Friday, September 27, 2024

Dear Ballard Families, 

As we wrap up another great week here at Ballard HS, our students and staff are looking forward to Homecoming Week, which is a time focused on community building and celebration. 

Our ASB student leaders have put a tremendous amount of care and planning into next week’s events, which focus on the theme of “there is no place like home.” Within the week, we have dress-up days M-F, class hallway decorating, a homecoming volleyball game, an all-school pep assembly, a homecoming football game with a special marching band halftime performance, and a homecoming dance. 

Of special note is our Club Connections event on Wednesday, October 2. If your student is looking for ways to get involved, this is a great opportunity to meeting different students and interest groups as current clubs set up info tables to recruit new and interested members. 

For more information on Homecoming Week, please refer our Homecoming Week Events News webpage.

Thank you for your support. Go Ballard!
Abby Hunt (she/her)
Principal

Friday, September 20, 2024

Dear Ballard Families,

Thank you for another great week! We are finding our stride in the new schoolyear and loving the September sunshine while we have it. 

Start of School Forms Due Sept. 30

A friendly reminder that Start of School Forms are due September 30. These forms, in addition to helpful informational resources for the start of the year, can be found on the Ballard High School website or as hard copies in the main office. Many of these forms are available in multiple languages. Please make sure to complete the required forms so your student’s information is up to date. 

Grade 11 PSAT & Grade 12 SAT School Day Testing October

Also, I want to be sure that parents and guardians of 11th and 12th grade students are aware of important details for this year’s PSAT and SAT. Both tests are being administered digitally this year, so I highly encourage you to take a moment to review the information on our website about each test. 

• Grade 11: PSAT Information
• Grade 12: SAT Information

If you have questions, please reach out to Katie Huguenin, kwhuguenin@seattleschools.org

And as a final note for today’s Friday Message, I am hopeful that we can have your support and participation with some very important work being led by our counseling team around suicide prevention. In short, we are asking for you to opt-in and provide your consent for your student(s) to participate in an important survey that informs our work over the next three years. If you would like for your student to participate in the survey, please fill out this consent form by October 11, 2024. You may provide your consent using this form: Ballard JED Consent Link

For additional information related to this work, please read below: 

Seattle Public Schools has partnered with Forefront Suicide Prevention and The JED Foundation to enhance our efforts to support the mental health and well-being of our students. 

As part of this effort, six district high schools are participating in JED High School Program delivered by Forefront, a 3-year program that provides high schools and districts with expert support, evidence-based best practices, and data-driven guidance to protect student mental health and prevent suicide.

Students and staff at our school are being surveyed to inform Ballard High School’s strategic planning process and subsequent actions. We believe that this survey can provide all students with a voice. Student input is critical to improving student well-being, academic success, and social connectedness; we hope that families will choose to opt their students in to this assessment.

If you would like for your student to participate in the survey, please fill out this consent form by October 11, 2024. You may provide your consent using this form: Ballard JED Consent Link

Student responses will be kept confidential and secure, and will not be connected with their name, email, or any other information that identifies them. If you allow your student to participate, your student may choose to skip questions or stop participating at any time. The survey typically takes around 30-45 minutes to complete.  

For study-related questions, please email the principal investigator Dr. Michelle  Mullen at HSStudentSurvey@jedfoundation.org. Feel free to reach out to counselor Sonja Petersen slpetersen@seattleschools.org or assistant principal James Leutzinger jmleutzinger@seattleschools.org for more information.

Thank you for your support. Go Ballard!

Abby Hunt (she/her)
Principal

Friday, September 13, 2024

Dear Ballard Families,

It was wonderful to have a full five-day week to settle into our routines. Students now have their laptops, they have had their pictures taken, and learning is taking place throughout the building. Our admin team has been actively visiting classrooms and observing the many ways that educators are thoughtfully working to build relationships and community.

Curriculum Night Oct. 10

As your student looks to access course materials from home, please know that all our teachers have committed to using Schoology as a common learning management system. Our intent behind this is to support students’ ability to stay connected to their coursework while increasing accessibility with a commonly used resource. We look forward to sharing more information with you about your student’s coursework at our upcoming Curriculum Night on Thursday, October 10.

And in a heartfelt pivot, I regret to inform you that Robyn Maddess, a beloved member of our community, has passed away following a battle with cancer. Ms. Robyn was a special educator at Ballard HS for the past 14 years. She started as an instructional assistant before becoming a teacher in the focus program. She also served for many years as a special education department chair. She truly loved her students and colleagues and served as an inspiration to all. She is deeply missed. We have reached out to students and families who worked closely with Ms. Robyn and shared that supports are available from our social worker and school counseling team. If you find that your student is impacted by this loss, please reach out to your student’s counselor.  

In addition to what’s been shared above, please remember that we maintain a robust website which is a great hub of information for all things Ballard, so please be sure to take a moment and check it out for additional information.

Thank you for your support. Go Ballard!

Abby Hunt (she/her)
Principal

September 6, 2024

Dear Ballard Families,

Welcome to the new school year! It was so wonderful to see students return and to be able to meet the class of 2028. Our student LINK Crew leaders, family volunteers, and educators all did an amazing job supporting a positive and welcoming environment for our school community.  Thank you to everyone for contributing to a successful first few days.

While I typically try to keep my Friday Messages as touchpoints that focus on timely highlights in our school community, this week’s message will cover some key information related to laptops, cell phones, and campus safety. Additionally, below I provide some context for today’s shelter in place.

Laptops

Laptops: This year all SPS students are required to use an SPS laptop. We distributed these to students yesterday and today. If your student needs support with their laptop or missed laptop distribution, they can go to the Technology Room located at N110. Throughout the year, the hours for Tech Support are:

• Mondays and Fridays: 8:00 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Wednesdays: 8:00 a.m. – 8:50 a.m., 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., and 2:25 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Cell Phones

Cell Phones: Last spring our school community engaged in conversations around how to address the distraction of cell phones in the classroom. Our team of educators including curricular department chairs voted on a school-wide agreement to the following practices. This year, we are adopting new handbook language, which states that cell phones and accessories lead to disruption and shall not be used during instructional time. They must be turned off and put away during instructional time, unless approved by the teacher. This policy also applies to hallways during instructional time.

With our cell phone policy, we are committed to teaching students how to use (or not use) their devices responsibly. With this, we are using a tiered approach. The standard expectation is that phones are off and put in a designated location in the classroom. Additionally, each classroom has a poster that utilizes a color-coded system that indicates if and when phones might be allowed as a learning tool.

If students are not cooperating with these expectations, then teachers will be contacting home to engage you as the parent or guardian in a collaborative conversation to help support our efforts. If these interventions remain unsuccessful then school administration will be calling for a family meeting.

Thank you for your partnership in supporting students with their well-being.

Campus Safety Improvements

Campus Safety Improvements: I am happy to share that we now have badge readers, doorbells, intercoms, and cameras at our two main entry points (south entry off of 65th and north entry off of 67th). This means that if you arrive during the school day the doors will be locked, and you will need to ring the doorbell to then be admitted. Additionally, all staff in the building are now required to wear photo ID badges. Safety is our top priority, and I will update as additional improvements to our campus are made.

Afternoon Shelter in Place

This Afternoon Shelter in Place: On the topic of campus safety, please know that this afternoon we went into a shelter in place. This was called to ensure that we had clear hallways as we supported a student who was experiencing a situation that warranted medical attention. Please understand that there was no threat to our school community during this time. We made the decision to call the shelter in place to maintain student privacy and allow care to be provided to the student without disruption. Please know that during a shelter in place classroom instruction continues while windows and doors are closed and covered.

In addition to what’s been shared above, please remember that we maintain a robust website which is a great hub of information for all things Ballard, so please be sure to take a moment and check it out for additional information.

Thank you for a great start to the year. Go Ballard!

Abby Hunt (she/her)
Principal

Dear Ballard HS families,

Today, our school and community mourn the loss of one of our students, Ingrid Phariss. With permission from Ingrid’s family, we share this tragic news. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.

Ingrid experienced a health concern while attending a cheer team gathering and was taken to the hospital for medical attention. Tragically, she passed away due to a heart arrhythmia event, which was a previously undiagnosed health condition.

Ingrid will be deeply missed here at Ballard. She was especially active with the Ballard Cheer Team and was a student leader with LINK Crew. In both of these spaces and beyond she always brought a positive energy and lifted those around her.  I am confident our school community will come together to support one another during this difficult time. Our school social worker and administrative team are offering grief counseling for Ingrid’s teammates on the Ballard cheer team and we will ensure that additional supports are also in place as students return to school in September.

Students may respond to the news in different ways. When someone dies, especially a peer, it is normal for young people to have different reactions. We understand each culture has its own way of acknowledging and responding to death, and we encourage students to talk with their families about their ideas, thoughts, and beliefs. 

Here are some resources to help navigate challenging conversations and community support resources.

• When Grief/Loss Hits Close to Home: Tips for Caregivers 
• Mental Health Services department webpage
• The Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families

Although school is not currently in session, there are many community resources and supportive networks available to help our students, staff, and community. Our coordinated school health team has compiled a list of contacts available on the SPS Mental Health Services webpage.

Washington Teen Link offers young people peers to listen and discuss concerns. Calls and chats are confidential. (866-833-6546). Crisis Connections (866-427-4747) offers 24-hour support to all members of our community. And the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988) provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis support.

In times like this, I am reminded how fortunate we are to be a part of this supportive and caring community. Our Ballard community is here for each other.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or any member of the Ballard admin team.

Sincerely,
Principal Abby Hunt
Ballard High School
206-252-1000
abhunt@seattleschools.org