Friday 3/14 Family Message

Happy (PI DAY) Friday, Nathan Hale:  

In honor of pi day, the annual celebration of the mathematical constant π pi, our Math teachers gave out nearly 200 pieces of pie to students who could recite 10 or more digits of pi. Elliot P. was able to recite 237 digits of pi which earned him an entire apple pie!  

What a BITE of a week! Wednesday, the Bite of Hale was well attended! It was nice to see students’ vision come alive through food, great music, performances and community. Thank you to all the families who supported the Bite and joined us for a great evening that exemplifies our amazing school community. The Bite of Hale is the ASB’s biggest fundraiser under the amazing leadership of Mr. Leland Swarts who works tirelessly to make the Bite come together for students, families and the community. Hale Yeah!  

If you are looking for something fun to do tonight – Come hear the Jazz Band, Concert Orchestra, and Symphonic Band Tonight at 7:00 pm in the PAC. We have nearly 80 students performing this evening. The concert should wrap up by 8:30 pm. Support our Music Program led by Ms. Katrina Sibicky.   

This week in classrooms I enjoyed seeing students working collaboratively in Oceanography in small lab groups dissecting fish heads. A student explained they are looking at fish gills to see where the gas exchange occurs, while they learn the importance of understanding “boney fish” and why they are so efficient. I am excited for this class as students are preparing and learning about fish conservation to determine what is or is not working to make their fishery sustainable for such fish like chinook salmon, Alaskan halibut, and blue fish tuna, for example. I also enjoyed seeing students from the Music Survey class in the hallway preparing to work on their honored musician. Students shared what music artist they are currently listening to as they pick a musician to highlight and add to the music tree in the hallway. I encourage parents to talk to their students about music and share why you listen to what you listen to for enjoyment.    

On our early dismissal day this week staff spent their release time diving deeper into the SPS Atlas platform with members for SPS Business Intelligence team who showed our staff how to use student data in Atlas to help inform their decisions and provide supports to students. They looked at such things as 9th grade success data, and 12th grade on track to graduate data. Our goal at Nathan Hale is to ensure all students have a plan to graduate and plan with support to meet graduation requirements.  

We also welcomed Ms. Sara MacCaul from the City of Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning – TalkSpace team to the staff development day to share FREE mental health support for Seattle youth. The City of Seattle is providing online mental health support to any youth ages 13-24, for free. Parents are welcome to visit TalkSpace, City of Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning to register and/or learn more about Talkspace.  

A huge thank you to the staff, students and parents who helped get the NHHS 25-26 Budget passed. It is quite the process, and we did it. I do appreciate all the time and energy that went into making sure the budget reflects the needs of the school and community. As a small comprehensive high school, it is essential that we are fiscally responsible, make budget decisions using an equity lens and ensure our budget reflects the goals of the NHHS CSIP: Comprehensive School Improvement Plan.  

Save the date – SBA/WCAS testing is around the corner. It is important that students are at school and ready for testing. We will be testing the week that we return from Spring Break April 21-28.  

Spring sports are in full motion. Check out the Metro League Athletic site and come support Nathan Hale Athletics. A link to order spirit gear is on the Spirit Wear webpage. Go Raiders!  

We are one month out from our musical fundraiser Cabaret Night and tickets are officially on sale! Join us April 5th for a night of musical favorites with performances from Hale students, alumni, local artists, plus a sneak peek of our spring musical The Addams Family. There will also be performances from Hale staff including Brian Coon, Larry Uhlman, Jessica Milanese, Asher Delaney-Hanna, and Audrey Delaney-Hanna. Cabaret Night Tickets can be bought here: Buy Cabaret Tickets. Prices go up on 3/24, so buy your tickets early!  

Nathan Hale Auction …Spring Into Auction!  The Nathan Hale Foundation is hosting our online auction May 1st - 11th and is seeking donations from our generous community. Together with the Fall Annual Campaign, this event raises vital funds for our school. Do you have tickets to a local sporting event or concert?  Interested in hosting a party (craft night, game night, movie night?) to connect with the Hale community, or maybe you have a vacation or second home we can create a memorable experience with? If you would like to contribute items or experiences that can be auctioned, go to HaleYes! 2025 – Auction Procurement Page or send an email to hale-yes@nathanhalehsfoundation.org. For more information on how donors to the NHHS Foundation provide support for our school, see Nathan Hale High School Foundation. 

Have a great weekend. Be safe and enjoy the outdoors.  

In Partnership,  

Ms. Jolene Grimes 
Proud Principal