I am proud to announce that Matthew Ragone, assistant principal and former summer school principal of Chantilly High School, has been appointed as principal of Langley High School.

The above quote leads off the cluster superintendent's letter the the LHS staff and community.

Advanced Placement Exams have begun.

Quick reminders for AP test takers:

• Bring a No. 2 pencil and a blue or black ink pen.
• Only clear water bottles (without label) filled with water are permitted.
• Leave cell phone at home or in your car.
• Check-out note must include your full name.

The Virginia Standards of Learning End of Course Tests begin on May 21st.

AP Exam Security Policies and Procedures

The AP Program's standards and procedures for administering exams have two primary goals: giving students the same opportunity to demonstrate their abilities, and preventing students from gaining an unfair advantage. To promote these goals, the AP Program reserves the right to cancel any grade, when, in its judgment, any of the following occur: 1) Violation of exam security policies and procedures, 2) Disclosure of secure test items, 3)Misconduct, 4) Testing irregularities, 5) Identification discrepancies, and 6) Invalid grades.

The following statement regarding electronic devices is included as a violation of exam security policies and procedures:
You may not bring cell phones, MP3 players, pagers, or PDA's into the testing room.

SOL Testing and Cell Phones

According to Virginia Department of Education State Testing Memo 657, dated October 2007:

Students are not permitted to have cell phones or other electronic devices on their person during SOL testing. During the March and May/June testing sessions, students must put cell phones in their backpacks or bags, which will be placed in a designated area. Test examiners will make an announcement prior to the beginning of each session and will collect and store any electronic devices still carried by students. If any student is found with an electronic device during a test session, the device will be confiscated, a testing irregularity will be filed and the test will be marked as a “cheating violation” whether or not the electronic device is in use or even turned on. The student will receive a score of “0” on the exam, and the state may or may not allow the student to retest in the same testing window. Electronic devices stored in bags must be turned off, as required by the Student’s Rights and Responsibilities. Any electronic device that goes off during a testing session will be confiscated, and a “disturbance irregularity” must be filed.

The Langley High School Pyramid Art Show is presented each year at Langley High School to highlight the work of the young artists in the Langley pyramid schools. This year, we present selected works from the show online. Be sure to catch a glimpse of these budding artists in our Online Art Gallery.

The May 2008 issue of the Saxon Scope has hit the newsstand. Catch the staff's coverage of the Science Honor Society's Spring Blood Drive, the recent SGA and class elections, Senior Ethics Forum, Prom, BPA in your water bottle, spring sports update, a new feature called "Kids in the Hall," and much more.

The high school summer academic program is a central site-based program. The locations are Edison, Lake Braddock, Oakton, and Westfield. The program will run from Wednesday, July 9, through Thursday, August 7, 7:30 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. High school courses will include: Algebra 1 Part I, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, English 9 (repeat only), English 10, English 11, English 12, Geometry, Geosystems, Physics, Va. and U.S. Government, Va. and U.S. History, World History and Geography 1, and World History and Geography 2. Prerequisites for each course are outlined in Encore 2008.

Checkout the FCPS website for more information on high school summer programs.

The May 2008 edition of the PTSA Newsletter is now available for download. The May issue features updates on AP and SOL test dates, news from the departments, and an updated calendar. Below are excerpts from the newsletter:

Once again the seemingly never-ending testing season is upon us, and it is a great time to examine the family traditions and habits that can help ensure success or perhaps prevent an unnecessary hurdle. Obvious to us all is that well-rested, well-fed and well-prepared students do better on exams.

We wish Bill the best in his well-deserved retirement and thank him for his great energy and passion. Langley is a better place because of his time with us. The PTSA will sponsor a reception at school on May 29 at 6:30 pm to thank him for his years of service to Langley. Please stop by and wish him well in his retirement.

Thanks to the time and talents of nearly one hundred adult volunteers, the annual Ethics Forum on April 10 was a success! Special thanks to the Gannett Company for allowing the program to be held at their lovely McLean facility and for all their help to make the program run so smoothly. Contributions from the Safe Community Coalition, LHS senior class, PTSA and Boosters, Exxon Mobil, McLean Rotary, Dale A. Evans, McEnearney Associates Realtor, McEnearney Associates, Chain Bridge Bank, Client First Settlement Services and William Schwartz, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage helped to make the day possible.

From Massachusetts to California, a look at the schools that excel in teaching students. There are more than 18,000 public high schools in the United States. What if you could take a snapshot of each one and capture, at a particular moment, what kinds of students were enrolled there and the caliber of the education provided them? If you were to collect these individual snapshots into one huge national yearbook, which high school would be chosen as "Most Likely to Succeed," meaning that it set the best example of how to prepare students to achieve their post-graduation goals? More...

On the Challenge Index ranking of school districts, based on average college-level test participation in each jurisdiction, Falls Church, with a rating of 4.176, ranked second. Fairfax, at 2.852, ranked fourth in the region. The ratings are the number of college-level tests given in all grades, per graduating senior...Other than Jefferson, the highest Fairfax school on the list was Langley High, which ranked fourth of 186 schools. More...

October 22, 2007 - April 14, 2008