Mrs. Aboubakr Special Education Teacher 

Mrs. Aboubakr is a proud Coates Star! She graduated from George Mason University with a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education, and a master's degree in Special Education. She also speaks three languages fluently. Mrs. Aboubakr enjoys spending time with her amazing kids and husband. Mrs. Aboubakr is very passionate about working with young students with disabilities and helping them gain the skills they need to become life long learners. She has always had a special place in her heart for working with children with disabilities. Mrs. Aboubakr firmly believes that great educators learn and grow with their students and is thankful for the opportunity to help young minds develop and flourish.

Mrs. Cai Special Education Teacher

Mrs. Cai is new to Coates this year as a first year teacher! She recently graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor's Degree in Religious Studies and a Master's Degree in Elementary and Special Education. She has worked with a variety of grade levels ranging from K - 8th grade in both the general and special education settings. She also has experience working at Jill's House, a non-profit organization providing respite care to families of children with intellectual disabilities; this is what brought her into special education in the first place. When not at school, Mrs. Cai enjoys going on walks and taking film photos with her husband, grabbing coffee with friends, and eating good food with her family.

Mrs. Fechter Special Education Teacher

This is my sixth year at Coates Elementary School as a Special Education Teacher and my 20th year teaching. I am so excited to work with your children. I am originally from New York and graduated from Fordham University with a degree in Business Administration. I also received my Masters in Special Education from George Mason University. I have 3 kids: a son who is a senior at Virginia Tech, a daughter that will be attending Christopher Newport University, and another daughter starting High School. We keep busy with all of their activities and can often be found on a soccer field. I enjoy being at the beach as well as visiting family in New York. I am looking forward to a great year at Coates Elementary School.

Ms. Gazar Special Education Teacher

Ms.Gazar works as Special Education Teacher at Coates Elementary School. She Got her Master's degree in Sociology from the university of Aberdeen in Scotland(UK) and currently is a student at George Mason University to get her Master's in Special Education. She is originally from Iran and moved with her daughter to the US for better opportunities. She loves to work with students and believes teaching is a very rewarding job. She also published three books in Farsi/Persian (her home country language) and directed several short films!

Mrs. Nichols Special Education Teacher

Hello, my name is Lynn Nichols. I am a mother of five children and a grandmother of two beautiful grandsons. I was born in Newark, New Jersey. I graduated from Kean University in Union, New Jersey with a BA in Teacher of the Handicapped. I also attended Farleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey where I received the Orton-Gillingham Dyslexia Specialist Certificate. I have been a Special Education teacher for the past 23 years. I have a special place in my heart towards Coates Elementary School because I am one of the “original stars”. You can tell we have had a significant increase in our student enrollment by the placement of our many luxurious classroom cottages on our campus. My passions are being a life-long learner, reading, and gardening. Having taught in New Jersey and now in Virginia, I feel that the Virginia Public School System better prepares our children to be Strong Individuals, Bold Thinkers, and Collaborative Teammates.

Mrs. Nimishe Special Education Teacher

Mrs. Nimishe joined the Coates team in 2010. She started her teaching career as a Kindergarten Assistant at Coates while she was working on her Masters degree in Special Education from George Mason University. She earned her Masters degree in Microbiology from India. Mrs. Nimishe has worked with almost all grade levels at Coates. She is presently working with fifth grade. She actively volunteers at a local nonprofit spiritual organization. Mrs. Nimishe loves to sing, watch movies and attend musical concerts with her husband and their teenage son.

Ms. Rafat Special Education Teacher

Adrienne entered FCPS about 10 years ago, from where is originally from Philadelphia. She has a Masters degree in Special Education, as well has holding 3 teaching certificates. She enjoys cooking, travelling, and spending time with her family and her 2 chihuahuas. She looks forward to a great upcoming year!

Ms. Russel Special Education Teacher

This is Ms. Russell's first year at Coates ES. Ms. Russell graduated from James Madison University with her B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies and her Masters in Elementary General Education. She will complete her Special Education Certification from George Mason University this fall. Ms. Russell has worked with fourth grade students for the last two years at Fox Mill Elementary School. When not at school, Ms. Russell enjoys spending time at her family's lake house and time with family and friends, especially her nieces and nephew.

Ms. Sorrell Special Education Teacher

Ms. Sorrell has been a proud Coates Star since 2019 when she moved to Virginia from Michigan. She received her Bachelor's in Elementary Special Education from Central Michigan University. Ms. Sorrell has previously taught K-2 Enhanced AUT and had an exciting year teaching Kindergarten here at Coates last year. She is looking forward to returning to the Enhanced AUT program and working with students and families she knows from her previous years, as well as getting to know knew students and families! When not at school, Ms. Sorrell enjoys reading with a cup of coffee, yoga, and spending time with her friends and family.

Instructional Assistants

Ms. Baker Instructional Assistant

Marielle Baker is a new staff member at Coates Elementary. She is a recent graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio with a BS in Early Childhood Education and Intervention Specialization. She has been working as a teacher's assistant as well as a lead teacher at various Montessori schools in Herndon. In her free time she enjoys playing ukulele, spending time with her twin sister, getting involved in theatre, and baking (hence the surname).

Mrs. Barath Instructional Assistant

Mrs. Barath joined the Coates staff in December of 2011, as a special education Instructional assistant. Prior to that, she worked as an elementary school substitute teacher in India for two years. Mrs. Barath graduated from Manonmaniyum University in India with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology. She also enjoys teaching Sunday School at her church. She has a caring husband and two beautiful children, a son whose is a junior at Westfield HS and a girl in eighth grade at Rachel Carson! Mrs. Barath loves to visit her family in India during her summer break.

Mrs. Dasi Instructional Assistant

Mrs. Dasi is new to Coates ES but had been subbing at this school since 2013. She started teaching students with disabilities in 2010 back in India. She worked with students with multiple disabilities and Learning disabilities in both classroom and homebound environments. Mrs. Dasi holds a Master's Degree in General Education and a Bachelor's degree in Special Education from Osmania University, India.

Mrs. Elameen Instructional Assistant

Mrs.Elameen joined the Coates special education team in 2016.She started as a substitute teacher in Fairfax county public school for the past 5 years and she taught all elementary grade levels. She graduated in Accounting from Al Niline University in Sudan, and also holds a master's degree in Accounting from Strayer University, US. She is married and has 4 beautiful children, two of them students at Coates ES. She is a very positive and cheerful person who is willing to help others. She loves watching Arabic movies and music for relaxation. She often travels to her country to visit family with her kids.

Mrs. Raval Instructional Assistant

Mrs. Raval Joined the Coates Special Education team in 2015. Mrs. Raval has her undergraduate degree in Microbiology and post graduate in Computer Science. Mrs. Raval loves to engage students in learning activities. She especially likes to guide students as they access technology based activities. In her extra time she loves to read and spend time with her family.

Mrs. Rekha Instructional Assistant

Mrs.Rekha Satish Chandra joined Coates Elementary in 2019. She started working as a substitute teacher in various Fairfax county public schools since 2016, but always liked to work at Coates because of wonderful kids and friendly staff. She has majored in Fashion Designing from university of Mysore, India. In her free time she enjoys working out at the gym, doing yoga, going for a walk with her husband, spend time with her son and last but not least she loves to watch movies with her family.