Who doesn’t love winning a prize? The Langley PTSA has kicked off a new season of weekly raffles for our faculty and staff. It’s one tradition that we can do this year to show Langley faculty and staff how much we appreciate their work on behalf of our students.

How can you contribute? The pandemic limits our options, but gift cards still provide a wonderful opportunity to appreciate and support our LHS staff. Please consider donating a card from your favorite take-out restaurant or retailer. Other options sure to please are gift cards that boost one’s spending power on trips for groceries, home accessories or other basics.

It’s easy to donate — just include a gift card on your next shopping list! Any amount is greatly appreciated, but please consider donating multiple cards in $10 values (instead of a fewer number of cards with larger values) to help us offer more frequent raffle drawings. Contact Kristen Simko at kristen.simko@gmail.com with questions and to arrange pick-up of your donation. We’ll provide a receipt upon request.

Don’t forget to share your ideas with us! If you have creative ideas for how we can work together to connect and support the LHS community in this virtual environment, please let us know using this Google form.

~ Kitty Gonzalez, PTSA President

Langley spirit items can lift your spirits at home! Parents, click here to join the ’20-21 PTSA and have a chance to win one of two Saxon fleece blankets. Deadline in terms of the raffle is Mon, Oct 19.

Your Langley PTSA membership and donation will support our students’ experience this year with teaching tools and technology, student programs and guest speakers, staff support and professional development and student awards and scholarships.

When in-person school resumes, a piece of Langley history will welcome students back. Thanks to Student Services Director Geoff Noto, the Saxon mascot inlay in Langley’s original gym floor was saved during the renovation, stored, framed and Otto now is on display in the main hall near the gym. Saving the 300-pound section of floor was tricky, but well worth the effort! Click here for a recent local article about Otto. Thank you, Mr. Noto!

Are you interested in joining any clubs at Langley? Several clubs have adapted to the virtual environment and are up and running! You can access each club’s codes and sponsors through Schoology, but click here for a summary list of the club names and descriptions.

Last chance to register for the practice ACT held this Sat, Oct 3. Hosted by the Langley Academic Boosters, the test is a full-length practice test in a simulated environment at home via computer, complete with a score report afterwards. Students will need access to an internet-connected computer on which they’ve installed Zoom. Click here for info and to register. Questions? Email langleyacademicboosters@gmail.com.

Last call for entries for this year's PTSA Reflection contest — the deadline is next Wed, Oct 7. This year's theme is, "I Matter Because..." Share your artistic side with this contest! Categories are: dance, film production, music composition, literature, photography and visual arts.

Click here for guidelines and category rules. Questions? Email Sara Koenig at langleyreflections@gmail.com. Students must be PTSA members to submit entries. Student membership is only $5. Click here to join.

Is your family new to Langley? All parents of transfer students in grades 9-12 are invited to the New Family (Virtual) Welcome Coffee next Thurs, Oct 8 from 10 - 11 am. Principal Kimberly Greer, Student Services Director Braden Peterson, and School Based Technology Specialist Lindsey Fisher will be on hand to discuss:

Click here to access the meeting. We look forward to welcoming you to Langley!

This year the PSAT will be offered to juniors only and will take place on Thurs, Oct 29 at Langley. Juniors and their families should have received an email from Langley last Sun, Sept 27 with info and an Intent to Participate form. The form is due by next Fri, Oct 9. (No walk-ins will be allowed.) Questions? Contact Janice Dabroski at jldabroski@fcps.edu.

Parents, congratulate your graduating student by creating a senior ad for the yearbook. The deadline is Sat, Oct 24. Click here for a flyer with details and examples and here to purchase and start designing your ad. Use school code 4159.

Are you interested in publishing your writing or art? Check out Kaleidoscope, the newly launched, student-run website of Langley’s literary magazine club. Students can submit writings or art year-round, and Kaleidoscope will be publishing students' works every month. All students can send in submissions and all works are welcome! Join in on the fun!

Submissions of any theme can be published at any time, but be sure to send your spookiest stories, photos, poems and more for the upcoming Halloween edition. If you have questions or a piece to share, email langleykaleidoscope@gmail.com. Other questions? Contact the club sponsor, Ms. Mitro, at camitro@fcps.edu.

Geoff Noto has what must be the widest-ranging job at Langley. As Director of Student Activities, Mr. Noto oversees athletics, PE classes, clubs, custodians, the cafeteria, the health clinic and community use of Langley facilities.

Many students might know him best regarding athletics, as he loves watching Saxons compete, no matter what the sport. He also is happy with the recent renovation, as now Langley’s building really meets the needs of students. Along with the classrooms, fine arts and other spaces, the Langley gyms and areas for our teams, weights and athletic training are all top notch.

With the facilities not able to be used right now, Mr. Noto’s challenge this year has been to create a new way that coaches and club sponsors can work with students, given the policies that must be followed. The athletic staff has been through extensive trainings in order to hold conditioning workouts for student athletes.

Mr. Noto grew up in this area attending FCPS schools, majored in political science and minored in secondary education at JMU and received his MA in educational leadership at GMU. He came to Langley in 2011 with plenty of experience in both student activities and teaching. At Lake Braddock SS, Robinson SS and Woodson HS, he was Assistant Director of Student Activities as well as coaching soccer, sponsoring clubs and teaching classes including World 1 Honors History, AP Government and Student Leadership. 

Mr. Noto loves working at LHS and noted that the Langley community is very supportive. When asked about a favorite memory, one that jumps out was his first Langley HS versus McLean HS basketball game. “I had heard stories about how intense and energetic the gym could get, but WOW! What a great atmosphere for our students and community!” he recalled. “There have been so many amazing kids and events at Langley,” he said. 

Outside of Langley, Mr. Noto and his family (he and his wife have a daughter, Scarlett, who is 7 and a son, Jack, who is 5) especially enjoy going to the beach and traveling.

When asked what advice he has for Langley students, Mr. Noto said, “even though we aren’t physically at Langley, get involved outside of your academic classes and try something new! We have so many amazing clubs and even the opportunity to workout with classmates and coaches … your four years will go by fast. Make the most of it!”

… hand sanitizers are popular products right now but be careful if you have young children in the house. The FDA Commissioner recently expressed concern about “hand sanitizers being packaged to appear to be consumable products, such as baby food or beverages. These products could confuse consumers into accidentally ingesting a potentially deadly product.”

Read this section for class news and click the green class buttons to go to each class page for more details.

Save the date for our next parent forum on Tues, Oct 13 at 9:30 am. College and Career Specialist Hannah Wolff, Student Services Director Braden Peterson and Assessment Coach Jan Dabroski will be our forum speakers, offering key information for juniors. Click here for the meeting link.

Stay current! Join our LHS Class of 2022 Parents Facebook page here, and sign up for the email distribution list found here and on our class webpage. Updates and information are posted regularly on these sites.

Mark your calendars to join us online for our first Sophomore Parent Forum, Thurs, Oct 15 from 9:30–11 am. A link will be sent closer to the date. View our Class of 2023 webpage for more sophomore info!

habits for a smooth virtual learning experience: The McLean Safe Community Coalition is hosting a virtual event on Thur, Oct 15, 12 pm featuring noted author and educational consultant Ana Homayoun. In this pragmatic, solutions-oriented talk, Ms. Homayoun will examine how setting students up socially, emotionally and academically in the midst of pandemic pivoting and change is key to long-term well-being and engagement. She’ll also discuss how taking the time to set the tone for a smoother school year means looking at daily and weekly habits that work for your students and your family.  

Ms. Homayoun is the founder of Green Ivy Educational Consulting, LLC, an internationally recognized organization that works with schools, universities and corporations consulting with parents, students, educators and employers about promoting intrinsic motivation, authentic engagement and overall wellness.

This event is free but registration is required — click here to register.

i-495 express lanes extension project: VDOT is holding two public hearings on the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) Project, which would extend the I-495 express lanes from the Dulles Toll Road to the GW Memorial Parkway:

mcLean 5k: The McLean 5K Run is going virtual! There are multiple opportunities to join in the fun to support the McLean community. ​Register here by Sat, Oct 3. Run/Walk anytime and any route you choose and go the distance for McLean!

Proceeds from the McLean 5K Run benefit the McLean Community Foundation, which offers community grants that enhance the quality of life in McLean. MCF has supported the Courtyard Renovation, ANGP and Ethics Days at Langley.

volunteers needed: MPAartfest is hosting a live, drive-in style concert on Sun, Oct 4 at 4 pm and 6 pm featuring the Drifters, Four Tops, Platters and Temptations (now performing as “Voices of Classic Soul") and needs volunteers ages 16 and older to welcome attendees and guide cars into parking spaces in the McLean Community Center parking lot. Click here for more info and to sign up. Volunteers are welcome to stay and enjoy the concert!

donations needed: Looking for a way to help those in need? Local nonprofits helping families experiencing homelessness are requesting donations for clothing, food, hygiene products and cleaning products, and Volunteer Fairfax is coordinating a collection of items to be distributed to the area groups. Click here for a detailed list of requested items.

Drop off your donations at the Burkholder Building (10700 Page Avenue, Suite 101, Fairfax, VA) on Mondays through Thursdays, 12-4 pm. Questions? Contact Tejas Patel at tpatel@volunteerfairfax.org or 703-246-3553.

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