Happy Friday,

Homecoming week has been exciting. Students and staff enjoyed dress-up days and ended today sporting their class colors and togas.

Today after school, student leadership hosted Hale-Gate. Hot dogs, chips and drinks were sold while Cheer offered face painting. Tonight, the Raiders take on Lincoln at 6pm on Raider Field. HOCO dance following the game 8:00-10:00 pm in the NH Commons. Hale students may purchase tickets to the dance at the door for $20. Thank you to all who supported the Ultimate Frisbee bake sale at last Friday’s football game. I love seeing parents/guardians working with students to grow their programs. Please continue to support NHHS athletics and fall sports. Look up game times on the NH Metro page.

October is Disability History, Acceptance, and Pride Month. This month public schools will promote educational activities that provide instruction, awareness, and understanding of disability history and people with disabilities. This year we are moving beyond awareness to focus on acceptance by creating a school culture where students of all abilities feel respected, included, and valued. We will highlight both the history and ongoing contributions of individuals with disabilities while fostering true belonging in our learning community.

This week I would like to highlight my time in the business management class taught by Mr. Davis. Today the students gave their new product proposals utilizing a lean business model and a basic pitch deck. Mr. Davis explained that he loved their creativity, and how they really embraced our “fall in love with the problem, then work toward a solution” motto. Students were able to go from an authentic problem through designing a solution, imagining the total market, and naming their early adopters, right through to identifying rough costs, potential revenue streams and key metrics. I am excited that students can take this new class at Nathan Hale. Another class I would like to highlight this week is our ASB Leadership class taught by Mr. Swarts. Student leaders planned a well thought out and planned Homecoming Assembly today. They had tug-o-war, musical chairs, yell context, head shoulder knees and toes, and student pop performance to bring the student body together for some fun. Each class yelled their loudest and participated hard to help their class earn points. Of course, the seniors took home the GOLD and showed the underclassmen the pride that comes with being a senior. I am so impressed and proud of your student leaders and the responsibility they take in leading our school. Our future is bright when we put things in their hands.

New Bell Schedule starting Monday, 10/6

Monday we will start our new bell schedule. As shared in communication from Seattle Public Schools (SPS) last night, SPS will move to the two lunch periods on most days for comprehensive high schools, including Nathan Hale. Our current Wednesday schedule will remain the same with one lunch to preserve time for students to connect, join clubs, or explore other interests, as shared in the SPS communication to allow students time for whole-school community building, while still supporting a safe and more manageable lunch experience on other days. Please see our updated schedule below and on our website under Bell Schedule.

Period	Start Time	End Time
1st	8:50am	9:45am
2nd	9:50am	10:45am
3rd	10:50am	11:45am
A Lunch	11:45am	12:15am
Mentorship Time (A Lunch)	12:20pm	12:50pm
Mentorship Time (B Lunch)	11:50am	12:20pm
B Lunch	12:20pm	12:50pm
4th	12:55pm	1:45pm
5th	1:50pm	2:40pm
6th	2:45pm	3:40pm

Lunches are determined by Mentorship teacher, showing up as Advisory (or period 7) on your student’s schedule.

A Lunch teachers are: Andrews, Balint/Kim, Barkley, Davis, Delaney-Hanna, Eisenberg, Feigal-Stickles, Grays, Harter, Hester, Jacobson, Lockery, Lynch, McKittrick, Mulder, Padilla, Plumpe, Robinson, Scott, Stidham, Typolt, Umdor-Singh, Windus, Yamaguchi, Yu, Zutz.

B Lunch teachers are: Aaron, Arneson, Bosworth, Buzzell, Cokelet, Comiskey, Coon, Ellis, Fisaha, Fraser, Gildea, Heald, Hirzel, Killian, Kory, Maynard, Ouyang, Pyles, Renes, Ross/Fulmer, Salzman, Scialdone, Shafkind, Sibicky, Swarts, Tobon, Uhlman, Volkman, Weybright, Witt.

Music Department Mattress Sale – Sat, 10/4

Is your mattress old and lumpy?  Are you tired of being tired because you’re not getting a good night’s sleep?  If a better night’s sleep sounds like music to your ears, come check out the Nathan Hale Music Department’s Annual Mattress Sale this Saturday from 10:00am-5:00pm in the Nathan Hale Commons. Not in the market for a mattress?  Stop by for sheets, luxury pillows, and more!  Come check it out and sleep well knowing your purchase helped to support music here at Nathan Hale.

No School – Friday, 10/10

We have a short week next week. NO SCHOOL on Friday, October 10th for the statewide Inservice Day. The campus will be closed as all staff will be in meetings all day. I encourage parents/guardians to use the day to check-in with students to ensure they are meeting their academic goals. Are they passing all their classes? Do they need support? Is their attendance looking good? Do they have tardies? Why? Are all their assignments turned in? Please note that the 1st quarter ends on November 5th.

*** If you have questions regarding your student’s academic progress, please do not hesitate to contact their teacher(s) right away. Staff arrive on campus around 8:20am daily and may leave around 4:00pm per contract and/or leave for other duties.

Student Civic Engagement

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is aware that students may be planning to take part in a student-led walkout on October 7 in response to the Israel-Hamas war. SPS respects the rights of students to express their views in a peaceful manner, including assembly and nonviolent protest. It is important to clarify that a student-led walkout is not a school or district-sponsored event.

Families should talk with their student(s) about the potential walkout. Once students leave SPS campuses for unsponsored events, the district can no longer be responsible for their safety. As per usual practice, school staff will follow School Board Policy 3121 and Superintendent Procedure 3121 SP.

Office of Student Civil Rights: SPS does not condone antisemitic or Islamophobic acts. Any student may contact our Office of Student Civil Rights to report concerns about bullying. Here is the webpage that provides information about this process and reporting forms.

Curriculum Night – Thu, 10/16

Do not forget Nathan Hale Curriculum Night is next week on October 16th at 7:00pm. We will have a Senior Parent/Student Meeting starting at 6:15pm in the PAC. Junior families are welcome to attend as well. Our school partners and resource fair will be in the Commons from 6:00-7:00pm. Come checkout NH partners and see what clubs and sports are at Hale.

Seattle College Fair – 10/17 & 18

The National College Fair is coming to Seattle! The 2025 NACAC National College Fair –Seattle will be held on the following dates at the Seattle Convention Center: 

Friday, October 17th – 9:00am to 12:00pm

Saturday, October 18th –12:00pm to 4:00pm

Sign up for free, view a list of participating colleges as well as the full fair schedule at https://www.nacacattend.org/fairs. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with hundreds of colleges in one location!

Healthy Youth Survey – Thu, 10/16

The Healthy Youth Survey includes questions related to physical activity, unintentional and intentional injury, substance use, interpersonal relationships, school experiences, risk and protective factors, and access to school-based services. This will be administered during English classes to grades 10 and 12. Survey results are used by schools, communities, and State agencies to plan programs to support our youth and reduce their risks. Participation in the survey is voluntary, and steps are taken to ensure student privacy. There are no names or codes used to link a survey back to a student. Please read the Information for Parents/Guardians and Youth Letter for more information about the Healthy Youth Survey.

Parent & Youth Info Letter – English  

Parent & Youth Info Letter – Spanish

Parent & Youth Info Letter – Amharic

Parent & Youth Info Letter – Somali

Parent & Youth Info Letter – Chinese

Parent & Youth Info Letter – Vietnamese

From 10th Grade LA Team

The 10^th grade Language Arts team is preparing to put on a performance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the beginning of second semester. We are looking for costumes and props that students can use for their production. If you have any, or if you know of any we can borrow from mid-January to mid-February, please contact Chris Mulder at cbmulder@seattleschools.org.

Vaccine Clinics at NHHS

Clinics for flu and COVID-19 vaccines will be offered this fall at several schools around the district. The vaccines will be administered by Seattle Visiting Nurses Association. There are three dates when the clinics will be here at Nathan Hale: Sundays October 19th, 26th and November 2nd from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Make an appointment by clicking on the registration link. To find dates and times for other vaccine clinics across the district, please go to the SPS Vaccine Clinic page.  

AP Exam Registration Due 10/31

Nathan Hale High School is offering the following AP Exams in May 2026:

• Computer Science A
• Computer Science Principles
• Statistics
• Environmental Science
• English Literature and Composition
• Psychology

AP Tests cost $125 per test. Parents must log into their SchoolPay account to pay for AP Exams. There is no guest checkout available. SchoolPay is accessed from the parent’s Source account. Families and students who are already approved for free and reduced lunch will have a discounted price of $20 per exam.  AP registration and payments are due Friday, October 31, 2025 (NO EXTENSIONS). All cancelled, unused, or no-show AP Exams that were charged $125 will incur a $65 fee per exam (this includes College Board Policy and SPS Administration Fees). Refunds will be issued upon request for unused exams in June 2026.

AP tests at Nathan Hale are not required but are encouraged for all students who are taking an AP class. If students attending Hale would like to take an exam not offered at Hale, please fill out this Cross District Registration Form: https://forms.office.com/r/epkghX0ayT.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

In Partnership,

Ms. Jolene Grimes
Proud Principal