The Leadership Lens Issue #12
Making Memories and Leaving Legacies
Upcoming Events
OCTOBER- National Principal Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Cybersecurity Awareness
Red Ribbon Week- October 27th-31st
MLA PTA Book Fair- October 27th-31st
GPPD Fire Prevention Program: Monday, October 27th, 8:00-10:00am
Trunk or Treat: Thursday, October 30th, Time 5:30-7:00pm
Clubs/Academy 4: Friday, October 31st
Book Character Parade: Friday, October 31st
Brief Message from the Principal
Hello Mustang Families,
As we begin a new grading period at Marshall Leadership Academy, we’re excited to continue growing as leaders and learners! Our Mustangs have been hard at work developing lifelong skills through The 7 Habits of Happy Kids, and this new quarter gives us the perfect opportunity to reflect, recharge, and keep moving forward.
Let’s take a moment to look back at the habits we’ve been practicing together:
-
Habit 1: Be Proactive – We take responsibility for our actions and choices.
-
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind – We set goals and make plans to achieve them.
-
Habit 3: Put First Things First – We focus on what’s most important.
-
Habit 4: Think Win-Win – We look for ways everyone can succeed together.
-
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood – We listen carefully and communicate respectfully.
-
Habit 6: Synergize – We know teamwork makes us stronger.
-
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw – We take care of our body, mind, heart, and spirit so we can keep growing.
As we launch into this new grading period, our focus will be on continuing to apply all seven habits—not just in the classroom, but in every part of our school community. Students will set fresh goals, reflect on their progress, and find new ways to practice leadership each day.
Families can help by reinforcing these habits at home:
-
Talk about goals for the new grading period.
-
Celebrate positive choices and small successes.
-
Encourage teamwork, kindness, and self-care.
-
Model balance—make time to rest, learn, and have fun together.
Together, we’re building confident, caring, and capable leaders who know how to take initiative, plan with purpose, and care for themselves and others.
Let’s make this next grading period our best one yet—because when Mustangs lead with heart, there’s no limit to what they can achieve!
From Our AP
Dear Mustang Families,
Not every week needs a long message. But every week deserves a reminder of something important:
We see your kids. We believe in them. And we’re proud of them.
Every conversation matters. Every small act of kindness, every word of encouragement, every reminder to try again, it all matters.
I want to give a big Mustang cheer to Savbedoria, our Quarter 1 Field Trip Winner!
Red Ribbon Week Is Coming! We’re gearing up to celebrate Red Ribbon Week with dress-up days that support a healthy, drug-free lifestyle and school pride. Be on the lookout for the flyer sent home and on
Class Dojo with daily themes starting next week!
Thank you for continuing to show up, support your child, and trust us with their growth.
Pony up,
taelor.harris@gpisd.org
Marshall Counseling Corner
📧 Email: lakedra.anderson@gpisd.org
📞 Phone: 972-522-7210
Let’s make it a great year! 💙
From Our Instructional Coach
Hello again Marvelous Mustang Parents,
Parents, this Halloween season is the perfect time to turn spooky fun into smart learning! When carving pumpkins, sneak in some math by measuring, counting seeds, or comparing sizes. Reading Halloween stories together builds vocabulary—try pausing to ask your child to predict what might happen next in the tale. During trick-or-treating, encourage sorting and categorizing candy by color, type, or size to boost early science and math skills. Even costume planning can spark creativity and problem-solving—let your child design, sketch, or write about their costume ideas. With a little imagination, every ghostly giggle and pumpkin patch adventure becomes a chance to learn! 🎃
Sincerely,
Your Instructional Coach
From Our Leadership Coordinator
Hello wonderful parents! Please check out our weekly Leadership and Events page for the week of October 27th-31st! This is your one-stop-shop for all upcoming events and signups!
EVERY WEEK:
🏆Leaders of the week
📆Updated parent calendars with information about upcoming events and parent meetings
🔗Links to purchase student iPad insurance, replacement badge sleeves, and lanyards for your student
WHAT'S NEW:
🥳Q1 House Winner Countdown
📸Pictures from our 🪩Q1 Attendance💃🏻 & 🏆Stuco and NEHS Inaugural Ball🏅
🚙Trunk or Treat Volunteer Sign-up (2,000 house points!)
👻Story Book Character Parade Visitor Sign-up
🎃Book Character Pumpkin Decorating Contest Information (Deadline extended!)
🚫Red Ribbon Week Dress-up Days
📚Scholastic Book Fair Information and eWallet directions
🌟PTA Enrollment Contest
🇺🇸Veteran’s Day Breakfast RSVP
📝Information about upcoming district testing days
Please check out our weekly Leadership and Events page!
A Note from the PTA Board:
🎉 Exciting News from Our PTA!
A huge thank you to all our members who joined our recent PTA meeting! It’s always wonderful to connect, celebrate what we’ve accomplished, and share all the exciting events coming up.
📚 Book Fair Volunteers Needed!
Our Book Fair is now open, and we need your help to make it a fun and successful experience for our students!
We’re looking for volunteers to:
- Help students find their perfect book
- Keep displays organized and restocked
If you’re available, we’d love your help!
Together, we make a difference — thank you for being part of our amazing school community! 💙
🎃 Trunk-or-Treat — This Thursday!
We can’t wait for this fun-filled evening! Our concession stand will be open, and the Book Fair will continue during the event.
We’re looking for volunteers to help in 2-hour shifts — if you’d like to help, please sign up using our volunteer sign-up link.
If you’d like to get more involved, please reach out to Hilda Márquez at (469) 682-6422 for more info.
If you have ideas or suggestions, we’d love to hear them! Reach out anytime at marshallleadership.pta@gmail.com.
Interested in Volunteering???
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.
No Lunch Visitors Nov. 3rd-7th Due to Testing Week
🚨Campus Closed for Testing📝
Campus will be closed to visitors for district testing
November 3rd-7th.
Tuesday, November 4th: RLA
Wednesday, November 5th: Math
Thursday, November 6th: Science
Friday, November 7th: Make-up Testing
📚Scholastic Book Fair📖
📚 Book Fair Reminder! 📚
Don’t forget our Scholastic Book Fair is happening October 24th–31st in the PTA Room! Come explore new books, find your next favorite story, and help support our school. 💫
💳 Set Up Your eWallet for the Book Fair! 📚
Make shopping easy and cash-free by creating an eWallet for your student.
It’s quick, secure, and simple to use! 🙌 See you there, book lovers! ❤️📖
👉 Set up your eWallet account here: https://account.scholastic.com/.../create-ewallet.html
📚 ¡Recordatorio de la Feria del Libro! 📚
No olvides que nuestra Feria del Libro de Scholastic se llevará a cabo del 24 al 31 de octubre en el salón del PTA.
¡Ven a descubrir nuevos libros, encontrar tu próxima historia favorita y apoyar a nuestra escuela! 💫
💳 ¡Configura tu cuenta eWallet para la Feria del Libro! 📚
Facilita tus compras creando una cuenta eWallet para tu estudiante. Es rápida, segura y sin necesidad de efectivo. 🙌 ¡Te esperamos con mucha ilusión! ❤️📖
👉 Configura tu cuenta de eWallet aquí: https://account.scholastic.com/.../create-ewallet.html
Quarter 1 House Winner
🏆Congratulations to Winning House for Q1!🏆
This house has earned the most points for the first nine weeks and gets to go on a special field trip! The top 2 high point earners in the other 7 houses will get to attend the field trip also!
NEHS & Student Council Inaugural Ball
We held our NEHS and Student Council Inaugural Ball on Thursday!
Click on the link to view pictures of the event.
🎃Book Character Pumpkin Decorating Contest📚
We'll be having a pumpkin decorating contest as part of our Trunk or Treat! Show off your creativity and your love for books! The top 3 pumpkins will receive the prizes shown below!
We're extending the deadline to turn in pumpkins and book reports to
Tuesday, October 28th!
Guidelines:
Paint or decorate your pumpkin: no carving, please!
All decorations must be safe and school-appropriate.
Students must turn in a short book report to enter the contest.
Pumpkin & Book Report Due: Tuesday, October 28th
Voting Day: October 30th during the Trunk or Treat
Pumpkins will go home: October 31st
Pumpkins will be displayed in the cafeteria for students, parents, and staff to vote during our Trunk or Treat event!
Trunk or Treat- Thursday Oct. 30th 5:30-7:00pm
Trunk or Treat Volunteers Needed
Storybook Character Dress Up- Oct. 31st
📚Story Book Character Parade🎃
We will be having our annual Book Character Parade on Friday, October 31st at 9:30am.
Students who choose to participate must dress as a character from a storybook. We encourage students to bring their book to show others.
Parents may RSVP to view the parade using the link below. Please register no more than 2 adults per family as space is limited.
***Please be sure to follow all GPISD dress code guidelines. We ask that no masks are worn, no "horror or scary" costumes, and no accessories that could be considered a weapon. Wear appropriate shoes for PE and playground purposes. If your child cannot put it on and take it off themselves, please do not let them wear it to school.
*This Sign-up will close on Wednesday, October 29th at 12:00pm so we have time to prepare for our visitors.
Red Ribbon Week- Oct. 27-Oct. 31
Red Ribbon Week is a national campaign that promotes living a drug-free life and making healthy, safe choices. It’s a time when students, schools, and communities come together to raise awareness about the dangers of drug and alcohol use and to encourage positive decision-making. Through fun activities, themed dress-up days, and educational lessons, Red Ribbon Week reminds everyone to take pride in being drug-free and to stand strong for a healthier future.
English
Spanish
Let’s Make Our School Shine!
Marshall Leadership invites parents and students to participate in two projects — sanding/refinishing school benches and sprucing up the school garden. The event offers a fun way to give back, meet other families, and support the school community. Volunteer sessions are scheduled for November 20 from 5:00–7:00 p.m. in the school garden. Plus, everyone who helps will earn school house points for their participation!
English
Spanish
No Early Signout on Fridays after 2:15pm
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!
SB12 and Lunch Applications
FAMILY ACTION ITEMS:
1) Senate Bill 12: Grand Prairie ISD is implementing the SB 12 Consent Form in Skyward Family Access. Parents, you received an email with instructions to complete the form. This consent is required for counselors and social workers to provide routine check-ins, interventions, and follow-ups. Please log into your Skyward Family Access account today to review and sign the SB 12 Consent Form so I can support your student. Here is a link with more information. Click Here
2) Free and Reduced-Price Meals:
If you believe your family may qualify for free or reduced-price meals, we encourage you to complete the application as soon as possible. Currently we have 179 families that have not applied. Classroom teachers will be reaching out to families.
You can apply online at:
👉 www.gpisd.org/freemeals
You can also check your current meal status here:
👉 www.gpisd.org/mealstatus
