• Get involved in school and after-school activities. Ask your parents to enroll you in group activities that interest you.
• If you’re feeling isolated or having problems, talk to your family or a guidance counselor.
• If you’re an old-timer, make it a point to involve the new kid in classroom and playground activities.

For Teachers:

• Call parents of new students
  before school starts. Invite them and the child to come visit.
• In the classroom, find out where the new student is from, and build a conversation - even a lesson -around it. Who else has visited that city? What’s it like there?
• See that the new student isn’t alone. Assign a partner to accompany the student and introduce him around.

For Parents:

• If you are moving into a home previously occupied by a family with children, ask if they would leave the names, ages and addresses of nearby kids or list the favorite neighborhood play areas.
• Arrange a tour of your child’s school. Besides the classroom areas, be sure to locate the library, cafeteria, gymnasium, playground, bathrooms and bus stop.
• Hook up with local groups your family may have been involved with in your former community - churches, scouts, sports, or social, ethnic and cultural organizations.
• Look into family and kids-only activities through the local museum, zoo, library, school or recreation center.
• Be aware of signs that your child is having trouble adjusting to school, and be willing to call a school counselor to arrange for help.

Source: The Gazette Telegraph
Lifestyle - August 27, 1998