Fifth Grade

Hello! My name is Emily Bye. I have been teaching at Hoffman-Boston for 15 years. I have spent my entire teaching career at Hoffman-Boston and I love this school! I taught 1st grade for five years and 2nd grade for five years. This will be my fifth year teaching 5th grade. I was born and raised in Northern Jersey and I am a huge NY Giants fan! I got my Masters in Teaching at James Madison University. One of my favorite things to do is read and my favorite genre of books is mystery. My favorite series of books is the Harry Potter series. My favorite subject to teach is math.

Hello! I’m Cindy Columbo and I’m a Reading Specialist at Hoffman-Boston. In the 2015-2016 school year I made the switch to APS after teaching elementary school in Fairfax County for several years. When I started teaching in Arlington County, I worked as a first-grade teacher at Discovery ES, while completing my Reading Specialist endorsement from GMU. After working at Discovery ES, I joined the Barrett ES community for five years and enjoyed co-teaching and providing interventions (Reading Recovery, LLI, and OG) for various groups of students in the lower and upper elementary grades.I’m very excited to be joining the Hoffman-Boston All Stars and supporting grades four and five! I look forward to all the exciting challenges and triumphs this year has to bring!When I’m not teaching, I love to read, bake, travel, and spend time with my family and friends. I especially enjoy taking weekend excursions with my husband and two young boys as we bike through Arlington and Falls Church City and visit various parks close to our home.

It’s nice to meet you! My name is Melissa Hinkson and teaching is one of my favorite things to do. My husband and I are from Brooklyn, New York and we have two sons, two dogs and a cat. Both of my sons attended Hoffman-Boston and I volunteered and subbed here for many years. Then, six years ago, when my youngest son went to college, I decided to take a position teaching at my favorite school – you guessed it “Hoffman-Boston!” I love watching ALL sports, reading, photography, gardening, decorating and fashion. Most of all, I love to learn new things!

Hello everyone! I am delighted to join the fabulous 3rd grade team at Hoffman Boston Elementary! I have over 20 years of teaching experience within various elementary and middle school levels. Although a native of Tennessee and a current resident of Virginia, I’ve also taught in Illinois and South Korea. My passion other than teaching is also with animals and nature as I also hold an undergraduate degree in Agricultural Sciences with focus on Pre-Veterinary Medicine. It was in 3rd grade where I decided to pursue a career as a veterinarian. However, my love for teaching was discovered soon after! I enjoy running, painting, sketching, writing, juicing fresh vegetables, traveling, and all things outdoors! I am so very excited and honored to be part of Hoffman Boston Elementary! I look forward to meeting everyone soon!

Hello! My name is Soroush Zargarani. This will be my 4th year at Hoffman-Boston as EL (English Learner) teacher for 5th grade. I grew up all around northern Virginia, but also lived in Richmond for several years where I studied world languages and cultures. I wanted to be an EL teacher because of my appreciation for the many teachers who taught me over the years and of course my interest in different languages and cultures. When I am not teaching I love to read, cook and spend time outdoors. My favorite book genres are history and science fiction, and I usually read several books at a time!

Hello! My name is Debbie Casalengo. I am originally from Massachusetts but spent most of my life living in Florida. This is my 5th year at Hoffman-Boston. I also taught for many years in West Palm Beach. I have taught English as a Second Language and all grades except kindergarten and first. I love 5th grade!! What makes Hoffman-Boston so special to me is the families we have from all over the world. We are truly a global society and our school represents that.