Booklet for Parents

Riverside School Board

Booklet for Parents

Dear Parents / Guardians,

Kindergarten is the springboard to future learning and is a very special time in the lives of both children and parents. It promotes the development of children and the acquisition of knowledge, as well as the ability to form relationships with other children and adults. It is also a place where children discover themselves as individuals and begin developing the ability to interact harmoniously with others.

Kindergarten provides intellectual stimulation, allows children to explore and also encourages children to discover and become passionate about learning. A positive experience in our Kindergarten classes lays the foundation for future success in school and continued lifelong learning.

This explanatory document, which may also be found on the Riverside website, www.rsb.qc.ca, is designed to assist you in preparing your child for entry into Kindergarten. It provides an overview of the Kindergarten Education Program and will help you better understand the educational goals pursued in your child’s class. The document also contains concrete suggestions that you can use at home to help your child reach the goals set at school.

Riverside School Board is committed to helping each student achieve his/her potential and values a close partnership with parents in the education of their child. Everyone at Riverside is extremely pleased that you have decided to register your child in one of our schools.

We wish you and your child an enjoyable and successful time at Riverside.

Yours respectfully, The Riverside Team

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Preschool Education Program ...... 1 Introduction ...... 1

Program Highlights ...... 2 Developmental Activities ...... 2 Pedagogical Practices ...... 3 Curricular Orientation ...... 4

Connections Among the Competencies ...... 5

Information...... 6 Preparation For School ...... 6 Admission...... 6 Medical Concerns ...... 6

Communication Between The School And You Building A Relationship With The School ...... 7 Report Cards ...... 7 Guidelines For Addressing Concerns ...... 7 Volunteering ...... 7

Preparing Your Child For School ...... 8 Take Every Opportunity To Talk With Your Child ...... 9 Take Every Opportunity To Read With Your Child ...... 11 Take Every Opportunity To Write With Your Child ...... 13 Take Every Opportunity To Show Your Child How Math Relates To Our Daily Life ...... 14 Take Every Opportunity To Move With Your Child ...... 15

Annex A (Libraries) ...... 16

Annex B (Bookstores) ...... 20

THE PRESCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION

Kindergarten marks the beginning of learning in a formal educational setting. Your child arrives in Kindergarten with various skills and aptitudes. For that reason, Kindergarten has a threefold mandate:

1. To provide an environment that gives your child a liking for school; 2. To nurture your child’s awareness of his/her abilities and interests; and 3. To prepare your child for future learning.

Kindergarten is a special place. In that environment, your child is provided with the opportunity to acquire new learning strategies and to form relationships with both peers and professional educators. The social experience enables your child to discover himself/herself as an individual and to gradually increase his/her autonomy. As a place of intellectual stimulation, Kindergarten is the venue where your child discovers the pleasure of learning that can remain for life. The richness and variety of experiences give your child an increased understanding of the world and foster his/her self-perception as an active creator of that understanding. The curriculum gives him/her initial exposure to what will be offered in the elementary grades that follow.

The overall objective of the Kindergarten program is to provide the conditions so that 4- and 5-year-olds develop physically, emotionally and intellectually. With the support of the teacher, your child will take part in learning situations drawn from his/her world of play and from life experiences. The underlying intent of the program is to prepare your child to be an active and thoughtful learner in formal educational contexts and beyond.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Developmental Activities

Activities related to your child’s concerns, interests and stage of development are by nature cross-curricular. They are rooted in his/her everyday life and define who he/she is. These activities give your child the opportunity to discover various means of creative expression and to become aware of the different languages that support and construct knowledge. In addition, the activities foster the development of knowledge, behaviours and attitudes that help your child to organize his/her thoughts and actions and to exercise forms of critical judgement.

Play has a central place in preschool education. It makes a major contribution to your child’s overall development. In play, your child expresses and experiments with thoughts and develops his/her view of the world. Through play activities, your child learns to be himself/herself, to interact with others, and to solve problems. He/she develops imagination and creativity. Spontaneous activity and play are the main means through which your child interprets his/her reality.

Pedagogical Practices

In a global sense, the teacher’s professional practice in the Kindergarten classroom is centered on the children, their needs and their interests. In this context, the teacher strives to:

1. Give each child the means to become autonomous learners; 2. Respect individual rates of learning and take into account what each child already knows; 3. Create opportunities for discovery and provide appropriate challenges; 4. Stimulate each child’s desire to learn by capturing their interest; 5. Support the development of each child’s learning strategies by giving them opportunities to draw on their knowledge; 6. Help each child to expand their knowledge through experimentation as well as through observation, questioning and reflection.

All children have specific needs related to cognitive, behaviour or psychomotor development. Pedagogical practices are adapted to address these needs by having the children engage in activities such as the following:

Listening to records and tapes; Playing with educational and board games; Role playing; Experimenting; Cutting, doing crafts, drawing, finger painting, shaping/modeling clay; Miming, dancing, singing, playing with puppets, acting out short plays; Racing, jumping, gymnastics; and Participating in outings.

In Kindergarten education, evaluation is an important component of pedagogical practice. Evaluation is an interactive process that involves children, their peers, the teacher and the parents. Observation is the favoured means of evaluation; observation fosters and respects the learning process and focuses on the children’s attitudes, behaviours, and achievements. Through observation, evaluation is integrated into the children’s regular activities within the teaching and learning context.

Curricular Orientation

The Kindergarten classroom is organized to encourage your child’s active participation in his/her learning. In such an environment, your child may observe, explore, manipulate, reflect and imagine. It provides the opportunity for your child to exercise memory, plan projects and assess capacities. The curriculum stimulates his/her curiosity and enables him/her to explore various bodies of knowledge, namely: languages, the arts, mathematics, the social sciences, science and technology. To develop motor skills, your child is encouraged to take part in various activities particularly in the gym and in the schoolyard.

Culture involves both self-construction and encounter with civilization, knowledge, art and literature. The Kindergarten curriculum is designed to sensitize your child to the immediate culture, that of the environment in which he/she lives, and to lead him/her to discover other cultures. Exposure to a variety of cultural products of high quality enriches your child’s life experience and broadens his/her view of the world.

CONNECTIONS AMONG THE COMPETENCIES

Figure 1 Taken from Québec Education Program: Preschool Education (2001, p.53)

Competencies are the overall skills and abilities your child will be developing in preschool and in future grade cycles. Competencies develop along a continuum and pave the way for success throughout your child’s schooling.

INFORMATION

PREPARATION FOR SCHOOL

Admission

To be admitted to Kindergarten, children must be five years of age before October 1st of the current year.

A birth certificate (long form) must be presented at registration and, where applicable, must include the names of both parents.

In order for your child to attend an English school in Quebec, you must obtain a Certificate of Eligibility for your child. Should you require further information, please contact the Riverside School Board administrative office or your neighbourhood school.

Medical Concerns

We highly recommend that you have your child vaccinated for diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio myelitis, measles, rubella, mumps and the haemophilus influenzae type B. Make sure that the vaccinations are up-to-date. If they are not, please consult your doctor or the vaccination clinics at your local CLSC.

If your child develops a contagious disease such as whooping cough, diphtheria, the Fifth disease, scabies, hepatitis, impetigo, meningitis, mumps, lice, measles, rubella, tuberculosis or varicella, please inform the school as soon as possible.

Should your child have health problems or regularly takes medication, please inform the principal of the school. If your child must take medication during school hours, again please consult the principal. There are procedures in place in the school for dispensing medication to students.

In case of emergency, it is important to give the school your home and work phone numbers, as well as those of persons who may act on your behalf should it be impossible to reach you. Make sure that you inform the school of any changes in the telephone numbers.

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SCHOOL AND YOU

Building a Relationship with the School

As parents, you are the first educators of your child and are indispensable partners with the school. You are the link between the significant stages of your child’s life, both in and out of school. You give him/her indispensable emotional support. The school is aware of the critical role you play and strives to build a relationship with you that foster mutual cooperation and respect.

Report Cards

The school board must make sure that you receive four communications a year concerning your child’s progress. At least three of these communications must be in report card form.

At scheduled times of the year, you will be invited to meet with your child’s teacher. Of course, if you wish to meet with the teacher at times other than the scheduled date, you may do so by making an appointment. The same can be done with the school principal.

Guidelines for Addressing Concerns

The Riverside School Board aims to have your child learn in a safe and caring environment. If you have any issues or concerns about either your child’s progress or his/her experience, you are encouraged to contact the school immediately. The school board has developed a document for helping you to broach the issue with school personnel. You may access the document Parental Guidelines for Dealing with Problematic Situation on the school board website, www.rsb.qc.ca

Volunteering

The school sometimes needs volunteer parents to work in the library or to do certain activities with small groups of students. If you are available, your help will be greatly appreciated.

PREPARING YOUR CHILD FOR SCHOOL

As children grow they continue to develop in many ways. As each child develops at his/her own pace, your caring support makes a great difference. Your child’s strong development will ensure his/her success and happiness as s/he begins Kindergarten and continues through school. Your participation in helping your child to develop is extremely important. You need to ensure that your child has the necessary opportunities and experiences to explore, interact, and learn in an enjoyable environment.

On the following pages you will find many ideas to support and strengthen your child’s ongoing development. You may find that you already regularly share some of these activities with your child. Try a couple of new ideas right away that best fit in to your daily activities with your child. As those become well established in your routines, continue by adding another idea or two. Have fun and enjoy your activities and time together!

TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH YOUR CHILD

• Always value and show an interest in what your child says.

• Teach your child polite ways to respond to others and to make requests.

• Provide your child opportunities to interact with other children and encourage him/her to talk and play with them.

• Provide a range of toys that encourage exploration and experimentation. (Could include; blocks, modeling clay, drawing & painting materials, dolls, soft toys, balls, jigsaws, cardboard boxes, dress-up clothes, sandbox.)

• Introduce words to describe the shape, colour, and movement of different toys as you play together with them. • Teach your child to use the telephone.

• Talk with your child about the television program s/he is watching.

• Do things with your child that involve talking together. Here are some ideas:

¾ Play Time: During play times together, promote language development by talking to and encouraging your child to form ideas and understandings about his/her world.

Make block constructions with your child. “Let’s build a tall tower. It’s getting higher. Let’s keep adding more blocks. Oh, no! What happened? It crashed!”

…Ask about the colours you will use.

…Ask about the kind of construction you are making.

…Ask about the number of blocks you will need for the different parts.

…Sort items as you clean up together.

¾ Daily Activities: Talk during and about the events of the day, encouraging your child to join in.

Ask your child to help you make the meal and /or set the table. “Let’s start supper. Who will be eating with us? What shall we eat? Please help me wash the lettuce. What a great helper you are!”

…Talk about the people who will be eating together, how many, etc.

…Talk about how many forks, knives, spoons, bowls, plates, etc. you will need.

…Talk about the meal you will have (fruits, vegetables, type of meat, etc.).

…Talk about the milk carton, cereal box, etc. (What is on the box? What colour is it? Do you see the first letter of your name somewhere on the box?, etc.).

…Talk about how to make the meal (process).

Ask your child to help you with the laundry.

“Let’s fold the laundry together. I’ll show you how to fold the towels. Which is your favourite shirt? Wow, you’ve put all the pairs of socks together!”

…Talk about the different articles of clothing you will wash (pants, skirts, shirts, etc.).

…Ask your child to help separate whites from colours and name the different colours.

…Count the number of items put in the washing machine or taken out of the dryer.

…Ask your child to put matching pairs of socks together.

…Ask your child to whom the different items belong (put them in separate piles or baskets).

Keep a calendar in a visible area.

(Riverside School Board provides a special Kindergarten calendar to parents through the schools.)

…Talk with your child about what day and month it is.

…Ask your child to describe the weather and draw it on the calendar.

…Count down to important family events (birthdays, holidays, visits, etc.).

Take your child shopping.

…Make a shopping list together.

…Talk about selections and make decisions while shopping.

…Talk about healthy food choices.

…Have a plan so your child knows what to do if lost in the store or if approached by a stranger.

10 TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO READ WITH YOUR CHILD

• Establish a story-time routine and read a wide range of books (new and favourites) to your child as often as you can.

• Include books that use repetition and encourage your child to join in.

• Read and recite rhymes and finger plays together. (e.g. Humpty Dumpty, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, This Little Piggy, One Potato - Two Potato)

• Sing alphabet songs.

• Talk about the people, animals and things in the books you read together.

• Draw your child’s attention to and talk about the pictures in books.

• Let your child hold the book and turn the pages.

• Provide books for your child to “read”.

• Join and regularly visit a library.

• Make sure your child sees members of the family reading.

• Provide tapes of stories and songs when travelling.

Tips for Reading Aloud with Your Child

Prepare/Choose a Book • Choose a book from your library, your school, your child’s own collection, a friend, a book sale or a book store. • Flip through the book before you read it to your child to see if it appeals to you and if you think it will appeal to your child. • You may also want to read the book on your own first so that you have a better idea of how you want to read it aloud to your child. • Encourage your child to choose books for you to read aloud. Show him/her how to flip through the book to see if it looks like a good book to read together.

Before You Read the Story • Choose a comfortable place to read where you can sit next to your child. • Show your child the cover and read the title and author of the book. • While looking at the cover and thinking about the title, ask your child some or all of the following questions:

o What do you see on the cover picture? o What do you think this book might be about? Why? o Where do you think the story might take place? o Have you ever read anything like this before? • Flip through the pages of the book and look at the illustrations with your child. Point at and talk about things you and/or your child notice. Predict what may happen in the story based on what you have seen.

During the Story

• Move your finger under the words as you read them. • As you read, change your voice to fit the mood or action or character. • Show the pictures and, together, briefly notice one or two things happening in the pictures. • Sometimes, stop briefly and talk about the book as you read. Ask your child to make predictions or comments about the plot, the characters, or the setting. • Add information or change words to help your child understand. Explain the meaning of new words. • Share your own thoughts and ideas about the story. • Encourage your child to ask questions or make comments.

After You Read the Story

• Ask questions about the story. Look back into the book at the pictures to help find some answers and ideas. You might ask some of the following questions: o What is the title of the story? Is it a good title? Does it fit the story? o Where does the story take place? Can you tell from the pictures where it takes place? o Who is the most important character? (Who is the story about?) o What was the problem in the story? What did the character do to try to solve the problem? How was it solved? o What would you have done if you had the same problem? o Does this book remind you of another book? Why/how? o How did the story make you feel? Were there any funny parts? Sad parts? Scary parts? o Which picture(s) do you like? Why? o Has anything that takes place in the story ever happened to you? o What is your favorite part of the story and why? o What would you like to read together next? Enjoy!!

TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO WRITE WITH YOUR CHILD

• Show your child how you use writing in your daily life. (e.g. lists, telephone messages, appointments on a calendar, notes, letters, emails, etc.) • Help your child to recognise his/her own name. Find opportunities to display your child’s name. • Play with plastic or magnetic letters. Talk about the letter names. Put together the names of people in the family and simple familiar words. • Make cards with your child to give to others for different occasions. Encourage your child to make colourful pictures with details, and to ‘sign’ the card. • Keep a scrapbook with your child. Help your child cut out pictures from magazines and grocery store flyers, etc. Encourage your child to sort and glue different items onto different pages. For example, vegetables may be on one page, vehicles on another page, favourite things on another page, red things on another page, etc. Items might also be put together to create a scene or a story. Words can be included to label items or to tell a story. Talk with you child about what s/he is doing.

TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW YOUR CHILD HOW MATH RELATES TO OUR DAILY LIFE

• Develop mathematical understanding and language through counting, sorting, matching and talking about numbers. (e.g. while playing games, folding washed clothing, setting the table) • Talk with your child about the different coins and bills you use to pay for things you buy together. • Cook together. Follow recipes and measure ingredients. • Talk about the temperature outdoors regularly. Discuss how to dress for different weather. Read a thermometer placed outside a window. • Use blocks to engage in repeating the pattern activity… blue, green, orange, etc. • Use shapes to encourage your child to determine what comes next: triangle, square, circle, triangle, etc. • Count buttons, snaps, socks, shoes, sleeves, etc. “What should we put on first?” “What should we put on next?” (or second) (The concepts of first, second, third and so on are important.) • Use terms such as above, beneath, level, larger, smaller and equal to describe things you see. You might ask you child to bring you the smallest cookie or to find the book beneath the large table in the living room.

TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE WITH YOUR CHILD

Children also need to develop physical coordination. This includes large muscle activities such as running, climbing, jumping and balancing, eye-hand coordination and finer control such as holding a pencil or cutting with scissors. Children develop physical coordination as they play. They begin by developing their large muscle coordination and then they are better able to also develop their fine muscle control.

Some suggested activities to develop your child’s large muscle control. When out walking, try walking along the inside edge of the sidewalk. (This helps develop balance.) Create obstacle courses to navigate. Include objects to go around, go under and go over. You can also include flat objects to walk over by straddling. Run short races. Jump up and down on two feet within a hoop or on a flat object. Climb on climbing frames such as at the park (as is appropriate for age and safety). Play games with small and large balls.

Some suggested activities to develop your child’s fine muscle control. Provide your child with a place where s/he can sit comfortably. • Play with modeling clay or dough. • Paint and draw. • Colour in colouring books. • Cut out shapes and pictures and glue them onto paper to make a card or picture. • String beads or macaroni onto string or shoelaces. • Build puzzles. • Rip up little pieces of paper. These can be coloured paper, wrapping paper or from magazines and can be glued to create collaged pictures. • Make balls of paper using only one hand.

ANNEX A

Libraries

Beloeil Beloeil Municipal Library 620 Richelieu Street Beloeil Telephone: 450-467-7872 Web Site: www.ville.beloeil.qc.ca

Brossard Brossard Municipal Library 7855 San-Francisco Avenue Brossard Telephone: 450-463-7130 Web Site: www.ville.brossard.qc.ca

Candiac Candiac Municipal Library 59 Haendel Candiac Telephone: 450-655-6032 Web Site: www.ville.candiac.qc.ca

Chambly Chambly Municipal Library 1691 Bourgogne Avenue Chambly Telephone: 450-658-2711 Web Site: www.ville.chambly.qc.ca/biblio/index2.html

Greenfield Park Greenfield Park Municipal Library 225 Empire Street Greenfield Park Telephone: 450-463-7140 Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca

La Prairie Léo-Lecavalier Library 500 Saint-Laurent Street La Prairie Telephone: 450-444-6710 Web Site: www.ville.laprairie.qc.ca

Longueuil Claude-Henri-Grignon Library

1600 Bourassa Street Longueuil Telephone: 450-463-7180 Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca

Fatima Mini Branch Library 2130 Jean-Louis Street Longueuil Telephone: 450-463-7180 Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca

Georges-Dor Library 2760 Chemin de Chambly Longueuil Telephone: 450-463-7180 Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca

Hubert-Perron Mini Branch Library 1100 Beauregard Street Longueuil Telephone: 450-463-7180 Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca

Jacques-Ferron Library 100 St. Laurent West Longueuil Telephone: 450-463-7180 Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca

Joseph-de-Sérigny School Mini Branch Library 1000 Chemin du Lac Longueuil Telephone: 450-463-7180 Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Library 700 Suvernay Street Longueuil Telephone: 450-463-7180 Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca

Otterburn Park Otterburn Park Municipal Library 545 Chemin des Patriotes Otterburn Park Telephone: 450-536-0285 E-Mail Address: [email protected] Web Site: www.ville.otterburnpark.qc.ca

St. Bruno St. Bruno Municipal Library 82 Seigneurial Blvd. West St. Bruno Telephone: 450-645-2950 Web Site: www.ville.stbruno.qc.ca

St. Hubert St. Hubert Municipal Library 5900 Cousineau Blvd. Suite 2000 St-Hubert Telephone: 450-463-7160 Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca

J.-W.-Gendron Mini Branch Library 3875 Grande-Allée Telephone: 450-445-7790 Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca

St-Jean-sur-Richelieu Adelard-Berger Library 180 Laurier Street St-Jean-sur-Richelieu Telephone: 450-357-2111

St. Luc 347 St. Luc Blvd. St-Jean-sur-Richelieu Telephone: 450-359-2450

L’Acadie sector Library 484 Chemin du Grand-Pré St-Jean-sur-Richelieu Telephone: 450-347-2584

St. Lambert St. Lambert Municipal Library 490 Mercille Street St. Lambert Telephone: 450-672-4444 Web Site: www.ville.saint-lambert.qc.ca

St-Lambert Municipal Library (Préville Branch) 120 de Poitou Street Préville Telephone: 450-672-4444 Web Site: www.ville.saint-lambert.qc.ca

Sorel-Tracy Le Survenant Library 145 George Street Sorel-Tracy Telephone: 450-780-5750 Web Site: www.ville.sorel.qc.ca

Marie-Didace Library 3015 Place des Loisires Sorel-Tracy Telephone: 450-745-8321 Web Site: www.ville.sorel.qc.ca

ANNEX B

Bookstores

Archambault Champlain Mall 2151 Lapiniere Blvd. Brossard Telephone: 450-671-0801

500 St. Catherine East Montreal Telephone: 514-849-6201

Babar Books 46 St. Anne Avenue Point-Claire Telephone: 514-694-0380

1235 Greene Avenue Westmount Telephone: 514-931-0606

Discours Lu (Used) 32 Lemoyne West Longueuil Telephone: 450-646-9696

Le Colisée du Livre 1809 du Mont-Royal Avenue East Montreal Telephone: 514-521-6118

908 St. Catherine Street East Montreal Telephone: 514-845-1792

Le Fureteur 25 Webster Street St. Lambert Telephone: 450-465-5597

Librairie Alire Place Longueuil 825 St. Laurent Street West Longueuil Telephone: 450-679-8211

Librairie Citation 600 Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier Blvd. Beloeil Telephone: 450-464-6464

Librairie Guerin 168 St. Catherine East Montreal Telephone: 514-284-2210 / 514-861-5647

4440 St. Denis Street Montreal Telephone: 514-843-6241

4560 St. Denis Street Montreal Telephone: 514-849-1122

Librairie Indigo Quartier Dix30 9320 Leduc Brossard Telephone: 450-462-8396

Librairie Renaud-Bray Corner of Champlain Mall 6925 Taschereau Blvd. Brossard Telephone: 450-443-5350

Promenade St-Bruno Mall 243 des Promenades Blvd. Telephone: 450-653-0546

Québec Loisirs Promenades St. Bruno St. Bruno Telephone: 450-461-9971

Source of certain images: Service national du RÉCIT à l'éducation préscolaire (http://recitpresco.qc.ca/) ou Grand monde du préscolaire (http://recitpresco.qc.ca/) i