Seattle Public Schools

I am so excited to begin my teaching career at Lincoln High School this year as a part of the IEP department! I have recently graduated with a Master of Special Education at the University of Washington- Go Dawgs. I have spent the past 3 years working in SPS, first as an Americorps volunteer with City Year, and then as an IA at both Denny Middle School and Garfield High School. After growing up in a small town in Nebraska, I moved to Seattle in 2012 and love the pacific northwest! I am deeply looking forward to connecting and growing both personally and professionally with the Lincoln community!

Biography

BA, University of Montana; MFA, Pacific Lutheran University; Post Graduate, University of Washington, Bothell.

Previously I worked at Amazon.com, as well as community newspapers (Carbon County News) and regional publications. In college, I worked for the US Forest Service, which is my second dream job. My first is teaching!

This year I will be teaching 4th grade, specializing in literacy. Previously I taught 1st, 2nd and 4th grade at Decatur, specializing in math.

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You are your best thing.

-Toni Morrison (Beloved)

Biography

Hello! My name is Ms. Rifkin (she/her) and I am thrilled to be a first and second grade teacher this year! I have a degree from the University of Vermont in Elementary Education and Environmental Studies, and this is my fourth year as a Decatur Gator. I love being outside in any way, from expeditionary sea kayaking to learning about the geology of Washington. I often bring my outdoor education aspects into the classroom...even virtually!

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For more information, head to our class' Seesaw page!

Biography

Elementary Visual Arts Teacher

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Teaching art to eager elementary students is a dream come true and I am so lucky to be doing just that at Decatur.

I started teaching in Seattle Public Schools in 2006. I am a Husky and bleed purple!  My son, Liam graduated from UW Bothell in 2014. My daughter Lily graduated from Ballard High School in 2016, so I have been a part of SPS for over 20 years.  My Australian husband loves to build things. We love spending time on the water - liquid and solid, especially in Chelan where we have a second home. I love ART, sports, theater, photography, music and writing.  Being creative feeds my soul and I believe everyone needs a chance to express themselves creatively as much as possible.

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I am thrilled to be a part of the collaborative staff at Decatur Elementary! In the library we’re fostering and expanding students’ reading lives and encouraging them to be critical users and producers of information. I am also a .2 literacy specialist where I support students in classrooms with reading and writing.

Previously, I was an Instructional Technology/Digital Learning Specialist for SPS serving 14 schools (K-12), and before that I taught at Syre Elementary in the Shoreline School District.

I come from a long line of Huskies (Go Dawgs!) where I received a B.S. in Zoology and continued on at Seattle Pacific University where I received my teaching certificate. More recently, I received and M.A. Ed from Antioch University with a focus on Library Media.

This is my twelfth year teaching in the HCC program. I live in Shoreline with my husband, thirteen and eighteen-year old children, a delightful golden retriever and a sassy kitten. In addition to teaching  third grade, I love the outdoors (especially mushroom picking!), gardening, and cooking.

I graduated from Central Washington University in 2012 with a bachelors degree in Physical Education and an endorsement in Elementary Education. I went back to Central Washington University in 2018 and graduated with my masters in Health and Physical Education in 2020.

I am teaching 1st-5th grade Physical Education and Health. I have taught K-12 and I enjoy teaching the little kids. I am looking forward to my 7th year at Decatur Elementary.

Biography

5th Grade ELA Teacher

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I'm originally from Orlando, Florida. I am a sports enthusiast, specifically football and volleyball. My favorite subject is WRITING! I've previously taught 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and am currently in 5th grade. I love working with students each day, and helping to foster their independence and success. 

Go Gators!