Nathan Hale Friday 1/24 Family Message

Happy Friday! 

Today it was good to see students taking the responsibility for their schooling and utilizing the tutorial time during our 1st semester finals week to prepare for finals and end the semester strong. Ask your student about their finals schedule and see if they are prepared to take their finals.  

This week in classrooms, I enjoyed seeing students work on their final projects and make the last-minute push to complete all assignments. Students in our nutrition and wellness class worked in small groups to put the final touches on their food truck projects. They have grand ideas on how to attract consumers and use design to build a business model that aligns with their goals. One group selected a Hello Kitty theme they believe would entice consumers to patronize their business. Students also shared a variety of cooking strategies they are learning and using as they prepared made-from-scratch Italian meatballs and pasta, fried chicken, chicken kebab and impossible burger sliders. Other food truck options today were Oreo cake, creme puffs, and boba tea, highlighting their love for desserts. When students learn these essential skills in our CTE: Career Technical Education classes, their future looks to be bright.  

I enjoyed talking with 9th grade students in Language Arts 9 as they worked in small table groups to complete their final literary circle projects. They explained how they are enjoying LA in high school and expressed how I can support the transition from middle school to high school to make LA even better. One student shared that he appreciates how learning-focused LA is in high school. I appreciate that they get to work with peers based on their interest and complete a project using rubrics as a team. Ninth grade parents, ask your student about their book choice and final project. I encourage all students to please rest up this weekend and prepare for your upcoming finals next week. You got this!  

We will continue with our finals schedule on Monday and Tuesday next week. Finals for periods 2 and 5 will be on Monday, January 27th and for periods 3 and 6 on Tuesday, January 28th.  

새해 복 많이 받으세요, с Новым Годом, San Nin Fai Lok – Gung Hay Fat Choy, 新年快樂, chúc mừng năm mới, próspero año lunar, Bonne année lunaire, 明けましておめでとうございます, Tashi Delek, maligayang bagong buwan, Happy Lunar New Year!  

Lunar New Year begins next Wednesday, January 29th – Welcome to the year of the Wood Snake! The snake is a sign of wisdom and longevity, the shedding of a snake’s coat is a symbol of rebirth and regality.  The wood snake is resilient and courageous, especially in the face of adversity. How will you share resilience and courage with your community this year? 

Join one of the Lunar New Year celebrations happening around the city: C-ID Lunar New Year, Asia Pacific Cultural Center’s New Year Celebration, Celebrate Lunar New Year at The Museum of Flight, and/or Seattle Asian Art Museum Lunar New Year Family Festival. 

As a reminder to our families, we have a community partner, FamilyWorks, which is on site every Wednesday when school is in session, from 1:30 to 4:00pm in Portable 6. FamilyWorks community connectors can refer and connect families to nourishing food, essential resources (like rental/utility assistance, benefits application assistance, healthcare) and a supportive community. Their welcoming staff are a huge resource for families and are able to assist in several different languages.  

This is a busy time of year in the school as we start to prepare for the upcoming budget season and registration process within the school. I look forward to working collaboratively with teacher leaders, student leaders and parents as we partner to make sure Nathan Hale High School is set and ready for the 2025-26 school year. Please mark your calendars; we have some upcoming exciting things happening at Hale: 

• 1st Semester ends on January 28th and 3rd quarter starts on January 29th. Make sure your student looks at their 2nd semester course schedule to be prepared.  
• Nathan Hale HS staff/leaders will be at the SPS Admissions Fair on Saturday, February 1st, from 10am – 2pm at the John Stanford Center. Tell your neighbors and incoming 9th grade families.  
• Unity in the Community at Hale, February 5th is an all-day event and a regular Wednesday school day.  
• NHHS School Information Night is February 6th from 6:00-8:00pm. This is for incoming 9th grade families and for other grades new to Hale.  

• Registration for the 25-26 school year will start the week of February 10th. Parents, please look for registration information posted on our school website. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to connect with our school counselors or administration.  
• Upcoming School Levy – please review the upcoming levy information.

Have a restful weekend. Be safe and enjoy the nice, crisp, cold weather.  

In partnership,  

Jolene Grimes 
Proud Principal
Nathan Hale High School