Each year we have about 50 new students start at our school in grades 1-5 and over 100 kindergarten students. Each new student in grades 1-5 is given a button to wear the first week of school that helps remind returning students and staff to introduce themselves and make them feel welcome. The counselors and pupil services staff host several "Welcome New Nottingham Knights" the first week of school. Depending on the numbers at each grade level we typically do 3 sessions: grade 1; grades 2&3; and grades 4&5. At the Welcome Reception all students get their picture taken for the bulletin board in the lobby, receive a New Student Survival bag, get a Passport, and play school trivia. We have gotten very positive feedback about our new student activities so we will repeat them again this fall. The Passport has pictures of staff in the building that work with the whole school. In the picture above I am helping some new first graders complete a page of the Passport so they know what is expected. This activity helps new students get to know something about staff and for the staff to get to meet the new students. Our office and clinic staff always appreciate the Passpost activity. It usually takes about 2 weeks for newcomers to complete the passport. The classroom teachers assign new students lunch and recess buddies as long as needed and their buddy walks around with them while they complete the passports. When they are completed the Passport are shown to the counselors and the new students select from the prize box. The counselors invite the new students by grade level for a follow-up lunch later in September. Since we typically have over 15 new first graders we host the boys and girls separately for the follow-up lunch.
Here is last years New Student bulletin board (it includes new staff as well as students):
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