Happy Friday!

It was nice to welcome students and staff back to school after the Thanksgiving holiday. We now have two weeks until Winter Break (December 20 – January 2, 2026). December 19th will be a one-hour early dismissal. School will dismiss at 2:40 pm. You can find the bell schedule for Friday, December 19th on the calendar on our Nathan Hale website.

This week I enjoyed watching students learn about the Mexican – American War through play. They took on key characters within that time in history and used biographies and character scripts to help identify the stance each character took during the war. They identified who fought in the war, who gained from the war, and who opposed the war, etc. I happily joined them and liked hearing them take their characters seriously as they engaged with peers through a simulation activity. When we make history fun and engaging, I believe our young people actively participate and engage in the content. The highlight of my week was our December site visit with Dr. McCarthy, Regional Director. I appreciate how he pushes our admin team to use data to inform our work and grow teaching and learning within NHHS for positive outcomes for all students.

Music Concert Tonight!

Our Nathan Hale Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble and Symphonic Band will be performing in our Performance Arts Center tonight at 7:00pm. The program is quite varied from music based on Renaissance tunes to the Muppet Show and everything in between! The concert is free and all are welcome!

There will be another concert next Friday, December 14th at 7:00pm when our Vocal Jazz and Concert Choir will be performing. This will also be a free concert.

Donations for Holidays

As the holidays approach, we are hoping to spread some holiday joy! At your will, please consider donating gifts AND/OR gift cards (~$25 equivalent) donations. Any type of youth/teen-appropriate gifts AND gift cards are welcome. Students in need will get to “shop” for one item of their choosing on Thursday, 12/18.

Our social worker, Lyndsey Johnson, has created an Amazon wish list as a guide. If ordered from here, it should default shipping to NHHS. Please do not feel limited to the items on the list! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/T602RM27RUA7?ref_=wl_share

Please have items shipped/delivered to the Main Office at NHHS by Wednesday, 12/17. Contact Lyndsey Johnson at lbjohnson1@seattleschools.org with questions.

NH Foundation Annual Campaign

The Nathan Hale High School Foundation Annual Campaign has begun! Each fall, we reach out to our community with an opportunity to support our school by making a donation to the Nathan Hale High School Foundation. These contributions ensure that our programs not only endure, but flourish. To see the difference your gifts make, visit What We Fund on the Foundation website. This year, every donation will be matched dollar for dollar by generous long-time NHHSF supporters. Every contribution matters—and we hope you will join us. To donate, please go to the NH Foundation website.

Parent Ed on Opioids – Thu, 12/11

Please join us for a community engagement evening by attending an Opiod Overdose Response Training on Thursday, 12/11 from 6:00-7:00pm in our library. Come and learn the signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose. Build the skills essential for potentially saving a life. Attendees will receive free Narcan and other resources.

Athletics

Tonight, we host home boys’ basketball games starting at 7:00pm in our gym. The girls’ games vs. Rainer Beach have been canceled. RB does not have enough players to compete this evening.

Please take time to look at your students’ grades in The Source. Grade checks will be based on Semester 1 grades.

There is still time to sign up for Bowling, Boys & Girls Wrestling, Gymnastics and Boys Swimming. Login to your parent/guardian FinalForms account and select the sport your student would like to join. Be sure you and your student complete the online forms and that a current sports physical is uploaded.  

Winter Spirit Week

During Mentorship this coming Wednesday, students will find out what the dress-up days will be for Winter Spirit week happening the week of December 15th. This will be another fun week of dress up and activities for students to show their school spirit.

Semester 1 Finals Schedule

Finals for Nathan Hale will take place over 3 days starting Friday, January 23rd through Tuesday, January 27th. Students will be scheduled to take their period 1 and 4 finals on Friday the 23rd, periods 2 and 4 finals on Monday the 26th, and periods 3 and 6 finals on Tuesday the 27th. You can find the bell schedule for each day on the January calendar on the Nathan Hale website.  

Daily Bulletin

Did you know about the Meadowbrook Pond Luminaria Walk tomorrow evening? Or that there is a FAFSA/WASFA Financial Aid Workshop at the Lake City Library next Thursday? Or that NHCO is doing a gift card drive to assist families in need for the winter holiday season? All these items – and more! – are in the Daily Bulletin. You can view each day’s bulletin on our website or sign up for Hale Mail to get it in email the night before.

Gratitude for our volunteers

We appreciate all our volunteers who assist throughout the day, evenings and/or weekends to help make our programs and classes run smoothly. This includes our field trip chaperones, classroom tutors, sports/music/drama booster parents, and NHCO parent volunteers. Among the NHCO volunteers, there are many unsung heroes who help behind the scenes with school communications by maintaining distribution lists and sending out the Daily Bulletin, coordinating gift card donations from parents, and coordinating staff appreciation events. We could not do it without you. Thank you for your service. Hale Yeah!

Have a restful weekend. Stay warm and enjoy your time.

In partnership,

Jolene Grimes
Proud Principal