Beloved Families,  

Our hearts ache with the tragic news of the shooting death of a Garfield High School student. We stand with Garfield, their staff and students as they grieve the loss of a member of their community to gun violence. There is much interconnectedness among Seattle Public Schools so there may be members of our Nathan Hale community who are struggling or impacted from this event. Please reach out to our counseling staff if your student needs to talk with someone or is in need of assistance to process this loss.

With just two weeks left of school for our freshman through junior classes, I encourage you all to check your student’s syllabus, and to check your student’s most recent grades. We will have a special bell schedule the last 4 days of the school year (June 17th through 21st) and they can be found on the Nathan Hale website calendar.

This week our senior class asked for a staff v. student basketball rematch after the students lost during YDD week. A select few of our staff supported their request and despite a tough game, this time the students won!

This month we honor Pride Month. Specifically, Pride Month commemorates years of struggle for civil rights and the ongoing pursuit of equal justice under the law for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community, as well as the accomplishments of LGBTQ individuals. The organized pursuit of LGBTQ rights in the United States reaches back to at least 1924 and the founding of the Society of Human Rights in Chicago by Henry Gerber.

Swing Dance Tonight!

Dance the night away tonight at the annual Swing Dance in our Commons! Come at 7:00PM to learn some basic swing dance moves, then boogie to live music performed by Nathan Hale’s Jazz Band and Vocal Jazz starting at 7:30PM.

Yearbook Distribution

Yearbooks were distributed this week. For anyone who missed the distribution days, yearbooks may be picked up any day during lunch or by appointment in room 1203, Mr. Babinec’s classroom. Yearbooks will not be distributed during class time. Yearbooks can still be purchased at the Fiscal Window during lunch and after school for $80.

End of Year Laptop Returns

All student laptops must be returned at the end of the school year. Seniors will return their laptops during senior check-out week, June 10th-14th. Students in grades 9-11 will return their laptops in their Mentorship class during finals week. The last day to return laptops is Friday, June 21st. Over the summer, all SPS laptops will be updated to the Windows 11 operating system. Laptops that are kept over the summer will not be updated and will not work in the Fall. Students should return both their laptop and their charger. Please direct questions about laptop return to our librarian, Dana West. Students can stop by the library and speak to Ms. West or email her at dgwest1@seattleschools.org.

Senior Class Updates 

Senior Check-Out – Next week seniors will start their check-out process. They will receive in their Language Arts class, the yellow Senior Check-Out form. (If your student does not take a LA class here at Hale, they can stop by the Main or Attendance/Counseling Office to pick up their form.) The form is due Friday, June 14th to exchange it for up to 6 tickets to graduation.

Class of 2024 webpage – Seniors and their families can read more about various year-end events and deadlines on the Seniors – Class of 2024 webpage. 

SPREE Ticket Deadline Updates! – From the SPREE Parent Committee: Now is the time to purchase your student’s senior SPREE ticket for the all-night, safe party on graduation night. Our vendors need a final head count so June 12th will be the last day to purchase SPREE tickets at the $145 price. Late tickets may be purchased for an additional fee and will cost $193 through June 17th. There will be NO SALES of SPREE TICKETS ON GRADUATION DAY.  See counselors if finances are a concern – scholarships are available. Senior SPREE tickets and information.

Save the Date – For Returning Families

Raider Day is scheduled for Tuesday, September 3rd, the day before the first day of school in the fall. This will be one of two dates next school year when Yuen Lui photographers will be on site to take portraits for the yearbook and student ID cards (and for families to purchase, if they choose). All students should plan on taking a photo on Raider Day to ensure they get their ID cards about a week after photos are taken. Arrival times for Raider Day are staggered over the course of the morning. More information will be posted on the Nathan Hale website and will be emailed out to families in late August once details are confirmed.

Volunteer Opportunities

– NHCO needs 5 parent/guardian volunteers for the Senior Ice Cream Social on Friday, June 14th from 2:00 – 4:00PM. Please email nhcoconnections@gmail.com to sign up.

– Another future date – collating of start of school packets on the first day of school, Wednesday, September 4th in the morning, time to be announced.

For those interested in volunteering in any Seattle Public School, including Nathan Hale, or for school-sponsored events, the district has an application process which includes a background check. For new volunteers (who have never volunteered with a Seattle Public school previously) or returning volunteers, please follow instructions on the district Volunteer Application webpage. Once cleared to volunteer, please sign-in at the Main Office before heading to your volunteer location in the building. You will be asked to provide your photo ID the first time you sign in to volunteer. If you have questions about the volunteer process or would like to confirm your volunteer status, please email Rae Keyes at rkkeyes@seattleschools.org in the Main Office.

Much love,

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