Longfellow Elementary School has a population of 273 students in grades K4-5. The regular school day features sustained reading blocks, writing integrated into all subject areas, and a strong focus on math. Our music, art, and physical education classes complement learning in the core subjects. All teachers teach the Code of Conduct, and the PTA used it as the design for our school T-shirts, which were given to every student.Learning also takes place in unique ways. In an all-school assembly each group of students told how they used mathematics to plan for the painting of their tile. Their report also gave information about the painting, character, and/or artist. The ceiling tiles were installed in the office and the library.A project that encouraged students to read was the Polar Express Challenge. During October, our students read approximately 2,000 books so that the sponsoring organizations would donate $2000.00 worth of books to needy schools. To celebrate the end of the Challenge there was a Polar Express Pop-Your-Top Party. GCT students went to each classroom to read the Polar Express aloud to their peers. Then at a specific time, all students popped the tops on juice cans and enjoyed reading a book of their choice or participated in a Polar Express activity.On a February Saturday, approximately 34 parents and students from our school attended the Young Authors Conference at the Midwest Center in Milwaukee. Children had an opportunity to interact with and listen to unique stories from published authors. Our second grade students recently submitted their own book, A Night at School, to the Scholastic Book Contest. Last year's second grade won honorable mention in that national contest.Longfellow students and staff demonstrate care for others. At our Red, White, and Blue Dance in November, a former student collected several boxes of items for troops in Iraq. Then in December, one of our sixth grade students organized a collection for tsunami relief. She made posters publicizing the collection, wrote announcements that she read over the loud speaker, and congratulated the students when their drive netted $1443.54 for the Red Cross' Tsunami Relief.Recently a researcher from the medical College who spent over 50 hours working in our building told us, "If I had children, I would want them to go to this school." Longfellow School is truly a good place for children.