langley eNews

March 28, 2019

distracted driving day

If you drove by LHS in the middle of last week, you may have been alarmed to see a significant police presence at the school. No need to worry -- the Student Services Dept and PTSA partnered with the Fairfax County Police Dept to present a Dangers of Impaired Driving program to all juniors and seniors.

Fifteen officers were on site for two days to interact with and instruct students as they participated in the program. Students could experience the effects of substances in their bodies with impaired vision goggles; hear about the dangerous consequences of texting and driving; and learn valuable lessons from FCPD officers from real-life situations involving impairment and distraction. It’s our hope that this important program sparked conversations at home. For additional info, here’s an article with details.

This program wouldn’t be possible without the incredible assistance of the FCPD. Many thanks to the Administration and English Dept for their patience and cooperation. Thanks also to all the adult volunteers, the Leadership Class, and Kelly Rankin, Langley’s substance abuse counselor. And a special shout-out to Julie Hohl and Betsy Shomaker for all they do to make this program a success! ~ Laura Skeen, PTSA President-Elect

who's in the lead?

Which Langley class will have the most leaves on the Legacy Tree? So far, it looks like students from the Class of 2019, this year's seniors, will be best represented in the branches of the Legacy Tree. But the Class of 2020 is nipping at their heels! Sophomores and freshman are neck and neck , just a dozen leaves or so behind the upperclassmen. The Tree also has over a hundred Langley alumni names represented in its branches as well as dozens of future Saxons !   We're thrilled by the level of participation in the Legacy Tree, our courtyard renovation fundraiser . The Legacy Tree will be a work of art that will soon adorn Langley's lobby (across from the office). But hundreds of leaf donations are still needed to fully fund the courtyard renovation project.  If you haven't had the chance to do so, now is the perfect time to donate. Money raised from the donation of leaves ( copper $50, silver $100, gold $200) or birds or acorns ($500 ) will allow Wheat's Landscaping to transform the courtyards into verdant green spaces that double as outdoor classrooms .  With enough donations, the completed project will include trees, a pond, a sensory garden, a rock garden , and dozens of ways to incorporate hands-on, experiential learning into the school day. To order your leaf -- or leaves! -- visit the PTSA website . Questions? Email chrissielavin1@gmail.com .

bands on the run 5k is sunday!

The first ever Langley and Cooper Bands on the Run 5K Run and Walk is ON this Sun, March 31 at 8 am! Still haven’t signed up?  Don’t wait!   The event begins and ends at Langley, and there will be DJ music, prizes and sponsors’ tables to browse . The event is open to the entire community, so come support LHS and CMS bands and have some fun! Register to run or walk! Click here to pre-register before Fri at 8 pm. Same day race registration will be available on Sun. Sign up here to volunteer! We still need to fill a few spots. Adults and students are welcome, and for many slots you can still make the run/walk. Students can get volunteer hours.  Get the flyer here. Post it and help spread the word!  Donate by clicking here. You can support the bands even if you can’t come!  Sign up and tell everyone, “I’m with the Bands!”

Proceeds Go to Langley & Cooper Band Programs   Donations and Sponsorships Are Tax-Deductible Click Here to See All Sponsors

support baseball

On April 1, don’t be foolish and cook your own dinner! Take your family out, support the Langley Baseball Program and have a yummy dinner, too. No prank! Come to Chipotle at 6707 Old Dominion Dr from 4-8 pm this Mon, April 1. Download the flyer here or mention Langley Baseball!

The Langley baseball team is holding a Mother’s Day fundraiser to support the new batting cage pavilion!  Beautiful 14-inch hanging baskets and 14-inch pots filled with an abundance of colorful annuals can be ordered and will be delivered right in time for Mother’s Day! Email William Bean at williambean27@gmail.com  or contact any member of the team to place your order. Plants are $50 and must be ordered by April 1 .

prom notes

Tickets are on sale NOW for the 2019 Langley Junior/Senior Prom! The prom will be held on Sat, May 18 at the Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, in DC. This year’s theme is A Night in Black and White … Old Hollywood at the Mellon. Tickets are $80 each at MySchoolBucks . Please reach out to Christina Treacy at christina_treacy@hotmail.com  or Lisa Nevins at ln125@yahoo.com with any questions. Volunteers -- both moms and dads -- are needed to help Langley's prom run smoothly. No worries about your presence embarrassing your student, as parent volunteers primarily work in the wings, taking tickets, manning the coat check, and other back-of-house jobs. Bring your spouse and a friend! It will be a lively evening with refreshments provided for volunteers. Click here to sign up.

class notes

All-Night Grad Party tickets will be on sale in the cafeteria during lunch Friday. Remember after April 1, the price will rise from $75 to $85. This will be the seniors’ last and best party! Everybody’s going! Find the form to order tickets and more info on the ANGP website.

We recently updated our class webpage with everything you need to know for the rest of junior year . Some highlights are: Be sure to register your junior for the Summer College Application Workshop July 29-31 or Aug 5-7. Save the date for the final Junior Parent Forum on April 25, 9:30-11 am. Let Missy Perkins ( missyperkins72@gmail.com) know if you’d like to chair a committee for   All Night Graduation Party in June 2020. Send your pictures for the senior video to  lhs2020photos@gmail.com .

The Sophomore Class Dinner is rescheduled for Thu, April 4, 6-8:30 pm in the Langley Cafeteria. The evening will introduce the college admissions process, and we’ll have mock college admissions case studies presented by college counselors from across the country. Advanced registration is closed, but a limited number of walk-in registrations ($20/person) will be available the night of the event. Questions? Email Noelle Soobert at  nsoobert@verizon.net  or Lee Ann Brownlee at  leeannbrownlee@gmail.com. Have any photos from Langley events this year? Please send group photos of Langley Class of 2021 to include in the slideshow for senior year! Photos from all four years at LHS make this slide show great! Send them to lhs2021photos@gmail.com .

saxons, did you know ...

… Stanford Medicine recently updated their Tobacco Prevention Toolkit. This is a great resource to learn about vaping and nicotine addiction. Two informational videos particularly worth watching are Unit 6 , “How Juul made nicotine go viral,” which includes how Juul’s nicotine labeling is misleading, and Unit 3 , “Understanding addiction as a disease.” You probably think you’ve gotten a lot of information about juuling, but these videos are especially impactful. Share them with your student.

hockey’s great season finish

The Langley Saxons ice hockey season came to an end last Thurs in a thrilling shoot-out loss to Bishop O’Connell in the regional playoff of the USAH National Tournament. Facing a heavily favored prep school squad, the Saxon skaters held tough through 2 periods at 0-0. O’Connell scored in the third period to go up 1-0, but Zach Cash scored with 2:05 left in the game to tie the score and send the game into OT. The teams fought through 5 minutes of OT with no more scoring, which sent the tie break into a shootout. There, O’Connell bested the Saxons.    The Langley ice hockey program reached new heights this year. Senior and Alternate Captain Max Campbell reflected on what made this year such a success, "Never let success get to your head. Never let failure get to your heart." Captain Christian Tschampel added, “I couldn’t have had a better senior year with the great teammates and coaching I had. Everyone worked hard to make this come together. I hope all the players coming up enjoy Saxon hockey as much as I did.“   With all but three players returning, and a talented freshman class incoming, Saxons ice hockey looks forward to another strong run next year.

anxiety talk

The Safe Community Coalition is proud to bring Lynn Lyons, author of Anxious Kids Anxious Parents, to the McLean Community Center’s Alden Theater on April 1 at 7 pm . Lyons will provide practical, straightforward strategies that parents and educators can use to break the cycle of anxious worrying . She specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders in adults and children, including generalized anxiety, phobias, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and performance anxiety . Click here to purchase tickets.

college fair & job fair

High school students, school counselors, and their parents from FCPS are invited to attend the 2019 Northern Virginia Regional College Fair on Wed, April 3, 6:30 pm at Eagle Bank Arena. Over 200 colleges and universities will participate. Learn more about the 2019 Northern Virginia Regional College Fair here.

Fairfax County and FCPS are hosting a series of teen job fairs for high school students looking for their first part-time job, summer and seasonal job opportunities, or who want more information about potential career pathways. Local businesses and agencies will be on hand to offer a range of opportunities including part-time employment, internships, and volunteer work for prospective students. Free booth spaces are provided to local businesses. The next job fair dates are Fri, April 5 and Sat, April 6. Registration and more information is available online here.

special ed conference

Registration is now open for the 2019 Special Education Conference, to be held Sat, April 6, from 7:45 am to 1:30 pm at Lake Braddock SS. The focus of this year’s conference is on building inclusive and post-secondary practices to support the development of 21st century skills and “Portrait of a Graduate” attributes. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr Mary E Morningstar, the co-director of Portland State University’s “Think College Inclusion Oregon” project and a professor in the Graduate School of Education’s Special Education Dept, who will be speaking on “Moving from Compliance to Quality Transition Outcomes.” Click here for more information.

oratorial contest

The Great Falls Optimist Club invites Langley students to enter its annual Oratorical Contest. Winners go on to districts and potentially the regional, national and international level. At every level, winners are awarded money, medals and recognition. Contact Hannah Wolfe in the LHS Career Center or Sheela Rao at greatfallsoptimistclub@gmail.com for the application and info. Applications are due April 12; the contest is in Great Falls on April 25.

summer service hours opp

Internship Assisting with FCPSOn Monday, July 1 to early August 8am-3pm, Mon-Fri Looking for 20-30 students to earn service hours by assisting Mr Choobineh, Langley’s Technology Support Specialist, for the month of July into early August as Langley unloads and prepares 2100 computers for school year 2019-20. Students will unpack, inventory, and prepare the computers for distribution in early August. No computer technology experience required. Contact Betsy Shomaker at enshomaker@fcps.edu or 703-287-2723.

upcoming events

Mar 31: Bands on the Run 5K Run & Walk, 8 am April 4: End of 3rd Quarter April 4: Sophomore Dinner/Sophomore Night, 6 pm April 5: Teacher Workday - No School for Students April 9: Sophomore Parent Forum, 9:30 am April 11: HAZE: Perils of the College Culture April 15-19: Spring Break April 20: It’s Academic on NBC, 10:30 am April 23: Freshman Parent Coffee, 9:30 am April 25: Saxon Service at Saxon Time April 25: Junior Parent Forum, 9:30 am April 25-28: Spring Play, Mama Mia! May 2-5: Spring Play, Mama Mia! May 18: Junior/Senior Prom, 8 pm at the Mellon Auditorium

Full calendar LHS website PTSA website PTSA resources eNews info

Langley PTSA Communications Committee Stephanie Maxwell, Helen Miller, Jane Riddle, Anne Whipple S ubmit items by Tuesday noon for publication on Thursdays to enewslangley@gmail.com      The Langley eNews is published by volunteers who present only news that pertains to FCPS, LHS and PTSA. Any opinions expressed herein are those of the submitter and not necessarily those of FCPS, LHS or PTSA.