Talley Street Update

• 5th Grade Yearbook Tribute Ads: Due by MONDAY, February 16th (order here)
• February Break: February 16-20
• MLK/CSK Award Submission Deadline: February 23
• Black History Month Program: February 27, 6 pm
• Rising 6th Grade Parent Night: March 4, 6:30 pm, BHMS
• Walk n Roll: March 6
• PTO Meeting: March 11, 6 pm
• Family STEM Night: March 12, 5 pm
• Early Release: March 25, 12:15 pm
• Talley Family Bingo: March 26, 5 pm
• TigerFest: March 28, 11 am-3 pm
• Rising 3rd Grade Parent Night: March 31, 6 pm

Save the date for Talley PTO’s TigerFest on Saturday, March 28th! This annual carnival is our largest fundraiser. More info coming soon! If you would like to help with planning, please email copresident@talleypto.org.

Talley Street will take the new Georgia School Climate Survey this year. Each parent or guardian is invited to take the family version to answer questions about the current school(s) your child or children attend. If two or more children attend the same school, please only complete one survey for that school.

The survey measures your thoughts on how the school engages with families. Answers are not linked to names in any way. When typing answers, please do not give names or information that you don’t want to share with this school. Data will be shared with school leaders to help improve the school and will be published on the GaDOE website.

Please help by sharing your honest opinion on this 22-question survey. To take the survey, please click this link.

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact me at bheaton@csdecatur.net.

Sincerely,

Billy

City Schools of Decatur has a long history of honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King by celebrating many of our students who embody the values of freedom, justice, democracy and service. This year, the MLK/CSK award will be presented to two students from each upper elementary school, three students from the middle school, and four students from the high school. Talley's applications are due February 23, 2026. The awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 6-7:30 p.m. Please see the award submission guidelines for more information.

This year's ceremony will be held at Talley! We hope to have awesome projects to represent our student population!

Beacon Hill is hosting our Rising 6th Grade Parent Night at Beacon Hill Middle School on March 4, 6:15-8:00 pm. This is a parent only event. It will include student-led tours and a parent orientation session. For more information, please see the flyer below.

Congratulations to the winners of DEF's school logo t-shirt contest. Addison's design will be featured on a DEF shirt along with other school mascots to raise money for Zara's fund.

1st Place: Addison Murfin-Higel

Runner-up 5th grade: Guthrie Bowman

Runner-up 4th grade: Cain Cofer

Runner-up 3rd grade: Anishka Rayshan

Last Thursday, Communities In Schools of Atlanta, in coordination and collaboration with the GENTS Mentorship Program, hosted "Breaking Bread, Building Bonds." This initiative brought together male students from Talley Street Elementary and their fathers for an evening of food, fellowship, and meaningful dialogue.

Participants engaged in conversations centered on emotional awareness and healthy expression, supporting sons' mental and emotional well-being, strengthening father-son relationships, and developing practical tools for effective communication and self-regulation.

This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to fostering leadership, identity, and a strong sense of belonging among our male students at Talley Street Elementary. Through intentional connection and community partnership, we continue to create spaces where students and families are seen, supported and empowered.

Join us for Talley's annual Black History Month program! Students will be reenacting the Harlem Renaissance in a wax museum. The program will take place on February 27 from 6-8 pm.

Are you participating in Tour deCatur? We want Talley Street to stand out! Use the link below to order an iRun Talley Street before midnight on February 22! Sales support the PE department! Please help us meet our sales goal!

Save the date for Talley's Family STEM Night! This year's theme is "STEM Careers Start Here." Join us on Thursday, March 12, at 5 pm to learn about STEM careers, featuring lots of special guests!

With the addition of recycling efforts at breakfast, in addition to lunchtime recycling, and recycling at the Whiz Kids after-school program, our monthly numbers continue to soar. From January 7 to February 7, we collected almost 5 pounds of aluminum, more than 9 pounds of plastic utensils, more than 1,300 drink cartons (milk and juice boxes) and nearly 1,100 snack wrappers. We truly appreciate all of the student (Talley and Decatur High School) volunteers and parents who assist us with all of this.

Because of the abundance of material we're collecting each day, we need additional collection bins for overflow. If you have plastic bins with lids that you're willing to donate, please reach out to Mrs. Roberts at kathryn.roberts@csdecatur.net. Thank you!

Interested in learning more about the Talley Green Team? Visit our website.

Read the February 12, 2026, issue of CSD Weekly, the district-wide newsletter.

Please take a moment this week to make your voice heard and participate in the Georgia Department of Education climate survey for your school! Your participation and feedback are greatly appreciated. The data collected will help determine the School Climate Star Ratings for the 2026-27 school year, which will enable schools to improve or build upon their successes.

An ongoing speaker series from DEF, Decatur Prevention Initiative and the Decatur Parents Network returns Thursday, January 22, with a documentary viewing and panel discussion on "Navigating the Changing Drug Landscape: Talking to our Kids About Dangerous Substances." This event is free and open to any adult. Find more information and register in advance here.

Thursday, January 22, 6:30-8 p.m., DHS Learning Commons (Library/Media Center). Enter the bus drop-off area off of Commerce Drive.

• February is Love My Bus Month! It’s time to celebrate our amazing school bus drivers who help our students get to and from school safely every day! We invite families and students to thank drivers – with a kind word, note, drawing, or small gift – to show appreciation for all they do. Cards and gifts may be given directly to bus drivers throughout the month. Let’s really show up and celebrate these important members of our school community this month!
  During the last week of February, the Talley PTO and the Safe Routes to School Committee will distribute Talley Spirit Wear gift bags and breakfast gift cards to all 16 bus drivers and monitors who serve Talley. 🚌💛
• Mark your calendars – Walk & Roll returns on Friday, March 6th!
• Have photos from Talley events? Please share them with us for the yearbook! Email them to yearbook@talleypto.org.
• Order a yearbook! They are $28 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.

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/.