Scottsdale mom of 9 deals with start of school

Deedee Myers was one of a throng of parents taking care of the typical first-day-of-school errands Monday: Settling kids into classrooms, checking in with the nurse, taking care of lunch accounts.

And that's no small task, since her quadruplets started kindergarten the same day her twin daughters began first grade at the Scottsdale Unified School District's Tavan Elementary School.

Myers was calm and smiling once she dropped her kids off in their respective classrooms: Bryce, Ian, Rebecca and Scott Myers-Haeussler, all 4, and Molly and Kathleen Myers-Haeussler, 6.

Even with all her kids at school, Myers expected a busy day around the house because she runs her own business. But she already has her eyes toward the future.

"It's kind of scary because I keep thinking about college," Myers said.

The Myers-Haeussler kids were six of the 830 students principal Margaret Serna expected to see at Tavan the first day of school, up from 750 last year.

"Our neighborhood kids are starting to come back to Tavan," she said.

Serna was pleased with how smooth the first day was shaping up Monday morning, which she attributed to teachers, parents and students all being prepared to go back to class.

Myers' morning also went smoothly. Her kids were already in a routine of laying out their clothes and other things the night before, and were able to get ready quickly, she said.

All the kids were so excited about school that they wanted to leave the house an hour early, so Myers drove around with them for a while to kill time.

They'll give the bus a try later this week, Myers said.

"We're going to see if the bus transportation will negotiate a stop right in front of our house," she joked.

The twins' entrance into kindergarten wasn't Myers' first time as a Tavan parent. Seven of the couple's nine children have spent time at the school, and several foster kids also attended there.

And one older child is now a Tavan parent himself. Myers' 25-year-old son, Peter, and his wife, Brijet, dropped their daughter off for second grade on Monday.

Brijet's sister has two kids at Tavan, too.

"It's really more like a second home," Brijet Myers said. "Our daughter has so much family here now."

Peter and Brijet Myers each spent at least a year at Tavan during their own school careers. Both graduated from Arcadia High School.

"I've been to all kinds of schools - public, private, charter - and I'm a firm believer in public education," Peter Myers said as he put his arm around his mother and grinned. "Thanks, Mom."