A visit!

Hi everyone! I visited the classroom on Friday, April 16th. It was great to see a lot of you! Here's a picture from that visit.

Maternity Leave Change

Dear Families,

Due to a change in my husband's paternity leave dates, I will now be returning to work on Monday, May 10th rather than Monday, May 3rd as originally planned.

I will visit the classroom soon to say hello to the students!

Mrs. Sorenson :-)

Catching up!

Hi everyone!

Sorry it's been a while since the last post. Taking care of a newborn is a lot of work! I don't go far, but I do seem to be quite busy! It sounds like things are going very well in the classroom. I visited everyone on Friday, April 2nd. A few students were absent, unfortunately. I will be back this week or next for another visit.

Mrs. Lucier sent me a bunch of great photos to post on the blog. It looks like everyone's having a lot of fun!

Happy Spring!

Mrs. Sorenson

Mrs. Luman knit these sweaters for the boys...they both wore them over the weekend and we got some great photos.

Math

Mrs. Lucier reports that math time continues to go very well in our classroom. It has always been one of the best parts of our day (in my humble opinion). :-) Here's a peek at some recent activities...

Students colored kites to make them symmetrical in design and color. Each side should be identical!

A race to fill in the number grid accurately and neatly!

Mrs. Lucier has a cool deck of cards shaped like bird's eggs. Great for math games!

Since math time has gone so well and we are cruising right through the Everyday Math curriculum, students have had math game time to help strengthen basic skills.

Students practice adding two-digit numbers using number grids and other tools/strategies. They are adding animal weights using animal picture cards here (above and below).

Another one of Mrs. Lucier's awesome activities--students match math fact eggs with the correct sum on the bird. I was able to borrow a lot of these materials last year, so I recognize this! :-)

What's happening in SWR?

Students have been practicing their SWR skills in lots of fun ways!

Oh, I love these eggs! They are divided into three sections with letters on each section--perfect for making CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant). Students make words and record the words they build on paper.

Playing short vowel bingo--students have to find pictures that match the short vowel sound given to make five in a row.

Playing Raindrop Toss to practice reading SWR words.

Practicing beginning blend sounds with a variety of board games.

More egg word building!

Spring Weather!

I have to admit I've been enjoying the fantastic weather with Patrick since he's been born. It looks like the kids at school have enjoyed it too! It's so nice to see the sun on a regular basis! :-)

Hello from Mrs. Sorenson!

Hello! Mrs. Lucier told me that people have been asking about me and the new baby...thank you! I have been enjoying my time at home with Patrick, getting to know him and getting used to being a mom to a newborn again! Will is adjusting pretty well to being a big brother, but it was hard at first. He didn't want to share me! :-)

I plan to visit UMS sometime this week with Patrick, so I will see you soon! Please feel free to email me anytime: sorensone@csdvt.org. I love getting notes!

Here are a few recent pictures...

Mrs. Lucier hung this collage at school, but I am sure that not everyone at home has seen it yet. Some pictures are duplicates of what's posted on the blog... The two daddies on the bottom left are Mr. Sorenson (left) with Patrick and Mr. Marshall (right) with Anna. Mrs. Marshall (second grade teacher at UMS) had her baby two days before me so we saw each other at the hospital. So cool!

We live near the Burlington bike path and Lake Champlain, so we often walk to the beach! Will was at daycare with his friends when this photo was taken!

Patrick loves to sleep during the day, but not so much at night. So, I'm very tired these days!

Will is a helpful big brother. He brings Patrick his pacifier, diapers, and wipes. What a great big brother! Patrick does not like diaper changes!

This is Will's crib, but I put Patrick in there for a picture. Will was not too happy about sharing his bed, but Patrick seemed comfortable! Will loves any hand-knit blankets. This one has some big holes in it because he sleeps with it EVERY night and puts his fingers through the holes.

Just one more...I love Will's expression in this one. It's as if he's saying, "No more crying--I can't take any more!" :-)

Blog Updates...

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well! Just a quick note to let you know that Mrs. Lucier and I have been in touch several times recently. She has kept me in the loop about what's happening in our classroom. It sounds like things are going very well! I will post some of her pictures and information very soon!

Patrick James Sorenson enters the world!

Dear Students and Families,

I am VERY happy to announce that our new son, Patrick James Sorenson, was born on Thursday, March 11th, 2010. He was born at 7:22 a.m. and weighed 9 lbs, 4 oz. and was 21.5 inches long. Big baby! So, it was a good thing that my last day was Wednesday morning, since I went into labor that evening. The Sorenson family is doing well and is relaxing at home with Patrick's grandparents (my parents).

I hope to visit UMS in the next few weeks to see everyone and show off my new handsome baby!

See you soon!

Mrs. Sorenson :-)

Just a few notes...

Observatory Field Trip: The time has changed due to the moonrise time on April 1st being after 11 pm. Sorry for any inconvenience! See the sidebar on the left for the latest information.

SWR: Due to our artists-in-residence program with the Amidons, we were not able to have SWR as often as usual last week. There will be no new spelling list on Monday--students can continue to practice the same skills and a check-up will be given next Friday (there was no check-up given on March 5th).

Maternity Leave: I am now "overdue" to have this baby. I am going to keep working until he's born. Mrs. Lucier was sick all last week, so this actually ended up working out for the best in some ways! I plan to be at school Monday, and Mrs. Lucier hopes to be there with me if she's feeling better. Thanks for the kind words and well wishes from so many of you! I'm doing fine, and being at school actually helps take my mind off the discomfort of these late days of pregnancy!