Talley Street Update

I hope everyone is having a great week! It is hard to believe we are already finishing the third week of school. Tomorrow, August 20th, is the deadline for School Leadership Team (SLT) nominations. I will be sending out the names of the nominees and their bios tomorrow afternoon. Next Thursday, August 26th, we will hold the SLT election. On next Thursday’s eBlast, I will send a link to a Google Form for everyone to use to cast their vote. Many students are losing their bus/lunch cards. Replacement cards are $5.00. So, please remind your child to keep up with their cards. Our lost and found is overflowing. Our lost and found is located on a rack in the front foyer of the scholl. Please have your child look to see if any items are theirs. Any items still in our lost and found after tomorrow will be donated to a local charity. Be on the lookout for 3rd grade residency verification information. Have a great afternoon!

Billy

Equity and Inclusion Grievance Process System

CSD BIAS INCIDENT RESPONSE PROTOCOL

Every principal would like to believe that their parents, students, or staff would readily approach them with any race or equity-related concerns. But the reality is that many such concerns go unreported until it’s too late. Here at City Schools of Decatur, we want to make sure that all families, staff, and students have the opportunity to feel safe, seen, and successful. Part of creating such an environment means providing safe ways to report any equity concerns that may emerge. Below, CSD’s Equity and Student Support Department shares answers to some FAQ’s regarding equity concerns at CSD. This information includes steps that employees, parents, or students can take to ensure that any issues or concerns are addressed.

How should I handle a racist incident at CSD?

I think my teacher/administrator is being racist, what can I do?

Racism and other “isms” aren’t just things that happen “somewhere else.” Unfortunately, they can happen right here in the halls of our school, within the confines of our academic departments, and throughout our city, state, and country. “Isms” are sometimes purposely inflicted by strangers, other times unconsciously by well-intentioned colleagues and friends, and, most influentially, systemically.

If you believe you have experienced racism (or any other ism) at CSD, it is imperative that we investigate and address your concerns. We encourage you to share your experience with your school’s principal.

If you are uncomfortable contacting your administrator, and you need more help:

• Contact the Equity office by completing the form at this link.
• If you prefer to remain anonymous, use the form at this link.

I think a curricular material is racist (ableist, sexist, etc.); how do I complain?

Depending on the material, there are varied ways to lodge a complaint. Please start by sharing your concern with your school's administrator or media specialist who will assist you from that point forward.

I think I have a Title IX or Title IV complaint. What should I do?

The following links exist to connect the community directly with CSD's Department of Equity & Student Support regarding title IX or IV violations

• Report Title VI Concerns Here: https://www.csdecatur.net/Page/481

• Report Title IX Concerns Here: https://www.csdecatur.net/Page/481

Community communication is invaluable and we want to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance for taking the time to share your thought(s) with your school’s administrator or the E&SS department.

It [Culturally Responsive Teaching] is about understanding students’ home life, their language, music, dress, behavior, jokes, ideas about success, the role of religion and community in their lives, and more. It is bringing the experiences of their 24-hour day into the seven-hour school day to give them information in a familiar context. (Kopkowski 2006, p.1)

We are thrilled to announce that Talley's first virtual author visit of the year is coming up! On September 8, we will be hosting Katherine Applegate, author of many acclaimed children's novels, including The One and Only Ivan, Animorphs, Wishtree, and many more. Katherine will be talking to us about her new book, Willodeen.

Book order forms went home in communication folders today! You can read more about the book and access the form below. All books ordered as part of the visit will be autographed. Additionally, 20% of sales go toward purchasing new books for the Talley media center.

Finally, if you are interested in sponsoring a book for another student, please send an additional $17 with your child and email Mrs. Long (along@csdecatur.net).

All orders are due by Friday, September 10. Thank you in advance for your support! We are SO excited about this!

The garden crew will be at the Talley garden from 4-6 PM on Saturday, August 21st counting pollinators. Please stop by to help with the count and learn more about pollinators!

If you would like to count pollinators in your own yard, please check out this website for easy to follow instructions: https://ggapc.org/

Please come and join us for our upcoming Title I Parent Input Zoom Meeting and help us revise the 2021-2022 Title I documents.

Title Programs Parent Input Meeting

Thursday, September 2, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Virtual Zoom Meeting

Join our IN-PERSON teams at Talley Street! Girls on the Run inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum, which creatively integrates running. At Girls on the Run we inspire girls to recognize their inner strength and celebrate what makes them one of a kind. Trained coaches lead small teams through our research-based curricula which includes dynamic discussions, activities and running games. Over the course of the ten-week program, girls in 3rd-8th grade develop essential skills to help them navigate their worlds and establish a lifetime appreciation for health and fitness. The program culminates with girls positively impacting their communities through a service project and being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5K event.

Interested in participating? Registration is OPEN NOW

https://www.girlsontherunatlanta.org/Program-Registration

Questions? Email nbundschu@csdecatur.net or contact info@girlsontherunatlanta.org

Girls on the Run Site Information

• Talley Street Upper Elementary School

• Two days a week after school until 2:30-4:00 (Mondays/Wednesdays or Tuesdays/Thursdays)

• Register Online: Girlsontherunatlanta.org

• Paper application available upon request

• Space is limited

• GOTR uses an income-based sliding scale so that every girl who wants to participate can. Registration fee is available on a sliding scale from $10 to $185.

• Includes GOTR lessons, water bottle, 2 t-shirts and 5k registration.

Fall 2021 Registration

Now until Aug. 31 - Registration Open

Week of Sept. 13 - Programs Begin

Dec. 4 - Girls on the Run 5K

Week of Dec. 6 - Last week of programs

*You can register anytime during the registration period. Team participants selected by the computer will receive an automated e-mail stating they are on the team. Girls who are not placed on the initial team will be placed on a waiting list and will receive an email from GOTR.

We are in need of volunteer IN PERSON coaches for next season! Coaches are MENTORS who help inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum (provided by Girls on the Run), which creatively integrates running. At Girls on the Run we inspire girls to recognize their inner strength and celebrate what makes them one of a kind. Runners/Athletes/Female identifying individuals are NOT required to be a coach! We cannot have any teams at Talley if we do not have enough volunteers to coach. Please consider joining our coaching team next season! Here is what you can expect:

• Fill out a coaches application and complete a background check

• Attend a virtual training session

• Commit to 1-2 days a week of coaching (Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs from 2:30-4:00)

• Support your fellow co-coaches, take turns leading lessons based on the GOTR Curriculum

• This program has proven to have a positive impact on the girls who participate. Be prepared for it to have a positive impact on you, too!

Please reach out to Natalie Bundschu at nbundschu@csdecatur.net if you or anyone you know is interested in coaching this season.

UPDATE: We are in need of volunteer IN PERSON coaches for this season! We have over 60 girls registered for Girls on the Run at Talley. This is wonderful! Right now, we have enough coach volunteers to have two teams at Talley. This provides enough spots for only 30 girls to participate. In order to have more teams, we need more volunteers to coach! Please reach out to nbundschu@csdecatur.net or evelina@girlsontherunatlanta.org if you or anyone you know is interested and willing to commit to coaching at least once a week beginning the week of September 13th and ending the week of December 6th. Thank you so much to our coaches who have volunteered already! We cannot do this without you!

Our wonderful UES extra-curricular Orchestra program is happening this year! Intermediate Orchestra is open to all students (3rd, 4th, and 5th graders) who were part of the Beginning Orchestra last year or who have 6 mo+ of private lessons. Beginning Orchestra is open to all students (3rd, 4th, and 5th graders) who wish to learn to play the violin, viola, cello, or bass. Both orchestras meet twice a week and will start the week of September 13th. The class meeting times/days will be:

Beginning Orchestra for Talley

Monday & Wednesday 7-735am (before school)

Intermediate Orchestra for Talley

Monday & Wednesday 2:30-3:20 (after school)

The participation fee for the full year of orchestra classes is $250. Students must supply their own instrument and we highly recommend renting from a local 'strings shop.' Need-based scholarships for the Participation fee or for instrument rentals are available. Please contact the Program Coordinator, Dr. Heston McCranie (hmccranie@csdecatur.net) if you have questions.

To register please click here.

We will hold a Parent Information Session on August 26th via Google Meet.

The link for the meeting is: meet.google.com/qsc-qist-xwc

Intermediate Orchestra: August 26th @ 6:!5pm

Beginning Orchestra: August 26th @ 7:00pm

Orchestra is for everyone and we'd love to have you!

The CSD ESOL Team will be hosting their annual ESOL Parent Informational Meeting on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. This will be a VIRTUAL meeting. This meeting will cover:

• ESOL Entrance and Exit Criteria
• ESOL Instruction and Service Models
• ESOL State Assessments

CSD asks that if you have not already please register your student for Transportation Services on the Bus Planner Portal. Click here: https://bit.ly/3CC8yEN

Benefits to signing up your child:

• We adjust our bus routes daily for you and your family
• The Portal will give you route, and eligibility information
• We work together to keep you in the loop about your child location

Below is information on the virtual event “The First Choice and a Second Chance. The event is hosted by Decatur Parents Network.

Registration link is https://bit.ly/SpeakSobriety2021

Decatur Parents Network media post is https://bit.ly/DPISpeakSobriety2021

The Talley PTO is excited to announce our first Spirit Day of the year which will be held Thursday, August 26th at Cremalosa from 2 to 8 PM. Come for an after school or after dinner treat and taste what Food and Wine Magazine is calling the best ice cream shop in Georgia! Cremalosa has graciously offered to donate 10% of sales to the Talley PTO.

The online Spirit Wear Store is open! Look for the Spirit Wear tab on our website at www.talleypto.org.

Talley Tiger Shout Out to all who have signed up to serve as Room Parents this year! We still have spots available on the Room Parent sign up on the website under the Volunteer tab. If you are a room parent, please direct your parents to contribute to the Room Parent Pool at Talley Room Parents PayPal Pool 2021. This year, we will be collecting all class contributions in one pool and distributing them equally across classrooms.

Come join us on our first Walk and Roll of this school year on Friday August 27, 2021!

Save the dates for future Walk and Rolls! Please click HERE to go to our Safe Routes To School page for more information.

Questions? Please email Emily Beard and Elizabeth Ingram at: SRTS@talleypto.org

Homework Help: We are continuing our Virtual Pals tutoring program in which we pair a 2nd-8th grade student with an upper high school student or adult volunteer to help with homework, time management, and motivation. If you would like to sign your student up for the program, you can go here: https://forms.gle/nLrKbwkXyvYjEAJB8 If you would like to help as a volunteer tutor, you can apply here: https://forms.gle/L5hGac9Y7HGTKFZJ7 (High school students can earn volunteer hours!)

Could you be a mentor? We’re also seeking 15 women and 15 men volunteers to serve as mentors for our AIM Scholars mentoring program. Third-grade students are paired with an adult mentor who help them by supporting their Academics and explore their Interests; Mentors also help their students connect to educational and enrichment opportunities. For just 2-4 hours per month, you can have a meaningful impact in the life of a student. For more information, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org/mentoring

Social Media and Contact Information

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

For news in the Media Center and from our school counselors, check out their websites:

Media Center Website

Counseling Website

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