Head of School’s Message

Dear Langley friends...

This has been a historic year in the life of Langley as we thoughtfully and carefully managed our way through the difficult challenges of a global pandemic. But, true to our Langley way, we have persevered, and will continue to do so, with our mission as our guide and our values grounded in community, character, and care.

We opened the 2020-2021 school year on September 2, as planned, in a hybrid learning model. To practice the layers of risk mitigation and other protocols and procedures we put in place over the summer, we began with a staggered start, bringing 100 students onto campus each week. We were so happy to open the doors at carpool and welcome our students back to campus. You could feel the students’ excitement to meet their teachers and to be among friends – their smiles were still evident behind their masks. For our virtual learners, we added extra cameras and technology to the classrooms, ensuring that they were equally part of each lesson, discussion, and class celebration. We felt fortunate to have safely offered on-campus learning for over three months before we moved to virtual learning for all students as scheduled before the start of winter break.

In addition to navigating the health and safety of our community, as educators, we found an increasingly important role to play in the facilitation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics with our students. With racial inequities headlining the news and a polarizing 2020 presidential election, the work of our REACH (Raising Emotional Acuity, Cultural Responsiveness, and Healthy Behaviors) program became more urgent. We also strengthened our commitment to DEI by introducing a new DEI coordinator position, filled by our director of extended day and enrichment, LaToya Needham. Read more about LaToya and the initiatives she has launched on page 10.

This magazine provides just a snapshot of the moments and accomplishments from this fall – it’s one for the history books, indeed! Read about how we continued to deliver quality, attentive instruction and assess student progress (page 6), how we centered ourselves with gratitude and lessons learned (page 9), and how we relied on the strength of each other throughout the year. You’ll also find an update on our campaign to grow our endowment and construct the new Crossroads Building on page 12. Finally, I’d like to offer my sincerest gratitude to the many dedicated individuals who worked tirelessly to develop our opening of school approach. The Health & Safety Task Force (listed below) served as my advising group as we made complex and evolving decisions. Our faculty and staff put students at the center of their work and maintained the high bars they set for themselves. Our Board and PALS provided support and energy every step of the way. In times like these, I look around me and feel so proud of the community members who make up Langley. While we are forced to be socially distant, our bonds and reliance on each other remain close.

With immense gratitude,

Dr. Elinor Scully Head of School

Langley’s Health & Safety Task Force

• Dr. Elinor Scully, Head of School • Sarah Beck, Interim Head of Lower School/Director of

Curriculum and Instruction • Karen Duvall, Director of Summer Studio and Licensing

Coordinator • Ayesha Flaherty, Head of Enrollment and Communications • Jon Gilliland, Parent and Regulatory Advisor • Dwayne Green, Director of Transportation and Security • Sara Magner, Parent and Trustee • Phil Petru, Assistant Head of School/Head of Primary School • Dr. Sarah Smith, Parent and Medical Advisor