Principal Ashley Croft
What Do You Love About Inglewood Elementary School?
The thing I love most about Inglewood is our kids and our families. I’ve been connected to this community for a long time. I was a student-teacher here years ago and my students have gone off to college or the military or are working. Now I’m getting to wor
k with their younger brothers and sisters and they come back to visit me. Another thing I really love is that we all support each other – families support each other, kids support each other, teachers and staff support each other.
How Do Students Feel Loved and Valued?
That’s my favorite! Every day on the announcements the last thing I say is “Have a great day of learning and remember that you’re loved.” The kids know that I’m not afraid to tell them I love them. I go to say good morning to all the classrooms after the morning announcements just so they see my face. They know I’m a consistent presence. I think modeling that for our staff gives staff permission to show how much they care. Students deserve to get hugs. They deserve to have you listen to them when they’re having a tough time. Even if they’ve made a not-so-great choice, I’m going to listen to them and let them share their feelings and talk about how they’re going to fix it. Our kids know that whatever they come in here with, we’re going to love them no matter what. And I think that’s key. Everybody in this building has the same philosophy.
How Do You Make Parents Feel Welcome?
One of the favorite parts of my job is building relationships with the kids and their families. I really pride myself on being accessible to families. Many of them have my cell phone number. I think that goes a long way to helping people feel welcome and to be responsive to people. But I also go out of my way to get to know them and their child. And I think when people know the level to which you care about their kid, they feel welcomed and invested in the school.