Talley Street Update

The CogAT window is 9/6-9/8 for 3rd grade only. Make-ups will be 9/11-9/15. For more information, see the letter linked below.

We will donate lost items every Friday. Please ask your students to look for their lost items daily as they pass our Lost and Found located right outside of the cafeteria. If you need to check items yourself make sure to sign in at the front desk. Be sure to label your child's items with first and last names. We will do our best to return items that are labeled.

If you are interested in helping shelve books and keep our library neat and tidy, please sign up using the link below. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Do you have any of the following items lying around your house? We would love them for the STEM lab!

• 2 liter bottles
• interesting trash that you can't recycle
• toilet paper or paper towel rolls
• old wallpaper

Thanks so much for your support!

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 (found at the website below) and turn it into the Gifted & Talented Specialists at your child’s school before October 4th. No additional information is needed. The Gifted & Talented Specialists for Talley Street Upper Elementary are Lindsey Combs, Nicole Fiber, and Ashley Forman. For more detailed information about the review process and to obtain a copy of the Recommendation for Review Form, please contact the Gifted & Talented Specialist for your school at one of the following email addresses: lindseycombs@csdecatur.net, aforman@csdecatur.net, or nfiber@csdecatur.net, or visit the following website: https://www.csdecatur.net/Page/581.

It's that time, dust off your recorder or let Ms. Jessup know you'll need to purchase one. In music class, we will resume our recorder fun after September break. We will learn how to play a recorder duet and in a recorder ensemble.

Calling all computer programming, problem solving, Lego masters! We are looking for 4th and 5th grade students to join the First Lego League Team at Talley. Students will be coached by parent volunteers, Juergen Meyer and John Chestnut. The team will meet on Fridays from 4:00-6:00 pm at Decatur High School. Keep in mind that this is not a club, but a competitive Lego League team, so attendance at practices will be mandatory. Students received an invitation to apply this week in class and the link to the applications is also attached below. We anticipate having many applications, but we can only accept 6 applicants. Applications will be due by Monday, September 4th at 3:00 pm.

After School Club at Talley - Witzzle Pro

When: Tuesdays from 2:30-3:30 (parent pickup at 3:30)

Start Date: 9/26/23

End Date: 11/7/23

Deadline to sign up: Friday, September 8, 2023

How do I sign up: Fill out the form Witzzle Pro sign-up sheet

Who can sign up: Any student who currently attends Talley (max 50 students). No charge.

What is Witzzle Pro: Witzzle Pro is a super fun game that can be played as a single, small group, or large group. It helps to enhance problem solving skills, order of operations, and has up to 7 different levels of difficulty - so it is a game for any age 6 and up. If you love to play games and like math - this Club is for you! We will have a fun tournament on our last meeting day.

Feel free to also email one of us if you have any questions:

nfiber@csdecatur.net

lindsey.combs@csdecatur.net

apolding@csdecatur.net

Encouraging our youth to be physically active is more important than ever before. Increasing a child’s level of physical activity is not only important for improving their health, but recent studies also indicate that physical fitness levels are associated with academic performance, school attendance, and discipline. As a part of your child’s Physical Education program, their class will be participating in the FitnessGram assessment which measures only those areas of fitness related to the health of students. This includes: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and body composition.

Official Code of Georgia 20-2-777 requires each local school district to conduct an annual fitness assessment program for all students in grades 1st - 12th. What does that mean for your child in City Schools of Decatur? 1st -12th grade students will have their height and weight privately measured. Parents/guardians have the option to report height and weight via a confidential google form provided by their child’s PE teacher. 1st –3rd grade students will be introduced to the following skills: PACER, push-ups, curl-ups, and back saver sit and reach. These skills will be formally assessed in grades 4th - 12th. Starting in 4th grade a confidential FitnessGram report will be provided to parents/guardians of each student via email at the end of the school year. This report will include your child’s scores and information about whether or not they achieved the FitnessGram Healthy Fitness Zone. The Healthy Fitness Zone represents the level of fitness needed for good health. The information on this private report will not be displayed or made public.

Information about FitnessGram and the requirements can be found at: www.fitnessgram.net, Georgia Department of Education FitnessGram Information, FitnessGram Safe Environment.

Talley Street Upper Elementary Reporting Form for Height and Weight Due by: September 21, 2023

If you have any questions, or concerns, please contact Nicole Johns at njohns@csdecatur.net

This week, Altruismo will be hosting the Talley Rally. If your child is an Altruismo House Member, you are welcome to join us for the Talley Rally. The fun starts at 1:35 and ends at 2:05. Please check in at the front desk before coming to the gym. Remember-only Altruismo parents may attend.

We will be sending home information regarding how to join the RCA App to see your child's House Point progress! You can get notified when your student earns points and keep track of the championship race. Look for this information in your student's take home folder.

• This Friday the 1st is September’s Walk N Roll!
• Also this Friday the 1st is the 1st rollout of the 5th-grade sponsored snack cart. Especially needed are bottled water, kombucha, and protein drinks in strawberry and vanilla. Individually wrapped items can be dropped-off with Ethel Johnson at the front desk. Sign-up here. Questions? Email Nydia Almond: nialmond05@gmail.com.
  

• September 12th: Would you like to celebrate Pride at Porchfest? Join a Diverse Book Club for you and your kids? Be part of important conversations about race and equity in our district? Sign up for the Talley PTO DEI committee! We'll be having our first meeting at Calle Latina to kick off the upcoming Hispanic / Latinx Heritage Month. Join us 6:30-7:30 pm! Please email Jeanie at dei@talleypto.org to RSVP.
• September 14th: Spirit Night at Jersey Mike’s Decatur
• Also on September 14th: the September PTO Meeting
• Now through September 30th: Continue donating to the Talley Teacher Fund. This supports all teachers with gifts throughout the year. *This is a gift to teachers, not a PTO donation.* Donate at PayPal.me/TalleyTeacherFund

Stay up to date with all PTO events and news by following us on Instagram and Facebook and becoming a member on our PTO website.

As COVID-19 remains a global concern, the City Schools of Decatur (CSD) wants to remind all students, staff, and families to please take precautions and remember to follow these critical measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus:

· Stay home when sick

· Cover coughs and sneezes with elbow/tissue and immediately throw it away

· Do not cover your mouth with bare hands

· Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

· Clean touched surfaces and objects frequently

CSD no longer has the funding, authority, or monitoring systems to track and trace cases beyond self-reporting. Therefore, we will not send exposure notifications as we risk violating HIPAA and FERPA confidentiality guidelines. We will continue to emphasize and monitor cleanliness and hygiene in all facilities. Masks are permitted but not required. Together, we can ensure the safety and well-being of all students, staff, and families.

Here’s a link to the CSD mitigation strategy: https://www.csdecatur.net/covidstrategy

Come and learn more about support programs available to CSD students. Local, state, and federal programs support the success of our students. Programs are designed to ensure that all students have a fair, equal and meaningful opportunity to obtain a high-quality education.

The programs featured will be:

• MTSS

• ESOL & Federal Programs

• Special Education

• Gifted

• Equity and Student Services

To join the Zoom Meeting, click here

Meeting ID: 984 4400 9352
Passcode: 425842

We look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions you would like answered, please use the link below to submit your questions before the meeting. PDF Flyer

Our teachers and students are AMAZING! The Decatur Education Foundation is crazy excited about their ideas for Teacher Innovation Grants and — for the first time ever — Student Innovation Grants! So far, we've received 16 TIGs and 10 SIGs. Wowza!

These grants support teachers and students in CSD by providing funds for innovative educational experiences, and awards range from $200 to $3,000. The application deadline is August 31 @ 5:00 PM. The grant awards will be announced on September 14. If you have any questions, please contact Meg Brooks, Director of Programs & Partnerships (meg@decatureducationfoundation.org)

Last year, we awarded over $35,000 in Teacher Innovation Grants, and this year we want to double it! To support DEF’s Innovation Grants, visit DecaturEducationFoundation.org.

CSD teachers & students can apply at:

https://bit.ly/DEFTeacherInnovationGrants

https://bit.ly/DEFStudentInnovationGrants

Register to race as a driver or save the date to cheer on your favorite cars during a day of family-friendly fun at the 12th Annual Madison Avenue Derby on Saturday, October 21, 2023. This year’s event benefits Urban Recipe, an organization that addresses food insecurity in metro Atlanta. Driver registration open through Thursday, October 5. or until spots sell out.

For more information about the Madison Avenue Derby, visit: www.madavederby.org.

Do you have plans for a new garden or class project? Fantastic ideas on how to incorporate farm to school principles into a teaching unit? Or maybe you need funds for a "green" field trip?

The Wylde Center Decatur Farm to School Committee invites you to apply for a grant for 2023-24. Teachers, administrators, PTA members, and parent volunteers can apply on behalf of their CSD school. Please get your applications in before September 22, 2023. (Link here and on the Wylde Center website > Education > Farm to School)

https://forms.gle/A4vkNfhVzyAu28wE9

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/.