Friday 11/17 Message to Families

Beloved Families,

I hope you had a great week and are looking forward to our short holiday week ahead. As a reminder, next Thursday, November 23rd, and Friday, November 24th we do not have school in observance of Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Day. School will dismiss on Wednesday, November 22nd at our regular time of 2:25pm.

I do want to take time in this message to share concerning information and encourage your partnership. There have been reports of a rise in antisemitism at Nathan Hale High School and our community. This has caused many of our Jewish students to feel unsafe and unwelcome in their learning environments as well as our neighboring community. I want our families and community to be aware of this, and know that just as we have experienced racism, transphobia, islamophobia, we take measures in partnership with you to address antisemitism as well. Moreover, this is unacceptable. Any form of bullying, harassment, or intimidation against any student, educator, or family and community member is not tolerated in our community.

As we have experienced this rise in discrimination in our community and beyond, I am learning that the common denominator is unsupervised student usage of mobile devices. Unfortunately, this has negative impacts on student connectivity in and out of our school, which causes divisions in student identity and connections. This threatens what we hold most dear to our culture at Nathan Hale: being a welcoming environment for all. This school year has unfortunately tested that value. In our partnership, I ask that you talk with your students, get to know what they are viewing, and learn about their mobile device habits. Also, please encourage them to continue to keep their phones away during school, as our device policy has had a positive impact on student learning and connectivity during our classroom learning time. Finally, if you or any of your students have experienced antisemitism, hatred, or discrimination of any kind, I ask that you report this to a trusted educator, security, counselor, or administration so we can take proper measures to ensure school safety.

Transgender Awareness Week (11/13-19)

A one-week celebration leading up to the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which memorializes victims of transphobic violence. Transgender Day of Remembrance occurs annually on November 20th, when transgender advocates raise awareness of the transgender community through education and advocacy activities.

 Native American Heritage Month

This commemorative month aims to provide a platform for Native people in the United States of America to share their culture, traditions, music, crafts, dance, and ways and concepts of life. This gives Native people the opportunity to express to their community, both city, county and state officials their concerns and solutions for building bridges of understanding and friendship in their local area. 

This weekend! Theater Production: Almost, Maine

The fall theater production is Almost, Maine. It’s a story of a small town and its residents, whether they have lived there their entire lives or are simply passing through, the town has left its mark on them. It’s also a story about love: people falling in love and out of it, rekindling old loves or leaving them behind, discovering new loves and learning what they mean. Come and fall in love with the story of Almost, Maine, tonight and tomorrow, November 18th at 7:00pm and a matinee tomorrow at 2:00pm. Student tickets are $7 with ASB and $10 without. Purchase tickets for Almost, Maine online or at the door.

NH Winter Open House and Plant Sale, Sun 11/19

Come join the Nathan Hale Horticulture students at the Winter Open House this Sunday, 11/19 from 11:00AM to 1:00PM at the Nathan Hale Greenhouse. Our students have been hard at work all quarter and it’s time to celebrate with our annual Winter Open House and Plant Sale! Four varieties of student grown poinsettias are available online now! In person sales of student-made succulent gardens, bio-active terrariums, assorted houseplants, and fruits & veggies from the garden will also be available.

This year we are also offering four Build a wreath workshops, with lessons from expert students and volunteers. 

• Sign up for11:00am class
• Sign up for 11:30am class,
• sign up for 12:00pm class,
• Sign up for 12:30pm class.

Please purchase and book in advance to reserve! When you purchase online, you can come and pick up your reserved plants at the open house. For large orders, special arrangements for delivery can be made. The Nathan Hale Urban Farm Greenhouse is located above the Jane Addams parking lot, 113th and 31st NE.

Whether you plan to purchase or not, please come enjoy cookies, cider, and great company!

A message from NHCO, your Nathan Hale Community Organization (formerly PTSA)

It was great meeting some parents and guardians for coffee last Wednesday. Thank you to Marina Gray for sharing ways we can get involved to address some of the recent safety concerns. A note of gratitude to the parents and guardians that are stepping up to oversee the December 12th Staff Appreciation Breakfast. Please know the goal of NHCO is to foster a supportive, friendly and welcoming atmosphere for our community. NHCO helps the school by providing hospitality for events and stepping in to help when immediate needs arise. NHCO welcomes input and needs more volunteers, especially in leadership roles. Please email Katie Fleming nhcoconnections@gmail.com to learn more.

Safety Update: School ID & Food Deliveries

Due to an increase in school safety concerns, we are implementing a new school ID policy. We are asking both students and teachers to wear their School IDs on a lanyard, around their necks beginning Monday November 27th. The school will provide a lanyard to students within the next two weeks. We will continue this “soft” rollout until we break for winter break. After Winter Break, IDs will be mandatory daily. All students who do not have an ID card should stop by the Main Office to either pick up their card (from previous photo days) or sign up for Security to take their photo.

Reminder: Nathan Hale is a locked door campus with a doorbell for access. Visitors, including parents, need to come to the main entry (by the visitor parking lot) and stop at the main office when dropping off items for students or going to attendance. Due to safety concerns, we want to remind families that we cannot accept food deliveries from DoorDash, Uber eats, etc. at the main office. We will not allow delivery providers in the building; they need to wait outside the building for student/staff to meet them and pick-up the item.

Careers in Healthcare

Do you want to be a healthcare professional someday? Are you curious about careers in the medical field? Come to the library during mentorship on Wednesday, November 29th to meet some doctors and medical students for a panel discussion and Q&A session. 

Reminders for Senior Class of 2024

Make sure to check out the Seniors – Class of 2024 webpage on our website for important information for Seniors and the Senior Countdown calendar. Included on the webpage or on the countdown calendar is information regarding the following:

• Cap and Gown orders are due December 15th
• Senior Photo for Yearbook due January 22, 2024

Volunteering at Nathan Hale

If you would like to volunteer at Nathan Hale and have not completed the district volunteer application form and had your background check cleared, please complete the forms/process found on the district Volunteer – Apply or Renew webpage. 

If you are a returning volunteer (meaning you have filled out an online volunteer application in the past, and have a file created already) you would follow the steps available on the Renew or Update Your Volunteer Application webpage.

If you are cleared at another school but didn’t indicate you would volunteer at Nathan Hale on your application, please go back into your application and select Nathan Hale as one of your schools so we can view your “Approved” status.

Finally, if you have any questions, please contact Rae Keyes at rkkeyes@seattleschools.org or in the office at 206-252-3680.

Much love,

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