All Saints’ News

I don’t want to give away my age, but I was born right after the counterculture movement of the late 60’s. My mom and dad were high school sweethearts. My dad was a star football player, and my mom was on the drill team and into fashion. They evolved quickly with the times and ended up married and at Woodstock just a few years later. I was given the name Gurugian. Growing up with a name that is unusual and hard to pronounce was challenging. I was a shy child and it felt excruciating to be set apart as different.…

My daughter, Hazel, is graduating from high school. Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday that she was a student at All Saints’. My memory of her graduation from the Orange Room is one that lives on in my heart and mind. From the sound of her ringing the church bell to singing “I Am a Promise” with her class- mates, then as now, there were feelings of overwhelming joy and sadness. A children’s book called The Blur describes this feeling perfectly. The child is born, and the sleepless early days are a blur. At moments, like when…

The All Saints Episcopal Day School Board of Trustees recently formed an ad hoc committee focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). The ASEDS DEI Committee exists to advance the values of social justice, equity, and inclusion at our school. The Committee understands the following functions and actions as critical to supporting this mission: Reviewing and structuring our admissions process with the aspiration toward a membership that is proportionately demographically representative of Austin with respect to race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and disability Ensuring that ASEDS community culture is welcoming and as safe as possible to current and prospective members…

When I look back at my favorite family memories, nature’s soothing effects are often involved. My newborn daughter’s crying in the evenings turned to calm when we walked outside. My toddler son’s delight as he creatively piled leaves on the very patient cat who lived next door. Both kids dancing and singing in the rain. Overnight camping where the bickering stopped, and everyone was happy and entertained without the use of screens. Trips to the river where joyous hours slipped by while tubing, swimming, and observing frogs, birds, and fish. The latest educational research shows the benefits of outdoor learning…

As parents, we have the natural desire to protect our children. When they are babies and they cry, we pick them up and soothe them, telling them everything will be OK. As they get older, we may try to distract them with a favorite toy or fix their problem, so they feel better. Although these are natural parental urges, they may not help children learn to be resilient by accepting and moving through big feelings. Anger and sadness are part of life and learning to handle upset, helps us to be emotionally healthy and find more joy in life. Last…

Returning to school this fall has been challenging for everyone. I think we all felt like we had turned a corner and maybe we could get back to life as it was before the pandemic. When numbers were rising again, we knew what to do as a school to keep everyone safe. Though we’d made it through a year without a single case of COVID, there was an emotional toll. The long-term effects of pandemic life are more obvious in children as well. On a personal note, I lost both my father and grandfather this year. But you don’t have…