What’s your welcome? Tell us how you support newcomer students.
Are you a school staff member who has used the latest newcomer student mental health resources? We’d love to hear how these resources have made an impact in your school community!
School Mental Health Ontario is gathering real examples of how the following newcomer student mental health resources are being used across the province, and we’d love to highlight your work:
- Welcome Cards to Support Newcomer Students
- A Heartfelt Video Message to Newcomer Students, from Newcomer Students
- Strategies for Newcomer Youth – Social Media Shareables
We are inviting school staff from Ontario school boards to share stories, photos and reflections on how these resources are supporting newcomer students in classrooms and school communities. Selected submissions may be featured on our social media channels and in blog posts on our website.
How to participate
To contribute:
- Review the prompts and guidelines below.
- Click the submission link.
- Complete the form and submit your response.
You may respond to more than one prompt.
Submission deadline: June 30, 2026
Guidelines for submission
Before you begin, please keep the following in mind:
- Consider how your submission can encourage other school staff to use these resources.
- Do not include personal or identifying details of students.
- Write in first person, for example, using “I” or “we.”
- We welcome images that show classroom setups, bulletin boards, resource displays, staff using materials and/or activities or learning environments. Please ensure that no students’ faces or other personally identifiable information or visuals are visible.
All submissions will be reviewed by the School Mental Health Ontario team prior to posting. Submissions that do not meet these guidelines will not be accepted and contributors will be notified.
If your submission is selected for sharing, you will be contacted in advance of posting.
Prompts
- How are School Mental Health Ontario’s newcomer student resources being used in your school/board?
- How have these resources supported newcomer students in your school(s)?
- What inspired you to integrate these resources into your school community?
Timelines
Submissions will be accepted until May 29, 2026.
After this date, submissions will be reviewed, which may take some time. Contributors will be contacted in June to share whether their submission has been selected.
We aim to publish these stories in fall 2026.
Thank you for contributing to this initiative and for your ongoing commitment to creating welcoming, supportive school environments for newcomer students across Ontario.
We are excited to read your submissions and amplify your work and experiences. If you have any questions, please email Huda Adnan, Newcomer Student Engagement Consultant, at hadnan@smho-smso.ca.