Happy New Year! I hope your family had a fantastic winter break and is rested, recharged and ready for the second half of the school year!  

It’s hard to believe, but it’s time for your students to make curriculum choices for next year. Student Services hosted Curriculum Night yesterday, with teachers explaining the rigor and workload of honors and AP-level courses. If you couldn’t attend that session, you have another opportunity next Wed, Jan 16 at 9:30 am at the general PTSA meeting in the Langley Auditorium. After a report from Principal Greer, we’ll hear from Student Services about the two B’s: best fit and balance. Best-fit classes are ones that will challenge but not overwhelm your student. When considering balance in course load, students should look at not only academics, but also sports, extracurricular activities and family time to help establish a manageable schedule. Starting with a reasonable amount of responsibility is the best foundation for a student’s success. Counselors Alex Mantel and Natalie Malone will be on hand for a Q&A session, so bring all your questions and join us next Wednesday.  

Additionally, please be sure to review the academic advising resources email from Braden Peterson, Director of Student Services, which was sent on Dec 21. This document includes registration timelines, course catalog, graduation requirements, AP course details and 2019-20 course recommendations for your student from his or her current teachers. We look forward to seeing you next Wednesday to discuss best fit and balance.

All the best for the new year, 



~ Patty Burgess, PTSA President

… e-cigarettes (vaping) produces a vapor/aerosol that often contains many harmful chemicals and toxins, some of which are known to cause cancer. Not all vaping products are FDA monitored, and manufacturers aren’t required to list all ingredients. Here’s a list of some of those chemicals/toxins: propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, NNN, ethylbenzene, benzene, xylene, toluene, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, naphthalene, styrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, anthracene, pyrene, acenaphthylene, acenapthene, fluoranthene, chrysene, retene, benzo(a)pyrene … none of which are good for young lungs!

basketball notes

double-header vs mclean: The boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams will play a double-header versus McLean High School at McLean on Fri, Jan 11. Game times are girls at 5:45 pm and boys at 7:30 pm. Arrive early, as the game is expected to sell out, with no additional spectators allowed to enter. All spectators must enter through Door 12 to purchase tickets. Additionally, remember that no backpacks or large purses are allowed at athletic events. The freshmen and JV teams will start the action against McLean on Thu, Jan 10, with the boys at McLean and the girls at LHS.

youth night at lhs: Does your Langley family include younger siblings? Bring them out this Fri, Jan 18 to the Saxon boys’ hoops games for another Langley Youth Basketball Night! Admission is free for anyone wearing their youth basketball jersey. Come and enjoy door prizes and watch half-time events for youth ball players during the Varsity game. The first 100 youth players will get LHS basketball t-shirts! The action against South Lakes HS starts at 4:30 pm (Freshmen) and continues at 5:45 pm (JV) and 7:30 pm (Varsity). Contact Laura Bean at lcbean09@gmail.com for more info.

hockey notes

Over winter break, the LHS hockey team participated in the Purple Puck Hockey Tournament, skating against teams from across the mid-Atlantic, including the host Gonzaga College HS. The Saxons team mixed varsity and JV players and included Mike Kuligowski, Paul Dibble, Adam Klumpp, Eian Keough, Jacob Rose, Casey Schoff, Karl Alie, Max Campbell, Siannen Keough, Jiwoon Jang, Eric Bellino, Tommy McDermott, Michael Alie, Alston Zhang, Griffith Nguyen, Dylan Tolley, Max Moser and Charlie Tourbaff. Head Coach Pat Keough said of the tournament, “the team fought every inch of the way” against such elite teams as Gonzaga and St Joseph’s Prep of Philadelphia. “These teams are handpicked, practice five times a week and play multiple games per week. To have our players, many of whom haven’t been on the ice together at all, compete with teams at this level is a real credit to them.”   

The Saxon hockey team is striving to continue its consecutive streak of making NVSHL playoffs. Come cheer them on! The game schedule can be viewed on the team website. Game promotions will be announced on the team’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. Instagram: @SaxonsIceHockey @langley_ice_hockey

McLean Youth Athletics awards McLean Youth Leader Scholarships annually to juniors and seniors who have demonstrated leadership in the organization. Applications accepted Jan 1 to Feb 15. You’ll find more info here. 

High school students are invited to showcase their artistic achievements in the 2019 James C. Macdonald Performing Arts Scholarship Competition. The competition is open to 9th-12th-grade students who reside or attend school in Dranesville Small Tax District 1A. The deadline to apply is Fri, Jan 25.

A $1,200 scholarship prize will be given to first-place winners in each of the following categories: Dance, Theater, Vocal Music and Instrumental Music; second-place winners in all four categories will receive $800; third-place winners will each receive $400. There are no restrictions on the use of the award money. Finalists must be present and prepared to perform in the preliminary round of the competition the week of Feb 3, and at the final competition on Wed, Mar 27, to be eligible to receive an award.

Info and applications can be found online. A non-refundable, $20 fee is required for each application form submitted. Questions? Contact Alden Youth Theatre Programs Director Danielle Van Hook at danielle.vanhook@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-790-0123, TTY: 711.

Are you or your teens concerned about underage use of drugs and alcohol? Do you want to learn the facts and how you can help create substance-free schools and communities? In advance of National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, attend the Fairfax Youth Council meeting, Thurs, Jan 17, at the Fairfax-Falls Church CSB's Merrifield Center, 8221 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive, Fairfax, at 7 pm.

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, which is Jan 22–27, links students with scientists and other experts to counteract the myths about drugs and alcohol that teens get from the internet, social media, TV, movies, music, or from friends. Launched in 2010 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), locally planned and hosted school and community events focus on providing teens with the scientific facts about drugs and alcohol. At the Fairfax Youth Council event on Jan 17, local teens will engage in conversation to i dentify new ways to spread the messages of drug prevention and plan activities and public events for 2019. Details on this event and more can be found here.

FCPS School Counseling Services and Go Overseas are co-hosting the annual FCPS Gap Year Fair on Wed, Feb 6 at George C. Marshall HS from 6-8:30 pm. This event is for high school students and parents who are interested in learning more about the growing array of gap year opportunities.

The evening will begin with a presentation in the auditorium from 6-6:45 pm, followed by the program fair in the cafeteria from 6:45-8:30 pm, with representatives from over 40 programs offering gap year opportunities. Students are encouraged to pre-register for this event. For more information, visit  USA Gap Year Fairs. (In the event of inclement weather, the snow date and location for the fair will be Fri, Feb 8, at McLean HS from 6-8:30 pm.)

To support families affected by the current partial federal government shutdown, FCPS will continue its current practice to ensure that no FCPS student will go hungry. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all students regardless of ability to pay or temporary financial circumstances. There will be no “lunch shaming,” and unpaid balances will be allowed to accrue during this time.

In addition, FCPS will hold a hiring event for furloughed federal employees interested in substitute teaching positions on Fri, Jan 11, from 2-4:30 pm at the FCPS Administration Center, 8115 Gatehouse Road. Details about substitute teaching, including a link to the employment application, can be found online.

Ready to plan this year and next? The School Board adopted the calendar for the 2019-20 school year. The first day will be Mon, Aug 26, 2019, and the last day will be Fri, June 12, 2020. Notable dates include a three-day break for Thanksgiving (Nov 27-29, 2019), a two-week winter break (Dec 23, 2019-Jan 3, 2020), and a one-week spring break (April 6-10, 2020). For the full 2019-20 calendar, click here.

upcoming events