Booklet for Parents - Riverside School Board

Welcome to Booklet for Parents Welcome
to Kindergarten!
2015‐2016
Dear Parents / Guardians,
Welcome to Riverside School Board!
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 at www.rsb.qc.ca under the
section for Parents and then Toolbox, 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. On this site, you will also find a
calendar with additional activities you can use throughout the year.
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.
The Riverside Team
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Preschool Education Program .......................................................
Introduction ............................................................................
1
1
Program Highlights ....................................................................
Developmental Activities .......................................................
Pedagogical Practices ...........................................................
Curricular Orientation ...........................................................
2
2
3
4
Connections among the Competencies ...........................................
5
Information ...................................................................................
Preparation for School ...............................................................
Admission..........................................................................
Medical Concerns ................................................................
6
6
6
6
Communication between the School and You
Building A Relationship with the School ......................................
Report Cards ......................................................................
Guidelines for Addressing Concerns ...........................................
Volunteering ......................................................................
7
7
7
7
Preparing Your Child for School ..........................................................
Take Every Opportunity to Talk with Your Child ...............................
Take Every Opportunity to Read with Your Child ..............................
Take Every Opportunity to Write with Your Child .............................
Take Every Opportunity to Show Your Child
How Math Relates To Our Daily Life ..........................................
Take Every Opportunity to Move with Your Child ..............................
8
9
11
13
14
15
Annex A (Libraries) ......................................................................... 16
Annex B (Bookstores) ....................................................................... 20
3
THE PRESCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAM
INTRODUCTION
Your child comes into Kindergarten with a variety of skills and aptitudes. Kindergarten
marks the beginning of learning in a formal educational setting and 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 this 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 in
order that 5-year-olds further 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.
4
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Developmental Activities
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 their own self, to
interact with others, and to solve problems. They learn to develop their
imagination and creativity. Spontaneous activity and play are the main means through
which your child interprets their own reality.
5
Pedagogical Practices
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:
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;
Participate in outings.
Listening to audio and video recordings
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.
6
Curricular Orientation
The Kindergarten classroom is organized to encourage your child’s active participation
in their 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
their curiosity and enables them 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 encounters with civilization, knowledge,
art and literature. The Kindergarten curriculum is designed to sensitize
your child to the culture of the environment in which they live, and to
lead them to discover other cultures. Exposure to a variety of cultural
products of high quality enriches your child’s life experience and
broadens their view of the world.
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CONNECTIONS AMONG THE COMPETENCIES
The overall objective of the program is to allow your child to develop.
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.
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INFORMATION
PREPARATION FOR SCHOOL
Medical Concerns
We highly recommend that you have your child vaccinated for
diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio myelitis, measles,
rubella, mumps and the haemophilias influenza type B. Please
ensure that vaccinations are up-to-date. If they are not, we
encourage you to consult with your doctor or the vaccination clinics
at the 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 Chicken pox), please inform the school as soon
as possible.
Should your child have health problems or regularly take 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.
9
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
You will receive four communications a year concerning your
child’s progress. Three of these communications will be formal
report cards.
At scheduled times throughout 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
a Problematic Situation on the school board website, www.rsb.qc.ca in the section for
parents – tools.
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.
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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. Children require a range of 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. We suggest that you try one or two new ideas right away
that best fit in to your daily activities with your child.
As these become well
established in your routines, continue by adding another idea or two. Have fun and
enjoy your activities and time together!
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TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH YOUR CHILD
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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 programs/he is watching.
Introduce your child to the use of technological tools used every day, such as computers,
portable electronic devices, etc.
Do things with your child that involves talking together. Here are some ideas:
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 construction 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.
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).
-
-
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Daily Activities Continued:
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 you 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
website www.rsb.qc.ca in the parent’s section (toolbox).
-
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.
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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 the alphabet song.
 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 recordings of stories and songs using CDs, e-readers, tablets, etc.
Tips for Reading Aloud with Your Child
Before Reading the Story

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.

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
o
o
o

What do you see on the cover picture?
What do you think this book might be about? Why?
Where do you think the story might take place?
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.
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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.
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Share your own thoughts and ideas about the story.

Encourage your child to ask questions or make comments.
After Reading 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
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
What is the title of the story? Is it a good title? Does it fit the story?
Where does the story take place? Can you tell from the pictures where it takes
place?
Who is the most important character? (Who is the story about?)
What was the problem in the story? What did the character do to try to solve the
problem? How was it solved?
What would you have done if you had the same problem?
Does this book remind you of another book? Why/how?
How did the story make you feel? Were there any funny parts? Sad parts? Scary
parts?
Which picture(s) do you like? Why?
Has anything that takes place in the story ever happened to you?
What is your favorite part of the story and why?
What would you like to read together next?
Enjoy!!
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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 ect. 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 your child about what they are doing.

Offer opportunities to explore educational games and applications online or on
electronic devices such as tablets or smartphones.
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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 patterning activities… 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, using the concepts of first, second, third,
and so on.
“What should we put on first?”
“What should we put on next?” (or second)

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.

Explore numeracy games and applications available for use online or on electronic
devices.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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ANNEX A
Libraries
Beloeil
Beloeil Municipal Library
620 Richelieu Street
Beloeil
Telephone: 450-467-7872
Web Site: www.ville.beloeil.qc.ca
Boucherville
Bibliothéque
Montarville-Boucher-de la Bruére
501 Chemin du lac
Boucherville
Telephone : 450-449-8651
Web Site : http://www.boucherville.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
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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
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Longueuil
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
Library Raymond-Lévesque
7025 Cousineau Blvd.
St-Hubert
Telephone: 450-463-7180
Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca
J.-W.-Gendron Mini Branch Library
3875 Grande-Allée
Telephone: 450-463-7180
Web Site: www.ville.longueuil.qc.ca
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St-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Adelard-Berger Library
180 Laurier Street
St-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Telephone: 450-357-2111
St. Luc Library
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
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
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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
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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
Promenades 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/)
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