The Halifax Regional School Board has hired six more teachers to help students who came to Nova Scotia as refugees. The newly hired teachers will be part of a team of 26 to help the students learn English and succeed in their new schools.

The board said language is one of the students' most immediate needs.

"The reality is newcomer refugee population is very resilient, because they are now understanding they are in a safe environment," said Sonja Grcic-Stuart, a consultant for English-as-an-additional-language programming.

"They are looking for that routine and normalcy first," she said. "And language is a part of that piece of allowing it to happen."

'Just good things'

Parents are looking forward to a peaceful year for their children in their new schools.

Nawal Al Saqr, a mother of nine, will send six of her older children to Canadian schools for the first time this fall. Her youngest child is going into Grade 3 and the eldest will attend high school in Halifax.

"This year, I am looking forward to my kids' future," Al Saqr said.

"My biggest hope is that they'll settle down and learn the language, just good things ... I don't want them to look back at the past."

Dozens of students enrolled

Other school boards across the province are also preparing to help former refugee and immigrant students.

The Chignecto-Central Regional School Board currently has 22 Syrian newcomers registered.

The teachers have attended workshops and information sessions on welcoming newcomers, as well as how to support students who have experienced trauma.

The Strait Regional School Board has 18 Syrian students. Their welcoming team has developed an information kit on cultural transition, social-emotional adaptation and dealing with trauma.

School boards are expecting more newcomer students to register through the year.