Beloved families,

Each week at NHHS this fall brings a return of activities and a renewed sense of community. The Class of 2023 held a very successful Homecoming Dance last Friday, the first Homecoming Dance since 2019. Class of 2025, Class of 2024 and Pride Club fundraisers have been taking place in our student store before school and at lunch. It has been great to see students running the fundraisers and other students supporting them. Our Pumpkin Carving Event took place today at lunch with support from our Urban Farm folks and community members. At the close of October, November is nearly upon us, and November brings Native American Heritage Month. Watch for recommendations of great books to read to celebrate the month in next week’s Friday Message.

For Seniors

Senior SPREE is back!

SPREE is the last event for seniors …an ALL NIGHT graduation night party produced and chaperoned by Hale parents and hosted by Grad Nights!  This is a safe way for our seniors to gather and celebrate their graduation. The parent led SPREE Committee is looking for more committee members. Please email the committee at NHSPREE23@gmail.com if you would like to join in the fun of planning the event for our seniors. All parents and guardians of seniors are asked to fill out the SPREE survey to help the committee with their planning.

FAFSA Night at Nathan Hale

Save the Date  – Thursday, November 17th, 5:00pm – 7:00pm, NHHS Library

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and all seniors should fill it out to have more opportunities after high school. The FAFSA evening will be held at NHHS to give students and families information about the FAFSA and the process of submitting the application. More details will follow.

Seattle Promise Application Workshops

There will be translated Seattle Promise application workshops through November. Seattle Colleges is hosting interpreted evening financial aid workshops via Zoom for families/students in Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tigrinya, Cantonese, and Amharic.

For Seniors and Juniors

Final Reminder – Advanced Placement Exams Registration Deadline and Accommodations

The Seattle Public Schools deadline for 2023 Advanced Placement (AP) exam registration is Friday, November. 4th, at 5:00 pm. This is the final deadline for all SPS students to register for an AP exam for first semester and yearlong AP courses. You may pay through SchoolPay or bring cash or a check made out to Nathan Hale AP to the fiscal office. The registration fee for an AP exam is $107 per exam. Students who are eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch for this school year should work with Ms. Greene, our AP Test Coordinator, to receive an exam fee reduction. The cost is $10 per exam for eligible students. Steps on how to register for an AP exam can be found on the district’s Assessments webpage.

To take an AP exam with accommodations, a student must be approved for each accommodation by the College Board’s Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office. Each student must work with Ms. Greene to ensure their request for accommodations has been accurately submitted by the College Board deadline of January 18, 2023. Please visit the College Board’s website to learn more about the different ways to request accommodations for AP exams for your student.  

The College Board assess a cancellation fee for any exams that are not taken in May. For that reason, students who are unable to take the AP exam(s) after their exam has been ordered for any reason are eligible for a partial refund of $67 per exam of their $107 exam fee. Students eligible for a fee reduction would forfeit their $10 per exam deposit to offset this cancellation fee.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email Melinda Greene msgreene@seattleschools.org or message SPS Assessment and Instructional Improvement through Let’s Talk: 2023 AP Exams.

College Fairs

There are two college fairs happening next weekend!

• National College Fair at the Seattle Convention Center705 Pike Street, Seattle 98101, November 4th, 9am-12pm and November 5th, 12-4pm. Register for the National College Fair
• 5th Annual Black College Expo – Free, at Renton High School, 400 South 2nd Street, Renton 98057, November 5th, 10am-4pm, register for the 5th Annual Black College Expo

For Ninth Grade

Reminder that Intent to Run forms for the Class of 2026 elections are due on Monday, October 31st.

For All Students

Please remind your students to check their school email frequently for school news, scholarships, volunteer opportunities, and more. We don’t send info to personal emails. 

Also, students and families may checkout the Daily Bulletin on the Nathan Hale website where regular updates about school activities and events can be found.

Have a safe weekend!

With love,

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