Postcards to Welcome New Staff to Your Building
A low-prep onboarding activity that helps school leaders build connection from day one.
5 min
9 Ways to Welcome New Teachers and Staff to Your School
Pick the ideas that fit your team and your style.
Erin Bunton
A strong welcome matters to new teachers
Starting a new role means meeting new people, learning new routines, and taking in a lot of information. A thoughtful welcome can help new staff get connected, build relationships, and start the year on a positive note. Pick a few ideas that fit your team and go from there.
Why try it
The first few weeks can set the tone for the entire year. These simple ideas help new staff build relationships, learn the ropes, and feel supported as they get started.
What's included
Browse the printables included with this resource.
Instructions
1
Pick one or two variations to try
Scan the list below and choose what fits your team, your budget, and your style. You don't need to do them all.
2
Keep supporting them throughout the year
The welcome shouldn't end after orientation week. Return to this list and layer in a few more ideas as the year goes on.
Activity variations
Adapt to fit your school's vibe, budget, and setting.
Send a welcome before day one
Mail a personalized postcard a few weeks before school starts, then follow up with a phone call the week before to walk them through day one logistics and share upcoming events. Download the printable postcards to make it easy.
Host a welcome breakfast or lunch
Kick off the year with a welcome breakfast for new staff, administrators, and mentors. Or attend their training days and surprise them with lunch. Either way, you're giving people a reason to connect.
Give them a welcome kit
Combine a swag bag (school shirt, lanyard, branded items) with classroom essentials (pencils, dry-erase markers, stickers, snacks) and a few practical survival items (mints, hair ties, pain relievers).
Set them up in their classroom
Offer to help new teachers get their room ready before the school year starts. Invite their mentor or team to join for an hour. While you're at it, hand them a binder with the key info they'll actually need: the school calendar, attendance procedures, grading guidelines, district acronyms, and contacts for support.
Introduce them to the community
Formally introduce new teachers at the first staff meeting (give them a heads-up first). Then invite them to write a short bio for the school newsletter and share it on social media so families can start to know them before conferences roll around.
Host a new teacher shower
Ask current staff to bring their favorite classroom supplies as gifts, and have leadership provide snacks. It's a low-key way to stock new teachers' classrooms and let everyone mingle before the year gets busy.
Give time back
Cover their recess or lunch duty once a month so they can catch up on planning. Use our Take Ten resource for a ready-to-go way to give them a break.
Schedule monthly check-ins
Put a 15-minute check-in on the calendar each month and keep it about them: what's going well, what's hard, and what they need from you. Ask the same few questions each time so you can spot patterns and catch the October dip early. Follow through on at least one thing they share, so the next conversation feels worth their time.
Celebrate their wins
Write a note when you catch them doing something well, big or small. Download the Alpaca Celebration Notes for ready-to-use templates. And if you want to build a tradition, take a page from Principal Brook Wessel-Burke of Action Elementary in Indiana: after their first full week, new teachers walk the hallway while the whole staff showers them in silly string. "We always try to find fun ways to recognize each other throughout the year," she says. "This is a great start."
Go deeper
Additional tips for running this resource.
Leader Tip #1
Personalize when you can
A handwritten postcard with their name on it means more than a printed form letter. It takes three extra minutes.
Leader Tip #2
Involve the team
Ask veteran staff to step in where they can. Belonging comes from the whole school, not just the principal. Try Together We Thrive: Team-Building For New and Veteran Staff.
Built by Educators, for School Leaders
This resource was created in collaboration with passionate educators and school leaders who believe in the power of intentional connection.
Erin Bunton
Special Education Teacher
Alpaca Pulse Check-In
Turn insights into action
With just three simple questions, Alpaca's Pulse Check-In helps school leaders listen to their teams and act where support is needed most.
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