Friday 1/26 Message to Families

Beloved Families,

I hope you had a great week and are looking forward to our final week of January. This week was full of student challenges and opportunities, with both final exams and registration happening all week. I understand that final exams and grades can make school days challenging for students. One way to keep up with how students are doing in classes: please check the Source, connect with your student(s), and review the class syllabus to ensure you are caught up on student grades so you have an understanding of where they stand. Semester 2 starts on Thursday, February 1st. Students’ semester 2 schedules are accessible on the Source.

Class registration at this point in our school year is extremely important for our school community, as registration helps us identify which courses students find most important to lead learning in our community. If your student has not yet registered for classes, please talk with your student and encourage them to do this, as the window for online registration closes on Wednesday, January 31st. Feel free to peek over their shoulder as they review their graduation checklist and complete the registration process. For families of students that are considering applying to four year universities, please take a look at the college and university requirements, Seattle Public Schools graduation checklist, and submit the courses that align to both.

From Nathan Hale Theatre

Nathan Hale Theatre students competed last Saturday, January 20th at Liberty High School in Renton in the regional Thespian competition. Shout out to the nine theatre students who all competed and received positive scores: Benjamin M, Elizabeth F, Elizabeth B, Ayelet Y, Lilith S, Lillian W, Ravenna D, Ulysses S, and Willow D. 

Special congratulations to Hale’s 3rd ever student to earn a “Superior” performance, qualifying for the National Thespian Festival competition this June: Elizabeth F! 

Blood Drive at Nathan Hale

This past Tuesday, student leadership facilitated a blood drive at school in coordination with Bloodworks Northwest. Bloodworks sent the following message afterwards, “The donations that were collected will help patients all throughout the Pacific Northwest….We couldn’t fulfill our mission without partners like you – thank you for taking the time and efforts in supporting our mission and help boost local blood supplies for our community.” 

From NHCO – Night Out, February 1st

Parents and guardians’ night out on Thursday, February 1st, 6:30 to 8:00pm! The Nathan Hale Community Organization (NHCO) fills a vital role in our community from organizing the gift card drive for food insecurity to overseeing the graduation reception. Please join the current coordinator Katie Fleming and other parents and guardians for food, refreshments and socializing and learn how you can get involved and help strengthen our community! It will be at Katie’s house in the Maple Leaf neighborhood. Super casual. Please RSVP for headcount and to get the address nhcoconnections@gmail.com or text 206-354-5161.

Peer Tutoring Launches February 8th

Beginning February 8th, we will launch Peer Tutoring here at Nathan Hale. All students are welcome to come to tutoring and receive academic support. However, the peer-to-peer tutoring will be focused on Algebra 1 support for students. Thank you to Ms. Yaz and Ms. West for their hard work in ensuring that students are trained and supported for this opportunity!

Upcoming Immunization Exclusion Date

To attend Seattle Public Schools your student is required by Washington State law to show proof of vaccination to certain illness or have an exemption on file signed by a healthcare provider. Those that are missing vaccinations are subject to exclusion from school on March 4, 2024. This exemption includes students who are full-time Running Start. Excluded students are to remain away from school until we receive proof of immunization or exemption. These students and families will receive official notice of this exclusion by mail and by phone.

Please provide any updated immunizations records that you may have to Nurse Amy Dong asdong@seattleschools.org. Please contact our Teen Health Center if you would like to register your student to receive these school required immunizations at our school-based health center at no cost. For more info, please review the district Immunizations webpage. 

College Possible for Juniors

College Possible is looking for junior students to join their free program! College Possible students receive support from junior year to college graduation. Junior students receive support from a College Possible coach with SAT/ACT prep, finding their best-fit schools, college applications, and learning how to pay for college. To be eligible, students need to have a 2.0 GPA or higher, meet family income requirements, have an interest in getting a bachelor’s degree, and be ready to commit to full participation in the program. For any questions, please email the Nathan Hale College Possible Coach, CJ Shen at sshen@collegepossible.org. Students can also learn more about College Possible and apply.

AP Test Reminder

If you think your student qualifies for Advanced Placement testing accommodations, please go to the College Board Accommodations page and follow the instructions to submit an accommodation request to the College Board directly. Accommodations are not guaranteed, and they are approved independently by the college board, not SPS. Nathan Hale’s College Board code is 481128.

Enjoy the weekend!

Much love,

William Jackson, Ed.D. (he,him)
Principal
Nathan Hale High School