I hope everyone had a great weekend! Our Monday was quite eventful with the tornado warning. I want to give a big shout out to our faculty and staff and students who did an outstanding job during the inclement weather! This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Talley’s teachers are wonderful! If you haven’t already, please take a moment to send an email to your child’s teacher expressing your appreciation for the great work they do every day.

Tomorrow night’s SLT meeting is being rescheduled for this Thursday at 6:00. Have a great week! Go Talley Tigers!

Billy

Let me officially welcome you to Renfroe Middle School. My staff and I look forward to a normal school year beginning August of 2021. We can’t wait to get to know you and your soon to be 6th graders. Renfroe is an amazing middle school with dedicated teachers and staff. The 6th grade team is especially adept at making the transition from elementary school to middle school seamless for students (and parents). Students currently enrolled at F.AVE and Talley need not register to attend Renfroe, they automatically roll up to us.

Please take some time to read the important information below.

Sincerely,

Greg Wiseman

Principal, Renfroe Middle School

1. Rising 6th Grade Tours: In the following weeks each F.AVE and Talley in-person fifth grade class will take a walking field trip to RMS to visit the school and get the lay of the land. Keep and eye out for the walking field trip Google Form to grant your child permission to join.

2. Rising 6th Grade Parent Webinar: Join us Tuesday, May 4th at 6:30 PM for a presentation of what 6th grade is like, and to get your questions answered. Here is the link. This presentation will be recorded and available for any families who cannot attend the live session.

3. World Language: Beginning in the 6th grade, students have the choice of taking Spanish, French, or German. Students will learn communication skills in regards to the Self, Family, Food, School Day and Community. Please have the conversation with your child now about their choice for World Language. In the next week or two, all rising 6th graders will complete a google form in school indicating their choice. RMS administration will confirm all student choices via email over the summer. Questions about World Language? Email Kelsey Ulm, Department Chair, at kulm@csdecatur.net

4. Band, Chorus, and Orchestra: Renfroe has an amazing music department! Band, Chorus and Orchestra are different from the other connections classes we offer in that taking them is a full year commitment, rather than a 12-week course. Students must sign up for these classes, as they are not assigned. Students registering for these classes do not have to have prior music training or know how to read music. There will be an instrument selection period at the beginning of the year, so Band and Orchestra students can make decisions about what instrument they like and play the best.

For questions and to sign up for either Band, Chorus, or Orchestra, use the links below:

Band: ckraemer@csdecatur.net | LINK to the Band Registration website

Chorus: dhirschorn@csdecatur.net | LINK to the Chorus Registration website

Orchestra: hmccranie@csdecatur.net | LINK to the Orchestra Registration & website

If that’s not enough, the music department will host its own webinar on Wednesday, May 12th at 6:30 PM to answer any questions you may have. Here’s the link.

1. Tours for Virtual 5th Grade Students: Please be on the lookout for additional 6th grade orientation materials including a virtual tour of RMS hosted by our very own 7th grade ambassadors, musical performances from our talented Band, Chorus, & Orchestra programs, as well as “Meet a Middle Schooler” sessions that can be scheduled with interested 5th grade classes!

2. Other Important Information: For more information, please click HERE to access additional rising 6th grade orientation materials that we created last spring. For all other questions, email Ragan Hudson, 6th grade counselor at rhudson@csdecatur.net, or Summer Clayton, 6th Grade Assistant Principal at sclayton@csdecatur.net.

Dear Talley Families,

Please join the Talley PTO to show our incredible teachers how much we appreciate all that they do for our kids during Teacher Appreciation Week.

This year has been unlike any other and our teachers have risen to every challenge with love, compassion, and kindness. They have taught our children so much this year not only in academics but in resilience and facing adversity.

Room Parents are coordinating gifts for their individual classes while Principal Heaton and the PTO Board collaborate on an initiative to re-supply and add decor to the teacher work spaces and plan daily acts of recognition and thanks for our teachers and staff.

During the week, please have your kids make a thank you card, draw a picture or write a thank you letter to their homeroom, specials, media specialists, and other teachers they work with regularly. These letters could include things such as:

-how their teachers make them feel special

-their favorite activities this year

-how a teacher helped them overcome a problem

-their favorite memories from the school year

Our virtual students can participate via email or drop thank you notes off at school that their teachers can collect.

There will be a Teacher Appreciation Padlet posted in the Media Center folder where students can post videos of themselves thanking their teachers or pictures of their notes or drawings for their teachers.

Students can work at their own pace on the thank you notes and bring them to school (or post in the Padlet) any day during the week.

Thank you for helping us celebrate our amazing Talley Tiger teachers!

Bring your thinking caps and join the Talley Elementary PTO DEI Committee for Black History Trivia to have fun and maybe even win prizes!

What: Black History Trivia

When: Wednesday, May 12, 7-8 p.m.

Who: Talley 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders

Where: Zoom and Kahoot! (Links will be provided)

Contact: Okera Hanshaw, okera.hanshaw@gmail.com

On May 12, show the world how much you’ve learned during a fun and exciting Black History Trivia game via Zoom and Kahoot!. There are two rounds of brain-busting trivia for you to test your knowledge of the people and events of Black history and history in the making.

It’ll happen like this over Zoom:

• Round 1 of Kahoot!: separate games for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade

• The Top 10 scores from each grade will advance to Round 2

• Round 2 of Kahoot!: The Top 10 scores from each grade will go up against each other -- all are welcome to watch!

• Awards ceremony and PRIZE notification - gift cards or awesome treat boxes for all 30 top scorers

Sign up to participate here! And read, read, read in the meantime!

Any questions? Contact okera.hanshaw@gmail.com.

What a year, huh? In spite of an overwhelming 9 months and very few opportunities to come together, we had some fun and meaningful events to keep diversity and inclusion as part of our school's culture.

But there’s so much left to do, so much to celebrate and explore, so much anti-racist education to impart and community to build. But our current co-chairs are moving on.

We are asking for your help: we have someone interested in chairing this committee, but would you be interested in co-chairing the Talley PTO DEI Committee next school year? The current chairs will of course help with the transition.

We are barrelling toward the end of the year, and while we all have a million things to do, can we count on you to keep the fires of diversity, equity, and inclusion burning at Talley Elementary in the years to come?

Please email talleydeicommittee@gmail.com if you can help or would like to discuss.

Many thanks,

Ayanna, Becky, and Okera

The Talley PTO is partnering with 1st Day School Supplies to offer an online shopping option for purchasing your school supplies. You can buy everything on the lists with just a few clicks and the supplies will be delivered to your home over the summer. Visit 1st Day and order through June 15. You will also have the option to donate a kit to make sure each student has access to individual supplies.

The 2021-22 Talley School Supply Lists can be found here for your reference.

Step Up for Teachers!

It's that time of year again -- time to Step Up for Teachers! And what a year it's been. Show your favorite teacher just how much you appreciate their hard work during this unprecedented school year with a loving tribute. Just go to www.stepupforteachers.com, make a $25 donation and leave your tribute. We'll notify the honored teacher or CSD staff member and deliver a "We Step Up for Teachers" yard sign to your door in the coming weeks. If you’d like to leave a tribute but can’t make a gift at this time, you can email your tribute to info@decatureducationfoundation.org. The Step Up campaign supports our teachers in the classroom through Teacher Innovation Grants that are awarded every fall. Let's show them some love! To see all of the wonderful tributes, you can visit decatureducationfoundation.org/tributes-2021.

As a special gift from DEF to our DHS seniors, we are giving every member of the senior class of 2021 a “Congratulations Class of 2021” yard sign! It’s a little something to brighten a lackluster final year of high school and celebrate their accomplishments. Details about sign pick-up are coming soon.

Our schools have been closed for most of the school year, but our CSD teachers and staff have continued to work tirelessly to support our students. Have you witnessed a teacher or staff person who has shown compassion for a student during a time of great need or crisis? Every year, DEF recognizes a CSD employee who has shown extraordinary compassion to help a student in crisis through The Clarence Strickland Make a Difference Award. Nominations for this award are accepted from community members or CSD staff and can be completed by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/YiF1pANPKnMfm26b6. Nominations must be received by May 26, 2021, and award(s) will be presented at the teacher’s Opening Day event in July.

Thank you for supporting the Decatur Farm to School Take-Out this month! It takes a lot of different people and talents to make this event a success. We appreciate the CSD schools, our graphic designer, the printing company, all the participating restaurants, and of course, the many diners! Thank you for stepping up for the DF2S programs!

We're now on Amazon Smile! Log into www.smile.amazon.com and log into your Amazon

account, then select Talley Street Upper Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, then save and the PTO will start getting quarterly deposits!

One important tip - you MUST be logged in via smile.amazon.com while shopping for us to

receive any funds.

Kroger Community Rewards

We are set up to receive funds from Kroger. From your account screens, select Community

Rewards and search for “Talley Street Upper Elementary School PTO." Select it and then you

should be all set. Every time you use your Kroger card, the PTO will benefit!

Box Tops

Box Tops have gone digital! Download the app, Box Tops for Education. Enter your

information, select Talley St., scan receipts and done! We will no longer be collecting paper box

tops. If you have any issues using the app, you can submit (via the app) the item not being

recognized on your receipt for credit.

Publix Partners

Looking for an easy way to support Talley Street PTO?

Who knew Passive Fundraising could be SO easy!! You don' need the key chain card anymore.

Follow the easy instructions on the link:

http://www.corporate.publix.com/community/corporate-campaigns/publix-partners

We’re set up as: Talley Street Upper Elementary School – Decatur, GA

Minted

Go to www.minted.com to purchase cards, gifts, and more! Use code FUNDRAISETALLEY at checkout to get 20% off (some exclusions apply) and 15% of sales will be donated to the Talley Street PTO. Happy shopping!

www.csdecatur.net/opening - a repository for all documents, announcements, and communications about how CSD is handling the 2020-2021 school year.

www.csdecatur.net/nutrition - How to order meals

www.csdecatur.net/transportation
www.csdecatur.net/bustracker - How to sign up for the new Predictable Ryde Bus tracking app used for meal delivery, soon for the Fly-brary, mobile book delivery and when in-person learning resumes to track students on their buses
https://virtual.csdecatur.net/tech-help (how parents and staff can put in a tech support request)

https://virtual.csdecatur.net/students - classroom login information

https://virtual.csdecatur.net/parents - Virtual Learning Handbooks