Welcome-to-School Guides

For every student, the first day of school is emotional, a unique mix of sadness about a vacation just ended and anticipation for new classes about to begin.  But for those students entering elementary, junior high, or high school, the first day is particularly intense.  Everything, from the classes and faculty to the rules and building layout, is new to them.

Kindergarten students face a particularly big challenge:  For them, even the basic idea of school is novel.  One group of 4th and 5th graders recognized the need to better acquaint incoming kindergarten students with their school.  They decided to create a book, which the new students could keep and refer to throughout the year, with the help of their families.

Working in groups, the 4th and 5th graders decided on format and assigned responsibilities.  Some worked with the administration to compile useful facts, such as job descriptions of key personnel; others wrote personal anecdotes about school life.  Other students added academic-based activities, laid out the books using computers, and decorated individual copies by hand.

By reaching out to new students, older students helped foster a friendly school environment and demonstrated their important role in the community.

Adapted from "Route to Reform: K-8 service-learning Curriculum Ideas," © 1994-95 National Youth Leadership Council.