langley eNews

March 19, 2020

from the ptsa president

Unchartered waters  … it's a phrase we’ve heard a lot recently! As I sat down to write my message for this week's  langley eNews , I struggled with what to say. Typically, there's so much to share about all the great things happening in and around Langley that my message almost writes itself. The  eNews  will continue to publish while school is not in session. Please continue to submit any announcements and news you have to  enewslangley@gmail.com   and hopefully we’ll provide a nice distraction from the news of the day! Check the FCPS  webpage  to stay current on school-related information regarding COVID-19.  We’re all dealing with a “new normal" for a period of time and it’s stressful for all. Some students may be happy at the thought of time off from school, while others may be worrying about what this means for their grades and AP exams. Seniors may be concerned about the end of their senior year and all the events and milestones that come with it. Be mindful that it is a stressful time for our kids and they’re likely looking to us for guidance. Take a walk, enjoy the weather and take advantage of some of the "forced family fun" we'll be having in the near future. In my house, I have made it a personal challenge to finally use the items in my freezer. I think of it as an episode of  Chopped —  I’ve got four ingredients to come up with a meal … go!   Whatever you choose to do, I hope that you’ll enjoy your time together as much as possible, and that all will stay well! ~ Laura Skeen, PTSA President

ptsa honors julie hohl

At the recent Langley PTSA meeting, we had the pleasure of awarding  Julie Hohl  with the National PTA Life Achievement Award . Julie and her husband, Kurt , have four sons who all have attended Langley and their youngest, Connor, will graduate this year. Over the past 11 years, Julie has worked on and fine-tuned many programs at Langley, including Freshman Orientation, Saxon Service, New Family Orientations and Forums, Distracted Driving, Alcohol Awareness & Impaired Driving and various Book Clubs and Speaker's Series.   Julie’s initiative, creativity and dedication to making everyone feel welcome and supported has touched our students, staff and parents. Thank you, Julie, for your dedication to the Langley community. You will be missed!

there's still time to donate your leaf!

We are still aiming to landscape Langley's main courtyard next month , and the goal is for Wheat's Landscaping to transform our courtyard from concrete and scrub grass into a beautiful and green sanctuary . To make it happen, we still need your help! Your generous donation is needed  to turn the landscape vision into reality. The more funds raised over the next few weeks, the greener our Courtyard will be.   To help, donate a leaf or two to the Langley Legacy Tree , the beautiful wall sculpture that is “growing” in the Langley Lobby.

Choose your engraved message. Leaves make wonderful tributes to students, teachers, family and friends. Giving levels are copper leaf ($50), silver leaf ($100), gold leaf ($200), and acorn or bird ($500). With a $1,000+ donation, your family's name will be included on the Courtyard Benefactor Plaque , which will be installed next to the Tree.  Click on ptsalangley.org to donate your tree leaves/acorns/birds. Questions or suggestions? Email chrissielavin1@gmail.com .

donate online for staff appreciation

Each spring, the LHS PTSA shows its  appreciation for our Langley staff by gifting each staff member a $25 gift card . Donations and gift cards usually are collected during class forums and PTSA meetings.  Despite the school closure , you can still help us reach our goal of distributing gift cards to all Langley staff. Just click  here  to donate online , and PTSA volunteers will purchase the cards. Thank you for helping to continue this tradition of thanking our teachers!

langley candidates for mcc

Congratulations to the six students running for the Langley slot on the McLean Community Center Board!  Selina Al-Shihabi, Ivy Chen, Maria Kim, Aidan Nguyen, Fay Shuai  and  Emily Siryani  each have written very thoughtful application statements. Click  here  to read their statements and for details about online voting . Good luck to all of you!

earn service hours at home

Students can earn service hours at home! For example, go to  Freerice.com , where correct answers in this trivia game earn grains of rice for developing countries from the UN World Food Program. Or, write notes to active military or children in hospitals. Just make sure to have an adult verify the hours and then upload the entry to x2Vol.

bands on the run update

Plans for this year's Bands in the Run 5K and Fun Walk are on hold given the unprecedented and daily flux of events. We hope very much to reschedule the event for later this year. We will evaluate the options but cannot finalize plans until the FCPS schedule is known. We appreciate everyone's support for the Langley and Cooper Bands and hope everyone stays safe and healthy.

crew dinner fundraiser postponed

The dinner fundraiser for the Crew team that was slated for Wed, Mar 18 is postponed . When a new date is determined, the team will publish an announcement here as well as on the Crew Facebook page, on Twitter and in the team newsletter.

join the eNews team!

Want to be (nearly) the first to know what's going on at Langley next year? Looking for a way to get involved that's fun and flexible? Consider joining the  langley eNews  team!   We are four happy volunteers who take turns to put together the  eNews  and we’d love to welcome one more editor for next year, when our senior parent graduates this June. Interested? please contact any of us: Stephanie Maxwell ( smaxwell200@outlook.com ), Helen Miller ( cerbycat2000@yahoo.com ), Amy Prewett ( acprewett@yahoo.com ) or Jane Riddle ( jriddle13998@gmail.com ).

community opps

share of mclean:  Looking for a way to help? Share , the all-volunteer food pantry and clothing room in McLean, is in critical need of food donation and personal care items. Donations can be left  in the outside donation sheds.  N eeded items  include ramen noodles, bread, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, canned tuna or chicken, other canned items (soup, beans, vegetables, fruit), dry beans, peanut butter, apple sauce, cereal, oatmeal, snacks and toilet paper. Click  here   for info about  Share.

school board student rep: Each year, FCPS students have the opportunity to apply for the position of the student rep to the School Board. The student rep is not a member of the board but serves in a nonvoting, advisory capacity, representing the interests of the students of FCPS. Students in grades 9, 10 and 11 are eligible, and they don't need to be current members of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. Applications are here and still may be due by its original deadline of March 24 .

upcoming events

All events cancelled or postponed at least through April 10, per FCPS Apr 6-10: Spring Break Apr 13: Teacher Workday – No School Apr 14: School Resumes, Tentative Date

Full Calendar LHS Website PTSA Website PTSA  Links eNews  Info

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