Happy Holidays! December truly is a special time of year, and I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. As the year comes to an end, it is a good time to reflect on what the PTSA has accomplished so far and thank the volunteers without whom none of this would be possible.

In just 4 months of school the PTSA:

- Funded registration fees for students to participate in Robotics Competitions, the National Japan Bowl Competition, the USA Biology Olympiad Exam, and funded registration fees for the creation of the Computer Science Honor Society.

- Purchased materials and equipment for the Science Olympiad team, the English National Honor Society, and Saxon Service.

- Funded various professional development requests, such as a request to join the National Association for College Admission Counseling – a valuable resource to counselors advising our students in the college application process.

- Funded appropriation requests by the performing arts department, such as the cost of professional accompanists for choir, a videographer for orchestra concerts, and lighting for the theater department.

- Purchased new courtyard tables and umbrellas for the courtyard.

- Provided an opportunity for students to practice for the SAT/PSAT exams and showcase their artistic talents in the Reflections contest.

- Hosted speakers who discussed topics such as executive function, academic advising, mental health, and social and emotional development of teenagers.

- Celebrated Saxon Spirit at the tailgate party, freshman orientation, orchestra concert and sporting events.

- Provided snacks for students, weekly gift cards for teacher raffles, and hosted breakfasts and lunches showing our appreciation to teachers and staff.

- Provided information to parents in our weekly enewsletter, monthly meetings, back-to-school packets, and student directory.

In the new year, the PTSA will continue to provide fun and enriching opportunities for our students with events such as: Trivia Tournament, Career Connections, Ethics Day and Movie Night.

I hope the winter break provides you with the opportunity to relax, reconnect, and celebrate with family and friends.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

~ Joy Hohenthaner, PTSA President

The Langley PTSA Nominating Committee is working to fill PTSA executive board and committee chair positions for the 2024-2025 school year. Whether you can share several hours of your time or only an hour each month, there is a role that is just right for you. There are also several opportunities that can be done remotely. The Nominating Committee would love to assist you in finding the right spot for you. Please contact Susan Connery at [email protected] or Erin Lobato at [email protected] for more info.

Two Langley students are among nine FCPS students who received awards in the National YoungArts Foundation Competition. These students are part of a group of nearly 700 winners that were selected through a highly competitive process from more than 9,000 applications across 10 artistic disciplines – classical music, dance, design, film, jazz, photography, theater, visual arts, voice and writing.

All YoungArts award winners have demonstrated exceptional technique, a strong sense of artistry, and an extraordinary commitment to developing their crafts. Langley senior Audrey Goodner won in Classical Music/Violin and junior Jayden Lee won in Writing/Non-Fiction and Classical Music/Flute. Read about all the winners here. Congratulations!

Audrey Goodner

Jayden Lee

The Reflections Art Contest 2023-24 is now concluded on the local level.

Many thanks to the LHS Office, Student Activities, Teachers, and LHS PTSA for their help and support. 

Applause and "Bravo" to the super-talented participating students, who graciously shared their inspiration, talent and hope, by creating their wonderful and unique works of art. The first place entries move on to the Regional level FCCPTA.

PTSA Reflections Art Contest Winners, “I am Hopeful Because…” Click here to see all winning entries on the PTSA website.

Literature

1st Place: Outstanding Interpretation - Inger Logan 9th, “fl.oo.rboards/floods/flowers”

2nd place: Award of Excellence - Elizabeth Fox 11th, “Cloche”

3rd place: Merit Award - Caroline Belle Walke 9th, “I am Hope”

Honorable Mention: Divya Gupta 10th, “I Am Hopeful For A New Day”

Photography

1st Place: Outstanding Interpretation - Robert West 10th, “Enduring Elegance”

2nd Place: Award of Excellence - Emily Tang 11th, “Four Souls”

3rd Place: Merit Award - Owen Miller 10th, “A Sprout in the Decay”

Honorable Mention: Anya Rahman 11th, “Great Blue Heron in Nature”

Visual Arts

1st Place: Outstanding Interpretation - Kristen Han 9th, “To Fly”

2nd Place: Award of Excellence - Delphia Huang 11th, “Glimmering Sky”

3rd Place: Merit Award - Riley Seewer 11th, “Glowing”

Honorable Mention: Christian Kim 11th, “New Year’s Eve”

Music Composition

1st Place: Outstanding Interpretation - Aditya Gupta 12th, “Keep On”

2nd Place: Award of Excellence - John Center 10th, “Ode to Forever”

Dance Choreography

Honorable Mention: Reva Dogra 11th, “In My Heart There Is Hope”

New family forum: Save the date! Is your family new to LHS? Did you relocate from another country, state, county or FCPS pyramid? Or from a private school/homeschool program?

Join Director of Student Services Dr. Braden Peterson and the LHS counselors to learn more about next year's course selection prior to Curriculum Night on Jan 9. This New Family Forum will be held Mon, Jan 8 from 9:30–10:30 am in the Lecture Hall. Come early for a coffee social starting at 9 am.

RSVP to LHS Family Liaison Julie Zimmerman Hohl at [email protected].

Welcome rising 9th graders! Langley HS will host an Open House for rising 9th graders (current 8th graders) on Sun, Jan 7 from 2-4 pm. The program will start with a brief welcome and overview of the school in the auditorium. Then there will be a guided tour of the building led by one of our students.

Forward this to any 8th grade families you know! They should RSVP for the Open House here by Jan 1.

On Oct 19, 2023, while responding to a Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) request, FCPS inadvertently disclosed information in the educational files of numerous students to the parent making the request. If your child was affected, you should have received a letter from Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid. If you have questions or concerns, you can email FCPS at [email protected]. Additional information on the disclosure can be found here. 

Check out our new Langley Saxons Neck Gator! Keep your neck warm this winter while cheering on your favorite athlete with this custom made neck gator. Made of 100% polyester anti-pill polar fleece. And be sure to shop for all your holiday gifts at Langleyboosters.org and click on Shop.

Save the date! Our 5th Annual Bands on the Run 5K is on Sun, Apr 21 at 8 am!

This event is open to the entire community and benefits the Langley HS and Cooper MS bands. Friends and family of Langley, Cooper and the elementary schools of the Langley pyramid are especially invited. All ages are welcome. Run the course like a pro or walk the course with a friend! Stay afterwards and enjoy live DJ music, refreshments and sponsors’ tables. 

Race registration is $30 for students 6-18 years old and $35 for adults through Feb 2. All participants will receive an official race t-shirt and children 5 and under are free! Sign up here today! 

Missed the Langley Book Club yesterday? FCPS has a second opp for interested parents!

FCPS will hold a webinar on Fri, Jan 5, 2024 from 10-11 am. Register here to meet the authors of Raising a Kid Who Can: Catherine McCarthy, M.D.; Heather Tedesco, PhD.; and Jennifer Weaver, LCSW as they discuss their book and take your questions.

Note: This is a free, adult-only webinar.

Attend the 2024 Gap Year Fair to learn about the growing array of gap year opportunities. The fair will provide students with broad exposure to gap year programs that emphasize experiential education and personal growth through travel, language immersion, directed study, outdoor adventure, community service and internships.

The fair is scheduled for Tues, Jan 30, 6-8:30 pm at Marshall HS (7731 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). The evening begins with “Gap Fair 101” from 6-7 pm and then the Gap Year Fair is 7-8:30 pm.

View the flyer here and follow this link for more info. Click here to register.

FCPS announced that the school district will be reverting to its former snow days policy for the 2023-24 school year. This decision means there will be no virtual learning days when school is closed due to inclement weather.

Read more on the FCPS website.

Missing a jacket, sweatshirt, lunchbox and/or water bottle? It may be in Langley’s very large lost & found collection.

Please stop by the lost and found box located in the cafeteria.

senior graduation dues: Senior graduation dues are required of all seniors. The funds will be used to pay for your student's cap and gown, and to offset the cost of graduation and related expenses. Click here to submit payment.

financial aid for college: Financial Aid Night was recently held at McLean HS. If you weren’t able to attend, presenter Jimmy Mauger of NOVA has provided the slides from his presentation. Click here to view the slides.

sophomore parents, mark your calendars! Our next Class of 2026 Parent Forum is Jan 17 at 9:30 am, location TBD.

freshman parents, save the date! Our next Freshman Class Forum is Jan 12 at 9:30 am in the Lecture Hall.

girls’ state program: Is your daughter in 11th grade and interested in learning more about politics, specifically how our government functions? Do you think that she has the potential of being a leader? If so, the Girls' State Program may be a great fit for her! 

If your child would like to apply for this program, please have them contact Kashima Morrison at [email protected].

Parents and student drivers! With traffic picking up in the area during this busy holiday season, take a few moments to review school bus safety.

Drivers must stop in both directions when a stopped school bus is loading or unloading children, unless separated from the bus by a median. When there is a median, all lanes of traffic following the bus must stop (see configuration 4 in the diagram). It is considered reckless driving - a criminal offense - if you pass a stopped school bus unloading children.

See more about school bus safety on the FCPS website. Help students arrive at school and back home safely each day.

Dec 14: Band Concert, 7 pm

Dec 18 - Jan 1: Winter Break

Jan 7: Open House for Rising 9th Graders, 2-4 pm, Auditorium 

Jan 8: New Family Forum, 9:30 am, Lecture Hall

Jan 9: Curriculum Night, 6:30 pm, Auditorium

Jan 11: Saxon Service 

Jan 12: Freshman Class Forum, 9:30 am, Lecture Hall 

Jan 15: Holiday - No School

Jan 17: Class of 2026 Parent Forum, 9:30 am 

Jan 25: End of 2nd Quarter – 2hr early release

Jan 30: Gap Year Fair, 6-8:30 pm, Marshall HS