Talley Street Update

Welcome to Talley Street Upper Elementary School's 2026-2027 school year! We are thrilled to have your child as a part of our school community and look forward to a year filled with learning, growth, and new experiences.

Our dedicated team of educators is committed to providing your child with a nurturing and engaging environment. Here are the names of our new staff members (some of whom are familiar faces in new roles). We will introduce them via social media (Facebook: Talley Street Principal, Instagram: @talleytigergram) over the next few weeks.

• Airen Canty - 4th Grade
• Elizabeth Jimenez - 3rd Grade
• Briana Richmond - 4th Grade
• MJ Smith - 3rd Grade
• Owen King - Stellar Substitute
• Emily Childs - Student Outcome Support
• Jatoria Brown - Moving to 4th Grade from 3rd Grade
• Michael Holliday - Moving to LINKS from 4th Grade
• Sara Welp - Moving to EIP from 4th Grade

Please mark your calendars with these important dates:

• Back to School Bash: July 16, 4:00-7:00 pm

• Class Rosters posted in Infinite Campus: Wednesday, July 29

• Meet and Greet: July 30, 1:00-3:00 pm

• First Day of School: Monday, August 3

• House Sorting Day: August 7

• PTO Popsicle Social: August 8, 10:00 am-12:00 pm

• Fall STAR Assessments: August 4-15

• Curriculum Night: August 25, 6:00-7:30 pm

Strong communication between home and school is vital to your child's success. Here are the ways we will keep in touch: emails, newsletters, phone calls, and posting information on the school's website and marquee. The school also has a strong presence on social media. Please follow the school on Facebook (Talley Street Principal) and Instagram (@talleytigergram). Your child's teacher will explain their communication method during curriculum night on August 25.

Talley Street will follow the exact arrival and dismissal procedures as during the 25-26 school year. For arrival, ALL students, including bus riders, car riders, walkers, and bike riders, will enter the building from the parking lot entrance. Buses will drop off students by 7:20. Parents/guardians should not enter the school parking lot until the buses have left or when directed by school staff. The entrance off Talley Street will again not be accessible during school hours, 7:00-3:00. Parents should not drop off their children anywhere along Talley Street. Any student or parent who tries to enter the entrance off of Talley Street will have to walk along the sidewalk and around the building to enter the main entrance.

For dismissal, ALL students will exit the building again via the parking lot entrance. Dismissal times will be staggered. At 2:15, bus riders will be dismissed, followed by car riders, walkers, and bike riders. Parents/guardians of car riders who arrive before 2:00 should not enter the parking lot; instead, they should line up along Talley Street until directed by school staff to enter the school's parking lot.

Our school uses PickUp Patrol to help track attendance and dismissal information. PickUp Patrol provides a convenient way to change your child's dismissal plans and helps ensure that our students are accurately dismissed each day. Please use PickUp Patrol to report ALL absences and changes to your child's dismissal plans. Notes, emails, or phone calls are not accepted for changes, except in emergencies.

RETURNING PARENTS: Please enter and confirm your child's default plan here: https://app.pickuppatrol.net/parents. Pick Up Patrol should be ready for input near 7/25/25. For a safe dismissal, we must know your student's regular daily dismissal plans before the first day of school. Please contact jsanangelo@csdecatur.net after 7/25 for PUP questions.

NEW PARENTS: You will receive a registration email by the week of 7/28/25 with a link to set up your account. Please register and enter your child's Default ( What your child usually does after school) Dismissal Plans by 7/30/25.

• The PUP web app is free and can be used on your smartphone or computer.

• Instructions for adding the app to your phone are included in the registration email.

• You will need to register before you can enter default plans.

We use PickUp Patrol to communicate dismissal information to teachers. If you need to change how your child should be dismissed, submit the information via PickUp Patrol, and our staff will be notified of the changes. Changes can be made in advance. Changes can be entered via PickUp Patrol from a phone or computer at any time up until 1:00 p.m. M-TH and noon on Fridays on the day of the change. After the cut-off times, changes will not be accepted except in an emergency. The end of the school day is a busy time. Please make every effort to avoid last-minute changes after 1 p.m. To ensure the safety of all students, please plan accordingly and limit these exceptions to emergencies only.

If your child will be absent from school, report the absence using PickUp Patrol before 8:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. You can also email jsanangelo@csdecatur.net and copy the classroom teacher for maximum communication. Email or turn in any absence or tardy excuses to jsanangelo@csdecatur.net or the front desk. Thank you for using PickUp Patrol to prioritize safety and ensure an efficient dismissal process for all our students.

If you have any questions, please check the PUP Parent Guide. If you still need help, contact jsanangelo@csdecatur.net after 7/25 or PickUp Patrol at support@pickuppatrol.net.

All families, including returning families, must complete the annual data update before the first day of school. Directions for completing the annual update are available on the CSD website. It is important for all parents to update/confirm each child's enrollment information. If you run into any issues completing the annual data update, please call the office at 404-370-4400.

The school supply list for all grades is linked here. The supply lists are simply suggestions for parents. The school will ensure that all students have the supplies that they need.

Interested families must apply for free and reduced lunch each year. Additional information can be found on the Nutrition webpage. The school will have an area for parents to use if they wish to apply at the Meet and Greet.

Students who plan to ride a school bus must be registered here. Families must re-register each year.

The Talley Street Upper Elementary School Leadership Team (SLT) is an elected committee of Talley Street's parents/guardians, staff members, and other personnel. The SLT focuses on school governance, student achievement, and family engagement. Some of the responsibilities of this team are to:

• Serve on interview teams

• Develop, approve, and monitor the continuous school improvement planning process

• Review assessment data and use it for decision-making purposes

• Review and approve changes to its bylaws

• Recommend school needs to the CSD Board of Education during the annual budget process.

SLT members are elected to their positions, except for appointed positions. Parents may attend to present an idea/concern at SLT work sessions. SLT meetings are open, and stakeholders are welcome to attend (look for dates in the Talley Street Update and on the school's web page).

To vote in the SLT election, you must be a parent/guardian of a Talley Street Student. If you are interested in joining the SLT, please submit a candidate statement with biographical information and a paragraph explaining why you want to be an SLT member to Mr. Heaton (bheaton@csdecatur.net) by Friday, August 14, 2024. Each family will receive one vote per enrolled student. Remember that the most essential requirement for an SLT member is an honest desire to contribute to the educational experience and learning of all children at Talley Street Upper Elementary School.

Details:

• All candidate statements are due to Mr. Heaton on August 14.

• All candidate statements will be published on the Talley Street Update, Talley Street webpage, and the school's social media.

• Elections will take place during the week of August 24. The school will send a Google Form on the morning of the 24th.

Talley Street has openings for two parent representatives for the 26-27 school year. The first meeting of the year with the new representatives is in September.

At Talley Street, we use the House System to implement CSD's Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program. All students and staff are sorted into 1 of 6 houses. The Houses are: Altruismo (House of Givers), Amistad (House of Friendship), Rêveur (House of Dreamers and reigning CHAMPS!), Nukumori (House of Kindness), Isibindi (House of Courage), and Onraka (House of Unity). Students will be sorted into their Houses on Friday, August 7, in a fun-filled day at Talley. Parents are not allowed to attend this event unless volunteering in a specific role through the PTO.

Culture of Belonging

Houses provide students with a culture of belonging. Throughout the year, each student's personal accomplishments earn points that collectively count toward their House. This allows students to be recognized and thanked daily by their peers for their individual contributions to the team. At Talley, we've built a culture where achievement is something to be proud of. Students celebrate good behavior and academic success because they know that every individual's accomplishments strengthen their House and bring the team closer to a championship. And that culture of belonging goes beyond just the students! Parents are encouraged to become a part of their child's House too. This helps them build bonds with other parents, including parents of upper-classmates, to whom they can reach out for advice and wisdom. The House gives them the instant community of a smaller group as an introduction to the whole school, helping them understand and feel like a part of it.

School-Wide Community

The House System uses a unique and creative cross-age-group approach to building a community that will strengthen students' social and academic lives. Traditionally, schools are divided into grades, and students rarely interact with older or younger peers. In a House, students interact with peers from other grade levels. With this, the older students become support systems for younger ones who are struggling or need advice, and they, in turn, grow as leaders themselves when they are able to pour into the younger ones in this way. This mentoring community extends to the teachers and staff as well. Every adult in the school participates in the House System because it instantly allows them to form strong bonds with a smaller group of students in their House. Additionally, it enables a playful sense of competition with students of other Houses. This type of role modeling and mentorship, provided consistently to students as they go through each grade of the school, can be exponentially valuable to their growth!

Character Building

The House System builds character through a reward system that goes beyond simply earning a piece of candy from a jar for doing something good. Instead, each student's achievements contribute to a collective, making the reward communal and social. We have seen this change the way that a student perceives points over time. What may start as extrinsic motivation turns into intrinsic motivation as the student recognizes the behavioral, academic and ethical traits their peers value. Excerpts from RCA House System, Summer 2021

I am eager to begin the new school year and welcome our new Talley Street Tigers! The start of the year brings excitement and endless possibilities. Working together, we can make the 26-27 school year a memorable and successful one for all students. In Decatur, ALL means ALL. Welcome back!

Billy

Students will not be allowed to use personal electronic devices during school, such as cell phones and smart watches, starting this school year. Devices brought to school must be kept in backpacks.

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/.