Message to Families

Beloved Families,

I hope you had a great month of September and are excited to start October! A few highlights to our month of September is in our launch to the school year. Focusing on joy, inclusion, and respect for community had such a strong impact on our first month of the school year. Students carried a vibration of excitement and warmth during the month, and our teachers created culturally responsive, inclusive learning experiences throughout the community, which had a powerful launch to our school year.

Specific to our school year launch, we focused our school year with our Continuous School Improvement Plan and mission and vision. Please see the link to our C-SIP to identify how we plan to lift this work this year.

A few highlights from this past month for our school culture is that we welcomed our freshman students and families to our community, we started our Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, and we honored and celebrated our students for Homecoming Week. See below for the areas we are celebrating and focusing on for October.

National Day of Truth & Reconciliation

Saturday, September 30th is the 2nd National Day of Truth & Reconciliation in Canada. I encourage you to learn more and share the truth about Residential Schools in Canada and Indian Boarding Schools in the United States. Over 6,000 bodies of native children had been found buried at residential schools (in Canada). That number has increased by 1,900. The discoveries are also rising in the United States. The color orange is worn for the children who never made it home and to honor those who survived. Many of our native students and staff recognize this special day so please take time to honor National Day of Truth & Reconciliation.

National Disability Awareness Month

This Sunday, October 1st, we begin National Disability Awareness Month, which celebrates the contributions of those with disabilities past and present and focuses on supporting inclusive policies and practices that advance access and equity. Did you know that close to 20% of our Nathan Hale students receive special education services, and have Individualized Education Plans? We have additional students that have 504 designations as well. Both IEPs and 504 plans identify the specific learning needs and conditions for a student to be successful in school and beyond the classroom.

To strengthen our instructional rigor, culturally responsive teaching, and inclusionary practices, Nathan Hale High School and Seattle Public Schools has partnered with Novak Education who focuses on Universal Design for Learning and Equity. In our UDL partnership, we are a pilot school focusing also on Co-Teaching at Nathan Hale, where two teachers work and plan instruction, teaching strategies, and learning outcomes for delivery in the classroom. This is a growth process, but one that is already having positive impacts for students and teachers in our learning community! More information to come this year with our focus on our inclusionary practices. For specifics, please review our continuous school improvement plan (C-SIP) that has launched this year, where we have an intentional approach to addressing racial equity and inclusion with Advanced Learning for all through College In The High School, and Honors for all in our Freshman Literature, Social Studies, and Science courses.

Curriculum Night, Thursday, 10/5

Curriculum Night is a chance for you to walk through your student’s schedule, meet teachers and hear about the exciting topics and skills students will learn throughout the year. Classroom visits begin at 7:00pm (zero period at 6:45pm). Next week before Curriculum Night your student(s) should bring home the schedule for the evening along with our building floor plan. The evening should end at 8:40pm after a visit in your student’s Mentorship class.

If you are a parent of a senior student then we have a special pre-function event for you in the Performing Arts Center at 6:00pm – what to expect going in to senior year. Junior parents are welcome to attend. Also starting at 6:00pm in our Activity Center will be information tables with our counselors, nurse and Teen Health Clinic staff, Seattle Promise (opportunity for two years of free schooling at Seattle Colleges), College Possible, Nathan Hale Community Organization, Nathan Hale Foundation and the Meadowbrook Teen Center.

Parents of the Class of 2024 will be selling pizza slices from 6:00 to 7:00pm as a fund raiser for SPREE (an after-graduation ceremony event for seniors in June) so stop by the Commons to pick up a quick bite before visiting classes!

Homecoming Week Festivities!

The Senior class won the competition for Spirit Points this week, with the Sophomore class coming in second! The football game will be tonight at 6:00pm and the Homecoming Dance is also tonight from 8:30 to 11:00pm in the Commons. Nathan Hale students may purchase tickets for the dance at the door for $15.

Free and Reduced Lunch Program

All eligible families are encouraged to apply for the Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) program. A new form MUST be submitted every year even if approved last year. If you qualify, there are benefits in addition to the school lunch program. See list below.

Please note, if your student is planning on taking an AP exam and qualifies for FRL, there is a very substantial discount.

• Event Fees
• Field Trips
• Advanced Placement Tests
• Running Start Books
• Associated Student Body (ASB) Fees
• Pre-College Exams (PSAT/SAT/ACT)
• College Application Fees
• Yearbook Fees

Online Free and Reduced Meal Program application.

Attendance Tip for Leaving Early

When calling your student out early from school for an appointment, please notify the Attendance Office as early as possible in the morning to ensure your student gets a pass to leave their class early. If you pre-arrange with your student where you will meet them outside, you would not need to leave your car! Please call the Attendance Office at 206-252-3684 and leave a message or email halehs.attendance@seattleschools.org. Read more about Nathan Hale Attendance policies.

Academic Support Time

Rigor is rising and students needing academic support can find it! In the second half of Mentorship, students needing to retake quizzes or tests, or needing extra academic help will be able to use support time to do so. Students should get a support pass from their teacher they will be visiting and can use the time for academic planning and support.

Washington State Healthy Youth Survey 2023

Our school is participating in the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey during fall 2023. The survey will be given to students in Grades 10 and 12. The Healthy Youth Survey includes questions related to physical activity and diet, unintentional and intentional injury, substance use, sexual behaviors, abuse, risk and protective factors, and access to school-based services. Survey results are used by schools, communities, and state agencies to plan programs to support our youth and reduce their risks.  Participation in the survey is voluntary and the students’ answers are anonymous. There are no codes or information used to match a survey to a student. Please read the Parent and Student Notification Letter (links below) for more information about the Healthy Youth Survey.

• Amharic Healthy Youth Survey information
• Chinese Healthy Youth Survey information
• English Healthy Youth Survey Information
• Somali Healthy Youth Survey information 
• Spanish Healthy Youth Survey information
• Vietnamese Healthy Youth Survey information

Flu & COVID Vaccine Clinics

Clinics will be offered here at Nathan Hale on Saturday, 10/7, Sunday, 10/22 and Sunday, 11/5. Go to the district vaccine clinic webpage for times, to schedule an appointment, and see other locations where clinics will be offered.

What beautiful weather we’re having Have a great weekend!

Much love,

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