We will all “spring ahead” by one hour this coming Sunday and our seniors will soon “spring ahead” into the next phase of their lives. As parents, we have been preparing them for this launch into near-adulthood for years. Next Wed, Mar 14, the senior class will be given another opportunity for personal growth through group discussion and self-reflection when they participate in Senior Ethics Day.
Students will be presented with complex situations that they could realistically find themselves in during their post-high school years. They will be encouraged to listen to other students at their table, express their thoughts, exchange ideas and debate the merits of various solutions. The goal of the Senior Ethics Day program is to help students develop and define their own framework for making ethical decisions so that they may act, not just react, when they find themselves facing ethical dilemmas in the future.
In addition, Langley Hall recently hosted the DIVERSEartLANGLEY exhibit. I want to thank the DEI committee chairs Heather Murphy Capps and Stefanie Stayin for organizing this inspiring event, the Langley HS art teachers for promoting it with students and the PTSA parent volunteers for additional assistance with the exhibition. This event always reminds me of just how talented Langley students are artistically, so please read the full article below for more details about the evening.
Finally, due to unforeseen circumstances Elaine Tholen was unable to attend the PTSA General Membership Meeting yesterday. Her visit to Langley is being rescheduled and the new date will be announced in eNews. Fortunately, College and Career Specialist Karen Burke provided an update on the upcoming Fairfax County Teen Job Fairs (see article below) and pointed out the Enrichment Programs feature in Naviance. Ask your student how to access and use Naviance if you haven't already!
~ Jamie H. Loving, PTSA President
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Join Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid for a community meeting on Opioid awareness on Mon, Mar 13, 6:30-8 pm at Fairfax HS in the Auditorium (3501 Lion Run, Fairfax, VA 22030, enter through Door 1).
Dr. Reid will be joined by Chief Kevin Davis of the Fairfax County Police Department and Major Thea Pirnat of the Fairfax County Organized Crime and Intelligence Bureau, who will share info about drug trends in Fairfax County.
Across the country, we are losing students to the dangers of fentanyl every day. This crisis is here, in our schools and communities. It is time to have an honest conversation about it. We can all agree, there is nothing more important than the safety and wellbeing of our students, families and communities. Register for this event here. View more info here and come with your questions.
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In February, Langley senior Caroline Fox was honored by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for her winning Historical Marker Project submission.
The Historical Marker Project was launched to focus on the African American history of Fairfax County. Caroline nominated the late General Colin Powell as an honoree, and her proposal was one of six accepted out of a field of 53 submissions. General Powell, a longtime resident of McLean, was the first African American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State. General Powell also was a huge supporter of education, and he started an organization called America’s Promise, focused on supporting at-risk children through tutoring and economic support.
On a local level, General Powell established a successful tutoring program linking parishioners at his own church, St. John’s Episcopal Church in McLean, with students at McFarland MS in Washington, DC.
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Parents, we need you! The Ethics Day Committee still needs a few more parents to help facilitate this all-day program for 500 Langley seniors on Tue, Mar 14, 7:45 am–3 pm at McLean Bible Church. Please consider volunteering for this rewarding event (friends and neighbors welcome!), no experience needed.
Ethics Day encourages seniors to determine their own ethical framework and equips them with decision-making tools they can use in life after high school when confronting ethical dilemmas. Speakers present situations in different modules and the volunteers encourage dialogue among the seniors in small-group table discussions.
Register here to volunteer for an opportunity to impact high school seniors as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.
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All Night Grad Party (ANGP) is having a dining out fundraiser next Wed, Mar 15 from 4 pm-8 pm at the Chipotle located at 8461 Leesburg Pike next to Best Buy. Order ahead in the app or online here. Take a break from cooking and support our seniors!
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angp tickets: The All Night Graduate Party Committee is happy to announce Early Bird ANGP ticket sales are open! ANGP is a safe and drug-free party the night of graduation, Jun 7 from 10:30 pm-4:00 am at Oak Marr Rec Center. Activities include mini golf, game, casino, swimming pools, spray tattoos, dancing, karaoke, food and more. Click here to purchase tickets! Ticket price is $75. Hurry, the price goes up Mar 31!
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yard signs: Show your Saxon student pride with a personalized Congrats Class of 2023 yard sign! Signs are $45. Click here to purchase.
limo raffle: Want a chance to win a limo van and priority seating at graduation? Buy one or more tickets for the ANGP Graduation Raffle! Purchase raffle tickets here: 1 ticket for $10 or 3 tickets for $25. Chauffeured ride provided by Burki Limo Service.
family portrait: Kate Allen Photography is offering a Family Portrait Sitting. The Kate Allen Photography Basic Package is great for family photos with your graduate. Visit the Kate Allen website for more info. Purchase raffle tickets here: 1 ticket for $10 or 3 tickets for $25.
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On Mon, Feb 27, Langley Hall was transformed into an art gallery featuring the painting, drawing and photography submissions of Langley and Cooper students. Students submitted their creative responses to the 2023 driving question: American Voices Telling American Stories: What is YOUR American Story?
This second year of the LHS DEI committees’ DIVERSEartLANGLEY art exhibition featured more than 80 pieces of artwork. Attendees viewed the gallery and then joined in a roundtable discussion facilitated by guest speakers Leila Gordon, Chair of the Fairfax County Arts Committee, and Betsy May-Salazar, Executive Director of the McLean Community Center. The discussion provided space for the students to talk about their art and how their experiences inspired it and for audience members to reflect on how we in America talk about our shared history.
Congrats to the three students whose art was chosen by popular vote to receive winning prizes: 1) Shoshana Marcus (LHS): Human; 2) Katherine Chen (CMS): Swirl; 3) Zachary Ulman (LHS) (who also won an award last year!): My Archive.
Special thanks to faculty champions, Kelly Mulligan and Bill Farnsworth, for their support and encouragement of the students as well as the DIVERSartLANGLEY exhibition, as well as to our volunteer team who helped curate, set up, provide refreshments, and clean up the exhibition.
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Saxon Broadcast airs every third period via YouTube for students and staff and can be accessed here. If you have announcements you would like to air on Saxon Broadcast, fill out our Announcement Request Form. You can follow us on Instagram @saxonbroadcast where we post segment clips for each show and TikTok @saxon_broadcast. Tune in!
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Learn more about Tutor.com, where students are able to get personal help 24/7. For example, students can work through Java/Python code together with a tutor, get in-depth feedback on college and scholarship application essays and even get help in Spanish from bilingual tutors for all students still learning English. For those families with soon-to-be college students, students also have access to all of the Princeton Review’s SAT/ACT coursework with unlimited tutoring at no additional cost!
View the YouTube recording here of last week's lunchtime webinar with moderator, Langley HS Instructional Coach Ellen Hussain, and guest presenter, FCPS Manager of Tutoring Services Joash Chung. More info about Tutor.com in FCPS is available here.
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The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) will hold public hearings on the Proposed Revised 2023 History and Social Science Standards of Learning. The Standards of Learning identify the essential content, processes, and skills for grade levels and subject courses.
A public hearing for our area will be held this Tues, Mar 14, at 7 pm at George Washington’s Mount Vernon (3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy, Mt Vernon, VA 22121). Speaker registration begins at 6:30 pm. VDOE is also taking public comments on the VDOE website now through Tues, Mar 21. Visit this VDOE webpage for more info.
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FCPS seeks feedback on the school division’s progress with developing the new Strategic Plan. Since last fall, thousands of students, staff, families, and community members have contributed to the strategic planning process. Thanks to that important work, draft Strategic Plan goals are ready for review.
Complete the survey here by Mon, Mar 20 and click here to see more info on the Strategic Plan feedback process.
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Each year, FCPS students can apply for the position of the student representative to the School Board. The student rep is not a member of the School Board but serves in a nonvoting, advisory capacity, representing the interests of FCPS students.
Students currently in grades 9-11 are eligible to apply. Applicants do not need to be current members of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. Applications are due by Wed, Mar 23. Click here for more info.
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The Langley Medical Club is coordinating a student blood drive on Wed, Mar 22 in the Lecture Hall. The Medical Club is collaborating with INOVA blood donor services on this event. The goal is to have 92 students donate blood. Each donation earns students 1 service hour and a free t-shirt, and saves up to 3 lives.
For students to donate, they first need to take home a parental consent form to be signed. Consent forms are available in the Cafeteria during all lunches and signed forms may be returned to the Cafeteria during lunches as well.
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Are you starting to wish it was summer? Be sure to click here to see the new Summer Opportunities Spreadsheet. Additional summer jobs, volunteer opps and scholarships are added continually. Take a look!
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Could you use some help with study and organization skills? LHS counselors are hosting drop-ins during Langley Links “A” session, entitled Post-Its for your Mind. This is your last week to take advantage of this program as the series ends on Mar 16 with a session on mindfulness. View the flyer here and use the QR code to register for this session.
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Is your child missing a jacket, sweatshirt, lunchbox and/or water bottle? It may be in Langley’s very large lost and found collection. Please have them stop by the lost and found box located in the Cafeteria.
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hockey: The Langley Ice Hockey team ended their season undefeated (13-0) by winning the NVSHL State Championship (hockey equivalent to VSHL) against Briar Woods last Friday night! It was an amazing game - cited by the commissioner as ‘best ever!’ - that ended a little over 2 minutes into the sudden death overtime with a final score of 3-2. This is the third time Langley has taken down the Falcons in the State Championship: once in 2019, again in 2022, and now 2023! Congratulations on an outstanding season!
Additional recognition goes to Chris Valko, who was named to the NVSHL All State Team, and Kameron Khazai, who was named NVSHL Player of the Year!
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Special congratulations to the Langley hockey seniors on their last season: Gino Colabatistto, Sebastian Garth, Jamison Huang, Jack Hutchinson, Kameron Khazai, Rohan Reddy, Stewart Rosenblatt, and Maxim Starukhin, and student manager Ethan Colabatistto.
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yard signs: Spring sports yard signs are available now through Mon, Mar 13. These durable signs look great and can be used both indoors and outside. Yard signs are a great way to show school spirit and support your athlete and the Langley Athletic Boosters! Orders can be made here.
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saxons, did you know . . . |
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Talking with your child about emotional topics, such as their mental health, can feel uncomfortable. This can be due to the stigma involved, lack of info or even fears of possible blame. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers helpful tips on reducing the stigma and how to have a healthy dialog on mental health.
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Read below for class news. Click the green class buttons to go to each class's webpage.
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ethics day volunteers: The Ethics Day Committee needs parent volunteers on Mar 14 for the Senior Ethics Day event. Parents are needed for set-up, tear down, handing out lunches and directing traffic. Senior parents cannot be table leaders, but if you have a relative, friend or neighbor who would be interested they are welcome to sign up. Click here to volunteer.
senior class dues: Seniors, dues are mandatory! They cover the cost of cap and gown, Senior Breakfast, bus transportation to DAR and all other graduation expenses. Dues are $100 and can be paid online at MySchoolBucks.
senior parent forum: Our last Senior Parent Forum is Mar 28 from 9:30-11 am in the LHS Lecture Hall. We will cover senior class end of year activities, Langley Leap, Graduation, and All Night Grad Party. Our guest speaker Jennifer Weaver, Psychotherapist, LCSW, RPT-S, will present tips for parents on how to prepare for their senior’s transitional summer, leaving for college and attending their freshmen year.
pta scholarships: Seniors, the VA PTA Scholarship Program has multiple awards of $500 available for students enrolled in a 4-year academic degree program, students enrolled in a 2 or 3 year tech, vocational or associate degree program, students enrolled in a school of design or fine arts, and special education students.
More info can be found here. Applications are due Thurs, Mar 30. A student must be a member of the PTSA to apply for scholarships. Join the PTSA by clicking here.
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Class of 2024 Pop-Up Class Dinner! Students and parents are invited to a Pop-Up Class Dinner and Fundraiser on Tues, Mar 14 from 5:45 - 6:45 pm in the Cafeteria before the Class of 2024 College Panel discussion. Steak, chicken and vegetable fajitas with all the fixings and sides will be catered by El Tio. We need to confirm our numbers with the caterer this Monday, so don’t delay! Click here to RSVP and tell your 2024 friends to join us!
Attendance at the dinner is not a prerequisite for the College Panel discussion, but sure does eliminate the need to scramble to feed your student before or after!
The Class of 2024 College Panel begins at 7 pm on Tues, Mar 14 following the Class Dinner. The forum will be held in the LHS Auditorium and will be led by visiting college admission professionals. The College Panel is for both students and parents.
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Sophomore parents, join us for the last Parents’ Coffee Morning of the year on Fri, Mar 17 from 9-11 am in the Lecture Hall. Coffee, tea and breakfast snacks will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Space is Limited! Join us this coming Wed, Mar 15 for a Safe Community Coalition Speaker Event. Lynn Lyons is author of Anxiety Audit: Seven Sneaky Ways Anxiety Takes Hold, and How to Avoid Them (2022); Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous & Independent Children (2013) and additional books, videos and webinars on managing anxiety.
Based on current research and over 30 years of clinical experience, Ms. Lyons presents a strategic approach based on skill-building with prevention. Using creativity, connection and awareness of their own patterns, parents will learn how to increase their child’s flexibility, support the tolerance of uncertainty, and emotionally and preventatively equip themselves and those they love.
The event is at the McLean Community Center on Wed, Mar 15 at 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased here.
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teen job fair: Fairfax County is hosting Teen Job Fairs and Career-Building Workshops on the following Saturdays at various high schools in the county: Mar 11, Mar 18 and Mar 25. The registration link and more info can be found here.
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summer job fair: The McLean Citizens Association (MCA), with support from McLean, Langley and Marshall High Schools, is hosting a summer job fair on Mar 18 from 10 am-1 pm at the McLean Community Center. Students, no signup is required and you may just walk in. It is recommended that you bring copies of your resume to leave with potential employers. You can also fill out applications on the spot. Questions? Email the MCA Education & Youth committee at e-y_committee@mcleancitizens.org.
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fun fair: Students, do you need volunteer hours? Do you remember all of the fun of going to Fun Fair in elementary school? We’d love for you to volunteer your time to support Fun Fair at Spring Hill ES and will provide all verification you need to earn your service hours. We can’t make Fun Fair a success without your help!
To volunteer at Fun Fair on Sat, Mar 18, please click the Student Volunteer Sign-up button on our website and fill out the I Want to be a Student Volunteer at Fun Fair Form. You must answer all the questions to submit your registration. A Fun Fair Committee member will contact you about volunteer opps.
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hslp: The Sorensen Institute High School Leadership Program (HSLP) is holding a two-week summer program Jul 15-29 at the University of Virginia. The HSLP provides a wonderful opportunity for high school students to experience a university environment, develop leadership skills, and engage with peers of different backgrounds and regions who have an interest in public service and public policy. The program is open to current sophomores, juniors, and seniors who live in or attend high school in Virginia. Upon completion of the program, students will earn 3 graded college credits from UVA. Applications are due Mon, Mar 20. Find more info here.
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oratorical contest: The Optimist Club of Great Falls is hosting an Oratorical Contest on Thurs, Apr 6 at 6:30 pm. The topic for this year is “Discovering the Optimism within Me.” Scholarships will be awarded to the first, second and third-place winners. For more information about the contest, click here. Questions? Email Sheela Rao at greatfallsoptimistclub@gmail.com.
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boys state: Are you a junior who is interested in learning more about politics? Do you want to be a lawyer? Do you want to develop into an outstanding leader? If so, the Boys State Program may be a great fit for you! Those selected will stay at Radford University for one week and participate in activities and classes geared around political matters.
If you would like to apply for this program, please see Ms. Morrison in room 2732 in the Student Support Services Office.
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Mar 9: Band Concert, 7 pm, Auditorium
Mar 14: Senior Ethics Day
Mar 14: Junior College Panel, 7 pm, Auditorium
Mar 17: Class of 2025 Parent Coffee, 9 am, Lecture Hall
Mar 22: Student Blood Drive, Langley Hall
Mar 24: Saxon Service
Mar 28: Senior Parent Forum, 9:30-11 am, Lecture Hall
Apr 3-Apr 7: Spring Break
Apr 13: End of Third Quarter - Two Hour Early Release
Apr 14: Student Holiday
Apr 23: Bands on the Run 5K, 8 am
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Join the LHS PTSA! Click Here.
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LHS PTSA eNews Editors
Gary Coetzee, Pamela Fox, Julianne Kass, Helen Miller and
Stephanie Maxwell (Technical Advisor)
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.
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