Talley Street Update

Save the Date!

Chorus Performance: December 11, 6 pm, City of Decatur Annual Bonfire Marshmallow Roast
Green Team Guest Speaker: December 16, 2:30 pm, Media Center (all are welcome)
6th Grade Course Selection Webinar: December 18, 6:30 pm (more information here)
Early Release Day: December 19, 12:15 pm
CSD Semester Break: December 22-January 5
First Day of School for Students, January 6

Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition Results

The Young Georgia Authors (YGA) writing competition invites students to write, create, and celebrate their literary achievements. This prestigious, statewide competition is open to Georgia students in grades K–12 and recognizes excellence in both the arts and academics.

Each year, the YGA competition highlights the creativity and talent of young writers by providing a platform for them to showcase their original work. We are proud to recognize our many outstanding Talley Tigers and future authors who participated in this enriching opportunity.

The students listed below represented Talley with distinction. Those whose names appear in bold will advance to the district-level competition, which will take place between December 1 and December 19, 2025.

3rd Grade: Emily Ferguson, Ella Kim, Nico Menendez, Ore Oluyemi, Eloise Porte Carreiro, Kurt Petermann, Mira Schoelles, Hannah Terry, Cora Yunker

4th Grade: Kenji Bhatt, Caleb Cheeley, Regan Eber, Alisa Ershtein, Nirvaan Jain, Carl Maalouf, Farrah Neff, Julia O'Regan, Calvin Pernu, Talia Peterson, Molly Skeen, Lu Starrchan, Evie Tucciarone

5th Grade: Guthrie Bowman, Charlie D'Avis, Emily Mayheu, Emma Nolan, Gracie Stephens

5th Grade Families - 6th Grade Course Selection

Ready or not, it’s time to look ahead! We are gearing up to welcome our newest Bulldog crew to BHMS in 2026-2027! The Course Request Window for our rising 6th graders is going to start soon! We have compiled a single resource containing everything you need to successfully support your 5th grader with this process and navigate the upcoming course request window.

Inside this guide, you will find:

📚 Course Information: Detailed descriptions of classes, pacing guides, and more.
📅 Timelines: Key dates and deadlines you can't miss.
❓ FAQs: Answers to your most pressing questions and an opportunity to ask a question.

BHMS 6th Grade Course Selection Guide

5th Grade Yearbook Tributes

5th Grade Families: Order a yearbook tribute ad for your student! Tributes are $15 for ⅛ page, and $25 for ¼ page. Place your order at bit.ly/5thgradetributes. If you need financial assistance, a discount code is available; contact Ms. Weaver (kiweaver@csdecatur.net), Talley school Counselor. Contact yearbook@talleypto.org with any questions.

Girls on the Run - Coaches Needed!

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.

Talley Street Upper Elementary - Annual Lunar New Year Parade; Wednesday, January 28, 2026; join through Google Classroom; code: 4gjav6ag; email sbrewton@csdecatur.net with questions

Save the Date - Green Team Speaker Series

Tuesday, December 16 | 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm | Talley Media Center

The Talley Green Team is excited to announce our next guest speaker: Emma Dufrense, Program Director with LiveThrive, who will talk about the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) and how it works, play recycling games with us, and tell us about some upcoming sustainability contests in which Talley can get involved. This program is free and open to all Talley families (parents and students), not just Green Team members. We hope to see you there!

Plastic Film for House Points

Thank you to all who brought plastic film for last week's collection! Isibindi collected the most to earn five house points, followed by Reveur and Altruismo tying for second (three points), and Onraka coming in third for one point. Altogether, we diverted more than 62 pounds of plastic film from the landfill. (Six houses, one Talley!) Our next collection for house points will be Wednesday, January 14.

Showing Green Team Support

A shout-out to fifth grader Mariana T. for creating this beautiful piece in support of our Green Team efforts! Interested in learning more about the
Green Team and what we do? Direct your questions to Kathryn Roberts at kathryn.roberts@csdecatur.net. To become a member of the Green Team, complete this form.

Final weeks to buy yearbooks on pre-sale for $23! They will be $28 starting on 01/01/2026. 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.

Please have your student(s) check the Lost and Found as soon as an item is discovered missing! 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.
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.

Read the December 11, 2025, issue of CSD Weekly, the district-wide newsletter.

Take GaDOE's Annual School Climate Survey

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.

Talley Street Upper Elementary School Family Survey

Decatur Holiday Marketplace and Cafe

Friday, Dec 12th & Saturday, Dec 13th

Clairemont Elementary’s Decatur Holiday Marketplace + Café is just around the corner!

Come shop local, discover unique handmade gifts, and enjoy delicious treats at our cozy café. It’s the perfect way to support local artists and soak up the festive spirit with neighbors and friends.

A beloved community tradition awaits! We can’t wait to see you there!