Talley Street Update

• Rising 6th Grade Parent Webinar: TONIGHT, February 6, 6:30 p.m. (link)
• 4th Grade Movie Night: February 7, 6 p.m.
• February Break: February 17-21
• Early Release: February 26, 12:15 p.m.
• Drop the Mic - Black History Performance: February 27, 6 p.m.
• 5th Grade Tribute Yearbook Ads Due: March 3 (link)
• Class Photo Day: March 6

As we create more opportunities for dialogue around CSD, families are invited to attend an upcoming winter listening session where Dr. Whitaker will hear directly from our community about the issues that matter to them.

• Monday, February 10, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (virtual)

I hope everyone is having a good week. I'd like to ask for your help. Less than 17% of our families have completed the School Climate Survey for Families. The amount of participation that the school has could impact our school's climate rating with the Georgia Department of Education. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey. Your time is greatly appreciated! Here is the link to the survey. Thank you so much!

Billy

Class photo day is March 6! Make up photos will also be taken for students who were absent during the fall photo session.

Congratulations to Talley's winners of the CSD Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King Award! Through their submissions, these students demonstrated the values of Dr. and Mrs. King. Madeline Bardorf (5th grade) and Henry Menendez (4th grade) represent our school so well, and we are extremely proud of them!

As a reminder, Beacon Hill Middle School will be hosting a webinar for rising 6th grade families this Thursday (February 6) at 6:30 p.m. Please join to learn more about course selection information for 6th grade!

Is your child interested in trying out for the BHMS Girls' Flag Football Team? If so, please fill out the form below!

4th grade students and families are invited to join us for a movie night on Friday, February 7 at 6 p.m. in the gym. The movie is Despicable Me 4. Tickets are $5 and students may pay in advance to their teacher or at the door!

In honor of the hidden gems of gratitude in our community:

Police officers and firefighters work so hard for our community, and it's time to thank them for their service. From January 31 to February 10, we will collect small snacks, supplies, and treats (homemade or store-bought). There will be a presentation to the representatives from Fire Station I, Fire Station II, and the police department in the City of Decatur to include some cards and thank you notes on February 11, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. The Choose Success presentation will be streamed.

Note: Please label any homemade items with the ingredients for allergy purposes.

3rd Grade - Fire Station I

4th Grade - Decatur Police Department

5th Grade - Fire Station II

Suggested donation items:

• Hand warmers
• Small hand sanitizer
• Small notebooks
• Nice pens
• Wipes
• Key chain w/ clips
• Pocket flashlight
• Chapstick
• Gum
• Mints
• Visine
• Small bottled water
• Coffee & creamer
• Chips
• Cookies
• Microwave popcorn
• Energy bars
• Small Gatorade/Powerade

All Talley Street Upper ES students will participate in iRUN during their physical education class. The purpose of iRUN is:

• to teach students, faculty, and parents the fundamentals of a lifetime skill that makes running/jogging/walking enjoyable and safe.

• to train students, staff and families to successfully participate in a one mile fun run

The Talley Street Upper ES community is encouraged to support the Decatur Education Foundation’s Tour Decatur 1 mile fun run or 5k (Saturday, March 15th). Registration fees from this event are used to support City Schools of Decatur through the Decatur Education Foundation. For more information about Decatur Education Foundation and to register for Tour Decatur check them out here:

www.decatureducationfoundation.org or www.tourdecatur.com

Feel free to contact Nicole Johns with questions regarding iRUN at njohns@csdecatur.net.

Show your school spirit during iRUN practice on PE days and at Tour Decatur! iRUN Talley Street t-shirts are available for students, parents and teachers here. Shirts are heather gray (soft fabric) with navy blue and light blue print. Last day to order is Friday, Feb. 14th.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

In our continuing efforts to support the well-being of all students, City Schools of Decatur (CSD) will administer a universal screener of social, emotional & behavioral health. CSD adopted the The Behavior Assessment for Children 3rd edition Behavior and Emotional Screening System (BASC-3 BESS) as the universal screener for behavior.

For the 2024-25 school year, students in grades 3 and 4 will take the student self-report of the screener at their school during the fall and spring administration dates. The Fall administration of the BASC-3 BESS opened on October 7th and closed on November 1st. The Spring administration of the BASC-3 BESS opens on March 3rd and will remain open through March 28th.

Please access the Universal Social Emotional Behavior Screener Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the CSD website to learn more.

Please see this letter for information on virtual Q & A sessions and to access the opt-out form if you would not like your child to participate in the screener.

Our next schoolwide collection will be Wednesday, February 12. The house that brings in the most will earn 5 house points. Please mark your house name on your bag of plastic.

Talley's Green Team has undertaken several special collections through Terracycle that can keep certain products out of landfills. Do you use Swifer-brand dusters, dry pads or wet pads? We can recycle your used materials for you! Simply send the used items to school in a plastic bag and label it for "Green Team." Do you shop at Kroger? Send in your clean, dry Kroger-brand food packaging. Serving drink pouches at your child's birthday party? We can take all brands of foil or plastic pouches, including the straws. See full details on the "Recycling" page of the Talley Green Team website.

• Tigerfest Auction: Did you know every year we ask each grade-level to curate a themed basket to auction off at Tigerfest? Last year these brought in $1000 for our school! Help us out by donating a basket item:

3rd grade: https://bit.ly/3Ehmmda

4th grade: https://bit.ly/4hy9mOI

5th grade: https://bit.ly/40QXjqg

• More Tigerfest: Do you have dreams of running a store? Then we need your help with our Tigerfest concession stand! Let us know if you can help out by emailing copresident@talleypto.org.

• Raging Burrito Spirit Night: Wednesday, February 26. Mark your calendars and mention Talley when ordering for a 10% donation.

• Order your yearbook! $28 at bit.ly/talleyyearbooks24. Consider donating one, too! A discount code is available for financial assistance; contact Ms. Weaver (kiweaver@csdecatur.net), school Counselor. Questions?: yearbook@talleypto.org

• Instagram @TalleyPTO

• Facebook page

• Facebook Parent & Community Group

Tour deCatur Registration is Open!

Get ready, get set, get registered for Decatur Education Foundation's 23rd annual Tour deCatur! Sign up at www.tourdecatur.com!

The fun happens on Saturday, March 15, at the Decatur High School stadium. This year, in addition to the 5k (a Peachtree qualifier), the 1-Mile Fun Run, and the adorable Tot Trot (for our friends ages four and under), DEF is offering a "None-Run" for anyone who wants to support Decatur kids without breaking a sweat! This is DEF's largest fundraiser and supports programs and initiatives that remove obstacles, provide opportunities, support educators, and strengthen the Decatur community!

To prepare for the race, all K-2 elementary schools in the district are participating in the iRun program, which teaches students the fundamentals of fitness skills that make running, jogging, and walking enjoyable and safe and prepares them to run the one-mile fun run in March. For more information about DEF's initiatives and how you can get involved, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org.

The Decatur Prevention Initiative (DPI) seeks the community's help in learning more about community perceptions and concerns regarding underage drinking and substance misuse among Decatur's youth. Please take this anonymous survey to help DPI plan, implement, evaluate and sustain programming.

You can find more information on the following Facebook pages:

Talley Street Principal

Talley Street Upper Elementary School PTO

Talley Street Upper Elementary School Parents

Talley Street Artists

Talley Street PE

And these Instagrams:

@talleytigergram

@talleystemstagram

@talleystreetgarden

@TalleyPTO

For news from our counselors, check out their website:

Counseling Website

For more about the Talley Street PTO, visit their website here: https://talleypto.org/.

Read recent issues of the Talley Street Update below. Older issues of CSD Weekly may be found on CSD's district newsletter webpage.