Talley Street Update

Save the Date!

Labor Day - NO SCHOOL: September 1
CogAT Testing (3rd Only): September 3-5
Family Trivia Night: September 4, 5-7 PM
Walk n Roll: September 5
PTO Meeting: September 10, 6-7 PM
3rd Grade Movie Night: September 12 @ 5:30 PM
Family Math Festival: September 18, 5-7 PM
Fall Break - NO SCHOOL: September 22-26
Walk n Roll: October 3
Field Day: October 10

Field Trip Background Checks

Below are the steps that are needed for parents to chaperone field trips:

Checks (for BACKGROUND Checks) are to be brought to Talley prior to going for the actual background check.
Checks for Background checks are to be made out to: City Schools of Decatur. Memo - Field Trip Background Check; Fee - $40
Please pay the field trip chaperone fee AFTER you have clearance of the background check, and are confirmed as a chaperone.
3rd and 4th grade parents will pay admission fees as deemed at each venue. The chaperone fee for Tybee is $350.
The check or money order for the chaperone fee will be made out to Talley Street Upper Elementary.

Please contact our bookkeeper, Ms. Johnson (ejohnson1@csdecatur.net), with any further questions.

Music Reminder

The week of Labor Day, 4th and 5th grade students will begin recorder lessons in music. Students should have their recorders in their backpacks or lockers, ready to bring to music class.

2025-2026 Reading Bowl Team (Meeting - September 4)

Calling all 5th graders. Are you an avid reader? Do you like competition? If so, please consider becoming part of this competitive reading club. There will be an information meeting on September 4th, 2:30-3:30. If you are interested, you may take a look at the titles that we will be reading this school year here. You do NOT need to read them prior to our first meeting. All reading will begin after our first meeting in September and should be completed by October 30th.

Parents, please change student transportation in Pick Up Patrol to reflect that they are attending the Reading Bowl for this day and include the transportation home from the Reading Bowl as well.

Hope to see you there! Please complete this form if you are interested.

Reading Bowl Interest Form

Image depicts a coffee cup with coffee beans in the background.

All Caregivers Invited - Coffee Chat (September 12)

Join us for a Coffee Chat on September 12th at 8 am!

Do you ever feel like you need a secret decoder ring to understand what's happening at school? You're not alone! From the PTO, EIP, and everything in between, we know it can feel like a word jumble out there.

Join us for a lighthearted coffee chat where we'll demystify the alphabet soup and give you the breakdown of what all those letters and programs really mean.

Spark math joy. In Talley cafeteria. Open house-style math games. Free for the whole family. For questions, contact jmuhlhausen@csdecatur.net

Important Information about Gifted Review (Deadline: October 1)

Each fall semester the gifted review team looks at existing student data to discuss students’ needs and determine if further evaluation for gifted identification is needed. If you are interested in having the team discuss your child’s needs, you may complete a Recommendation for Review Form and turn it into the Gifted & Talented Specialist at your child’s school before Wednesday, October 1. No additional information is needed. The Gifted & Talented Specialists for Talley Street Elementary are Lindsey Combs, Nicole Fiber, and Ashley Forman. For more detailed information about the review process, please contact the Gifted & Talented Specialists for Talley at lindsey.combs@csdecatur.net, nfiber@csdecatur.net, or aforman@csdecatur.net or here is the attached Recommendation for Review form.

Calling All Volunteers - Field Day! (October 10)

Talley Street Upper Elementary's Field Day is approaching!

October 10, 2025 - all grade levels

We need your help to make field day a success, and the kids love to see you there. There will be a PLAYGROUND/BLACKTOP/GYM segment and a BACK FIELD segment for all grade levels. Students will travel with their homeroom teacher and an assisting teacher, and we just need your help to run the stations. Schedules and links are posted below. Click on the grade level to be directed to the SignUpGenius. Feel free to email any questions to Coach Jeffferson (tjefferson@csdecatur.net) or Coach Johns (njohns@csdecatur.net).

5th grade schedule and volunteer link:

8:30 am - 9:40 am Back field
12:30 pm - 1:40 pm Playground, blacktop, gym

4th grade schedule and volunteer link:

8:30 am - 9:40 am Playground, blacktop, gym
10:30 am - 11:40 am Back Field

3rd grade schedule and volunteer link:

10:30 am - 11:40 am Playground, blacktop, gym
12:30 pm - 1:40 pm Back field

5th Graders: Middle School Tennis Interest Survey for 26-27 SY!

Calling all aspiring tennis players! The tennis team is exploring the possibility of starting a Beacon Hill Middle School tennis team for the next school year (2026-2027). If your student is currently a 5th grader and might be interested in joining a team next year at Beacon Hill, please fill out this quick survey to help us gauge interest.

Class Fund

Please donate to Talley’s Class Fund now through September 19th! This fund will be split equally between classrooms to support appreciation gifts for Homeroom and Specials teachers throughout the year (for birthdays, holidays, and Appreciation week). Contributions of any size make a difference! bit.ly/classfund25.

Family Trivia Night

Join us at Talley for an evening of family fun at Talley Family Trivia Night next Thursday, September 4th from 5pm-7pm! $10 per adult, $5 per kid. Funds raised at this event support the Talley House system. Cash prizes will be awarded! Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/talleytrivianight. Volunteers needed, too (and you’ll get free admission)! Sign up at: signup.com/go/iCZDZFj.

Talley Bike Bus

Do you or your student bike to Talley? The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Committee, in collaboration with Atlanta Bike Bus and Decatur Parks & Recreation, is looking for a few bike enthusiast parent volunteers to help us launch a Talley Bike Bus! If you love biking and are interested in helping us get this exciting project rolling, please reach out to srts@talleypto.org!

Our next Walk & Roll is next Friday, September 5th! Participants will earn a marble for their House, and the House with the most marbles wins points!
Save the date for Talley’s Family Math Festival on Thursday, September 18th at 5pm! Come enjoy FREE open house-style math games for the whole family. Meal pre-orders and volunteer sign-ups are coming soon!
Join the Talley PTO Parents Group on Facebook (bit.ly/Parentgroup) and follow us on Instagram (@TalleyPTO) to stay connected and receive PTO updates throughout the year!

Read the August 28, 2025, issue of the district-wide newsletter, CSD Weekly here.

K-5 Students Invited to Submit Art for 25-26 Fire Safety Calendar Contest

The Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire and the Georgia Fire Sprinkler Association invite students in grades K-5 to submit a poster of original artwork related to fire safety to be featured in the 2025-2026 Fire Safety School Year Calendar.

Posters must be 17" x 11" and in landscape format. Please include the following information on the back of the submission: student name/grade, school name, teacher name/phone/email, and principal name/email. Mail posters by Friday, September 19, to Amanda Jones, 2 MLK Jr. Drive, West Tower, Suite 707, Atlanta, Ga 30334. After mailing, email safetyed@oci.ga.gov with your name, school name, number of submissions, and the date you mailed them. Email safetyed@oci.ga.gov with questions.