Happy Friday,

As the proud principal of Nathan Hale High School, I hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather and summer break before we launch into the 25-26 school year. Welcome new families and students to our school weekly Friday Message. This message is a “TEST” to make sure that you can and will receive a weekly Friday Message from Nathan Hale High School. Each Friday you will receive a message from the NHHS school principal. This message also includes an important date before school starts when students are expected to come to the building.

I spent the month of July enjoying my children and all their summer activities. We traveled across the states of Ohio, South Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada participating in many of their sporting activities. It felt good to unplug, disconnect and be present with them. I look forward to my daughter entering her senior year of high school and my son finishing his last year of middle school this upcoming school year. They both keep me very busy, so I get the art of parenting and juggling all the nuisances of work, family and fun. As senior parent, I am excited to experience senior year alongside senior parents, as we sit down and prepare to embrace it with our often independent, very busy, ambitious, and outgoing young adults ready to represent the class of 2026. We got this!

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, I would like to stress the importance of having balance, support and good health to ensure that students can be present and have success in school. I encourage families and students to keep checking the NHHS Website for communication regarding the upcoming school year. The school website will be where you can find a wealth of information. Please use it and let us know if there is something that is missing to make it more informational to students, parents, and families. If you moved, changed your number, or upgraded your user devices please make sure to contact the school to get your information updated. It is crucial that you know what is happening at Nathan Hale and stay informed. You may call the main office at 206.252.3680 or email nathanhale@seattleschools.org.  

Our custodial staff have been working hard to make sure the building is ready to welcome us all back to campus. We almost have all hiring needs met with a few interviews set up for this month. The admin team is back together, welcoming Mx. Kirsten Zoba back as a permanent assistant principal overseeing the upper house, grades 11 and 12. We have Ms. Ambyr Burrell coming back overseeing the lower house of the school, supporting students in grade 9 and 10. We look forward to serving all students and families this school year. Listed below please find some important information for you to start preparing for the 25-26 school year:

Fall Athletics Information – Football starts on August 20^th and all other fall sports start on August 25^th (Cross Country, Golf, Slowpitch Softball, Girls Soccer, Girls Swimming, Boys Ultimate, and Volleyball). This is an amazing opportunity for students to find a community and try new activities.  Parents/Guardians are responsible for signing their students up for a sport their student would like to tryout for.  Please log into FinalForms and select the sports your student would be interested in. Please remember that a student can only participate in one sport per season. All fall sports are currently open, but Golf, Girls Soccer and Volleyball will close soon after the start of the season.  For FinalForms help, check out the FinalForms Parent Playbook. In order for your student to turn out, practice or participate with a team, all FinalForms online forms must be completed and signed by both the parent/guardian and the student. A current sports physical must also be on file (they are good for 2 years from the date of the exam). Please be sure to upload a copy of the physical to FinalForms. You only need to upload page 3 of the physical form,  titled “Preparticipation Evaluation – Medical Eligibility Form” into FinalForms.

Nathan Hale Raider Day (September 2^nd) – All Students “MUST” attend Raider Day to ensure the following business is handled before the 1^st day of school. Specific details, including arrival time, will be emailed out to families next week and posted on the Nathan Hale website.

• School Portraits available for order from Yuen Lui Photographers ($) and Student ID card (Free)
• ASB/Activity Card ($) and Athletic fees ($) – Fees to be determined
• Class fees, if applicable
• Buy NHHS Spirit Gear – Frosh wear RED, Soph wear WHITE, Juniors wear BLUE and Seniors wear Black & Gold
• Sign up for NHHS Athletic teams and get support with FinalForms
• Ninth graders pick up their school locker assignment and can practice opening it
• Pick up and take a picture of the NHHS Bell Schedule. Students can walk their schedule to familiarize where to go. School starts at 8:50 am. Ends at 3:40 pm except on Early Release Wednesday, school ends at 2:25pm.
• NHCO and the Nathan Hale Foundation will be hosting a meet-and-greet parent coffee in the AC from 9:00 to 11:00am. Please stop by to meet other parents!

Parent volunteers needed – Sign up to be a district approved volunteer. If you are already approved with a current background check at a different SPS school, but new to NH this school year, then you would need to add Nathan Hale as one of your schools so we can view your approved status. There are many school events throughout the school year and we are starting off with some needs right away! We will need Raider Day help with photo cards on Tuesday, 9/2 and Wednesday, 9/3 Start of School Packet collating. Specifics, and how to sign up, will be coming out next week!

May everyone have a great weekend. We look forward to seeing students and families at Raider Day.

In Partnership,

Ms. Jolene Grimes
Proud Principal