The Welcome Handbook
Whether you are an educator, parent, or student, we've got what you're looking for. This Welcome Handbook is designed for new immigrant students as they adjust to a new school system in the US.
About the Handbook
When newly arrived students enter a U.S. school, most onboarding materials go to parents — and focus on legal requirements and enrollment procedures. Students themselves receive little to no guidance on navigating the cultural, social, and emotional realities of a new school environment.
This handbook was created to fill that gap.
Written in student-friendly language by someone who lived this transition, it covers what students actually need to know: how to navigate cultural norms, build friendships, advocate for themselves academically, and take care of their mental health.
Developed in collaboration with Professor Colleen O'Neal at the University of Maryland's College of Education, HCPSS Student Access and Achievement staff, a Howard County Board of Education member, and new immigrant students themselves — it is formally implemented in Howard County Public Schools and actively rolling out district-wide in Prince George's County Public Schools, together reaching 34,000+ ELL students across Maryland.
Impact
✓ Formally Implemented — Howard County Public Schools (4,000+ ELL students)
✓ Actively Implementing — Prince George's County Public Schools (30,000+ ELL students) by June 2026
✓ Shared as a Resource — 12 school districts and organizations across 6 states: MD, PA, OH, VA, NJ, IL
And still expanding.
As of May 2026, this list is incomplete.
Min Woo Supervisor, Multilingual Family Services at Howard County Public Schools
"This has been an awesome contribution for my registration office. We share [the Welcome Handbook] for newly arrived secondary students and with our new registrants."
How Districts Use This Resource
Tulip's Promise works with each district partner to find the approach that fits their context.
There is no one-size-fits-all model — we handle all customization and formatting, so there is no additional work required from your team.
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Formal Implementation — The Welcome Handbook is adopted district-wide and distributed to every newly arrived ELL student upon registration.
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Office Resource — A physical or digital copy is kept on hand in the school or district office and shared with newly arrived students and families as they come in.
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Digital Distribution — The handbook link is shared via school or district website or new student onboarding materials.
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Newsletter or Email Announcement — The handbook is shared with families or students once via school newsletter or email blast.
Whatever works best for your team — we're flexible. Reach out to explore what fits.
Where It Started
Through talking with new immigrant students and researching local policies, we discovered two main gaps when new immigrant students transitioned to school: first, most transitioning-to-school information were given to parents and not passed to students and second, the information given to families was only related to legal requirements and the high school to college transition.
The Problem
But legal requirements and the high school to college transition are not the only barriers a student faces when transitioning to a new school system in the US: the cultural, social, and academic norms that a student needs to navigate can be very difficult, and without any support to face these challenges, studies find that student's academic, social, and emotional health can decline drastically, making it difficult for a student to thrive in school.
Our Part
That's where Tulip's Promise's Welcome Handbook steps in --- to bridge this gap by making an interactive, step-by-step guide which focuses on social emotional learning and cultural expression to assist new immigrant students as they navigate the transition to a school in the US.
Today
This handbook, mentored by Professor Colleen O'Neal at College of Education, University of Maryland, has been adopted by the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) in the state of Maryland and developed in collaboration with the HCPSS Student Access and Achievement department, a Board of Education member, middle and high school counselors, and — most importantly — new immigrant students themselves.
Preview
