The FAST Flyer
The View from Above, Vol. 4 Issue 26
March 12, 2022
PRINCIPAL'S PERSPECTIVE
Dear Parents,
With so many children struggling as a result of the pandemic, you can lose sight of the big picture. There is a tendency to focus on being reactive rather than being proactive. In part, that’s because as adults, we are struggling too.
The African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” has never resonated more clearly to me as an educator. For children to become balanced and resilient, they need more than just their parents. They need to have other trusted adults in their lives as well. And more than ever, parents and educators must see each other as partners in managing the challenges that kids are facing.
If you think back to your formative years, there is most likely a teacher who recognized you were struggling and helped you along the way OR a favorite aunt that you could confess your greatest fears OR a camp counselor that helped you begin to believe in yourself. And they made a difference in your life. Those connections just tended to happen. Times have changed and we need to be more purposeful in throwing out as many lifelines as possible.
A trusted adult is someone a child can talk to about anything. Just knowing there is such an individual in a young person’s life can make a big difference. As they grow up, children have to maneuver through bullying, friend drama, struggling grades, and self doubt. They can really lose their way and that can be dangerous.
As we began looking for answers on the school level, it became clear that we would need to help students identify who their trusted adults might be- people they could turn to without being judged. While we thought we had come up with a brilliant conclusion, searches on the internet proved that this idea is being talked about in many quarters and there are resources to access on the subject.
To get a baseline, we did a survey and asked middle schoolers to identify at least one adult that they could go to with their problems. 20% responded that they could not think of someone; this has become a starting point for helping them find that person they can trust.
We also have done training with our staff on what it means to be a trusted adult. The ABCs to this are: You have to be accessible to a child when they approach you with a problem they are having. You have to have boundaries and know when to reach out to professionally trained therapists and counselors. And you have to be caring. Listen more, speak less.
As parents, you have a key role to play in assisting your child in identifying someone that they would feel comfortable going to with a problem. Helping a young person learn to ask for help could be one of the most important things you ever do for your kid.
Yes, it takes a village to raise a child but sometimes we have to first build that village together-parents, educators, family, and friends.
Sincerely,
Stan Beiner
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.
HAPPENINGS
Innovation Showcase-Tech Companies and Start Up Connections Needed!
Did you know that more than a hundred FAST students are participating in the Innovation Showcase?! FAST prides itself on offering an Innovation curriculum that allows students to learn through doing and apply what they have learned to projects that are meaningful to them in Genius Hour.
We would love to offer a VIP tour of the Showcase to anyone in a tech company or start up who may be inspired by our students’ innovation. If you work in the field, we would appreciate you putting us in touch with anyone at your business that we can invite.
All students will be scheduled to attend the Showcase and parents are not just welcome to attend, but encouraged to attend. We hope you’ll stop by to see all the projects they have been working on.
Teachers of the Year
Congratulations to FAST teachers of the year! Ms. Cindy Holcombe (2nd grade) was selected Elementary Teacher of the Year and Mr. Kevin McKinley (6th grade) was selected Middle School Teacher of the year. Business Manager, Ron Rhodes, was chosen as staff professional of the year. We appreciate all of their hard work every day!
Mr. Rhodes was surprised and delighted to win!
Our ToTYs!
Kindergarten Team Congratulating Ms. Holcombe
Atlanta Science Festival
From: Laryn Russell, FAST 8th Grader and ASF Youth Ambassador
The Atlanta Science Festival (ASF) is taking place now through March 26th, 2022. It's Atlanta's biggest family science and tech fair and is sponsored by Science ATL. Everyone is welcome! There are over 100 free hands-on workshops and interactive events to participate in at GA Tech, Emory, Fernbank, and more. . Experience cutting-edge technology in the Internet of Things, robotics, gaming, healthcare, and entertainment exhibits,
March 15, 2022. Tuesday, -6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
https://atlantasciencefestival.org/events-2022/208-12th-annual-ssef-steam-showcase/
CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE!!!! for more information and to register for other ASF events use the link below.
Read Across America Winners
Middle School classes were given the challenge of creating door decorations inspired by books. They took it seriously enough that when some of them saw how other doors shaped up, they went back to the designing board to up their game. The result was a great collection of imaginative portals.
Door Decorating Contest
Ms. Rooke - 1st place
Ms. Quraishy - 2nd place
Mr. Xia - 3rd place
Ms. Henney - Honorable Mention
Costume Contest
Students in grades K-5 dressed up as their favorite books or book characters to celebrate Read Across America Week. And…we had the return of parents to watch the parade marching by.
The winners are:
Most Creative:
Semilore Akinsole: Made a whole book!
Honorable Mention -Siddharth Balaji (2nd grade): Billy Locator
Most Humorous
Mithra Vijay (1st grade): Pinkalicious Garbage
Honorable Mention -Raymond Houston (Kindergarten): Caterpillar
Best Overall
Shubi Bangwal (3rd grade): Fancy Nancy
Best Book Entry
Avia Nandipati (1st grade): Mary Poppins
Avantika Kannan (1st grade): Purple People
Ira Joshi (Kindergarten): Bee
Honorable Mention -Casey Lee (5th grade): 100 Deadliest
Honorable Mention - Aanshi Patel (1st): Rainbow Fish
RISING 9TH GRADERS
Innovation Academy Information Night
Milton High School
The theater department is holding auditions for the advanced drama and cirque programs.
If you are interested, please register here: Milton Theatre Audition Application - 2022/23 (google.com)
Advanced Drama auditions are Tuesday March 15th
Advanced Drama auditions are individual so please email Mr. Smith, one of the directors to setup a time slot : SmithL4@fultonschools.org
Cirque auditions on Wednesday March 30th and Thursday March 31st
Any family that missed the info meeting, can request the materials by emailing miltontheatre@gmail.com
REMINDERS
FAST Hoodies
Yearbooks - Order Yours Today!
If you would like to order a yearbook, the store is open at Balfour.com, search for Fulton Academy of Science and Technology. Order details can be found HERE. Yearbooks can be ordered through April 15, 2022.
Milestones & EOC
Atlanta Lunch Co. Menu
Calling all FAST community partners & business owners!
We are looking for Silent Auction and Raffle Item donations for our upcoming FAST Art Festival & Family Night on Friday, May 6, 2022.
Proceeds from your donations and the event will support the Art & Music programs at FAST.
Please fill out this form to donate to our Silent Auction.
Save the Date!
FAST 4th grader, Lillian’s annual birthday food drive
This is Lillian’s 5th annual birthday food drive. It all started when she found out some friends in the community didn’t have enough to eat and she wanted to change that. Every year around her birthday she collects items for NFCC (North Fulton Community Charities). This year she is collecting:
•all toiletries(soap, shampoo, shaving cream, toothpaste, ect..),
•all tomato products (especially ketchup), and
•peanut butter and jelly (no glass jars please)
•cooking oil
•salad dressing
•mayonnaise
Please help Lillian celebrate her birthday by donating! Items will be collected through March 18th. If you would like to donate early, items can be given to her directly (Mrs. O’Shaughnessy’s home room) or can be dropped off at carpool on March 18th. Thank you so much!
PTO Board Elections
Email PTO@fastk8.org for more details or to nominate yourself/ someone else!
The FAST Family PTO Board consists of 11 volunteers positions:
2 Co-Presidents, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer;
and Vice Chairs for Events, Marketing, Membership & Fundraising, School Support, Community Outreach, and Academic Enrichment.
Let’s Help Ms Miller
In the fall, Ms Miller’s house was destroyed due to flooding. She’s an amazing DIY person and loved by the FAST Community. She has entered a contest to help her rebuild. Please help out our wonderful elementary assistant principal by voting for her:
UPCOMING EVENTS
- March 11-14: School Closed
- March 25: Walk Through the History of GA Women
- March 28: Spring Picture Day
- Apr. 1: Innovation Showcase
- Apr. 25-May 13: Milestones
- April 25-29: EOC for HS Classes
- May 6: FAST Art Festival
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.