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Please see also: our general information and course
descriptions page
What will new students
encounter when they come to Hale?
Hale has a reputation among students as a school where cliques are not the
norm and social groups are fluid and welcoming. Students often describe Hale
as a place where they can be themselves.
Why does Hale work for students?
We are a smaller school. Our enrollment of less than 1100 allows for more
students to be in a variety of leadership positions. Students are known well
by staff and see familiar faces throughout their day. The close-knit
community feeling at Hale is a direct result of our commitment to our core
values of decency and trust.
How do students make connections at Hale?
Hale is “freshman friendly” – We designed our 9th grade academies to create
community for incoming students as they transition to high school. Our
academy structure provides the most personalized education possible for our
students. 9th graders spend the first half of their day with their academy
teachers (health/science one quarter and language arts/social studies one quarter
of each semester) and their cohort of academy students. In these three
academies of 90 students, we are able to provide orientation to life at Hale
and to the increased demands and responsibilities of high school.
How do you reach each student in your classes?
Through collaboration and personalization. Collaboration by staff is
essential for the sharing of best instructional practices, development of
highly honed, relevant and differentiated curriculum and personalization of
education. Offering consistent, rigorous curriculum to all of our students
opens the door for higher achievement for each of our students.
What do you attribute Hale’s success in raising WASL scores
and increasing student engagement to?
Staff is strong, visionary and committed to the Coalition of Essential
Schools principles. For the past ten years, hiring at Hale has been
intentionally focused on building a highly skilled and reform minded staff.
Peer review of our professional work in monthly Critical Friends Groups
results in
assignments that are rigorous, relevant and authentic.
What are classroom sizes?
Currently, 9th grade language arts, social studies, health and science
classes are approximately 23- 24 students.
Will my student be challenged at Hale?
Seven years ago, we redesigned the high school experience for students at
Hale because we firmly believed that there had to be more for students than
what they were getting in our traditional model. We increased our
expectations of our students, increased our graduation requirements and
created a school environment where developing our students critical thinking
skills became an essential part of our common vision. Teaching students to
use their minds well is another of our core CES principles.
Is there yellow bus transportation to Hale?
No. Students who live beyond the “walk zone” receive a metro bus pass each
month.
What time does school start?
We begin school at 8:30 am. This is part of our effort to make school more
humane for students.
How many P.E. classes are students required to take for graduation?
Three (Seattle School District requirement). Up to two of the classes can be
waived by participation in Nathan Hale
Where can I find more information about Hale?
Please visit our web site: hale.seattleschools.org
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