langley eNews 
1/7 /2016 

seniors
Remember to purchase ANGP tickets! Advance purchase is $80. After Mar 1, tickets increase in price to $85. For additional info  visit the ANGP page .

Do you have great homecoming photos of our seniors? How about senior photos from fall activities such as sports, band, chorus, MUN, It's Academic or Saxon Stage?  S enior picnic or field trip? 

Please take a moment and send them to Kristin Kahn at kristinkahn88@gmail.com who is collecting photos for our year end video/slide show. Help us ensure 
all our seniors are included!

juniors
Our Junior Class Dinner & Guidance Night will be held Jan 28 at 6 pm. This event, hosted by Student Services, introduces juniors and their parents to the college application and admissions process

Our program will begin with the class fundraiser dinner from 6-7 pm in the cafeteria. Following the dinner, students and parents will be directed to breakout sessions led by college admissions representatives

If you would like to attend, but have not RSVP'd, please use this form. Contact Rita Raymond at dcrrr@aol.com with questions.
Extra clicks make a real difference! Thank you for taking the extra time to click through the  PTSA website before making your purchases on Amazon. When you shop through the link on the PTSA website, you send 6% of your total to Langley PTSA. We appreciate your support!  
Join Our Mailing List
quick links
  Langley PTSA
Communications Committee
 
Lezlie McBride 
Jane Riddle
  Anne Whipple
 
enewslangley@gmail.com
editor's note: Send submissions and photos by deadline. To keep  eNews concise, submissions will be edited for style and length, and links added to the appropriate webpage.
 
Submit items by Tuesdays noon for publication on Thursdays to
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The PTSA eNews is published by volunteers who try to present only news that pertains to FCPS, LHS & PTSA. Any opinions expressed therein are those of the submitter & not necessarily those of FCPS, LHS or PTSA.
message from the principal 
Dear Families,

Welcome back from what was hopefully a fun and relaxing break! As the new year begins, we begin our registration process. Students will start registering for next year ' s classes in February. They should be talking with their current teachers about recommendations for next year. Remember that these recommendations are not personal comments, but the teacher ' s professional opinion about what would be the best fit for your child.
 
As your child begins to consider classes, they should keep in mind
what they are passionate about.
However, they should also be mindful of 
keeping a  balance  in their schedule among classes, sports, activities, outside activities, work, and family time. At the same time, they should always consider what class is the best fit for them
, and not take a class because their friends are taking it or because it looks good on their transcript.
 
Counselors will be meeting with students to discuss schedules and advise them on what might be the best course of action. You should also have a conversation with your child about what they want to take. Ask them to try to articulate what classes they want and why .
 
We anticipate being able to accommodate fewer course change requests next year. For that reason, it is extremely important that they choose wisely. If you have questions, please email or call your student's counselor. You can also email your child's  teachers to discuss their recommendations for next year ' s classes.
 
~ Fred Amico, principal
staff spotlight  
Besides first-hand experience in politics, what more can you ask for in a government teacher?
 
Joshua Henry served as mayor of his hometown, Lewistown, PA. After majoring in history and secondary ed at Susquehanna University, Mr. Henry returned to Lewistown and taught history courses for six years before serving as mayor for the next four. 

When his term was over, Mr. Henry moved to Virginia and taught at Rachel Carson Middle School and Oakton High School. In 2012, Mr. Henry began working at Langley where he now teaches AP, Honors, and US/VA Government.
 
Mr. Henry believes that the experience of being a mayor has been invaluable as a government teacher. "I learned more from those four years than any course, any book, or anything else as far as what it means to be involved in civics and civic responsibility," Mr. Henry said. His experience in politics showed him how the government functions on a daily basis and provided him with myriad personal stories and real-life examples of textbook definitions to share with his students.
 
Although Mr. Henry has taught at several different schools in his career, he believes that the community at Langley is like no other. He said, "We have great teachers who really care and are very good at what they do. We have a student body that is very impressive, very motivated, and I really enjoy working with them. We also have a parent community that supports the teachers and students."
 
~ Casey Charron, Saxon Scope reporter
curriculum night 
In an effort to help students and families make the best decisions about courses for the 2016-17 school year, Langley is hosting Curriculum Night on Wed, Jan 13. The program will begin at 6:30 pm, followed by breakout sessions that provide info about course offerings. This evening is targeted to parents.
 
The sessions typically cover the following topics:
  • Amount of homework given nightly
  • Teacher expectations of their students
  • Projects due throughout the year
  • Skills needed for success in the course
  • Differences between the
    general level/honors
    level
    and
    AP
    level
  • Time management, commitment, balance, and work ethics
Please contact Sonya Williams, Director of Student Services, at snwilliams1@fcps.edu if you have questions.
financial aid night 
Would you like more information on paying for college? Please attend the joint Langley-McLean Financial Aid Night at McLean HS on Tues, Jan 12, from 7-8:30 pm in the auditorium. 

Understand the FAFSA and its upcoming changes, the CSS profile, and more! Please contact  Hannah Wolff , College & Career Center Specialist, at hwwolff@fcps.edu with questions.
conferences cancelled 
Touching Bases, scheduled for Jan 19, has been cancelled. FCPS has designated that day as a professional development day for our teachers and this requires them to be in training all day. The administration apologizes for any inconvenience  this may cause. 

You can still contact your child ' s teacher via email. Please be sure to set up your SIS parent account so you can check on your child ' s progress. Lastly, if you have serious concerns, contact your child ' s school counselor to set up a parent/teacher conference.
new time for graduation 
In case you missed the KIT, this year's graduation ceremony is now scheduled for
11 am on Mon, June 20  at Constitution Hall.
best fit, not best school 
Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be  goes against everything you've heard at cocktail parties: do anything to get your son or daughter into the absolute best university you can; take practice SAT tests and hire tutors; talk to alumni; in short, do everything!
 
Instead , our goal as parents and educators should be to build authentic discovery and self-esteem for students, and help them find a best-fit, transformative, affordable college  where they will thrive and grow. It's not where they go to school that's important -- it's what they do with the experience when they get there!
 
Join the PTSA Book Club, Director of Student Services Sonya Williams and Career Center Specialist Hannah Wolff on Thurs, Jan 14 at 9 am in the principal's conference room to discuss Frank Bruni's book Where You Go is Not Who You'll Be.
science fair needs volunteers 
The  science fair needs adult volunteers  to support the students' hard work. To make it easier for everyone, this year we're using a Google form to organize the volunteers (you can find the link  here  with more info on what we need). We seek  judges, food donations and hospitality helpers . The science fair will be  Wed, Jan 20 , from  3:15-7:30 pm . If you are able to volunteer, we would greatly appreciate it. 
 
If you have any questions about judging, please contact  Sarah Ell at slell@fcps.edu No experience is needed; if you have any type of science background we would love to have you as a judge! If you have questions about bringing treats for the judges' hospitality room, please contact Betsy Jones  SEJones3@fcps.edu .
 
The science fair won't work without all of the parent volunteers. If you know of anyone in the community who might be interested to judge or help with hospitality, please feel free to forward them the link, or have them email Ms. Ell directly.

sports 
girls' basketball : Congratulations to senior guard Paige Galiani who recently scored her  1000 th  point with the girls' varsity basketball team! Paige has been on the varsity team for four years and a captain for three. She is only the  second  Saxon in school history to score 1000 points and she could surpass the school record this season. 

"I'm so proud of Paige. She has worked so hard to become the player she is, and this incredible achievement is the first of many milestones I hope to see her and the team reach this year," said Coach  Amanda Baker. For more about Paige's great accomplishment, h ave a look at this news clip .
  
Galiani and her Saxon teammates are off to a 7-0 start and are hoping to continue their success with a deep run into the post-season. The Washington Post ranked them seventh of the DC metro area's girls' teams.

girls' tennis We are having a girls' tennis team interest meeting next Wed, Jan 13, at 3 pm in room 131 (in the science hall). Please email Ms. Jones at sejones3@fcps.edu if you have any questions.
big night out 
Sonya Williams, Director of Student Services, was the lucky winner of an evening out with her boys to enjoy
Handel's
Messiah
at the
Strathmore, and Hannah Wolff, Career Center Specialist, won Caps vs Tampa Bay Lightning tickets.

Thank you to Jane and Matt Riddle and Ralita and Mike Chambers for donating tickets to our teacher raffle. 

If you have last-minute tickets for Nats, Caps, Redskins, Wizards, theater, music performance, dinner, or any other kind of tickets you can't use, please email  ptsalangley@gmail.com and we'll find them a home with one of our awesome Langley faculty and staff!
the 2016 stop hunger now event!  
Again this year, all the schools in the Langley pyramid will come together to Stop Hunger Now! In partnership with this 4-star rated organization, meal packages will be prepared for distribution to schools and orphanages across the world.
 
The impact can be profound -- the donation of just $1 can provide meals for 15 people! The goal this year is to raise $29,000 that will feed over 500,000, through donations from families in our community. Parents can make tax-deductible donations by clicking here. Students are encouraged to donate loose change and cash from their jobs or piggy banks.
 
Volunteers -- adults and children welcome -- will be needed for the packaging event on Feb 6. Register for a time slot at the event by clicking here.

You can learn more about the good work that Stop Hunger Now does by visiting their website. Please make this community-wide event part of your giving for 2015 and 2016. For questions, contact Felix Whipple, felix.whipple13@gmail.com
calendar
Jan 12 Financial aid night
Jan 13 Curriculum night
Jan 18 Martin Luther King Day - school holiday
Jan 19 Staff development day
Student holiday
Jan 20 Science fair
Jan 21 Choral pyramid concert
Jan 28 Junior class dinner and guidance night

For additional details about these events, visit the Langley calendar