Welcoming New Students

Our district has a large transient population. We have new families coming into our school district daily. As a school counselor at my school, I have the opportunity to greet new students and welcome them to our school and district. Sometimes students come to our school from another school within the district, but other times the family is relocating and they are unfamiliar with our district. Taking the time to meet with new students and families helps them to feel connected and lets them know that the school counselor is someone they can talk to about questions and concerns.

This year I want to be more proactive about making new students feel welcome. I am planning to provide new students with a “welcome packet” including basic materials such as a pencil, notebook, and a school planner.  Some students come to their first day of school without any school supplies and some students do not even have a backpack. (I get family members to collect backpacks, tote bags, and drawstring bags to give to students without backpacks). I believe a “welcome packet” would assist new students in being prepared for school and make them excited about their new school.

I designed welcome postcards on Vistaprint to include in the "welcome packets."  On the back of the welcome postcard, I explain my role as a school counselor and give my contact information.  I am hoping to get someone at school to translate the welcome postcard into Spanish so I have welcome postcards for families who speak Spanish.
 
To order FREE Vistaprint postcards like the ones I made, click on the link. The postcards are the fourth item down on the left side. Vistaprint runs specials all the time so keep checking back for great offers.

Click here to more creations I made using Vistaprint.

Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at School Counselor Blog, a place where school counselors share innovative ideas, creative lesson plans, and quality resources.  Contact Danielle via email, follow her on twitter, and become a fan of the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page.

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