Fifth Grade - Randolph

Ms. Kathryn Frazier

Kathryn Frazier is a teacher by day and artist by night. Her career in Arlington Public Schools began in 2000 and during these years she has taught grades 2-5. Not only is she a graduate of APS, but her children are also enrolled in APS. She attended James Madison University and earned my masters degree from Marymount University (VA). She enjoys spending time with her family and dog.

Ms. Mary Perez, Team Lead
Email: marylydia.perez@apsva.us

I have been teaching in Arlington for 23 years! I have taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade as well as English to second language learners. I am returning to Randolph after 9 years at Abingdon Elementary. I have a BA in English from VA Tech (Go Hokies!) and an MEd from Marymount University. I am married to Mr Perez and I have 2 children as well. My daughter Claudia studies archaeology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and my son Marcus is a junior at VA Tech. We have a very full house with 2 cats and 2 VERY active border collie mixes named Findlay and Skippy. In my spare time I LOVE to travel (especially to Scotland), try new restaurants, and hike with my dogs. I am a MAJOR Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings fan and I love love love to READ!

Ms. Brianna Carey

Email: brianna.carey@apsva.us

Brianna Carey is incredibly excited to be joining the Randolph community this school year as a 5th grade teacher! She was born and raised in Newtown, Connecticut ad then she attended Marist College in New York. There she received her BA in psychology and elementary general & special education as well as her MA in educational psychology. She began her teaching career as a 4th grade special education inclusion teacher in Hawai’i. She taught there for 4 years and then moved to Arlington in August of 2020. She taught 3rd grade inclusion as a general education teacher for the past 4 years at Abingdon Elementary. She loves drawing, hiking, and spending time with her beagle, Henry.

Ms. Carlin Schwartz, Reading Coach

Email: carlin.schwartz@apsva.us

Carlin Schwartz is a Reading Specialist at Randolph Elementary. She started at Randolph in 2011. Before Randolph, she taught 1st and 2nd grade at Carlin Springs Elementary. Carlin attended James Madison University (Virginia) where she studied elementary education, psychology and Spanish. She earned her Masters of Education degree from the University of Virginia. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family and friends. When she is not doing that she enjoys cooking, exercising and reading all kinds of books.

Ms. Kerry Abbott, Advanced Academics Coach

Email: kerry.abbott@apsva.us

Hi Everybody! I’m Ms. Abbott, and I’m starting my 25th year of teaching in APS. I have filled many different positions including Communications/ Videography Teacher, Tech Coach, ITC, Architecture Teacher, Musical Director, 5th Grade Homeroom Teacher, and I will now be the Advanced Academics Coach. I grew up in Buffalo, New York. Go Buffalo Bills! I completed my undergraduate degree at Niagara Falls University, and my master’s degree at George Mason. I live in Arlington with my 2 daughters Abby (9th grade) and Eloise (7th grade). I am excited to be back at Randolph this year and I look forward to being a part of this wonderful community both professionally and personally.

Ms. Tani McGinnis, Math Coach

Email: natani.mcginnis@apsva.us

Tani McGinnis has been a math coach for seven years and is in her second year as a math coach at Randolph Elementary. Before that, she taught fourth grade for seven years in both Arlington and St. Louis. Tani has a Masters of Teaching and a Masters of Education Leadership from George Mason University. She loves teaching and coaching and feels lucky to be part of the Randolph Stars! In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, being outside, and spending time with her kids and husband.

Mr. Julian Mejia, Sped Resource Teacher

Email: julian.mejia@apsva.us

Julian Mejia is a Special Education Teacher at Randolph. This is his 4th year at Randolph. Prior to coming to Randolph, he was a bilingual education teacher for 12 years in Houston, Tx. Mr. Mejia received his undergraduate degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and his master’s degree in special education from the University of Texas. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, and playing tennis.

Ms. Monisha Slater, EL Teacher

Email: monisha.slater@apsva.us

Hello! I’m Miss Slater. This is my 6th year teaching! I taught 6th grade for four years and 2nd grade for one year. I went to KU—Rock-Chalk-Jayhawk! I love anything to do with DIY and thrifting. I come from a huge, blended family. I’m excited to move into an EL specialist role with the hope to serve the Randolph learning community even better.

Ms. Margie Graham, EL Assistant

Email: margie.graham@apsva.us

The Randolph ESOL team provides services for all students who need language-related support. Margie Graham is an EL Assistant serving 4th and 5th Grade students and their families. This is her 27th year at Randolph. In her spare time, Margie enjoys spending time with her family including her grandchildren, gardening and watching basketball.

Fifth grade marks a significant transition as students complete their last year of elementary school and prepare for the next phase of their education in middle school. We continue to strive to develop our students into balanced learners and to understand their roles and responsibilities as global citizens. In order to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills for their continuing education, we not only focus on teaching important content, but important habits for students to succeed.

As readers, we will provide support to students to analyze, infer, predict, draw conclusions, interpret, and identify the main idea of more increasingly complex texts. Students will expand their repertoire of writing by producing new and various forms of writing.

Math content will build on previously introduced concepts and expose students to new ideas, skills, and strategies. As young scientists, students will explore energy and develop an understanding of how it changes and takes on multiple forms, including light, sound, motion, and electricity. Students will revisit ancient civilizations from around the world and reflect on their contributions in social studies.

Through our trans-disciplinary IB PYP units we will build connections across and between all of the content areas through our approaches to learning while also developing our learner profile attributes, including being caring, open-minded risk takers. Finally, as the culminating year of the IB PYP at Randolph, fifth graders maintain the opportunity to reflect on their learning through Exhibition. A largely student-directed process, Exhibition allows students to explore a topic of their interest and demonstrate its importance within the global community. We look forward to a wonderful year of learning!