26 AUGUST 2017 ARCAD A NEWS By Michelle Donati-Grayman You’ve fulfilled the classroom shopping list, bought new clothes, shoes and have back-to- school night circled on your calendar. But what else can you do to setup your child for success this school year? We sat down with Nicole Packer, nationally board-certified kindergarten teacher from Hopi Elementary School and a 2016-2017 recipient of the Arcadia News Teachers We Love award, to uncover tips and tricks that can help parents prepare their kids to go back to the classroom this fall: AN: How can parents prepare their kids to go back to school? Packer: One of the most important things is to demonstrate excitement and a positive attitude. Also, establish a sleep and wake routine that correlates with the start time of school as it gets close to the first day of the new school year. AN: What helps a child be successful in the classroom? Packer: Help teach them basic organizational skills. For kindergarten, this would be making sure they have their backpack, lunch, water bottle. And not doing everything for them, but helping them understand that it is their responsibility to be prepared. My favorite kindergarten comment is “My mom forgot to put my folder in my backpack.” My response is “your mom has already been to kindergarten, now it is your turn and making sure you have your folder is your responsibility.” Obviously, they are five and I know they are going to forget things, but I think it is important to start those responsibilities when they are young. AN: How important is establishing a routine at home? Packer: Routines give children a sense of security and help them develop self- discipline. It can also help eliminate a potential power struggle. Establish a routine and try not to deviate from it. That can really throw kids off. AN: What’s the best way to prepare a child for the new responsibilities that come with a new school year? Packer: Be involved in your child’s education. Know what the expectations are for the upcoming grade level and add in some at home learning opportunities that will correlate with the curriculum. Do it in a fun way. Create an opportunity for discovery. AN: How can parents ensure their child will be successful with homework? Packer: For kindergarten, I believe strongly that children still need to be children. While homework reinforces and extends classroom learning, promotes responsibility and a good work ethic, it should not be done for more than 15 minutes in kindergarten. AN: If you could give parents of your new students one piece of advice, what would it be? Packer: Enjoy where your child is at this very moment. Time goes by so quickly and you don’t know what tomorrow holds. Be present and don’t blink. They will be heading to college before you know it.                 Nicole Packer was the December 2016 recipient of the Arcadia News Teacher’s We Love award. By Laura Cafiso A record-breaking event benefitting the community’s foster children took place in mid-July. Arizona Friends of Foster Children’s 5th Annual Backpack Drive scored big, collecting 6,000 backpacks stuffed with a variety of school supplies for the most vulnerable children. This generous display of community unites four nonprofits, local businesses and Phoenix residents to ensure foster children are outfitted with everything they need for the new school year. Edson Salas, the mastermind behind the event, remembers growing up poor in El Paso, Texas. His mom raised him, his two siblings and two cousins as a single parent on a meager salary. “As a kid, I remember going to backpack drives. I remember going to toy drives. I remember going to the food bank,” he said. He carried these memories with him when he moved to Phoenix in 2001, at 19 years old. Salas graduated from ASU and worked hard to find his professional niche. After four years as a realtor, he opened his own real estate business, Equity Executives Real Estate Group. Now married with his own family, he recognizes even more how those drives enhanced his childhood. “When I was old enough to realize that somebody was giving us this stuff - other people - I always knew that one day I would do the same thing,” he said. In 2012, Salas decided to rally support to collect backpacks, not yet knowing to whom the recipients would be. He just knew he needed to do this and called on everyone, from clients to neighbors to colleagues, to help. As donations came pouring in, he thought of providing the backpacks to children who weren’t in the limelight, who had yet to be “adopted” by any particular group. One of his friends, foster parent to five children, knew just the organization who could benefit: Arizona Friends of Foster Children (AFFCF). Since 1984, AFFCF has provided direct assistance to fulfill unmet needs of children in foster care in Arizona. The group provides money for tutoring, summer camp, extra-curricular lessons and many other opportunities for foster children. Arizona has one of the highest percentages of children in foster care in the nation. Every day in Arizona approximately 34 children enter the foster care system. “Most children come into foster care with little more than the clothes on their back or what they can carry in a trash bag,” according to AFFCF. Salas facilitated the event for the first three years with AFFCF as the beneficiary, but then recognized the opportunity to collaborate with other nonprofits serving the same demographic. Last year, he reached out to Arizona Helping Hands, Aid to Adoption of Special Kids (AASK), and Voices for Casa Children. Now they too assist with this mammoth operation and their foster children clients are beneficiaries. It’s easy to see Salas’ passion for his work, which enabled him to recruit not only other organizations but others in the business community, such as Executive Council Charities, to be a part of this event. His eyes light up when he talks about that first year distributing 450 backpacks to AFFCF families. “It was amazing. That’s always my favorite part...giving them out,” he said. From 450 at first to 6,000 this year is truly scaling up and creating a giving legacy. Salas, a highly successful realtor and AFFCF board member, never forgot where he came from and how he was helped. As Arizona’s most vulnerable children receive their backpacks – and an increased chance for success in school – Salas is surely planting the seed in another young mind to pay it forward for the next generation. 5th annual drive collects 6,000 backpacks for foster kids Edson Salas (middle, hat), stands with his family and a staff member during Arizona Friends of Foster Children’s 5th Annual Backpack Drive on July 15, where a record 6,000 backpacks were collected to help Arizona foster kids.