The Leadership Lens Issue #33

Hello Marshall Families,

Last week, our 3rd–5th grade students did an outstanding job on the Reading STAAR! We’re excited to share that we had 100% participation—every single student showed up ready to give their best effort. That kind of commitment speaks volumes about the hard work, preparation, and perseverance our students have shown all year long.

We are incredibly proud of our students for staying focused, pushing through challenges, and taking the test seriously. A big thank you also goes out to our teachers and staff for their dedication in preparing students, as well as to our families for making sure students were rested, on time, and encouraged each day. It truly takes a team, and last week was a great example of what we can accomplish together.

As we look ahead to this week, our 5th graders will be taking the Science STAAR. We know they have been working hard and are ready to do their best. We encourage our families and community to continue lifting them up with positive words, extra encouragement, and support at home. Simple things like a good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast, and a confident mindset can make a big difference.

5th grade, we are proud of you and believe in you—keep working hard and show what you know! 🌟

—Mr. Amaton

Dear Marshall Families,

This week, our 5th grade students will take the STAAR Science assessment on Tuesday. We are proud of the hard work they have put in this year and know they are ready to show what they know. Thank you for your continued support in helping students arrive on time, well-rested, and prepared for a focused testing day.

We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our families who participated in Chalk the Sidewalk, filling our campus sidewalk with positive and encouraging messages for our STAAR students. These small acts of kindness help set a powerful tone for our school community each day.

A special shoutout goes to Mr. Carter, our Specials team, and our teachers for an outstanding performance of Walking on Sunshine for our Kinder and 1st grade families on Thursday night. Thank you to all the parents and families who came out to support, and to our staff for their time, energy, and dedication in making the event such a joyful experience for our students.

As we continue winding down the school year, we are focusing on maintaining a strong leadership mindset. This week, I highlight Habit 4: Think Win-Win, which reminds us to look for solutions that benefit everyone. As students work through testing, projects, and end-of-year activities, this habit helps them collaborate, support one another, and remember that success is even greater when we all succeed together.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support of Marshall Leadership Academy. We are proud of our Mustangs and excited for a strong finish to the year.

Pony Up,
taelor.harris@gpisd.org

💙 Individual & Family Counselor Support

GPISD has a wealth of resources available to students and their families. If your family is in need of assistance or counseling support, please reach out to me so that I can support you.

Phone: (972) 522-7220

Email: lakedra.anderson@gpisd.org

Thank you for your continued partnership in helping keep our school a safe, respectful, and caring community for all students.

— Ms. Anderson, School Counselor

Dear Families,

We are excited to share that we have a full calendar of fun and meaningful events coming up as we wrap up the school year! From Field Day and grade level picnics to end-of-year awards ceremonies, there are so many opportunities to celebrate our students and their hard work. We kindly ask that families RSVP for each event so we can plan accordingly and ensure a smooth experience for everyone. Also, please remember to bring a valid photo ID when you arrive on campus, as all visitors must check in through the front office. We look forward to celebrating with you and making these moments extra special for our students!

-Ms. Sutton

This week begins our three week STAAR testing window, so we are unable to accept lunch visitors from Monday, April 13th through Friday, May 1st.

🚫 No lunch drop-offs will be accepted on testing days.

Hello Marshall families!

We need your help! We'd love to have your feedback for how this year has gone...any insight to help us know what we're doing well and how we can improve moving forward!

Once completed, please take a screenshot to send to your child's homeroom teacher(s) so each child can receive 500 house points for parent participation!

Survey link HERE: https://www.leaderinme.com/s/marshall-leadership-acad-tx/families

• 20-24: Volunteer Appreciation Week

• 20: Kindergarten field trip to Fort Worth Zoo 🦓 🐅 🦍🦒

• 21: STAAR Science 🌎

• 22: Administrative Professional's Day

• 23: Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast, 7:30-8:30am 🍩

• 24: Academy 4 (Mentor time only), 1:30-2:45pm

• 27-May 8: EOY MAP Testing Window

• 28: STAAR Math 🔢

• 28: School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

• 1: School Lunch Hero Day

• 1: School Principal Day

• 1: House Rally-Q4 Winner, 2:00pm

• 4-8: Teacher Appreciation Week

• 4: Cinco de Mayo Performance, 2:00pm (for students and staff)

• 5: World's Finest Chocolate BMX Show, 1:30pm

• 5: Cinco de Mayo Performance, 6:00pm (for families), SGP Auditorium

• 6: School Nurse's Day

• 6: World's Finest Chocolate Cowboys Stadium Tour

• 7: Field Day

• 8: Q3 House Field Trip

• 8: World's Finest Chocolate Slime/Yuck Show, 2:30pm

• 11: Pre-K Petting Zoo, 11:00am-12:00pm

• 11: Kindergarten Picnic, 1:00-3:00pm

• 11: PTA Meeting, 6:30pm

• 12: 5th Grade Celebration (all day)

• 12: 2nd Grade Picnic, 9:00-11:00am

• 12: 1st Grade Picnic, 1:00-3:00pm

• 13: Kindergarten field trip to GPISD Nature Center

• 13: 4th Grade Picnic, 9:00-11:00am

• 13: 5th Grade Picnic, 1:00-3:00pm

• 14: Q4 House Field Trip

• 14: Pre-K Picnic, 8:30-10:30am

• 14: Talent Show, 2:00pm (for staff and students)

• 14: Talent Show, 6:30pm (for families)

• 15: 3rd Grade Picnic, 9:00-11:00am

• 15: Academy 4

• 15: World's Finest Chocolate Dunk Amaton

• 18: 2nd Grade Awards, 9:00-10:00am

• 18: Pre-K Awards, 1:30-2:30pm

• 19: 1st Grade Awards, 9:00-10:00am

• 19: Kindergarten Awards, 1:30-2:30pm

• 20: 3rd Grade Awards, 9:00-10:00am

• 20: 4th Grade Awards, 1:30-2:30pm

• 21: Last Day of School

• 21: 5th Grade Awards, 9:00am

  
  

• 21: 5th Grade and Senior Clap Out, 3:00pm

🎶☀️ Shoutout to our amazing Kindergarten & 1st Grade students! ☀️🎶

We were so proud of our young performers as they shined on stage in their spring musical, “I’m Walking on Sunshine,” on Thursday, April 16, 2026!

A very special thank you to Mr. Carter, Ms. Owens, and Coach Hale for their dedication, hard work, and heart in preparing our students for such a wonderful performance. Your impact truly made a difference!

All student musicians worked hard during their school-day specials to learn and practice—without any after-school rehearsals—and they did an incredible job!

Thank you to everyone who supported and celebrated our students. It was a joyful evening full of music, smiles, and sunshine! 🌞🎤

Congratulations to these students who excel at Habit 4: Think Win-Win!

Habit 4, Think Win-Win, is all about building positive relationships by finding solutions where everyone feels valued and respected. At school, this means students take turns, share materials, and work together to solve problems in a fair way. At home, you might see your child practicing Habit 4 by compromising with siblings, helping a friend, or finding ways for everyone to feel included and happy. When students show they understand this habit, they are demonstrating kindness, teamwork, and the ability to see situations from others’ perspectives while working toward solutions that benefit everyone.

Congratulations to: Jimena Jasso (PK), Daisy Nguyen (K), Juliett Conejo (1st), Chance Mack (2nd), Jesse Eguzouwa (3rd), Mathew Tejeda (4th), and Kourtney Marshall (5th).

STAAR TESTING ANNOUNCEMENT

🗓 Testing Dates:

🚨 Important Information 🚨

To ensure a quiet and focused testing environment for all students:

🚫 No Lunch Visitors

🚫 No Lunch Drop-Offs

💡 How Parents Can Help:

✔ Ensure your child gets a good night’s sleep

✔ Make sure they arrive on time each day

✔ Encourage a positive and confident mindset

🎯 Our Goal:

To provide every student the opportunity to do their very best during STAAR testing!

It's almost time for field day! Order your shirts for your students (and get one for yourself too) for $10 each! Shirts will be delivered the week of field day.

🚨Order deadline: Sunday, April 26th at 11:59pm!🚨

Order HERE 👉🏼 https://mlafieldday26.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Kindergarten: crunchberry pink

1st Grade: melon orange

2nd Grade: lagoon blue

3rd Grade: violet

4th Grade: island reef

5th Grade: watermelon

***Please be sure to order the correct size and color for your grade level as returns and exchanges cannot be made!***

Marshall Leadership Academy invites you to join our field day events on Thursday, May 7th!

Please note that although field day is all in one day, there are different times for different grade levels. Each child may have 2 adult visitors. Please register all adults intending to watch field day.

• Field Day for 3rd-5th Grades is Thursday, May 7th from 8:30-11:10am.
• Field Day for K-2nd Grades is Thursday, May 7th from 12:30-3:10pm.

***School-aged children are not permitted to attend their sibling's field day.***

Please join us for our annual grade level picnics! Please RSVP for this event! This signup will close on Thursday, May 7th at 4:00pm.

Please review the following guidelines:

*Students may have up to 2 adult visitors per student.

*School aged children may NOT attend their sibling's picnic.

*Please note that there are different days for different grade levels. If you have children in multiple grade levels, please check all of the boxes for the picnics you plan on attending.

Monday, May 11th

5th Grade 1:00-3:00pm (Playground)

Thursday, May 14th

Please join us for our grade level awards ceremonies. No more than 2 adults per student as space is limited. This signup will close on Thursday, May 14th at 4:00pm.

*Please note that there are different days for different grade levels. If you have children in multiple grade levels, please check all of the boxes for the awards you plan on attending.

Monday, May 18th

2nd Grade 9:00-10:00am

Pre-K 1:30-2:30

Tuesday, May 19th

1st Grade 9:00-10:00am

Kindergarten 1:30-2:30pm

3rd Grade 9:00-10:00am

4th Grade 1:30-2:30pm

Thursday, May 21st

5th Grade 9:00-10:00am

***CARE, please get with your child's teacher about a day and time.

Marshall Leadership Academy would like to invite all of our 5th grade parents and former Mustang graduating seniors to participate in a 5th Grade and Senior Clap Out!

📅 Date

Thursday, May 21st

⏰ Time

What to wear:

🎓Seniors: Wear your cap and gown over your future college campus t-shirt.

👗5th Grade: Dress to impress!

🚨RSVP by Thursday, May 14th!🚨

RSVP by filling out the form below. Please send a “then” picture of your child in kindergarten and a “now” picture to Whitney.Sutton@gpisd.org for the slideshow and poster signing by May 14th.

👇🏼RSVP HERE:

📆 Thursday, May 14, 2026

⏰ 2:00pm for Marshall students and staff

⏰ 6:30pm for Marshall families

📍 Marshall Cafeteria

Hello again, Marshall parents & families!

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! Show us What You've Got!!

Our Marshall Variety Show of Talent 2026 will be performed on Thursday, May 14th, 2026 in the Marshall Cafetorium! We will have two shows, one at 2pm for the campus (students and Marshall staff) and our evening show for Parents & Families at 6:30pm. This show will feature our 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th grade students who would like to perform a talent on stage!

This production is completely optional and does require student performers to successfully audition (by VIDEO AUDITION ---> email or GOOGLE CLASSROOM submission) and be accepted into the show. Students may only perform with kid friendly music, kid friendly dances, and kid friendly content. Students MUST PRACTICE their act on their own time and be ready to perform their act from memory once the show is cast.

If your 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th grade student is interested in performing in the Variety Show, you must register your student for this event by CLICKING THE LINK BELOW. Sign ups will close on Friday, May 1st, 2026 at 4pm. Due to the popularity of this event, slots fill up fast for this event. MLA staff are also welcome to perform in the show!! Please reach out to me if you have and questions! All information regarding signing up and sending video auditions can be found in the sign-up link below.

Thank you MLA Families!

-Mr. Carter

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SIGN UP FOR THE 2026 VarietySHOW

Register Students HERE 👉🏼 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VARIETY2026

*Please reach out to Mr. Carter at terris.carter@gpisd.org for any questions.

👑 Dubiski Cosmetology Presents their Annual Princess Day 👑

📆 Saturday, April 25th, 2026
📍 Dubiski Career High School in Salon 161
⏰ 9:00am to 3:00pm
👧🏽 Ages 2 to 12 yrs old
💲25.00 per princess

Make an appointment @ 972-343-7989. Price includes hair style🎀, manicure with nails painted💅🏼, face paint or makeup💄

Please come with hair already shampooed and dry. 🎀
Wear your princess dresses or costume for pictures. 👗

*We are in the back of school at door 11 (Cosmetology door​).

Ansvar and our high point earners for Q3 will be going on the field trip to...

📍The Dallas Zoo

📆 Friday, May 8th

⏰ 9:00am-2:00pm

Please be sure to:

Wear comfy shoes

Bring a sack lunch labeled with your name (ALL DISPOSABLE containers please!)

Wear your Ansvar shirt (high point earners may wear their house shirt)

Purchase your child's yearbooks NOW!

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

*Yearbooks will be delivered the last week of school!

Our program offers a diverse range of engaging and enriching summer activities, customized for students in grades K-12. The program's primary objective is to ignite passions, unleash potential, and empower students to explore their interests and develop new skills. With a carefully curated selection of activities, workshops, and experiences, participants can delve into various subjects and foster academic and personal growth. The program's holistic approach to education creates a dynamic and supportive environment for students to thrive during the summer break. Come and join us in this exciting learning adventure!

We are now accepting nominations for the 2026–2027 PTA Board.

Open Officer Positions:

• President

• Vice President

• Secretary

• Treasurer

• Parliamentarian

Chair Positions Available:

• Volunteer Chair

• Teacher/Student Chair

• Membership Chair

• Fundraiser Chair

• Social Media Chair

📅 Voting will take place during the next member meeting on April 13.

📧 To submit nominations, please email:

MarshallLeadership.pta@gmail.com

Submission deadline is April 10th.

We encourage all members to consider nominating themselves or others who are passionate about supporting our school and students.

We are so close to reaching our goal of 250 PTA members this year!👏 We currently have 228 members, up from 173 last year an incredible reflection of the strength and heart of our Marshall community.

Join the fun and help us finish strong! Becoming a PTA member is a great way to stay connected, support our school, and help create meaningful experiences for our students and school.

We’re excited about upcoming fundraisers, events, and spirit nights in the new year, and we would love for you to be part of it! We welcome new ideas, fresh energy, and new faces. If you have suggestions, questions, fun ideas, or are interested in joining the PTA, we’d love to hear from you and meet you.

marshallleadership.pta@gmail.com

Thank you for your continued support! We truly couldn’t do this without you!

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.**