Talley Street Update
January 27, 2020
School News
From the Principal
Dear Talley Street Community,
I would like to share a few updates and reminders:
Traffic Safety
Please be reminded that only right hand turns are allowed in and out of the school parking lot during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal. Please also turn on car signals by the time you reach the school flag pole.
Dismissal Changes
Please provide notification of any dismissal changes prior to 2:15 pm.
Ribbon Cutting/Open House
Please join us as we introduce the community to CSD’s newest school! The ribbon cutting and open house will be this Thursday from 6:00-7:00. This Open House is for the broader CSD community. Your child’s classroom and teacher will not be available during this event. If you were unable to attend the Meet and Greet last fall, this is your chance to take a self-guided tour of the school. You are welcome to call the school with any questions.
Thank you and have a great week!
Billy
Billy Heaton
Principal, Talley Street Upper Elementary School
City Schools of Decatur
i-Ready Begins This Week
iReady Diagnostic 2 Begins for Talley Tigers this week!
Our Talley Tigers will begin taking their mid-year iReady Diagnostic Assessment this week. The testing window is 1/28/2020-2/14/2020. The students will take a Math and Reading mid-year assessment.
iReady Diagnostic 2
i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment designed to provide teachers with actionable insight into student needs. By adapting to student responses and assessing a broad range of skills—including skills above and below a student’s chronological grade—the i‑Ready Diagnostic pinpoints student ability level, identifies the specific skills students need to learn to accelerate their growth, and charts a personalized learning path for each student. This personalized learning path is accessible to students on-line at and outside of school. Every student will participate in this diagnostic assessment in late January/early February.
What information does MAP give vs. iReady?
MAP gives us information about how much growth students are making towards their personal growth goal based upon a national norm. iReady gives us information about where students are in mastery of Georgia's state standards and supplies instructional resources for grade level, below grade level and above grade level needs. Both assessments provide useful information and can serve different instructional purposes. All students will experience both assessments, just not all at the same points throughout the school year.
The suggested roll out of the assessment is as follows:
3rd Grade: Week 1: 1/28-1/31
5th Grade: Week 2: 2/3/-2/7
4th Grade Week 3: 2/10-2/14
Individual classroom teachers will decide upon the best day/time according to their schedule and class needs. To find out the exact date your student will take the assessments, you can look in your teacher’s parent communication.
IB 101 for Parents
Parent Talk: What Does it Mean to be an IB PYP School?
Talley Street Upper Elementary is now an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme candidate school. Not sure what this means and how it impacts your Talley Tiger's learning experience? Want to know more? Join us for one of our Parent Talk: What Does it Mean to be and IB PYP School? sessions. We are holding an evening session as well as a morning session. Both sessions are the same, join the one that fits your schedule. You'll hear a brief presentation on the IB Primary Years Programme followed by time for questions. Hope to see you there!
Evening Session: 6:00-7:00 pm 2/13/2020
Morning Session: After Talley Rally 8:30(ish) 2/14/2020
Title I Math Family Night February 27, 2020
Our Math Family Night has been postponed from: 1/30/2020 to 2/27/2020. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Title I Presents: Math Family Night
Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m.
Talley Street Upper Elementary School
2617 Talley Street
Room # 208
Decatur, GA 30030
Black History Month Living Wax Museum
Students are encouraged to help Talley Street Elementary celebrate Black History Month by participating in our living wax museum. Students will be researching African Americans (both past and present) who were important figures in history or who have made a positive difference in our world.
Interested students will be given a list of African Americans important figures. Students will sign up for the person of their choice and begin doing research over the next few weeks on their chosen person using books and online resources.
Using the information the students have collected on their famous African American figures, they will write a short speech in the first person that they will eventually read to an audience at the African American Wax Museum.
Students will also create tri-fold posters with pictures of the African American they have chosen.The Living Wax Museum will take place at the end of February. Students are asked to dress up as their person and bring props or other things that will bring authenticity to their character.
Please return the completed form back to Mrs. Parks by February 3, 2020. Please email Shannon Brewton sbrewton@csdecatur.net with any questions.
FROM COACH NICHOLS & 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 (which is March 14th).
This year, we will be selling our 1st ever TALLEY STREET iRUN SHIRTS! They are $10 each and can be ordered here: https://pswear.com/TalleyStreet.
We think the design turned out great, and we know everyone needs some Talley spiritwear! The link for ordering shirts opens on January 27th and concludes on February 10th. Please don't miss the deadline. Shirts are for students, siblings, parents, staff, community members, and so on.
Finally, 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
Impact of Tech on Our Youth
Wednesday, January 29th 6-8pm
Talley Street Upper Elementary School
2617 Talley St, Decatur, GA 30030
Our kids and their devices - the more we know...
Parents and caregivers of all age youth - you are invited to a conversation on the topic of technology and how it affects our youth. A panel of diverse experts will present their perspectives on the issues surrounding social media, screen time, mental health, anxiety, and positive strategies for balancing all the aspects of our children's lives.
Speaker Panel:
Cheryl Nahmias, PhD
Instructional Coach, IB Coordinator, Decatur High School
Eston Melton
Executive Director of Information Services, City Schools of Decatur
Suzanne Kosmerl
Social Media Specialist, Hashtag Parenting
Lisa Miller, LAPC, NCC
Individual & Family Counselor
Pathways Transition Programs, Inc.
Maria Halpin, LMFT
Individual & Family Counselor @Decatur High School
DeKalb Community Service Board
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 Spirit Wear is Back!
Tell your friends and neighbors...Spirit Wear is back for a limited time. Store will be open until 2/23. Orders fulfilled mid-March. Please note all non-Apparel items are available in limited QTY's. Once they are sold out - they are gone. Don't miss out!!
Head over to shop.initialcontact.com to order today.
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
Third Annual Decatur Soccer 3v3 Tournament and Fundraiser
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
Friday, January 31st from 7-10 pm - Mix Mingle & Mocktail
Come out in support of Joe’s Fund for Mental Health by enjoying an adult, alcohol-free evening out with live music from The Benders. There will be delicious mocktails from Universal Joint, delectable food from Oakhurst Market, desserts from Butter and Cream, and coffee beverages from Waller’s Coffee Shop. Tickets available at www.decatureducationfoundation.org/joesbenefit
Thursday, February 6th and Friday, February 7th from 8:30a-3:30pm - Beyond Diversity Community Training
Saturday, February 8th from 1pm to 5pm - Mead Road Mardi Gras Parade and Party
About Talley Street Upper Elementary School
Important Dates
February 17-21--winter break
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