Every year, new students arrive to each and every school–many, at the beginning of the school year; others, arriving at different, various points as the year progresses. With this reality in mind, I wanted to take a look at several things to consider when helping new students get acclimated and comfortable in their newest educational setting.

1. Carve Out Adequate Time to Meet With the New Student(s):

This may sound a bit naive, but when I was a brand-new counselor, I did not know how long it would take to help get a student fully set up on their first day (or days), and so I sometimes would under-estimate the time I should allot to meet with my new students(s) for the first time. That, of course, is not ideal, if I am being quite honest. The allotted time should often go beyond building a schedule for a student and sending them to their first class of the day. Now, I like to book at least an hour to meet with students–sometimes, an hour and a half. A bit of extra time on the front-end of helping to get a brand-new student set up can be a great buffer against learners, potentially, experiencing a more difficult adjustment to their new school setting (socially, emotionally, and/or academically).

2. Try to Also Meet With Student Family Member(s) If Possible:

Depending on health and safety protocols right now–if it is possible–I always find it quite beneficial to meet with at least one primary caregiver or family member at the same time when meeting with my new student(s) for the first time. For students, it can also be comforting to have a caregiver present with them, and it also allows me to get to learn a little bit more about the student’s family; where a student came from (previously school and living locations); their interests; personality; and other things about the student that caregivers think might be important for me to know. Plus, it can also help to build mutual trust, rapport, and understanding.

3. Be Meticulous With Transcripts and Ask Adequate Questions:

Another benefit of meeting with at least one caregiver, when also meeting with new students for the first time, is that it affords me the opportunity to gather more information and ask more questions. Sometimes, it’s helpful to have a caregiver help fill in some of gaps, or provider greater context, when I ask a new student about their previous school(s) or when I am interpreting their previous transcript(s). Having both the student and caregiver(s) present can help me to be more accurate and thorough with things like transcript interpretations and assessing levels of current comprehension and proficiency (especially valuable in math, reading, and writing-related course).

4. Facilitate a Building Tour and Help With Other Initial Set-Up Measures:

With all new students, I like to personally play host to tour-guide for them (and any adjoining caregivers). Sometimes, when I will meet with a student and/or caregiver, it will be right before the student’s first day; other times, it will be on the first day that a student starts. Either way, tours are important because it gives a visual frame of reference for our new students and families and it also allows them the chance to ask any important questions. I also like to use the tour to show a student where their classes are; which high-traffic staircases to possibly consider avoiding during passing time; have them meet several other staff members (if possible); and to help show a student where their locker is. Finally, before starting a tour, I like to give students a copy of their new schedule; a printout of their email and student information system usernames and passwords; a map of the school; and a handy list of graduation requirements.

5. Get Brand-New Students Plugged-in Right Away:

Good sense–and likely many studies–shows that students that are plugged-in to things like sports; music; clubs; volunteering efforts; special programming; or other extracurricular opportunities around schools have an easier time adjusting to their new learning environments; making impactful friendships; and demonstrating pro-social behaviors. When meeting with a new student, one of the first questions I like to ask if what their hobbies or interests are. Once I know that, the gears start turning in my head to see if there are opportunities to further those possible hobbies or interests at our school. More often than not, there are those opportunities–or something close enough–to pique a student’s curiosity, interest, and motivation to get involved and integrated into the student life at school. What is more, if an opportunity for a particular interest does not currently exist, some schools gives students the ability to start their own student-led club and to find other students who might share a similar interest.

6. Set Up New Student(s) With Lunch Buddies or Meeting New Students on Day #1:

It can be pretty intimidating being a new student and wondering how, and where, you will make friends and fit into the larger school community. That is why I like to have many of my new students meet other (helpful, high-character) students their age, right when they arrive to school. This means drawing upon some of the amazing students we have in Link Crew (your school may have this program or similar programming that helps new students adjust to their new building). These school leaders then come alongside the new student and sit by them during lunch, help them navigate their classes, and often prove to be a helpful resource for questions right away or later on. Don’t be afraid to pull in the assistance of helpful, encouraging, and kind students to help your newest students adjust to your school. Also, look to cast a wide-net: These helpful students do not have to be straight-A students; or popular students; or even have to be the types of outgoing, charismatic students that routinely get asked to do the same things over and over again (because of their eagerness, reliability, or trustworthiness). You can even look to see this as an opportunity to cultivate brand-new leadership talent in your building, to boot.

7. Learn New Student Names Right Away:

I have previously written about the power of learning student names (and using those names often in any form of communicating with the student). It is no different–but perhaps even more important–with new students. These newest members of our school community need to know that they are heard, seen, known, respected, and valued–from the very moment they arrive at our school. Taking the time–and practicing the effort–of learning new students’ names will go a long way in building trust and rapport with those students (and helping them get adjusted, settled-into, and positively-established into their new learning environment).

8. Follow-Up Meeting Later in the Week or Shortly Thereafter:

One of the things I started incorporating about a year or two ago with new students was to setup a pre-scheduled follow-up meeting with them to see if they had any new, additional questions (or needed help with anything); to see how their classes were going; and to see how they were adjusting, overall, to everything. What I like about these follow-up meetings is that I get to see how each new student’s adjustment might compare to the adjustments of past new students. After all, each new student has their own unique experience when joining a new school, and if a student is having a hard time adjusting (socially, emotionally, and/or academically), it’s good to know those things early on and in a proactive–instead of reactionary–manner.

9. Embracing Empathy:

Being a brand new student can often be an anxiety-producing; terrifying; or even just generally-overwhelming feeling and experience. For some students, it might be a welcome change to get a fresh start at a new school; for others, they likely had little to no say in the matter of changing schools. Because of this–and because we know that students, in general, can have a widely-varying range of experiences at their new schools–embracing empathy; patience; and understanding for our newly-arriving students can be incredibly valuable to our work with our school community’s newest members. Whether a student has moved schools often before, or may be moving schools for the very first time, understanding that this period of time is an adjustment (whether positive, negative, or somewhere in-between) for all students means that we are sensitive to the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of our newest learning community members. Being a supportive, encouraging ally can ensure that our newest learners have the best chance to make a positive, safe, and healthy adjustment to their new school–and, you, as a school counselor, teacher, administrator, or school support staff member, play a significant and powerful role that important objective.