Talley Street Update

• Walk n Roll: March 7
• PTO Meeting: March 12, 6 p.m.
• Rock Your Socks Day: March 21
• Early Release: March 26 @ 12:15 p.m.
• Rising 6th Grade Parent Night: March 27, 6:30 p.m. @ BHMS
• TigerFest: March 29
• CSD Art Show: April 1-3, 4-7 p.m.
• Talley Bingo Night: April 3, 6 p.m.

Hello Talley Families!

As you are aware, state testing is quickly approaching! Our testing dates are as follows:

• Wednesday, March 26th-SECURE practice testing (school-wide)

• Monday, April 21-ELA Section 1

• Tuesday, April 22-ELA Section 2

• Wednesday, April 23-ELA Section 3

• Thursday, April 24-Math Section 1

• Friday, April 25-Math Section 2

• Monday, April 28-Science Section 1 and 2-5th grade ONLY

There are few things we need your support with to ensure your child’s testing success. Please encourage your child to get plenty of rest the nights before testing. Make sure your child is eating a healthy, well-balanced breakfast. We serve breakfast everyday from 7:20-7:40. Encourage them to take their time while testing. This is not a race. It is a celebration of how much they have learned and grown over this school year. Lastly, school begins at 7:45. Please make sure your child is at school on time and each day of testing. Testing is highly structured and time is a critical factor. If you are looking for ways to help your child with GA Milestones, please refer to https://www.gaexperienceonline.com/ for resources and testing practice.

During testing, students are allowed to have a peppermint because research shows that mint helps with brain stimulation; however, they cannot eat snacks or other candies during testing. Their teachers will allow snacks after testing. Please refrain from sending candy with your student during this time.

If you have any questions, please contact Lateefah Mosley at lmosley@csdecatur.net. As always we appreciate our Talley community. Your partnership is invaluable.

Dismissal changes need to go through Pick Up Patrol so teachers can direct students to the correct dismissal plan. Please check the status of your child's Pick Up Patrol options in the default and plan changes section. If you have questions about Pick Up Patrol, email jsanangelo@csdecatur.net. Teachers follow what Pick Up Patrol indicates, so if there is a plan change, use the PUP portal or contact jsanangelo@csdecatur.net for assistance.

The cut off time for early checkout is 1:45 p.m. Please plan accordingly.

If your child will be absent. please email the homeroom teacher and jsanangelo@csdecatur.net with the date and reason.

Talley will be holding a vision screening for all students on March 14th. Information and an opt-out form will be sent home in communication folders this week.

Below is the link you can use to purchase your child's class group picture. You can also scan the QR Code. They are offering the class group picture in 5x7 & 8x10.

Join us on Thursday, March 27th from 6:30-8:00 pm for our Rising 6th Grade Parent Night at Beacon Hill Middle School. Look for more information in your March e-blasts!

We look forward to welcoming you,

BHMS Bulldogs

Two Talley Street robotics teams advanced to the State Championship last month. The “Programming Penguins” participated in the First LEGO League (FLL) Robotics State Championship at Georgia Institute of Technology on February 8th and the “Straw Hat Pirates” participated in the State Championship at the University of Georgia on February 15th. Out of 466 teams across the state of Georgia, only 48 teams qualified to compete. The Programming Penguins finished 5th overall for Robotics at the Georgia Tech competition and the Straw Hat Pirates finished 13th overall for Robotics at the University of Georgia competition.

Congratulations to the Talley teams, and thank you to parent coaches Lynda Kim, Eric Stevens, Patrick Brandt, Chesney D’Avis, Daniel Newman, Aaron Potvien, and Jim and Kyla Ross!

This week, we celebrate National School Social Work Week, a time to recognize and appreciate the profound impact our school social worker, Rhea Kavina, has on our school community. Ms. Kavina provides emotional support, guidance, and resources that enhance our students' academic and personal growth. Join us in expressing our deepest gratitude for Ms. Kavina's dedication and commitment. Through her efforts, we see Talley Street's true spirit shine—supportive, inclusive, and always striving for the best in each student. Thank you, Ms. Kavina, for being an essential part of our school family and for your incredible daily work!

Our next schoolwide collection will be Wednesday, March 12. The house that brings in the most will earn 5 house points. Please mark your house name on your bag of plastic.

One thing we are noticing is that some plastic categorized as multi-layer is being incorrectly mixed in with plastic film. Take this two-minute quiz to learn the difference between the two!

Plastic film collections have been a huge success at Talley this school year, and we now have an opportunity to earn free pickups for the entire 2025-2026 school year. To make this happen, we need 10 families to sign up for Ridwell's home pickup service between now and May 23 using the following link:

Unsure if this is right for you? Read what Talley supporters who joined in the fall have to say about this service.

"As a new Ridwell user, I have nothing but great things to say about the service. The app is intuitive, and I appreciate all of the reminders leading up to our Ridwell pickup day. Olin (age 5) helps to sort our plastics and quickly learned that his favorite fruit bar wrappers go in the Ridwell bin, not the trash. Our family has definitely reduced the amount of household trash that ends up in a City of Decatur bag, and we can all feel good about less waste going to a landfill!" — Anna Marie W.

"We love the service. Our son's involvement has been fun, too!" —Pualani S.

NOTE: We will award 5 points to each house that recruits new membership. Thank you for supporting our school sustainability efforts!

Talley's Green Team has undertaken several special collections through Terracycle that can keep certain products out of landfills. Do you use Swifer-brand dusters, dry pads or wet pads? We can recycle your used materials for you! Simply send the used items to school in a plastic bag and label it for "Green Team." Do you shop at Kroger? Send in your clean, dry Kroger-brand food packaging. Serving drink pouches at your child's birthday party or in their daily lunch? We can take all brands of foil or plastic pouches, including the straws. See full details on the "Recycling" page of the Talley Green Team website.

The climate survey for Talley Street is open through March 31, 2025. These surveys are the measures by which GaDOE determine each school’s climate, and the results are a part of each school's CCRPI results. Schools with fewer than 15 family responses will lose one star from their overall School Climate Rating. Your voice is valued and vital! Please take the Talley Street Family Climate Survey.

The 2025-2026 CSD enrollment opens on Monday, March 3, for rising Kindergarten students or students new to CSD. Registration may be completed entirely online. Find more registration information here.

New Families: See CSD's Key Contacts & Resources for Families, available in multiple languages.

REMINDER: If your currently enrolled student has a sibling who will be new to CSD for the 2025-2026 school year, you must register this new sibling via the Parent Portal.

1. Select "More" from the menu in the Parent Portal.

2. Select "Annual Data Update."

3. Select "2025-2026 New Student Registration."

As part of the enrollment process, you will also need to email residency documentation to CSD's district enrollment specialist, Patrice Moore, at pmoore@csdecatur.net, as the Parent Portal will not allow you to change or upload this field. Information about required residency proof documents is available on the CSD website. Please contact pmoore@csdecatur.net or 404-371-3601 x1063 for assistance.

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, support strong school attendance, and encourage safe in-person learning, the U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is offering free, rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to school districts for distribution to students, staff, and families. Starting this week, free COVID-19 test kits will be available in school clinics for pickup from the school nurse.

To maintain the health and wellness of school-aged children and adolescents, the state of Georgia requires that students receive vaccinations for vaccine-preventable diseases before and while attending school.

The CSD School Health Team continuously assesses the immunization status of all CSD students. Parents/guardians of students with expired immunization certificates, Form #3231, or invalid immunization documentation will receive a notification from the school clinic team requesting that the student obtain the required vaccinations for school attendance. A medical exemption on Form #3231 with a current expiration date should be noted, if applicable. See the Georgia Department of Health's child and adolescent vaccination schedule.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, a valid immunization certificate, Form #3231, or a notarized Affidavit of Religious Exemption, Form 2208, is required for school attendance. If a certificate marked with a "Date of Expiration" expires on the date indicated, a current certificate must be submitted within 30 days of expiration.

Adherence to this guidance is crucial. Being adequately vaccinated safeguards the health and well-being of individual students and contributes to the school community's overall safety and vitality. Additionally, ensuring students are immunized creates a protective barrier that minimizes the risks of outbreaks within the school population. Please contact your child’s school clinic team with any questions.

• Walk & Roll to school tomorrow, Friday, March 7th! Join us in stretching our legs after a long break!
• Help out and celebrate Holi at Talley on Thursday, March 13th! Sign up for a volunteer shift at: https://bit.ly/yR26mmk.

• Get your tickets to Tigerfest at the current early-bird rate of $20 per student (adults are free but must register): bit.ly/tigerfest25
• Volunteers Needed! Opportunities: set up, helping with carnival games, selling concessions, and more. Let your BHMS and DHS students know they can earn volunteer hours!
• Adult Volunteers (Age 18+): https://signup.com/go/jHGzOmx
• BHMS/DHS Student Volunteers: https://signup.com/go/yYyGbpW
• Auction: Do you have an item to donate? Let us know! President@talleypto.org. Help contribute to each grade’s auction basket:
• 3rd grade: https://bit.ly/3Ehmmda
• 4th grade: https://bit.ly/4hy9mOI
• 5th grade: https://bit.ly/40QXjqg
• Concessions: Do you have dreams of running a store? Then we need your help with our TigerFest concession stand! Let us know if you can help out by emailing copresident@talleypto.org.

• We have many Lost & Found items we hope to reunite! Please check photos on Instagram (you can view without an account). Reach out to lostandfound@talleypto.org with the item, your child’s name, and your child’s homeroom teacher and we will return it to them.
• Order your yearbook! $28 at bit.ly/talleyyearbooks24. Consider donating one, too! A discount code is available for financial assistance; contact Ms. Weaver (kiweaver@csdecatur.net), school Counselor. Not sure if you’ve ordered yet?: Ask yearbook@talleypto.org.

• Instagram @TalleyPTO

• Facebook page

• Facebook Parent & Community Group

Tour deCatur Registration is Open!

Get ready, get set, get registered for Decatur Education Foundation's 23rd annual Tour deCatur! Sign up at www.tourdecatur.com!

The fun happens on Saturday, March 15, at the Decatur High School stadium. This year, in addition to the 5k (a Peachtree qualifier), the 1-Mile Fun Run, and the adorable Tot Trot (for our friends ages four and under), DEF is offering a "None-Run" for anyone who wants to support Decatur kids without breaking a sweat! This is DEF's largest fundraiser and supports programs and initiatives that remove obstacles, provide opportunities, support educators, and strengthen the Decatur community!

To prepare for the race, all K-2 elementary schools in the district are participating in the iRun program, which teaches students the fundamentals of fitness skills that make running, jogging, and walking enjoyable and safe and prepares them to run the one-mile fun run in March. For more information about DEF's initiatives and how you can get involved, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org.

The City of Decatur offers the Animal Crackers program at all K-2 school sites and the Whiz Kids program at all 3-5 school sites. Enrollment for incoming students is done through a lottery process, which opened on February 20 and closes on April 18, 2025. The lottery spin will be April 25, 2025. Full details on registering for the afterschool lottery are on the City of Decatur website at How to Register for 25-26 Lottery on the Forms and Documents page. Contact the Out-of-School Time Division for more information at dprd@decaturga.com or 404-377-0494.

Families can find various afterschool options for students for the 2025-26 school year on the CSD website.

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

Talley Street PE

And these Instagrams:

@talleytigergram

@talleystemstagram

@talleystreetgarden

@TalleyPTO

For news from our counselors, check out their website:

Counseling Website

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

Read recent issues of the Talley Street Update below. Older issues of CSD Weekly may be found on CSD's district newsletter webpage.