Family Message

Happy Friday,

We have officially finished 8 school days in the second semester, and almost all students have registered for classes for the upcoming 26-27 school year. My hope is that we can get ALL students registered as soon as possible. Please ask your student(s) if they are registered for classes for the upcoming 26-27 school year.

Community

This has been a somber week for many students and staff in Seattle Public Schools. I would like to take a moment and ask people to pause and acknowledge the great loss students, staff, and the Rainier Beach community are facing with the loss of two of their secondary students. High school can already be challenging, and losing a classmate, friend, teammate, etc. hits a little differently. My heart hurts for their community as our children are our most precious joy. Hug your children and remind them that we have support in our counseling office if they ever need to talk with an adult at school and/or need resources to help process personal or tragic life events and activities. A card was sent to RBHS on behalf of our NHHS school community.

Today students from NH Black Student Union hosted the Black History Month Assembly during mentorship. I enjoyed seeing students and special guests share poems, speeches, songs, powerful words and scripture to remind students of the importance of black history and the contributions made by blacks in America. Dr. Jackson, former Nathan Hale principal, was a guest speaker and shared these famous words from Malcolm X, “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.” He encouraged students to lift every voice and take a stand for equality.

I am so excited to share a highlight from Ms. Andrews, Nathan Hale Math and MLL teacher: “On Tuesday, we had a great turnout of 8 student horticulture club members, one parent, and two teachers for planting the newly renovated beds near the west entrance to the school with a variety of climate-adapted perennials and ground covers. Keep an eye on this area, it’s going to look great!” I can’t wait to see the fruits of their labor.

Campus Safety

Keeping our campus safe and welcoming is a priority. Lately, some students have been making poor choices and vandalizing the restrooms. When this happens, it makes the restrooms inoperable, causing me to lock the restroom doors until repairs are made. I would like to ask parents and families to please partner with the school and talk with your students about the importance of appropriate restroom usage by following these Restroom Expectations: Handle your business. No hanging out or eating. No horse play. No vaping, drinking, or inappropriate behavior. One person per stall. Wash hands and go back to class. Get a pass from the teacher before leaving class to use the restroom.

Nathan Hale has a 10/10 Rule. Students are not allowed out of class for the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes of class time unless there is an emergency. This rule helps school staff and administration ensure the school hallways are free from students hanging out unsupervised. The expectation is that students are on time to all classes.

Counseling Office Update

Next Friday, February 13th, the Counseling office will have limited hours. Counselors will be available for requests from 8:30-9:30 a.m. The office will be closed for the remainder of the day to process Mid- Year transcripts required for colleges. Seniors! Please be aware that your Mid-Year transcript will automatically be sent by your counselor on February 13th through the Common App. If you do have a school that requires a Mid- Year transcript not on the Common App, please ensure you have completed a transcript request through Naviance by Wednesday February 11th to ensure timely delivery of your transcript.

Attendance

• SmartPass glitch has been fixed! Earlier this week we emailed them saying that our SmartPass system was experiencing technical difficulties and therefore attendance during Mentorship may not be accurate. We received word this morning (2.6.26) that this has been fixed. Attendance records will be adjusted, and today’s attendance during Mentorship will be accurate. Thank you for your patience.
• Students joining classes that are not their own. It recently came to our attention that there have been some students entering classes that are not their scheduled class—e.g., to see friends or simply sit in. Administration communicated with students and staff that this is not acceptable behavior from students—the expectation is always that we need students to be in their scheduled classes at the appropriately scheduled time.  This is to ensure all students’ safety and to keep the classroom focused on learning. Teachers have been directed to call the office immediately if a student comes to their room who should not be there. Students will face disciplinary consequences if they are choosing to violate this expectation. Please check in with your student and discuss the importance of being where we need to be at the times we need to be there. Thank you for your partnership in this.

Special Schedule, February 11th

Next Wednesday, February 11th, we will follow a different schedule due to our day of seminars and learning called Unity in the Community. Lunch will be from 12:20-12:50 p.m. that day. The schedule for the day is on our website calendar.

Athletics

We have a lot to celebrate. This week out Raiders accomplished the following.

• Girls’ basketball – The girls are the Metro 2A Champs. They play Chief Sealth tonight at CSHS at 6 p.m.  
• Boys’ basketball – The boys are Metro 2A Champs. They play Chief Sealth tonight at CSHS at 7:30 p.m. JV will play at 4:30 p.m.
• Bowling – Girl’s bowling competes at the state tournament on 2/9 & 2/10 in Tukwila at Bowlero.
• Wrestling, Gymnastics & Swim – All move onto Districts next week.

Do not forget the Winter Sports Dessert is on February 25, 2026, at 7 p.m. We look forward to celebrating with our athletes.

Have a great weekend. Go HAWKS.

In Partnership,

Ms. Jolene Grimes
Proud Principal