Beloved Families,

This week we celebrated both Black Lives Matter at Schools Week and Unity in the Community. In celebration of Black Lives Matter at School Week, our educators prepared lessons ranging from a historical study of the Black educators who serve at Nathan Hale, to a mathematic or scientific study of Black athletes, scientists, and mathematicians. The energy and learning was vibrant and engaging!

Unity in the Community this past Wednesday was also a huge success! Unity in the Community is our annual student-led event where our students curate a day of learning on student climate and connections, community of care, and goodwill. Flipping the school day for students to lead the learning was powerful, and always brings excitement as we launch semester 2. We thank our student organizers, workshop presenters including NHHS alumni, parents and community members who presented their expertise and knowledge with our students, our staff who supported this day, and our Nathan Hale Community Organization who provided hospitality and lunch for our presenters. This day always serves as a wonderful reminder of the potential good going out into the world as these young people advance understanding and positive influence in their communities.

I encourage you to have conversations with your students about what they have learned in their classes during Black Lives Matter at Schools Week, and from their peers in Unity in the Community.

Black Lives Matter at School Week

Seattle Public Schools annually participates in the nationally recognized week of action, Black Lives Matter at School week, February 5th through 9th. I had the honor of speaking at the annual flag raising ceremony that ushered in Black History Month on Monday, February 5th at the John Stanford Center. Please see the Black History Month page on the Seattle Public Schools website that includes the ways the district recognized Black Lives Matter at School week and the start of Black History Month.

Lunar New Year – Year of the Dragon

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 tomorrow, Saturday, February 10th. Welcome to the year of the Wood Dragon!

The dragon is a sign of ambition, confidence, curiosity, and wisdom. The wood dragon brings evolution, improvement, and abundance to this coming year. What would you like to have in abundance this year? 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 and 2012 are past years of the dragon (the start of the years vary between the end of January to beginning of February, keep this in mind if you have a January birthday). Famous dragons include Bruce Lee, Martin Luther King Jr., Shigeru Miyamoto, and Michelle Obama. 

Families celebrate in many ways and celebrations can last 16+ days. Many families begin preparations a week prior to Lunar New Year (last week), and may finish celebrating around when we return from mid-winter break. Join one of the celebrations happening around the city:

C-ID Lunar New Year in Seattle Chinatown International District
Asia Pacific Cultural Center’s New Year Celebration in Tacoma
ICHS (International Community Health Services) 5K in Shoreline

San Nin Fai Lok – Happy New Year!

Spring Sports Sign-Ups

Spring sports will start on Monday, February 26th. If your student is interested in participating in a spring sport (check out the Nathan Hale Athletics webpage for a listing of the spring sports), FinalForms should be completed now to sign up. If your student wants to be guaranteed to attend try-outs on Monday the 26th, physicals must be updated and submitted on FinalForms by Thursday, February 15th. Free sport physicals can be scheduled at the Teen Health Center – stop by the THC, get the forms and make an appointment. The Teen Health Center is only open when students are in school; they will be closed during mid-winter break (Monday, February 19th through Friday, February 23rd).

Peer Tutoring Update

This week we launched Peer Tutoring here at Nathan Hale! This has been a great opportunity for all students! Next week an additional day is added. Anyone needing extra support are welcome to come to tutoring on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 4:00pm and Thursdays from 3:45 to 5:15pm in room 1118. The peer-to-peer tutoring is focused on Algebra 1 support for students.

Mark Your Calendars – Future Upcoming Events!

Bite of Hale is our all-school, all community, evening celebration of food and cultures represented at Nathan Hale. It is scheduled for Wednesday, March 13th from 6:00 to 8:00pm. All are welcome! The HaleYes! Auction, coordinated by the Nathan Hale Foundation, will be held on Saturday, April 27th at Shoreline Community College. More details to come regarding both of these events.

Hale Mail

Sign up to receive the NHHS Daily Bulletin in your email inbox to stay up on the daily events happening at school. Sign up for Hale Mail webpage on the Nathan Hale! Hale Mail is operated on a volunteer basis by the Nathan Hale Community Organization and is a valuable way for families to stay connected with all-school and grade-specific events and communications.

Enjoy the weekend!

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