The Leadership Lens Issue #30

Marshall Families,

It’s GAME TIME at Marshall!

As we prepare for the upcoming STAAR assessments, we are excited to share our campus theme: “Crush the STAAR, Aim for the Stars!” This theme represents our commitment to helping every student feel confident, prepared, and ready to succeed.

At school, our teachers are working hard each day to provide focused instruction, targeted support, and meaningful practice. Just like in sports, success comes from preparation and consistency—and our students have been putting in the work!

We need your partnership to help our students perform at their very best. Here are a few ways you can support your child at home:

• Encourage a positive mindset and remind them they are capable of success
• Ensure they get a good night’s sleep each evening
• Make sure they arrive at school on time and ready to learn
• Talk with them about doing their best and staying focused

Your encouragement makes a powerful difference. When students know that both their school and their family believe in them, their confidence grows.

Together, we can help our students stay focused, practice their skills, and achieve success. We are proud of the hard work they have shown, and we are excited to see them shine.

Let’s work together to Crush the STAAR and Aim for the Stars!

-Mr. Amaton

Dear Marshall Families,

As we wrap up the month of March, we want to take a moment to celebrate Women’s History Month by recognizing the incredible women we are fortunate to have right here on our campus. We hope our staff are showing these traits of leadership, dedication, and care for students each day. Their impact reminds us of Habit 6: Synergize, working together, supporting one another, and building a strong community to ensure success for all students.

As the weather begins to warm up, we kindly ask families to review the student dress code outlined in the handbook to ensure students are dressed appropriately for school each day. Your support helps us maintain a focused and positive learning environment.

We are proud to recognize our recent Staff Members of the Month. Congratulations to Ms. Oliver, our Inclusion Teacher, for January, and Ms. Johnson, our Dyslexia Therapist, for February. Thank you both for your dedication and commitment to supporting our students.

Congratulations to Ansvar for earning the most leadership points and winning a field trip to the zoo. We are proud of the way our students continue to demonstrate leadership and positive behavior across campus.

It is hard to believe that April and May are right around the corner. The remainder of the school year will be filled with many important events and activities. Please continue to read our weekly newsletters so you can stay informed on all things Marshall Leadership Academy.

We are also continuing Math Mania with our 2nd–5th grade students, and we are already seeing growth each week. Thank you for encouraging your students to stay focused and continue building their math skills.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

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

Spring brings new growth and fresh beginnings, it’s the perfect time for students to prepare and “bloom” for STAAR success. Parents play an important role in nurturing this growth by creating a supportive learning environment at home. Just like plants need sunlight, water, and care, children thrive with consistent practice, encouragement, and balance. By incorporating short daily review sessions, asking thoughtful questions, and connecting learning to real-life experiences, families can help strengthen essential skills. With patience, positivity, and a focus on growth, students can build confidence and be ready to shine on test day.

🌷 Spring Into Learning: STAAR Success Tips for Parents 🌷

1. Refresh & Bloom – Review Daily
Set aside 15–20 minutes each day to review key concepts like math facts, vocabulary, or reading skills. Short, consistent practice keeps learning fresh.

2. Practice in Full Bloom – Use Real-Life Examples
Connect learning to everyday activities like cooking, shopping, or outdoor play to make concepts more meaningful and easier to remember.

3. Pollinate Knowledge – Ask Open-Ended Questions
Encourage deeper thinking by asking “why” and “how” questions to build reasoning and comprehension skills.

4. Spring Cleaning for the Brain – Organize & Summarize
Help your child create simple review sheets or flashcards to reinforce important skills and reduce stress before testing.

5. Sunshine & Breaks – Balance is Key
Make sure your child gets enough sleep and takes breaks during study time to stay focused and refreshed.

6. Garden of Encouragement – Celebrate Effort

Praise hard work and persistence to build confidence and a positive attitude toward learning.

7. Practice STAAR “Seedlings” – Sample Tests
Use practice questions to help your child become familiar with the test format and expectations.

8. Spring Ahead with Reading – Daily Reading Habit
Encourage 10–15 minutes of reading each day to strengthen comprehension and vocabulary.

9. Weathering Test Day – Stay Calm & Prepared
Help your child feel confident by encouraging them to stay calm, read carefully, and take their time.

10. Growth Mindset Garden – Mistakes Are Fertilizer
Remind your child that mistakes are part of learning and help them grow stronger.

Dear Families,

As we enter testing season and the home stretch of the school year, we encourage all of our families to help students keep up their momentum and finish strong! This is a great time to revisit the 7 Habits of Happy Kids—especially being proactive 1️⃣, beginning with the end in mind 2️⃣, and putting first things first 3️⃣. Encouraging good study habits, setting goals, and staying organized at home can make a big difference. With your support and a focus on these habits, our students are well on their way to success!

We also have an exciting and event-filled season ahead! With our Fun Run🌈🏃🏻‍♀️, upcoming music performances🎵, and many end-of-year activities🎖️, our calendar is full of opportunities to celebrate and showcase all the hard work our students have put in this year. These events are such a special time for our school community to come together, and we look forward to seeing families join us in cheering on our students and making lasting memories as we wrap up a fantastic school year!

-Ms. Sutton

• All Month: Women's History Month

• 31: World's Finest Chocolate Fundraiser ENDS🍫 - All money DUE!

• 31: PK-2nd Pastries with Parents, 7:15-8:00 (Sign up below!) 🥐

• 1: 3-5 Pastries with Parents, 7:15-8:00am (Sign up below!) 🥐

• 1: Paraprofessional Appreciation Day

• 2: Egg Hunts (Room Parent Only)

2nd Grade 10:00am

Kindergarten 12:45pm

PreK 2:15pm

1st Grade 2:30pm

• 3: Good Friday, No School

• 4: School Librarian Appreciation Day

• 5: Easter Sunday 🐣🐰

• 6-10: National Assistant Principal's Week

• 6-10: Scholastic BOGO Book Fair 📚

• 7: Leaders 5: Cafeteria, 1:15-2:45pm

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

• 9: Fun Run, 5:30-7:00pm 🏃🏻‍♀️🌈

• 13: PTA Meeting, MLA Library, 6:30pm (Elections)

• 14: STAAR Reading 📕

• 16: Kinder & 1st Grade Spring Music Performance, MLA Cafeteria, 6:30pm 🌷🎵 🌼

• 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 (Sign up coming soon!) 🍩

• 24: House Rally/Family Time, Academy 4

• 27-May 8: EOY MAP Testing Window

• 28: STAAR Math 🔢

• 28: School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

• 30: Variety Talent Show (2nd-5th), MLA Cafeteria, 6:30pm 🎤💃🏻🎹🎭

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)

This Wednesday, we proudly celebrate Paraprofessional Appreciation Day!

Our paraprofessionals play a vital role in supporting our students and teachers each and every day. From working alongside students to helping create a positive and successful learning environment, their impact is truly felt across our entire campus.

We invite all parents to join us in showing appreciation by taking a moment to thank the incredible paraprofessionals at Marshall. A kind word, note, or gesture of gratitude goes a long way in recognizing the difference they make.

Let’s come together to celebrate and honor these amazing individuals who help make Marshall such a special place!

🏁Join us for our annual MLA Fun Run 🌈🏃🏻‍♀️

📆 Thursday, April 9th

⏰ 5:30-7:00pm

What to expect:

✦Run through a fun color course 🌈

✦Dive into the foam pit 🫧

✦Get MESSY! 🫟

✦Enjoy snacks from the PTA concession stand 🥤

✦Earn house points for each lap you complete 👟🏁

We can’t wait to see you there! Don't forget a towel!!! 😊

🗓 Monday, April 6th – Friday, April 10th
📍 Location: Marshall PTA Room

*See below for how to set up your child's eWallet!

💳 No cash? No problem!
Set up a Scholastic eWallet for easy, cash-free payments.
Family and friends can contribute too! Visit link below to get started.
👉🏼 https://account.scholastic.com/my-scholastic/profile/create-ewallet.html?fairID=6082562

All purchases support our school. Thank you!

💳 No tiene efectivo? ¡No hay problema!
Cree una eWallet de Scholastic para pagos fáciles y sin efectivo.
¡Familiares y amigos también pueden contribuir! Visite el enlace para comenzar.
👉🏼 https://account.scholastic.com/my-scholastic/profile/create-ewallet.html?fairID=6082562

¡Todas las compras apoyan a nuestra escuela! Gracias.

Hello Marshall Parents & Families!

I'm excited to announce that our Kindergarten & First Grade student musicians will perform their spring musical performance titled "I'm Walking on Sunshine" on Thursday, April 16, 2026 @ 6:30 pm. In order for students to perform on stage, I need them to be registered for the performance so that I can properly arrange and place our young performers on stage during rehearsals.

ALL student musicians & performers will learn & practice songs during their specials block during the school day. There will not be any after-school rehearsals for this show. If you would like your student to participate in this show, please complete the registration form below by clicking the link below and register your student musician. Don't forget to click "Send to Mr. Carter" when you're done. I will also be sending home a flyer with a QR code for parents to register using the code as well.

I look forward to seeing you and our student performers in a few weeks at the show!

🚨The registration for the show will close on April 3, 2026.

YOU MAY REGISTER YOUR STUDENT MUSICIAN HERE BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW :

👉🏼https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Sunshine2026K-1

Blessings!
T.Carter

*Please email any questions to Mr. Carter at terris.carter@gpisd.org.

Thank you so much to those of you that came on Saturday to help with our garden clean-up! It looks fabulous!

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!

Please join us for 🍩 Pastries with Parents 🥐 hosted by our PTA!

Please note there are two separate days depending on your child's grade level. If you have a student in both age groups, just pick one day! Choose the best day that works for you and bring all of your Marshall students on that day.

PK-2nd Grade: Tuesday, March 31st, 7:15-8:00am

3rd-5th Grade: Wednesday, April 1st, 7:15-8:00am

*Due to space constraints, please limit to 2 adults per family.

🌟 Register to attend using the button below 🚨by Friday, March 27th🚨 so we can ensure we have enough food!👇🏼

🍫 Chocolate sales will run through March 31, 2026! All money is due in full by this day.

🎉 Student Incentives & Prizes

• 1 Box Sold = 🟢 Slime Show (Every student who sells will receive a prize)

• 3 Boxes Sold = 🚴 BMX Show

• 5 Boxes Sold = 💦 Dunk-Amaton

• 8 Boxes Sold = 🎟️ Entry into a drawing to win 1 of 3 prizes:

• $100 Gift Card

• Nintendo Switch 2

• Andretti Family Pass

(3 winners total)

• Top 20 Sellers = 🏟️ Dallas Cowboys Stadium Tour

• Grand Prize – Top Seller = 💳 $500 Gift Card

• Winning Class = 🍕 Pizza Party & Ice Cream Sundaes 🍨

Let’s make this fundraiser a huge success. Thank you for supporting our school and students!

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.**