Updates For Students & Families

Happy Friday,

We should all take a deep breath and moment to exhale; the first semester of the school year has officially ended, and the third quarter has already begun. Students started their classes this past Wednesday. Some may have had schedule and/or course changes. Talk to your student about how the first three days have gone. To wrap up semester one and welcome semester two, this will be a little longer message than usual. I hope you will enjoy the information.

Today we held a shelter in place drill to ensure our monthly compliance with safety at NHHS. Students and staff did a great job. In the spirit of safety and security of our building it is important that we re-emphasize our door entry protocol and safety expectations. I want to acknowledge how wonderfully students have risen to the updated protocol. We see students ready with their student ID at door entry cameras. We see students who have lost their IDs, stopping by the office asking for a replacement ID. Students have done a wonderful job not opening doors for people outside our building and prompting them to go to a door with a camera entry. Thank you to our students for making safety a priority!

This week it was nice to see students finish their culminating projects and finals to wrap up semester one. We had food truck wars in Culinary Arts. Students worked in small groups and created their business plan, business concept, and made the food items for presentation and testing. We have some real chefs at Nathan Hale. Wow, did they show out and make staff and parent judges think hard about who won the food wars.

Students in Financial Algebra shared their culminating presentations on What Have You Learned That Every High School Student Should Know? Students had to complete at least three tasks related to banking services, consumer credit, paying for college, automobile ownership, renting an apartment, and homeownership. They had to identify the steps to achieve their financial goals centered around one of the topics shared above. I enjoyed seeing students using their presentation skills to interact with peers, sharing important information and answering questions relevant to their topics of choice. Knowledge is power and students sure showed their knowledge and expertise around such important topics.

Students in AP Environmental Science presented their posters on how to best conserve energy. It was nice to see our scientists working collaboratively with each other as they shared a variety of ways to conserve energy – long vs. short showers. Led light vs. regular light. Driving a car to school vs. walking to school, etc. When students are informed and can make well informed life choices around how to conserve energy the world is a much better place. Hale Yeah!

As you see above, a lot is happening in the classrooms, I asked a few NH Staff to also share highlights or something to celebrate from this past term.

• From Ms. Delaney-Hanna, our theatre teacher: Back on 1/10 I took 13 students to participate in the regional Thespian festival/competition. We got the results yesterday, and we had 7 students score in the highest group or the “superior” category which qualifies them to participate in the International Thespian Festival this June. I think this is the most students we’ve ever had qualify since Hale’s troupe was started by Sydney Baird when I was a student at Hale. We had 5 more students earn honoree status for scoring in the 2nd highest “Excellent” category.
• From Ms. Eisenberg: for the final, my 6th period psychology students conducted their own independent psychological research, wrote up their findings in a professional abstract, and presented their results. Some topics included: video games and mental health, why do students skip class, how safely students feel coming and going to school, how brightly colored packaging influences food choices, and how many students rely on social media for their news.  I am impressed by their good, hard work!
• From Ms. Umdor-Singh, Medical Careers teacher: In the week before finals, CTE Health Science classes remained actively engaged in hands-on, real-world learning. Through a partnership with CTE Career Connections, students earned CPR/First Aid/AED certifications, developing essential first responder skills. Systems Medicine students also earned Stop the Bleed certification, preparing them to take quick and effective action in emergency situations. Anatomy & Physiology students worked diligently on heart dissections and experienced meaningful “aha” moments as they developed a deeper understanding of how chest compressions and recoil support circulation and oxygenation, ultimately saving lives. These hands-on experiences provided a rewarding and practical conclusion to the semester for our future health professionals.

Moving on to semester two, I would like to share some very important information with families to ensure all students become honorable, skillful, thinking, global citizens.

1. Attendance: Students need to be in school daily. Please email halehs.attendance@seattleschools.org if your student is absent from school. Have your students communicate with their teachers to make sure they stay on top of their studies. School starts at 8:50 a.m.
2. Academics: Students should work in partnership with their teachers. They should have 6-7 teachers including their Advisory/Mentorship teacher. For seniors, we should keep late arrival and early dismissal to exceptional situations to ensure that students meet all graduation requirements. Please look at Schoology to monitor your students’ academic progress. Students have Mentorship five days a week, that is 180 minutes a week to work on schoolwork and get support with their schoolwork at school. Please encourage your students to utilize this time and take advantage of getting staff support.
3. Support: Students should connect with their school counselor for guidance and support. Mr. Budech has alpha A-F, Mrs. Thompson has alpha G- N, and Ms. Creech has alpha O-Z. They are available before, during, and after school. Students can sign up to meet with their school counselor in the counseling office or on-line on our Counseling Page. I highly encourage all Running Start students to stay in close communication and regular contact with their school counselor. Students also have grade level administrators who help them navigate through high school. Ms. Burrell is our Lower House (9-10) administrator. Mx. Zoba is our Upper House (11-12) administrator. Both can be reached in the main office or by calling 206-252-3680. Please do not hesitate to contact the school for support. We want to work in partnership with our families.

Registration: A reminder that all students in grades 9 through 11 should complete the online registration for the 2026-27 school year; the portal will be open through Wednesday, 2/4. Students should have time to complete it during their Mentorship period which meets daily.

Athletics: Girls Bowling are district 2 champs and Flag Football qualified for the district tournament. Go Raiders! Check out the Metro League website for what is happening in sports.

Important Dates:

Feb 1 – Senior Grad Ads (for the yearbook) are due. Info available on our yearbook webpage.   

Feb. 4 – Portal for Online Registration for 2026-27 school year will close

Feb. 6 – BSU Black History Month Assembly

Feb. 11 – Unity in the Community Day

Feb. 16-20 – President’s Day and Mid-Winter Break

Feb. 25 – Winter Sports Dessert in the Commons, 7:00 p.m.

Have a great weekend!

In Partnership,

Jolene Grimes
Proud Principal