Talley Street Update
October 12, 2020
An Update from the Principal
Dear Talley Street Community,
I hope everyone had a nice weekend and stayed safe during the severe weather! I want to give you an update. We have been working hard to prepare for the school’s reopening. We have hung several signs around the building that promote wearing a mask, washing hands thoroughly, using hand sanitizer, and social distancing to all extent possible. I have included pictures below. We are also working on the setup for our classrooms. At this time, classrooms are set up for two students at each table separated by plexiglass. Our classrooms already have sinks, but hand soap and paper towel dispensers are being added. We have lined the hallways with 2” dots to provide the students with a visual for social distancing. Water filling stations are being added since the water fountains are closed.
Talley’s transportation plan is also changing. Car riders will now line up on Talley Street. Three to four cars will load and unload at a time directly in front of the doorways. Our buses will enter into the school’s parking lot. Buses will be loaded and unloaded one at a time. Each grade level will use different entrances into the school building. Our art teacher, Ms. Radford has painted tiger paws across the sidewalks to remind bus riders to socially distance. More information on the transportation plan will be forthcoming.
Finally, we are beginning to receive final numbers of students returning for face to face instruction and those staying virtual. We still have over 70 families that have not replied. We are reaching out to these families today and tomorrow. Once we have firm numbers, we can finalize our plan and let families know what instruction will look like and whether or not roster changes are needed. Over the course of the next two weeks, Talley’s teachers will be receiving professional learning on concurrent teaching.
I know this is an uncertain time. We are doing everything we can to be as transparent as possible. Once our plan has been finalized, I will host another town hall to answer any questions. The Talley Street Community is amazing! Please be patient with us and continue to show us grace as we move forward. My number one priority is to keep our students and faculty safe. I will continue to work diligently until we have the best reopening plan possible.
Billy
CSD Updates
Important Message from Our CSD Nutrition Department
CSD Meal Service will continue with its current meal distribution delivery process until October 30. Meal Service distribution will transition to pick-up only on November 2.
The school district will continue delivering meals until October 30th for digital learners and any child under the age of 18 (or under the age of 21 for youth with special needs) on each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until October 30. If you have any additional questions, you can email meals@csdecatur.net.
From the Decatur Education Foundation
DEF needs mentors, could one of them be you? DEF is seeking 15 adult volunteer mentors for their AIM Scholars Mentoring Program. AIM mentors are paired with 3rd grade students and “meet” regularly throughout the year. In just 2-4 hours per month, mentors help connect their mentees with educational and enrichment activities so they can find their passions and develop life skills. For more information, please visit decatureducationfoundation.org/mentoring.
Talley Updates
Pictures for Talley Rally
Thanks so much!
Coach Nichols
Title I Annual Meeting
Please come and join us for our upcoming Title I Annual Parent Meeting on Zoom!
Title I Annual Meeting
Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Morning Session: 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Evening Session: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: Virtual (Link to be shared)
PTO Updates
Talley Reading Rally
The Reading Rally is off to a fantastic start! Shout Out to everyone who has been reading, logging minutes and finding sponsors! We launched on Friday, 10/9 and will be logging minutes though Friday, 10/16. So far, as a school we’ve read 8,172 minutes!
Our top 3 readers in the school so far are Frances Sibley, Molly Davis, and Katrina Kolesnikova. Way to go Tigers! Our top classes are Ms. Wren in 3rd grade with 1,284 minutes, Ms. Scott in 4th grade with 472 minutes, and Ms. Sanders in 5th grade with 645 minutes! Let’s see if they can keep the lead tomorrow!
This week, we have different themes each day to find interesting ways to read! Please share pictures each day on the Talley Parents Facebook Group and in the Reading Rally Padlet in your child's Media Center Google Classroom.
Monday, 10/12 - Find your favorite reading spot
Tuesday, 10/13 - Read in your pJs
Wednesday, 10/14 - Read a spooky story (or an animal story if you don’t like spooky)
Thursday, 10/15 - Read outside
Friday, 10/16 - Dress up like your favorite book character
Please contact Kim Mohl or Sara Weathersby with any questions at fundraising@talleypto.org.
Talley Street Passive Fundraising
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
Helpful Links
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
Social Media and Contact Information
Talley Street Upper Elementary School PTO
Talley Street Upper Elementary School Parents
For news in the Media Center and from our school counselors, check out their websites:
For more about the Talley Street PTO, visit their website here: https://talleypto.org/