The Leadership Lens Issue #36

Good afternoon Marshall Leadership Family,

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing women in our Marshall community who are celebrated today in countless ways — mothers, grandmothers, aunts, bonus moms, foster moms, adoptive moms, and any other woman who pours love, guidance, and care into the lives of others. We also need to take time remembering mothers and loved ones who are no longer with us, but certainly still have an impact.

As we wrap up another amazing school year, please take note of a few important upcoming dates and reminders. The last day for visitors, campus lunch guests, and deliveries will be Friday, May 15th. Our Awards Ceremony schedule is included and also posted in this week’s Parent Smore newsletter so families can plan accordingly. The final day of school for students is May 21st, and we are excited to finish the year strong together! We also ask that all missing library books be returned as soon as possible to help close out the year smoothly. Additionally, the new 2026–2027 school calendar is included in this issue so families can begin planning ahead for next school year.

Sincerely,

—Mr. Amaton

Dear Marshall Families,

This week was filled with celebration and appreciation across our campus. We would like to recognize National Nurses Day and give a very special shoutout to our amazing school nurse, Nurse Tasha. Thank you for the care, compassion, and support you provide to our students and staff each day. Your dedication helps keep our Mustangs healthy, safe, and ready to learn.

We also had an incredible time during Field Day on Thursday. Students enjoyed games, activities, and time together making memories as we continue wrapping up the school year. Thank you to our PTA, families, staff, and everyone who helped make the day such a success for our students.

This week was also Teacher Appreciation Week, and we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our PTA, Sunshine Committee, and families for helping celebrate and support our teachers throughout the week. From treats and meals to kind words and encouragement, your generosity and appreciation meant so much to our staff.

Most importantly, thank you to our teachers for their hard work, dedication, and commitment throughout the school year. The impact you make on students each day goes far beyond the classroom, and we are grateful for the love, patience, and leadership you bring to Marshall Leadership Academy.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we finish the school year strong.

Pony Up,
taelor.harris@gpisd.org

Finishing the Year Strong

7 Habits Connection: Habit 3 – Put First Things First

Welcome to May! As we enter the final stretch of the school year, our focus is on staying motivated, organized, and finishing strong. This connects to Habit 3: Put First Things First, which encourages students to prioritize their responsibilities, stay focused on their goals, and give their best effort each day.

After a busy testing season, it’s important for students to continue showing strong habits—completing assignments, following routines, and making positive choices both in and out of the classroom.

End-of-Year Focus

We are encouraging students to:

• Stay focused on classwork and expectations
• Continue showing kindness and respect
• Take pride in finishing the school year strong
• Celebrate their growth and accomplishments

At-Home Support Tip:
Help your child stay on track by maintaining consistent routines and asking:

• “What’s something you’re proud of from this year?”
• “What’s one goal you want to finish before school ends?”

Counselor Support

As we approach the end of the school year, I am here to support students with encouragement, or any social-emotional needs that may arise during this busy time.

Thank you for your continued partnership in making this a successful school year. Let’s finish strong together!

— Ms. Anderson, School Counselor

Dear Families,

We only have 9 days left! Can you believe it? These next two weeks are going to be fast and furious with all of our events coming up! We can't wait to see you and celebrate the end of the year with you and your babies!

Please make sure you remember to bring a valid photo ID for check-in for all events! For picnics this week, those of you who pre-registered will check in outside with your ID. If you forgot to RSVP, no problem! Just make your way to the front office with your ID so our amazing front office staff can print you a visitor sticker.

🚨Important event reminders:

*Please limit visitors to 2 adults per student so we have enough room for everyone.

**School aged children are not permitted to attend a sibling's event.

***Students must leave campus after they are checked out.

-Ms. Sutton

• 11: Stuco/NEHS field trip to Cidercade

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

• 11: Kindergarten Picnic, 1:00-3:00pm, playground/field

• 11: PTA Meeting, 6:30pm

• 12: 5th Grade Celebration, 9:00-3:20, playground/field

• 12: 2nd Grade Picnic, 9:00-11:00am, garden

• 12: 1st Grade Picnic, 1:00-3:00pm, garden

• 13: Kindergarten field trip to GPISD Nature Center

• 13: 4th Grade Picnic, 9:00-11:00am, playground/field

• 13: PreK House Reward, 12:00pm, playground

• 13: 5th Grade Picnic, 1:00-3:00pm, playground/field

• 14: Pre-K Picnic, 8:30-10:30am, playground/field

• 14: Q4 House Field Trip, 9:00am-1:00pm

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

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

• 15: 3rd Grade Picnic, 9:00-11:00am, playground/field

• 15: Academy 4

• 15: World's Finest Chocolate Dunk Amaton, 1:30-3:00pm

• 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

Heshima and our high point earners for Q4 will be going on the field trip to...

📍PlayGrand Adventures

📆 Thursday, May 14th

⏰ 9:00am-1:00pm

Please be sure to:

• Wear comfy shoes
• Bring a sack lunch labeled with your name (ALL DISPOSABLE containers please!)
• Wear your Heshima shirt (high point earners may wear their house shirt)

Hello again Marshall parents & families!

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.

Please join us in watching our amazingly talented 2nd-5th graders as they perform!

THE RESULTS ARE IN!! Congratulations to the following students for successfully auditioning for the upcoming MLA Variety of Talent Show 2026. The following students have been accepted & will be performing or working as "production crew" in our show on Thursday, May 14th 2pm & 6:30pm.

***We will practice after school next this starting MONDAY 5/11, TUESDAY 5/12, & WEDNESDAY 5/13 from 4pm- 5:15pm to practice stage flow, staging, show logistics and placement. ALL performing students are required to be at practice each day. If students are not present for rehearsal they may not perform for the show on Thursday, so please make the necessary arrangements. Parents, I will message you personally at the provided contact information you registered your student under, with more details regarding dismissal from evening rehearsals & specifics regarding the show.

-Mr. Carter

Ansvar and our high point earners for Q3 got to go on a field trip to the Dallas Zoo on Friday, May 8th! Click on the link below to see pictures of all the fun!

Our kiddos got to enjoy field day on Thursday! We had so much fun and we hope they did too!

A special thank you to Coach Hale and Coach Brett for planning a day full of fun activities! Thank you to all of our specials, specialists, and special education teachers for running the events! We appreciate you!

Our top 20 sellers for the World's Finest Chocolate fundraiser got to attend a tour at AT&T Cowboys Stadium last Tuesday! Check out the pictures here!

All of our students who participated in the World's Finest Chocolate Fundraiser got to attend the Yuck Show on Friday, May 8th! Check out the pictures here!

Please join us for our annual grade level picnics! The RSVP for this event is now closed.

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:

Purchase your child's yearbooks NOW!

The deadline to ship your yearbook go school has passed, but you can still order your child's yearbook to ship directly to your home!

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

*Yearbooks will be delivered the last week of school!

Our new and returning student registration opens Friday, May 1, launching our campus-wide “Secure Your Seats” campaign, which runs through Thursday, May 21. We are asking for your full support to help make this effort a success for every campus.

This process ensures we are properly planning for next school year and securing the best possible learning environment for your child.

Here’s where we need your help:

Please complete your child’s online registration as soon as possible during the campaign window and encourage other families to do the same. Even if your child is moving to a new campus next year, early registration helps ensure a smooth transition and proper planning for all schools involved.

This truly is a team effort between our schools and families. When we work together, we are able to provide stronger planning, better communication, and a smoother start to the next school year for every student.

Thank you for partnering with us and for your continued support of our schools and students.

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 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.**