The Langley School
Blog

By Leni G., Seventh-Grade Student at The Langley School

“Langley Students Support Love, Not Hate” is a campaign I started with two Langley friends after the inspiring words of a teacher. On Monday, October 29, Mr. McKinney, my former science teacher, gave a speech at our Monday morning meeting. Each Monday morning, our Middle School sits as a group and discusses upcoming events or goals for the week. As it was two days after the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, not everyone was as cheerful as usual. Mr. McKinney addressed this, and explained to all of us how lucky we are to all be so fortunate and the amount of gratitude we should have every single day.

Ayesha Flaherty, Head of Enrollment and Communications and Langley Parent

It’s hard to sum up a school’s curriculum in just 65 seconds, but this is a great start. Take a listen…

By Dr. Sarah Sumwalt, Director of Social & Emotional Learning and Counselor at The Langley School

It's always amazing how, in a blink of an eye, August is upon us and we are gearing up for the transition back to school. Of course, the start of school brings excitement as children look forward to seeing their friends, meeting their teachers, and beginning a new adventure. However, this transition can also yield a great deal of anxiety for children, adolescents, and parents alike. The transition to early mornings, structure, separation from home, new friends, and homework can all elicit feelings of anxiety, frustration, and even dread. Importantly, these feelings are very typical and are experienced by many students across the Arc of Development. In an effort to ease the transition and begin to prepare our students (and ourselves!) for the return to school, below are some helpful tips and strategies for students and families.

By Greg Bokman, Chief Financial Officer, The Langley School

Exciting news from the CFO's desk! I'm Greg Bokman, and I joined The Langley School's administrative team about a year ago as the CFO following four years at Washington International School and a number of years in the for-profit world.

by Jennifer Graham, Co-Chair of Langley's Day of Giving and Parent of Langley Students in Grades 6 and 8

There are several phrases that are often used to describe The Langley School: great community, motivated and poised students, commitment to service learning. As I have worked on the planning and execution of Langley's first-ever Week of Giving and Day of Giving, I have had the privilege of seeing all these phrases come to life, and this has served as a great reminder of the special place Langley is.

By Chuck Schmidt, Instrumental Music Teacher and Band Director

In November, I had a moment when it really hit me how fortunate I am to be part of the music program at The Langley School. I started to write some recommendation letters for eighth-graders and updated my typical opening sentence to: "In this, my 25th year at The Langley School...." For 25 years, I have been part of a wonderful team of performing arts teachers, helping students of every age have fun making music. Because I also set up sound and lights for most of our performances, I also get to see and hear students younger than the ones I typically teach share their music in performances as well.

By Stephie Meadows, Kindergarten Teacher at The Langley School

Writer's Workshop publishing parties are among the most exciting milestones for our kindergartners. Our classrooms buzz with excitement as students eagerly await their turn to wiggle onto the share stool and proudly present their published book to the class. The writing they share has been carefully selected after weeks of brainstorming, peer editing, re-reading, and "fancying up" for this anticipated event. Our kindergartners are guided through the true writing process and learn to successfully plan, edit, and prepare an original piece of work that is then bound into their very own book.

I'm always struck by the growth I see from one publishing celebration to the next. Students begin the year sharing a simple story with scarce letters on a page and transform within just a few short months into confident, capable authors. Our end-of-the-year party reveals five- and six-page "how-to" manuals that students have thoughtfully constructed to serve as a teaching guide for their friends. Students listen carefully as their classmates' books teach topics such as how to make a pizza or how to be a sneaky little brother. These stories elicit many oohs, ahhs, and laughs from teachers and peers alike.

by Phil Petru, Assistant Head of School