Westmount private school knits tuques for Syrian refugees

A Westmountprivate school is offering a warm welcome to Syrian refugees arriving in Quebec.

Teachers, students and parents at Villa Sainte-Marcellineare knitting dozens ofwinter hatsfor Syrian refugees. Volunteers started the project before holiday break.

• Quebecers respond en masse to knit tuques for Syrian refugees
• Quebecers knit, donate tuques to Syrian refugees

The knittinginitiative started with the25,000 Tuques project that waslaunched inlate Novemberby QuebecerDanielle Ltourneau.

The tuques are meant to help newcomers adapt to the coldas they experience their first winter on Canadian soil.

"It's the country that is welcoming them and the school is proud to be part of a country that is so inviting," Sister Louise Bonta from Villa Sainte-Marcelline told Radio-Canada.

The French private schoolis slated to take in at least one Syrian refugee per class in 2016.

VillaSainte-Marcellinehas accepted refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Lebanon as students over the years.

TheQuebecgovernment hadcommitted to receiving 3,650 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015 and will welcome the same number in 2016.