Family Message May 22, 2026

Happy Friday,

Well, we made it through a long week of testing, support, and sometimes nagging students to be where they are supposed to be on campus. I know it can be hard to focus when the sun comes out, time is altered, and so many things need attention, but I need students to stay focused and finish strong as we still have 17 days until the bell rings for our SPS summer break. I whole-heartedly want students to choose to do great and value their education and take advantage of all the learning opportunities afforded to them as young adults in high school. I want high school to be a positive experience where students know and understand that teachers, school administration, and support staff want them in class learning each day. Seventeen days, please help encourage your student to finish strong.

In the spirit of Mental Health Awareness month, I am very grateful to all the community partners, such as Ryther, Seattle Parks and Rec, New Beginnings, NAMI, WA Teen Link, North Helpline, TakeSpace, Alateen, ACRS, Lambert House LGBTQ+ Youth Center, our Teen Health Center, etc. who shared valuable resources with students at our NH Resource Fair this week. We welcomed them into the building with a nice meet-and-greet and time to mingle as we continue to align resources as a school community. If you would like to know more about resources at Hale please contact Chereen Kwon.

Testing Updates

That’s a wrap on state testing! Thanks to all the hard work from staff and students for making a smooth and focused week possible. Next week, if your student needs extended time or missed a session(s), the test coordinators will follow up with them to complete the exams on Wednesday and/or Thursday. They will just need to work with their classroom teacher to make up any missed work.

Athletics Updates

We are so proud of our Athletes!! Thank you, families, for supporting our Raiders!

Boys Soccer competes tonight at 6:00 p.m. at Bainbridge Island High School in the State Quarterfinals.

Baseball plays at Wheeler Field in Centralia tomorrow in the State Tournament vs Ellensburg High School at 1:00 p.m.

Fastpitch Softball competed today in the State Tournament in Selah.

Tennis competed today in the State Tournament. Fletcher G. is through to the semifinals tomorrow.

Track & Field competed Thursday and Saturday in the district tournament to qualify for State.

Congratulations to Girls Ultimate Frisbee who won their State Quarterfinals game last night! Their State Semifinals game is Thursday, 5/28 at 7:30 p.m. vs Lincoln at Foster High School.

Hale Highway is happening next Thursday, 5/28 around 11:45 a.m. to honor our Spring State Athletes. This is where we line up in the hallway to cheer on our Spring State athletes with a send-off and return from state competitions. The Spring Sports Dessert is on Tuesday, 6/2 at 7 p.m. in the Commons.

Attendance Support

Ms. Daniels, our Attendance Specialist, would like to get parents up to speed with some shifts being made with attendance reporting as we wrap up 25-26 SY and prepare for the 26-27 SY. All attendance-related emails should be sent to the Nathan Hale High School Attendance office email inbox. That email address is halehs.attendance@seattleschools.org. This shift is necessary to ensure that all attendance requests and notifications are directly monitored through the Attendance office.  

• It is important that you contact the Attendance office as soon as possible, if you would like to have your student released early from class for an appointment. Often last-minute requests to release your student are not as successful as those planned at least 24 hours in advance.
• If your student is absent for an entire day or more, and they are NOT out for doctors’ appointments, surgical procedures, or school sanctioned events, please ask them to pick up a pre-planned absence form (located in the Attendance office). The form should be turned in at the Attendance office at least 3 days in advance of the event.
• Any request to excuse your student must be accompanied by a valid reason. Please refer to Superintendent Procedure 3121SP, for a list of valid excuses. Students who are 18 years old are also able to excuse themselves, for a valid reason. Students who are not yet eighteen must have parents to excuse them either in writing, via Talking Points text, email or phone call. 

If you have any questions regarding this change, please feel free to contact the attendance office at halehs.attendance@seattleschools.org or call 206-252-3684 (Nathan Hale Attendance office). Thank you for supporting this shift.

SPS Device Collection

Student laptop return at the end of the school year will happen as follows: 

• Seniors will return laptops and chargers during senior check out week, June 2-8.  
• Students in grades 9-11 will return their laptops and chargers in their Mentorship class during finals on Friday, 6/12, Monday, 6/15, and Tuesday, 6/16.  
• The last day to return laptops in Mentorship is Wednesday, 6/17.  
• Students who will not be on campus after 6/11 will need to return their laptops and chargers to the library before leaving for the summer.   
• Fines for unreturned items include: $350 for laptops, $48 for laptop charger, $50 for WiFi hotspot. 

The district has stated that devices and accessories that are not returned will result in a fine according to district policy (2022SP).

Upcoming Events/Volunteer Support Needed!

We still have a lot of events happening before June 17! (Seniors have just 2.5 weeks!) See the events coming up and how you might be able to help. It takes a village to make these events go successfully!

Message from Junior Class Officers

Junior Families! We’re excited to share details about our upcoming Junior Breakfast! The event will take place at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church on 5/28, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Please note that while the event is being held at a church, there is no religious association of any kind with this event. We are simply using it for the purpose of a venue.

We will be providing pancakes, drinks, and utensils for all students attending. If your student plans to come, we kindly ask that they bring a food item to share with others. To help us stay organized, please fill out this shared Excel spreadsheet with the item your student will bring and the quantity: Junior Breakfast Sign Up. We are asking for donations of bagels, pastries, fruits, and other breakfast goods. Please bring your items on the day of the event to Wedgwood Presbyterian Church.

We are also in need of parent chaperones to help make this event run smoothly. If you are interested, please complete the Microsoft Form: Junior Breakfast Chaperone Sign Up: – Fill out form

The form will ask for your first and last name, email, and whether you are an approved chaperone. If you are not yet an approved chaperone, one of our advisors will email you information about what needs to be completed to get cleared.

Message from Senior Class Officers

Attention Senior families! Our Senior Breakfast will be held at Dahl Playfield on 6/9 at 9:30 a.m. this year. We need food donations! Sign up to bring food with sign-up genius! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E48A5AF2EA7FECE9-64259086-senior

We are incredibly thankful for your contributions and support of the Senior class!

REQUEST for VOLUNTEERS for 3 events in early June

The Nathan Hale Community Organization (NHCO) needs volunteers to support our amazing community in early June! We have 3 events that need volunteer help within an 8-day timeframe. Volunteering at these events is a chance to have fun and get to know more people in our community. Please consider volunteering for one or more of the following events. Questions? Contact Sarah Heath at nhcoconnections@gmail.com or 206-285-8482. 

Wednesday 6/3/26 is the New Family and Multilingual Learner (MLL) Family Dinner and we need 8 volunteers to help with this catered dinner. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4FA5AB2FABFFC70-64260752-copy#/

Monday 6/8/26 is the Senior Ice Cream Social.  NHCO hosts an afternoon ice cream sundae bar for the Class of 2026.  We highly encourage parents of Seniors to volunteer at this event.  We need 7 volunteers. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4FA5AB2FABFFC70-64271410-2026#/

Wednesday 6/10/26 NHCO is hosting the Graduation Reception for the Class of 2026.  We are looking for parents and guardians of Freshmen, Sophomores & Juniors to help with the biggest event of our year. We need approximately 40 volunteers for this event.  If you are not available the evening of 6/10, we need 12 dozen nut-free cookies that can be baked/bought in advance and dropped off at school on 6/10 during the day and up until 7:30 p.m.  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4FA5AB2FABFFC70-64267414-graduation#/ 

Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

In Partnership,

Ms. Jolene Grimes
Proud Principal