Raider Day – Tuesday, 9/2

We will kick off our school year with Raider Day on Tuesday, September 2nd. See schedule below for student arrival times. It is determined by your student’s grade and last name.

The first day of school is Wednesday, September 3, 2025. School starts daily at 8:50 a.m. Dismissal time for the first day of school is 3:40 p.m.

Raider Day Arrival Time

All students should enter at the Main Entry on 30th NE after taking their ID/Yearbook photo. All other entries will be closed.

9:00AM-10:30AM – Ninth Graders
9:00-9:30         Last names beginning with A-B, H-J, and P-Sal
9:30-10:00       Last names beginning with C-D, K-Mc, and Sam-T
10:00-10:30     Last names beginning with E-G, Md-O, and U-Z

Ninth graders should allot about an hour and a half to complete all Raider Day activities.

10:30AM-12:00PM – Tenth Graders
10:30-11:00     Last names beginning with A-B, H-J, and P-Sal
11:00-11:30     Last names beginning with C-D, K-Mc, and Sam-T
11:30-12:00     Last names beginning with E-G, Md-O, and U-Z

12:00PM-1:30PM – Eleventh Graders
12:00-12:30     Last names beginning with A-B, H-J, and P-Sal
12:30-1:00       Last names beginning with C-D, K-Mc, and Sam-T
1:00-1:30         Last names beginning with E-G, Md-O, and U-Z

1:30PM-3:00PM – Twelfth Graders
1:30-2:00         Last names beginning with A-B, H-J, and P-Sal
2:00-2:30         Last names beginning with C-D, K-Mc, and Sam-T
2:30-3:00         Last names beginning with E-G, Md-O, and U-Z

Raider Day Details

Take student photo FIRST before entering the building. ID card will be issued to student after photo is taken. Student ID card is needed to enter the building.

Read all other tasks that could be completed on Raider Day.

Do First! Take photo at Main Entry – 30th Ave NE

• Take School photo for yearbook & ID/Activity Card picture – (appropriate dress requested) outside the Performing Arts Center. Do this FIRST before entering the building. These photos will go in the school yearbook. School portraits are available for pre-order through the Yuen Lui online ordering website. Read more about Yuen Lui portrait ordering by going to the School Photo page on our website. ID cards will be given to students immediately upon being taken and will need to be shown to enter the building. Students who purchased an activity card should bring their ID card to the office the week of 9/8 to receive their activity card sticker.
  There is only one other photo day scheduled for yearbook photos (Thursday, October 23rd). Despite reminders sent to students, many end up missing this date so all students are strongly encouraged to take their photo on Raider Day.
• Students’ faces (including eyes) must be visible in the photo. Students will be asked to briefly remove mask, dark glasses, hat, etc. If hair covers eyes, we will ask student to adjust it such that eyes are visible.
• Students do not get a separate activity card. The ASB sticker placed on student ID card is what students show to confirm ASB purchase. If student purchases an activity card (also known as ASB card) but does not take a photo for student ID, they will need to carry around their receipt showing payment of ASB fee and be able to show photo ID indicating they are student for reduced price entry into games and purchase of tickets.

Office Hall – Fiscal window for ASB card & Yearbook

• Purchase Activity Card/ASB Sticker $75 (funds from these cards support all activities, clubs and sports at NHHS). This is also known as ASB fee (in FinalForms for those who participate in athletics). You may purchase it online though online through SchoolPay (accessed through the Source); look for 2025-26 NHHS ASB Activity Card. Though we refer to it as a card, it is actually a sticker that goes on the student ID card. Please ensure your student takes a photo on Raider Day so their sticker can be placed on their card.
• Purchase Yearbook. Families can purchase a yearbook/ASB card bundle for $125, which is a savings of $5 off the current price for a yearbook. This bundleprice is good through September 15th. The price for yearbook only is $55 through September 15th. Yearbook prices will increase throughout the year. If paying by check, please make check payable to Nathan Hale High School (NHHS). One check for $125 for both the Activity Card and the Yearbook is acceptable. If paying for the bundle online, it will not go live in SchoolPay until Monday, 8/25.
• Save yourself time waiting in line by making your payments online! Go to the parent school portal, The Source, and click the SchoolPay Link to pay all of your student’s fees or fines via credit/debit card from home or on your personal device. We will be able to accept payments via debit/credit cards at school.
• If you are new to Seattle Public Schools and did not attend an SPS school last year, you will not have access to the Source until the first day of school.

Activity Center – 9th grade locker assignment & ORCA Card

• 9th Graders will receive locker assignments in the Activity Center. All students are encouraged to take a photo of their combination on their phones. Find your locker and try the combination. 10th-12th Graders will pick up locker assignment from custodial window in the morning before classes begin the first several weeks of school.
• Student ORCA cards will be distributed by Metro staff. You may also order one online by going to the myORCA.com website for information on how to order a Youth ORCA card. These cards are free for youth. Metro has communicated that current student ID card will also allow students to ride for free.

Activity Center – Pick up final schedule

• Pick up final schedule of classes in the AC or, open your schedule on the Source. Schedules will be available on the Source on Tuesday, September 2nd. All students are encouraged to take a photo of their schedule on their phones.
• Walk through your schedule to find your classes
• If you are new to Seattle Public Schools and did not attend an SPS school last year, you will not have access to the Source until the first day of school.

Commons – Community Partners

• A number of community partners will be available in the Commons to connect with parents and students. Many of them will be resources who participated this past spring with our Mental Health Resource Day.

Gym Foyer – Purchase Raider Gear

• Purchase Raider Gear (spirit gear)– if paying by check, make payable to NHHS Sports Boosters. See the Raider Gear website for prices.

Library – Laptops

• Pick up your SSD laptop in the Library. All students have a laptop waiting for them in the library.
• Bring your fully charged laptop to school every day. Keep track of your charger. The school has limited extra chargers in the building and can’t loan out extra chargers for those who forget or lose them.

Benson Forum – Counselors

• Counselors will be in the Benson Forum if student schedule is blank, missing a core class, or has a hole in their schedule.
• No schedule/elective changes or Running Start schedules will be handled on Raider Day.
• There will be opportunity near the Counseling Office to either pick up a schedule change form or have name put on a list for students who want to request a schedule change.

Student Schedules

Please find student schedules on The Source on Tuesday, September 2nd or pick up your final schedule on Raider Day. If you are new to Seattle Schools and do not have a Source account, one will be accessible to you the first week of school. If you find an error or are missing a class, you may see your counselor in the Benson Forum on Raider Day. If your schedule is blank, please call the Counseling Office, 206-252-3694, to make an appointment with your counselor. To find your student’s counselor, please scroll to the Contact Us portion on our Counseling webpage.

Student class schedule related steps include:

• Pick up final printed Semester 1 class schedule in the Activity Center or view your schedule online on The Source.
• Review schedule – if you are missing a core class, have a blank schedule, or have a hole in your schedule, you can get in line to see your counselor in the Benson Forum OR see Ms. Cunningham in front of the Counseling Office to provide your contact information and requested change. Kindly note that classes are full, and we do NOT make changes for teacher preference.
• Students can meet with counselors regarding their schedules before and after school and during lunch the first week of school. Or requests may be emailed to your counselor. Schedule concerns or requests must be finalized by mid-September. (Please check back for a specific date as it hasn’t been confirmed as of this summer posting.)
• You MUST attend your classes as scheduled until you receive an updated schedule.
• Your counselor will email you a confirmation if your schedule change is approved and you should check the Source to review your new schedule.
• Students who have a blank schedule or are missing a core class, your counselors will be available from 9:00AM-3:30PM on Raider Day in the Benson Forum.

If your student will not be attending Nathan Hale HS this fall, please email our registrar, Maria Gutierrez at mjgutierrez@seattleschools.org.

Parent Coffee – 9:00-10:30am

The Nathan Hale Community Organization and Nathan Hale Foundation will be hosting a coffee for parents from 9:00am to 10:30am on Raider Day in the Activity Center which is right by the Commons. Look for signage in the main hallway. All are welcome to attend!

School Supplies

Students should be prepared with basic school supplies: pens, pencils, highlighters, and notebook paper or spiral bound notebook. Teachers will inform students of any specific school supplies needed in their classes. Students should bring their fully charged SPS-issued laptops to class daily.

Early Release Time

The district has a 75-minute early release time on Wednesday afternoons. School will be dismissed at 2:25PM on Wednesdays with the exception of the first day of school, Wednesday, September 3rd when dismissal will be at 3:40PM, and the last day of school, Wednesday, June 17th (when dismissal time will be 2:40PM). We will be observing a special schedule the first 3 days of school. Daily bell schedule will be distributed on Raider Day and can be found on bell schedule page of website.

Parking information on Raider Day and during the school year

Safe and secure bike racks are located on both sides (east and west) of the building. Student drivers are to park in our Student Parking lot located south of the building – NOT the Staff lot or the east lot by the football field. Violators could be subject to having car towed. If you plan to drop off your student, please do so on the east side of 30th Ave NE or the south side of NE 110th. Please do not park on the west side of 30th Ave NE or along the red curbs in the student parking lot. Handicapped parking is available in all parking areas for those with valid permits.

Hale Mail

Sign up for Hale Mail to receive the daily bulletin and other important school information. Sign up for Hale Mail. Be sure to include your name, email address and graduation year of student(s). If you are currently in a Hale Mail group for an older student and would like to add a younger student’s graduation year to get the Hale Mail specific to that year, go to the “Update Subscription Preferences” link that is at the bottom of a current Hale Mail to update your Hale Mail groups.

Help Needed – Collate Packets!

Parents – would you like to meet other Hale parents? Help collate the Start of School packet (forms and information sent home the first week of school) and meet other parents while doing it! We would really appreciate your help with this project! Please enter building from Main Entry doors and check-in at the Main Office. Parent volunteers will need to have completed volunteer application and have background check cleared by the district. Please go to the district volunteer page to complete this process.

Wednesday, 9/3
9:00am (until finished)
Library

Start of School Packets

These packets will go home within the first 3 days of school and include a lot of info for students/families. We are required to distribute some forms but not all need to be returned. Translations of most required forms are available-please contact the office nathanhale@seattleschools.org if you need translated forms. The forms that need to be returned will be stapled together and are noted on the neon green checklist included in every packet. The start of school packet will also be sent home electronically but we find return rate of forms is MUCH higher when paper forms are sent home.

Save the Date: Open House/Curriculum Night will be on Thursday, October 16th

Classroom visits will start at 7:00PM. Families of seniors are invited to the “Senior Year – September to June” meeting in the PAC at 6:15PM. (This time is subject to change so please check the school calendar webpage closer to mid-September to confirm time.) Families of juniors who would like to get a preview of senior year are more than welcome to join us.