- FSA INSTAGRAM
https://www.instagram.com/fultonscienceacademy/
We post lots of pictures on our Instagram account. You will enjoy seeing new pictures every day.
4- FSA LINKEDIN
https://www.linkedin.com/company/fulton-science-academy-private-school
So many of you have LinkedIn accounts. To get news about our school on LinkedIn, simply follow our schools’s LinkedIn page.
5 –FSA TWITTER
https://twitter.com/fsaprivate
Twitter is a great way to get updated about school. Simply follow our school on Twitter to get recent tweets from our school.
Fulton Science Academy Private School
Serving Advanced and Gifted Students
Pre-K through High School
Email: ksener@fultonscienceacademy.org
Website: www.fultonscienceacademy.org
Location: 3035 Fanfare Way, GA, United States
Phone: (678) 366-2555
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FultonScienceAcademyPrivateSchool
Twitter: @fsaprivate