grades that count:  Only the final end-of-year grades are included in the cumulative GPA on transcripts. (The only class not included in GPA is driver's education.) In fall of senior year, transcripts are mailed to colleges and include grades at the end of junior year. There are no senior grades included in the transcripts unless a student or college makes a special request for first quarter senior grades; however, these quarter grades are not typically ready for those applying early. 

college admission program:  Lots of people attended the program about the college search process that was held at Yorktown HS. The pamphlet that was handed out can be downloaded at  Yorktown High PTA handouts and includes lots of valuable info about the college admission process.

online textbooks resources:  Keep in Touch (KIT) messages will be sent for the Open Lab Night where students can try out the new features for online textbooks for Algebra 1 or 2 and Geometry. The intro session held before the last parent-teacher conference (notice emailed in another KIT) explained about some of the online textbook features: 1 hour of free one-on-one online tutoring per month from 3pm-2am 7 days weekly and videos available that re-teach each lesson (www.poweralgebra.com), unlimited practice and feedback on problems (www.interactmath.com), and live help with technical problems accessing online textbooks (support.pearsonschool.com). FCPS has a webpage for answers to frequently asked questions about these online math textbooks:  ww.fcps.edu/is/textbooks/onlinetextbooks/faqs.shtml

government class:  Langley's 12th grade government class had its election predictions printed in The Washington Post on Nov 3 under "Outlook's 16th Crystal Ball Contest" with "pundits and strategists."

volleyball - girls: Led by seniors Cathrine Baek, Hoai-Nam Bui, Jenna Dean, and Maureen Marsh, the Saxons volleyball team won the Liberty District and made it all the way to the State semi finals this season.  Thanks to all who came out to cheer!

basket ball - girls: The varsity team will open their season on the road against Broad Run HS, Tue, Nov 26.  They will end the week with the Cougar Tipoff Tournament at Oakton HS this weekend.  The Saxons will take on South County HS Fri evening and defending state champions, Oakton HS Sat afternoon.  The Langley home opener for all three teams will be Fri, Dec 7 (Freshmen - 4 pm, JV - 5:45 pm, Varsity - 7:30 pm). 

athletes in college: How do the admissions and recruiting processes work for student athletes? What opportunities exist to play sports outside of Division I schools? Yorktown PTA will host Sports and College Admissions: Panel Discussion for College Bound Athletes on Nov 28 from 7-9pm in the YHS cafeteria. A panel of college athletic directors, coaches, and admissions counselors from primarily NCAA Division II and III schools will speak first about the general process of school admissions for the student athlete. Then, separate breakout sessions will focus on specific sports-related questions for coaches and experts from different sports. The focus of the event is fostering an awareness of the many opportunities available to student athletes in college.

band: The Langley Bands would like to extend an invitation to our wonderfully supportive community to our annual Winter Concert.  The concert, our first with new band director Doug Martin, will be held Thu, Dec 6 at 7 pm in the LHS auditorium.  The Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony will perform a wide variety of music, old and new, from six different countries and four different centuries.  We hope to see you there!

chorus: The Langley Choral Department presents their annual Renaissance Feaste next Fri and Sat evenings (Dec 7 and 8) at 7pm at the Capital Church in Vienna. Journey back to Merrie Olde England for a festive evening of Renaissance-style dining and holiday musical entertainment, featuring jesters, minstrels, musicians, and the Langley Madrigals.  Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for students and must be reserved and paid for before the event.  Seating (particularly for Sat evening) is limited, so reserve your seats now.  The invitation and reservation form are on the chorus website: www.langleychorus.com

orchestra: Congratulations to the 2013 All-District Orchestra students: 

Kevin Tan, concertmaster

Lauren Kim, assistant concertmaster

Ashley Zhang, violin

Gene Kim, violin

Grace Keffer, violin

Alan Chiang, violin

Brandon Tran, violin

Rebecca Oh, violin

Julia Hara, violin

Alexandra Cramer, violin

Madeline Thompson, violin

Zach Chou, viola

Penelope Mort-Ranta, viola

Alex Quion, viola

Marissa Lee, 1st alternate viola

Alex Lim, assistant principal cello

Tony Lee, cello

Claire Lee, cello

Harrison Nam, cello

Nirosha Beekhuysen, cello

Cliff Yang, cello

Hailey Lee, alternate cello

Jonathan Grow, assistant principal bass

Alex Blankinship, bass

superintendent search:  All Fairfax County residents are invited to attend the community open forums on the superintendent search with a forum at Langley on Dec 4 at 7pm in the cafeteria. Also, other forums will be held at the Fairfax County Public Schools Gatehouse Administration Center in Falls Church at 8115 Gatehouse Road in Room 1600 on Dec 6 at 10am and Dec 7 at 1pm. Also, parents can complete the online survey or find more details about the forums or the search at www.fcps.edu.