Talley Street Update
March 2, 2020
School News
Report Cards Go Home Today!
Parents, be sure to check those communication folders today. Our Talley Tigers are bringing home their Winter report cards today. Report Cards are one way your teacher communicates student progress. See below for our reporting procedures for each term.
Term 1: Parent/Teacher conferences
Term 2: Report Cards
Term 3: Narrative Reports
Term 4: Report Cards
Term 5: Student-Led Conferences
Term 6: Report Cards
From the School Nurse
The safety of our students and school community is a priority. We are currently monitoring the situation closely and following the guidance of our partners at the Georgia Department of Education, Georgia Department of Public Health, Dekalb Board of Health, and the Dekalb Emergency Management Agency. The most recent information from the Georgia Department of Public Health is included in the link below. Additionally, the Georgia Department of Education has a document for schools, Pandemic Planning: Information for Georgia Public School Districts that can be useful in planning for a pandemic event. At this time, the same recommendations are encouraged to prevent the spread of any respiratory virus:
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or use a tissue to cover it, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Current information is available on the home page of the CSD website and we will continue to update our website as more information is shared from our partners. As with any potential emergency situation, we will follow our safety protocols and communicate with parents through our email, text, and phone system.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html
Elizabeth Barrington, RN, MN, APRN
Talley Street Elementary School
(470)283-7340 ext 3004
City Schools of Decatur
Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports “Coffee Chat,” next Thursday, March 5th from 6-7 p.m.
As you know, City Schools of Decatur created and implemented a new code of conduct for students this year. The previous code of conduct was pretty vague about infractions and consequences for students. Last year, members of CSD staff and community met in focus groups to read the code of conduct and give input on desired changes. With that input in mind, the code of conduct has been revised and includes restorative practices. Restorative practices allow students to maintain good relationships with members of the school community when there has been harm and to avoid or resolve conflict when it arises.
Our elementary schools, using the responsive classroom framework, are familiar with using restorative practices among students and within classrooms. Responsive classroom practices emphasize teaching desired behaviors and practices explicitly and meeting as a classroom crew everyday to build community. Teachers and students work together to solve problems within the crew framework, often including classroom disruptions or disagreements.
CSD received a grant from the Georgia Department of Education to begin working to implement Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports, also known as PBIS. PBIS is an evidence based framework. The basic premise of both PBIS and Responsive Classroom is that continual teaching, modeling and reinforcement of positive behavior will support children’s positive behaviors, reduce discipline problems, and promote a climate of greater productivity, safety and learning.
PBIS focuses on teaching children positive behaviors and changing the school climate so that using positive behaviors becomes more effective than using negative behaviors. PBIS asks the educator to look closely at what the child needs and try to prevent behavior problems by teaching desired behaviors and practicing those behaviors. It is a proactive approach in which the teacher plans for normal disruptions and looks for ways to engage everyone in learning. PBIS will also help teachers across grade levels and schools to respond in similar ways to student behavior, which should help students to have similar and positive experiences.
The PBIS framework and Responsive Classroom Similarities include: Both use positive strategies to help students develop desired behaviors. Both focus on establishing a positive learning environment that supports positive behavior.Both focus on teaching desired skills deliberately and purposefully. Both continuously reinforce positive behavior once children have been taught rules and procedures. Both emphasize immediate and consistent response to behavior.
A team of teachers at Talley have received training in the PBIS framework this semester. We have looked at discipline data from years past and this year to see where children are already successful and where we could improve outcomes for students. The team is tasked with creating rules for common areas such as the hallways, the cafeteria, the playground and the bathrooms. We believe that this will help our school become an even more positive place. Having rules in place and specific responses to behaviors that are disruptive or unsafe will help us to be better stewards of our instructional time and our building and provide equitable outcomes for students. Most importantly, we will be giving our students the tools to succeed as they grow up and leave our school.
The PBIS Team at Talley would like to extend the opportunity for parents to learn more about PBIS by having a “Coffee Chat,” next Thursday, March 5th from 6-7 p.m. at Talley Street Elementary. We hope you will join us, our principal Mr. Heaton, and the CSD PBIS Coordinator, J.J. Credi for this important discussion. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided by the Talley PTO.
Talley's Night of Expressions Event
Talley's Celebration of Learning for the students' How We Express Ourselves Unit of Inquiry that they explored in term 4 will be held across 3 evenings this month. This inquiry included work in Specials classes for all students: Art, Music, Spanish and PE. To celebrate their learning for this unit, students will participate in a two-part evening which will include sharing their work from a Specials class as well as a spoken word event in their homeroom classrooms. More information specific to your child's evening will come from your homeroom teacher. Please plan to join us for an evening of Expressions!
3rd grade: March 17 - 6:00-7:30 pm (spoken word and Art Presentations)
4th grade: March 18 - 6:00-7:30 pm (spoken word and PE Presentations)
5th grade: March 19 - 6:00-7:30 pm (spoken word and Music Presentations)
Attention 5th Grade Parents! Save the Date: Parent Night at Renfroe Middle School
Attention 5th grade parents/guardians! You are invited to attend an informational meeting at Renfroe Middle School on Thursday, March 26th, 2020. Please join us to discover "What You Need to Know About Renfroe," a rising 6th grade parent orientation event. Come early for a student-led tour from 6:30-7:00 pm and stay to discover all you need to know about middle school from 7:00-8:00 pm. This is event is a parent only event (students will tour RMS in early May) and will be held in the RMS Cafeteria. Questions? Contact Ragan Hudson, 6th Grade Counselor at (404) 370-4440 x3226 or rhudson@csdecatur.net. We look forward to welcoming you!
From the Music Teacher
Parents, each week students are expected to bring their recorders to music class. We have so many who forget and they are to use a clean loaner from the music room. But it's better if your child plays with his or her own recorder. I have asked that recorders are kept in backpacks so that they always have them at school.
Thank you for your help with this.
Tanya Jessup
Lost and Found
From Coach Nichols and Coach Henry
Hey Talley Crew! Soon, we will begin our inaugural iRUN TALLEY STREET program leading up to the Decatur Education Foundation's Tour deCatur 5K and one-mile fun run (which is March 14th). You can register for the race at tourdecatur.com. If you need financial assistance with the race fee, don't hesitate to reach out -- we want all Talley kids & families involved!
If you have any questions, please let us know.
Coach Nichols & Coach Henry
Talley Spring Cultural Festival
Please sign-up for a cultural display table to highlight some of your favorite parts of your family's culture (e.g. food/drink to taste, crafts, music, items to see, touch, or try-on). Whether it's Indian, Kenyan, or Southeastern United States-everyone has a culture to share!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4CAAAC28A64-talley
If you or your family/friends are interested in doing a brief cultural performance, please sign-up AND email the event coordinators - Kanika Sims and Sarah Jones.
Everyone has a culture - let's celebrate what makes Talley such a special place!
Kanika Sims - michellewsims@gmail.com
Sarah Jones - sjones1@csdecatur.net
School-Related Photos for Yearbook
Please send photos of any school related events to: talleyyearbookphotos@gmail.com. Contact the yearbook chair for more information:
Kellei Johnstone
404.985.8151
Talley Street PTO
Talley Street Fundraising Event-The Kid Fit Challenge
TALLEY STREET FUNDRAISING EVENT
THE KID FIT CHALLENGE at Piedmont Park
SUNDAY, MARCH 8th, 2020, 11:00-7:00pm
Sponsorship Forms going home this week.
Be Sure to Register ASAP!
Please Check Out This Link Below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kid-fit-challenge-talley-street-fundraiser-tickets-95531640709
Box Tops, Publix, and More
Amazon Smile:
A little late after the flurry of holiday shopping but we're now on Amazon Smile!!! There will be more information in the Newsletter but you can log into www.smile.amazon.com and log into your Amazon account, then select Talley Street Upper Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, 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 screen, select Community Rewards and search for “Talley Street Upper Elementary School PTO”, select 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! If you still have hard copy box tops, we will be collecting them behind the front desk. There is a box labeled Box Tops for Education. Have your kiddo bring in box tops and look for the Large Envelope/box near the front desk. They’ll be collected twice a year.
Publix Partners:
Looking for an easy way to support Talley Street PTO??
Who knew Passive Fundraising could be SO easy!! You don't need the key chain card anymore. Follow the easy instructions on the link: http://corporate.publix.com/community/corporate-campaigns/publix-partners
We’re set up as: Talley Street Upper Elementary School – Decatur, GA
From the District
Georgia Parent Survey
Parents,
Please take time to complete the Georgia Parent Survey. The survey may be completed using a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet. For parents who do not have access to the Internet, a paper copy of the survey is available at the school. The data from the survey will be used as part of the calculation of the School Climate Star Rating. Survey responses are anonymous, self-reported, and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis. The Georgia Parent Survey is also available in Spanish. Parents may select the Spanish version within the survey. The Georgia Parent Survey link is posted below.
News from the Decatur Education Foundation
Registration for the annual Tour deCatur 5K
Decatur’s biggest 5K event is happening this year on Pi Day, 3-14-20! Pick up your numbers and t-shirts the day before the race from noon to 2 pm and from 4-6 pm at the Tour EXPO where students can watch their teachers get “pie-d”! NEW LOCATION THIS YEAR: The Tour EXPO is now at Legacy Park, 500 S. Columbia Drive. www.tourdecatur.com
About Talley Street Upper Elementary School
Important Dates
March 16--no school, teacher workday
April 6-10--spring break
Social Media and Contact Information
Talley Street Principal
Talley Street Upper Elementary School PTO
Talley Street Upper Elementary School Parents
Talley Street Artists
For more about the Talley Street PTO, visit their website here: https://talleypto.org/
Email: bheaton@csdecatur.net
Website: csdecatur.net/Talley
Location: 2617 Talley Street, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 470.283.7340