The FAST Flyer
The View from Above, Vol. 4 Issue 20
Jan. 29, 2022
PRINCIPAL'S PERSPECTIVE
Dear Parents,
Growing up, many of my first memories were of my sister who was a year younger than me. She grew normally until about the age of one when her mental development suddenly came to a halt. Eventually, it was determined that my sister was mentally retarded which is not a label used anymore. As her big brother, I did not pay attention to her wild temper tantrums or her erratic behaviors. She was my first playmate who I spun endlessly on the tire swing. But, there were other memories as well such as watching the anguish of my father chasing off neighborhood children who were feeding her grass through the backyard fence. When my parents realized that they could only do so much (there were no public education options at that time), they made the one of the hardest decisions of their lives. Using the meager funds they had, they placed her in the hands of the staff of a wonderful home for developmentally disabled children where she began to progress, finally uttering her first words at the age of five. My parents had prepared me for the day that she would move to Angel's Haven. As a five year old, I did not know what that meant until I walked into my home that afternoon and heard silence for the first time in my life. My sister with all of her frenzied energy was no longer there and the impact formed what is still one of my strongest memories. Every Sunday, we would pack up the car to spend the day with her. I would remember people laughing at her eccentricities and I would be both angry and embarrassed at the same time. I grew used to hearing the kids at school calling each other "retarded" as if there was something wrong with that person. I stopped trying to correct them and just kept the pain locked up inside of me. To this day, I struggle with controlling my reaction when witnessing students being intentionally hurtful to each other. It stirs up memories of my sister that are hidden inside me.
There is a concept called the iceberg theory. Icebergs are floating ice masses. Only about ten percent of the iceberg is visible, while the other 90 percent remains hidden below the surface. The iceberg becomes a metaphor for many of the people who pass through our lives. We only see the surface image of that person, under which are hidden deeper feelings that are only revealed or apparent to those who are closest to him/her. Each of us tries to mask feelings, emotions, and beliefs...worried about how others might judge us. It is easier to hide your thoughts beneath the waters than risk rejection. As parents and teachers, it is a powerful visual that can be used to not always immediately react to our children's behaviors before evaluating what might be really going on below the surface. When babies cry, we try not to react to the screams until we analyze what they don't have the words to share: I hurt, I'm hungry, I'm tired, I want to be held. We're so good at this type of assessment when they are young and then forget to apply those same analytical skills as they get older.
This coming week, our student leaders have developed a series of activities focused on the dangers of name calling. Each child carries inside them the fear of being targeted as being different because of the way they look, their dietary practices, their tics, their preferences, or their religious identity; which is why the focus on the dangers of name calling have to be addressed. We don't know what hurt is being inflicted unless we look deeper. I know at least one kid, pained by hearing the word retarded used in offensive manners, that could have benefited from such a school program.
Sincerely,
Stan Beiner
Fulton Academy of Science and Technology
Principal
COVID UPDATES
COVID REPORTING
If your child falls sick, please contact the nurse at victoria.murray@fastk8.org and the principal at stan.beiner@fastk8.org so they can help you with a plan for return.
Also, contact the school if your child is coming off of quarantine to verify the return date.
PRINCIPAL ANNOUNCEMENT
This week, the FAST Governing Board announced that Dr. Kay Williams will assume the role of principal upon Mr. Beiner’s retirement effective July 1, 2022. Mr. Beiner will be sorely missed, but we are excited to see what the future holds and look forward to a smooth transition. If you haven’t already seen it, you can find a welcome letter from Dr. Williams HERE.
Lottery for the 2022-23 School Year
Lottery applications are open until February 3. ALL siblings who do not currently attend FAST this year but would like to attend FAST next year MUST apply for the lottery. Siblings are not guaranteed a spot at FAST and must enter the lottery in the event that we have more siblings than available seats. We will attempt to ensure that all families with a sibling who will enter FAST next year follow the process correctly, but it is up to the parents to enter their child in the lottery. Currently enrolled students DO NOT need to enter the lottery.
If you know anyone who is interested in attending FAST, please let them know that the lottery is open and now is the time to submit their application! Applications can be found on the FAST website.
HAPPENINGS
No Name Calling Week
Spelling Bee
A heartfelt & a massive shout-out to our very own marvelous FAST contestants who both did splendidly well over this weekend at the Fulton County Spelling Bee!! Both of our FAST students advanced so far into the contest, that we were inches away from succeeding into making it to the GA Regionals. At FAST, we couldn't be any prouder of our dedicated & diligent contestants, as they had worked tirelessly over the last few months learning & memorizing both the spelling & vocabulary definitions.
We sincerely appreciate your perseverance, efforts, as well as your courage, since you were not intimidated by the vast number of contestants representing Fulton County Schools!
- Tanay Dugyala (5th Grade) proudly represented FAST elementary school.
- Tejas Bhardwaj (7th Grade) proudly represented FAST middle school.
After School Clubs
After school enrichment clubs are scheduled to start the week of February 7. You can find the club information on the FAST website at: http://www.fastk8.org/after-school-vendor-clubs/
Basketball
Parent Information Sessions
Over the past few weeks, we have hosted several informational sessions for our parents. If you were unable to attend them, you can watch the recordings. Please find the links below for each of the sessions.
Parent U: Mental Health/Suicide Awareness: https://youtu.be/p2xetvvIidc
Parent U: Standardized testing can be watched HERE (Passcode: q#Xk1Z2*) The slide show can be found on our website
High School Information Session: https://youtu.be/bi9WjOhRR_Y
NOTE TO PARENTS WHO ATTENDED THE STANDARDIZED TESTING SESSION: We have since learned that the lexile scores that were typically reported to parents no longer appear on the test report. Parents have to ask their teacher or AP for that information which is still collected.
Centennial
REMINDERS
Student Lunch
We appreciate the parents who have complied with our request that student lunches not be dropped off during the day. Please be aware that if a delivery arrives for a student through UberEats, DoorDash, or any other food delivery service they will be turned away. Students should be sent to school with their lunch or have their lunch ordered through Atlanta Lunch Co. It is important that we limit visitors on campus for safety reasons.
Edgenuity
Edgenuity is a program that FAST is using to identify and mitigate learning gaps. In order for it to be effective, students must use the program consistently. They should be doing at least 30 minutes per week of each math and reading.
To incentivize students, we are offering class rewards! For classes that average 120 minutes over two weeks, they will receive an extra recess. The second time they hit the two week average of 120 minutes, they will get a pizza party. And the third time they will get a bonus dress down day. Please encourage your students to spend some time on Edgenuity.
Lost & Found
It is that time again when we clean out the lost and found. We have moved lost and found to the Student Hall for ease of access for students. Please ask your students to stop by to claim any of their belongings. Any items that remain unclaimed by February 1st, will be donated. In addition to the various size FAST fleece jackets, here are pictures of some other unclaimed items.
Water Bottles
Yearbooks
SPOTLIGHT ON
The Collie Club
The Collie Club has been formed by a group of 5th graders as part of Genius Hour with the purpose of making people aware of endangered species. Here is their note to the FAST community:
We are a group of nature enthusiasts who want to make a difference. All of us are willing to work hard to leave an impact on our world. So many endangered animals have been lost to pollution, climate change, and -us. Human carelessness and the mistreatment of the ecosystem have affected all of us, including animals. One of the species that is critically endangered is the Vaquita. The Vaquita is now a rare animal due to illegal fishing and the use of gillnets. Our group and hundreds of others around the world are working to get 500,000 signatures. It might seem like a lot, but with your support, we can get there. As well as all this, we will be coming to classrooms around the school to educate other students. Please sign the petition and donate if you can. https://www.change.org/p/save-mexico-s-vaquita-porpoise-from-imminent-extinction
Sincerely,
The Collie Club: Navya, Amelia, Samhita, Kuvira, Brynn, Mahati, Suhana, & Vayda Jane
Atlanta Lunch Co. Menu
PTO Social
We've decided to turn our monthly PTO Board meeting into something a little more fun...we invite you to join us on Sunday, January 30! RSVP here: http://evite.me/13BFkTQrz1
SNACK ATTACK!
Help us show a little extra love to our FAST Teachers & Staff by helping to stock the teacher's lounge.
Donations can be dropped off at the front office during school hours or placed in the gray collection bin outside the front office anytime.
Please sign up HERE.
Join us for some family FUN!
We will play a fast-paced trivia game hosted by our very own Assistant Principal, Ms. Miller, with questions about winter and the winter Olympics! Friday, Feb. 4. 6:30-7:30pm
Door Prizes and special Amazon Gift Card Prizes for the top 3 trivia winners. You don't want to miss this family FUN event!
Head over to the PTO Store to Register.
You can purchase extra treats for FAST Staff too! yum!
Our teachers need a break!
FAST is looking for parent volunteers per month to help with morning carpool. You can drop off your child(ren) at 7:00a.m and then help get students out of cars from 7:05 - 7:50am.
These volunteers will allow our teachers & staff a bit of much needed extra time to prepare for the school day.
If interested, please contact PTO@fastk8.org and let us know your availability.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Jan. 30: PTO Social (2pm)
- Feb. 3: Lottery closes
- Feb. 4: Family Trivia Night (Virtual)
- Feb. 11: Lottery draw
- Feb. 17: Middle School Info Session for 5th Grade Parents
- Feb. 18: Teacher Work Day
- Feb. 21: Presidents' Day (No School)
THE LATEST FROM FULTON COUNTY SCHOOLS
FAST
Fulton County Schools
GA Charter Schools Association
FULTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
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.