Booklet for Parents - Riverside School Board

Transcription

Riverside School Board
Booklet for Parents
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 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 ...................................................................
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
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.
1
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.
2
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.
3
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.
4
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.
5
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.
6
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.
7
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.
activities and time together!
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Have fun and enjoy your
TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH YOUR CHILD
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•
¾
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:
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).
9
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
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.
11
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
o
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o
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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, 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.
13
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.
14
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.
15
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
16
Longueuil
Claude-Henri-Grignon Library
1600 Bourassa Street
Longueuil
Telephone: 450-463-7180
Fatima Mini Branch Library
2130 Jean-Louis Street
Longueuil
Telephone: 450-463-7180
Georges-Dor Library
2760 Chemin de Chambly
Longueuil
Telephone: 450-463-7180
Hubert-Perron Mini Branch Library
1100 Beauregard Street
Longueuil
Telephone: 450-463-7180
Jacques-Ferron Library
100 St. Laurent West
Longueuil
Telephone: 450-463-7180
Joseph-de-Sérigny School Mini Branch Library
1000 Chemin du Lac
Longueuil
Telephone: 450-463-7180
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Library
700 Suvernay Street
Longueuil
Telephone: 450-463-7180
17
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
J.-W.-Gendron Mini Branch Library
3875 Grande-Allée
Telephone: 450-445-7790
St-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Adelard-Berger Library
180 Laurier Street
Telephone: 450-357-2111
St. Luc
347 St. Luc Blvd.
Telephone: 450-359-2450
L’Acadie sector Library
484 Chemin du Grand-Pré
Telephone: 450-347-2584
18
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
19
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
20
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
21
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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