Talley Street Update

• Thanksgiving Break (NO SCHOOL): November 24-28
• Walk and Roll: December 5
• Talley Library Spirit/Fundraising Day: December 10 (all day at Little Shop of Stories)
• PTO Meeting: December 10, 6 pm
• Chorus Performance: December 11, 6 pm, City of Decatur Annual Bonfire Marshmallow Roast
• CSD Holiday Break: December 22-January 6

Dear Talley Street Parents and Guardians,

We are experiencing an ongoing issue with families arriving before 7:20 am and parking in our lot while waiting for morning arrival to begin. Unfortunately, this is preventing staff members from finding available parking when they arrive, and several teachers have been unable to access a space as a result.

As a reminder, parents and guardians should line up along Talley Street before 7:20 am. At 7:20, once the crossing guard gives the signal and buses have exited, families may enter the parking lot and follow the regular morning arrival procedures.

The City has also notified us that some families are parking in their lot to wait, which creates additional challenges.

For the safety and smooth operation of both morning arrival and afternoon dismissal, we kindly request your cooperation in following these procedures. Your support helps ensure a safe and efficient start to each school day.

Thank you for your understanding and partnership.

Billy

Please review your child's dismissal plan. Extended Day tutoring's last day was Thursday, November 20th. Please update your child's dismissal in Pick Up Patrol or email Jen SanAngelo at

jsanangelo@csdecatur.net.

The STAR testing administration window is from December 1st to December 12th.

In compliance with House Bill 307, the Georgia Early Literacy Dyslexia Act, all third-grade students will complete the Early Literacy, Encoding, and Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) assessments. Additionally, all students in grades 3-5 will take both reading and mathematics assessments.

These diagnostic screenings will be administered three times during the academic year: Fall (August), Winter (December), and Spring (May). As a diagnostic tool, the STAR assessment adapts to your child's knowledge and progress.

Please refer to the school's Winter testing schedule below:

• Tuesday, December 2 - 3rd Early Literacy

• Wednesday, December 3 - 3rd-5th Reading

• Thursday, December 4 - 3rd-5th Math

• Tuesday and Wednesday, December 9th-10th - 3rd CBMs (Encoding and RAN)

• Week of December 5th-12th - Makeups for all assessments

If you have any questions, please contact the testing coordinator, Lateefah Mosley at lmosley@csdecatur.net

Parents will use their child's student ID number as the access code to log in.

Library books are to be kept for a maximum of two weeks before returning or renewing. We have over 400 books that are currently overdue. Tonight, all families will receive a reminder email for books your children have out that are overdue.

Please do not ignore this message. Overdue books need to be returned, and lost book fines need to be paid. It is unfair to other students for books to be kept beyond their two week checkout period without renewal.

Thank you! Please reach out to Mrs. Long (along@csdecatur.net) with any questions.

Did you know that Talley opts out of traditional book fairs in order to host a more equitable, True Book Fair in May? We love this event, and in order to make up for the loss of fundraising, we host an annual spirit day at Little Shop of Stories. On December 10, shop in-store or online and say you are with Talley at checkout. 20% of those sales will come back to our library to support collection development and programming! Join us without kids during the school day to get some holiday shopping done, and come after school to visit with favorite teachers, participate in some exciting activities (more info coming soon), and shop teacher wishlists.

Please consider shopping small on December 10 to support Decatur's local businesses and our school library! Thank you in advance for your generosity. Please reach out to Mrs. Long (along@csdecatur.net) with any questions.

Please help us greet families, pass out cookies and stickers, and manage teacher wishlist tickets. We would love to have you join us!

Girls on the Run is looking for parents/caregivers/community members to coach at Talley Street for the Spring 2026 Season! If you are interested in becoming a coach/mentor for our participants, please see this flyer and visit girlsontherunga.com/coach to learn more about the kind of commitment it takes to be a coach, and to register to coach. Practice is on M/W or T/Th from 2:30-4:00 pm from February 9-April 28. No practice when there is no school or on Early Release days. Your Talley student is guaranteed a spot on the team if you volunteer to coach. We must have at least three coaches per team in order to host teams at Talley. We need you! Email programs@girlsontherunga.org for questions about GOTR or coaching, and nbundschu@csdecatur.net for questions about coaching at Talley. For more information about GOTR as a program, go to https://www.girlsontherunga.org/3rd-5th-grade-program-details.

Important Dates:

• Participant lottery registration WILL OPEN SOON and will be open through 11:59 pm on January 28th.

• A computer-generated lottery will take place on January 29th for teams that are full. For any teams that don't fill through the lottery, registration reopens by 3 pm on January 29th and will remain open through February 19th on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Practices for all teams begin the week of February 9th.

• The last day to register for teams that have not yet filled and the last day for refunds is February 19th.

• The Girls on the Run 5K celebration is April 25th.

• The last week of practice will be the week of April 27th.

The Green Team offers shout-outs to three Talley students who have taken their recycling efforts to the next level. Fourth grader Kihei Spurlock-Welsh collected 8 pounds of old socks for textile recycling by reaching out to neighbors on his block. As a result, Kihei earned the top prize in our Green Team Store: Ten house points and a trip to the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM), where he helped sort all of our school recycling and learned about all the ways CHaRM helps our community be more sustainable. Third grader Rita Daugherty set up a recycling station at her recent birthday party, where she collected cans and juice pouches. Fourth grader Max Ladefian sought to educate his neighbors about plastic film recycling by distributing flyers in their mailboxes. Way to go!

Send your clean, empty packaging to Green Team for special recycling programs organized through TerraCycle. (In the case of Swiffer pads, send your used refills.) Your items stay out of the garbage stream, and Green Team earns TerraCycle points that turn into dollars to help fund our school efforts. NOTE: We recently added several new items to our collection list, including Entenmenn’s “Little Bites” plastic pouches and spray bottle triggers (any brand). Learn more here. All items should be directed to Mrs. Roberts.

Interested in being part of the Talley Green Team? Students and parents are invited to join us. Complete our registration form.

Read the November 20, 2025, issue of CSD Weekly, the district-wide newsletter.

Following two public meetings and community feedback regarding the timeline and public engagement, the Board of Education has decided to reassess and amend the K-2 School Consolidation and Redistricting Process. This revision was discussed during the work session of the board meeting on November 11, leading to a new name: the K-2 School Utilization Process.

During a board retreat on Tuesday, November 18, the board agreed to proceed with the administration's recommendation that any decisions regarding the K-2 School Utilization Process will not impact the 2026-2027 school year. At the community's request, the board emphasized that the central need is to balance K-2 schools by evaluating total enrollment figures, building usage, and staffing resources, all while ensuring fiscal responsibility and honoring the unique culture of Decatur's small, neighborhood schools. Furthermore, the board emphasized that there is no connection between the K-2 Utilization Process and the new Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC).

Starting in January, four previously proposed community-led committees will convene to explore the next phase and collaboratively create thoughtful, community-centered solutions for our K–2 schools. During their meeting on December 9, the board will continue discussions regarding the scope of work, criteria, and parameters that will guide the committees’ efforts. This clarity will enable all committees and working groups to embark on the next phase with a unified foundation.

All board meeting recordings are available on the CSD website. Community members can view these recordings at their convenience and may focus specifically on sections related to K-2 School Utilization to hear the complete board discussion.

Thank you again for your partnership, commitment, and engagement as we strive to support every child and strengthen every school within City Schools of Decatur. We look forward to continuing this collaborative effort to co-create solutions that are student-centered, fiscally responsible, and aligned with our community's values.

• Thank you to this year’s PTO Sponsors!

Royal Bengal: Quest Ortho

Titan: Decatur Community Players & Root Wealth Management

Siberian: The Little Gym

Know of or own a business that would like to sponsor the PTO? Find out more here.

• Our next Walk & Roll is coming up on Friday, December 5th, right after we return from Thanksgiving Break!
• Please have your student(s) check the Lost and Found at the hallway cafeteria door before heading out for Thanksgiving Break tomorrow! Unclaimed items will be donated on the last Tuesday of every month. Please label all student items that could be left behind! Labeled items will be returned to students’ homeroom classes.

• Talley ‘25-’26 yearbooks are on pre-sale! They are $23 through 12/31/25 (when they will increase to $28). Order at bit.ly/talleyyearbook25. Please consider donating a yearbook. If you need financial assistance, a discount code is available; contact Ms. Weaver (kiweaver@csdecatur.net), Talley school Counselor. For other questions, contact yearbook@talleypto.org.

• Join the Talley Street Bike Bus! We bike to Talley every Friday morning! More details at: https://atlantabikebus.com/schools/talley. Express interest or sign up (for yourself and/or your student) at: https://tinyurl.com/talleybikebus. For questions, contact talleystreetbikebus@gmail.com.

The DHS Boys' soccer team is hosting a fundraising camp! It will be from November 24-26. Register and get more information using the link below!

A Season of Giving/Christmas Decatur ensures that our community’s children and seniors in need experience the joy of the holidays with gifts matched to their wishes. This program is made possible through the generous spirit of neighbors helping neighbors. Applications for children are due by October 31. And here you can find information on how to sponsor a child, teen, or senior citizen, as well as how to volunteer.

Talley Street Website

You can find more information on the following Facebook pages:

Talley Street Principal

Talley Street Upper Elementary School Parents

Talley Street Artists

And these Instagram pages:

@talleytigergram

@talleystemstagram

@talleystreetgarden

@TalleyPTO

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