Before they start school, newcomer students find support at TVDSB's One World welcome centre

Syrian-born Seefin Hoshonk has dreams of becoming a doctor one day, but the next step for the 19-year-old is starting high school in her new country.

After arriving in Canada with her family in July, she's one of more than 560 students One World, the Thames Valley District School Board's welcome centre for international students, has welcomed since June. 

"I am ready," she said.

Feelings of excitement brew as she thinks about studying biology and science in Grade 12 at Westminster Secondary School – another step on the path to becoming a doctor.

At One World, Hoshonk is assessed in math and English before starting high school. The centre, located in northeast London inside Louise Arbour French Immersion elementary school, is a hub for registration and assessment as elementary and high school students begin their journey in Canada. 

Getting children enrolled in school is a "top priority" for a lot of new families at the beginning of their journey in Canada, said Sarah Leeming, international education lead at the board. 

The transition can come with anxiety and nervousness, Leeming said, but the welcoming and friendly environment helps ease the process.

"I definitely have the best job at the school board," she said. "I get to welcome all of our newcomers at the very beginning of their journey and see those nerves and the excitement and then follow the children as they go into their schools, make friends and become really part of the community." 

The centre has welcomed a surge of more than 120 Ukrainian students so far this year as more arrive in the region. 

Setting the tone for journey in London

English assessor Gigi Kadhim sees her work as helping to make connections and "set the tone" for students' journey in London. 

Meeting students from countries like Mexico, Ukraine and Vietnam has broadened her perspective and given her a "new way of looking at things," she said.  

She's found London to be a "good place to start for newcomers" because of the growing resources, she said. 

"I think London is a very welcoming community. It's absolutely progressed over the years as it has become more multicultural."

Students enrolled from 104 countries

The diverse makeup of students enrolled are from 104 countries, with the top five as South Korea, the United States, Brazil, China and the Philippines. In 2015 and 2016, the school board saw a rise in Syrian newcomers.

September is back to being busy after two slow years in the pandemic due to border closures and visa offices abroad being closed, Leeming said. This month, One World has already registered 180 students.

The centre launched in 2019 to ease the process of entering the school system for newcomer families, and has enrolled 4,132 students since then. 

'Broaden the tapestry of experiences'

As a son of an Italian immigrant, Micheal Tamasi, TVDSB's system principal for multilingual learning, sees that process as personal. 

"I've heard so many stories over the years about how my own family transitioned into this country," Tamasi said.

He says he sees the centre's role as advocacy, championing students' skills and abilities before they enter their schools. 

"Our new newcomer families bring so many different skills to our schools and to our communities," he said, recalling seeing a Ukrainian student perform math problems far beyond their grade level this summer. 

"Tapping into their abilities, whether they are academic in nature or whether they are social in nature, has really helped to, say, broaden the tapestry of experiences we can draw upon within our communities, in our schools."