The Leadership Lens Issue #16

Dear Marshall Leadership Academy Families,

As we move into the month of December, I want to thank you for your partnership and continued support. This is a busy and exciting time on our campus, and your involvement helps us create memorable and meaningful experiences for our students.

To ensure that all events run smoothly and that our campus remains safe and secure, please be sure to RSVP for any activities or programs that require it. This helps us plan appropriately, manage visitor access, and provide the best experience for everyone attending. Below, you will find our list of important events for the month of December.

Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, joyful, and well-organized learning environment for all students. We look forward to celebrating a wonderful month together.

With appreciation,
Mr. Amaton

Hello Mustangs!

We hope all of our parents and families had a very happy Thanksgiving break! Habit 3 is about putting first things first and making time for the most important priorities in our lives. I hope you were able to slow down and focus on what matters most to you — whether that’s quality time with family, rest, reflection, or simply being present in the moment. I hope it was a meaningful time to reconnect, recharge, and create lasting memories with those you love.

Winter break is just in a few weeks, but we have so many wonderful things planned before then! Be sure to check out our December parent calendar and the 12 Days of Christmas dress-up calendar (starting THIS WEDNESDAY)!

-Ms. Sutton

DECEMBER

• 1: PTA Meeting: MLA Library, 6:30pm 📝

• 2: Leaders 5: Cafeteria, 1:00-2:30pm

• 2: Student Council Meeting: Mrs. Martinez's Room, 3:35-4:15pm

• 5: Accountability Partner Time

• 8: 5th Grade GT Field Trip

• 9: Picture Retakes 📸

• 11: 2nd & 3rd Grade Music Performance: MLA Cafeteria, 6:30pm

• 12: Academy 4

• 13: Winter Wonderland, 9:00am-12:00pm ❄️

• 16: 5th Grade Field Trip to Nature Center, 9am-2pm

• 18: Last day of Q2

• 18: Polar Express Parade, 9:30am (see below for more details) 🚂

• 18: Holidays parties (see below for more details) ☃️

Please see the calendar below for our 12 Days of Holiday Fun dress-up days for the last 12 days of school before winter break! Each day your child participates earns them 50 house points!!! Get your outfits ready!

Wednesday, December 3rd - Friday, December 5th

Day 1 - Holiday Cheer & Happy Reindeer: Wear red and green or reindeer gear 🦌

Day 2 - Jingle Jangle All Day Long: Wear holiday bells and bows 🎁🔔🎀

Day 3 - Baby, It's Cold Outside: Wear your favorite winter hats & scarves🧣

Monday, December 8th - Friday, December 12th

Day 4 - Candy Cane Couture: Wear red and white! ❤️🤍

Day 5 - Grinch Day: Wear green, Grinch, or your Whoville finest! 💚

Day 6 - Walking in a Winter Wonderland: Wear blue and white! ❄️

Day 7 - Tinsel Toes Thursday: Wear your holiday socks 🧦

Day 8 - Flannel Friday: Wear your comfy plaid or flannel

Monday, December 15th - Thursday, December 18th

Day 9 - Sparkle City: Wear something shiny, sparkly, or bright 🪩

Day 10 - Tacky Tuesday: Wear your tackiest or most festive holiday sweater 🎉

Day 11 - Holiday Hair, Don't Care: Wear holiday hats & hair accessories 👒

Day 12 - 'Twas the Night Before Winter Break: Wear your favorite pajamas! (No slippers, please!)

We’re also continuing our 🎅🏼Santa’s Helpers Toy Drive🧸. Students who bring a new, unwrapped toy will receive 500 house points! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far—your generosity helps bring warmth and joy to GPISD families this holiday season.

Our PreK, Kindergarten, and 1st grade students will be invited to create and decorate a boxcar to participate in our annual Polar Express Parade.

Each child may have 2 adult visitors attend the parade. Please RSVP using the link or QR code by Tuesday, December 16th at 4:00pm to help our parent check-in process run more efficiently.

Please join us for class holiday parties on Thursday, December 18th. Due to the space constraints in the classroom, there will be only 2 visitors allowed per student (including adults and children). This signup will close at 4:00pm on Monday, December 16th.

Please note the party times for each grade level. We have staggered some party times to help people with multiple children be able to attend both.

• Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade: 1:15-2:00pm
• 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade: 2:15-3:00pm

*You are welcome to sign-out your child with their teacher (they will have a sign-out sheet) after the party is over. However, once a child is signed out, they must leave campus and cannot attend a sibling's party.

For ALL 2nd & 3rd Grade Parents!

Our 2nd & 3rd student musicians will perform "On With The Snow" (A holiday/winter musical for young voices) on Thursday, December 11, 2025 @ 6:30pm in the Marshall Cafetorium. More info to come! Thanks Parents!

The registration for your child to participate in this event is now closed. For questions, please reach out to Mr. Carter at terris.carter@gpisd.org.

If your child was absent on our fall picture day or you were unhappy with your child's pictures, please plan to dress to impress on Tuesday, December 9th for picture retakes! This is the photo that will be included in the yearbook!

*If unhappy with pictures, please return full original order to photographer on the day of the picture retakes.

**You may preorder pictures at myschoolpicture.com.

Purchase your child's yearbooks NOW! Purchases include 2 free customizable pages with your child's own memories from the year!

Purchase yearbooks HERE: https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016310326852888

*Yearbooks will be delivered the last week of school!

Get ready to vote on some holiday cheer! We’re excited to announce a Winter Door Decorating Contest for all our staff members and we will need the help of our community to determine their favorite.

Voting will open then Dec. 10th and close on Dec. 13th @ 11:59pm on the the Marshall Leadership Facebook Page.

💙 Thank You, Marshall Families!

We truly appreciate every parent, student, teacher, and volunteer who continues to participate and stay engaged. Together, we are building a stronger and more connected Marshall community!

To our amazing teachers and staff thank you for always uplifting our Marshall community.

Congratulations to Ms. Owen, winner of the Teacher & Staff Membership Drive Raffle, receiving a $50 gift card to Bobbie’s Airway Grill!

🏆 Friendly Classroom Competition Winners

Thank you to every family who joined the PTA and supported their students in this challenge. Your involvement truly makes a difference.

1st Place – 5th Grade, Ms. Garrett (17/17)

100% membership

Prize: Pizza Party 🍕

2nd Place – 1st Grade, Ms. Gonzalez (16/24)

Great teamwork and participation

Prize: Ice Cream Sundae Party 🍦

3rd Place – Kindergarten, Mrs. Smith (11/20)

Wonderful dedication

Prize: Donuts Party 🍩

Congratulations to all students, parents, and teachers who participated! Your enthusiasm and teamwork shine.

Join us for our next PTA meeting: Monday, December 1st at 6:30 PM – School Library

We’d love to hear your ideas, welcome your involvement, and invite any community partners or business owners who want to collaborate. Your voice matters!

We are excited to announce our first ever Winter Wonderland event:

Saturday, Dec. 13th

Mark your calendars and get ready for this magical morning filled with holiday fun, family activities, and festive cheer. Enjoy breakfast, pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and workshops with our very own Marshall elves. Stay tuned for more details!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our School Spirit Night at Chuck E. Cheese! Your energy and participation made the evening a wonderful success.

🥳 Congratulations to Ms. Gonzalez’s class for having the highest attendance and earning a well-deserved pizza party! 🎉

Checkout our Thurgood Marshall Leadership Academy PTA page for event photos! 📸

Check out photos from Mrs. Moreno’s class, our top attendance winners for both Raising Cane’s Spirit Night and Bahama Bucks Spirit Night.

Thank you to her class and all families who continue showing incredible support!

Did you know GPISD offers a dinner program to students everyday? Students can receive a full packaged meal after the bell rings.

-Free to ALL students!
-Offered Monday-Friday!
-Offers an additional healthy and nutritious meal after the bell rings!

🌟Please sign up below for each child!

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¿Sabías que GPISD ofrece un programa de cena para estudiantes todos los días? Los estudiantes pueden recibir una comida completa después de que suene la campana.

-¡Gratis para TODOS los estudiantes!
-¡Disponible de lunes a viernes!
-¡Ofrece una comida adicional, sana y nutritiva después de que suene la campana!

Please join us in help completing a background check for volunteering on campus, visiting, and joining us for campus events including field trips. This would need to be completed annually.

Students have received one lanyard and one badge sleeve for free. Afterward, parents need to use the link or QR code to purchase replacements through MySchoolBucks.

You will have the option to choose:

• Badge sleeve $1
• Lanyard-red $2 ❤️
• Lanyard-orange $2 🧡
• Lanyard-yellow $2 💛
• Lanyard-green $2 💚
• Lanyard-blue $2 💙
• Lanyard-purple $2 💜
• Lanyard-black $2 🖤
• Lanyard-white $2 🤍

**Please choose the lanyard color for your child's house.**

To ensure a smooth and safe dismissal process, we kindly ask that there be no student check-outs on Fridays after 2:15 PM. This helps us maintain an orderly end-of-day routine and ensures all students are accounted for our Leadership trainigs. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!