News - September 2020 RSS Feed

There are many challenges to reopening schools safely in the midst of a pandemic, with no playbook to guide us. Yet, Catholic schools have the unique opportunity to infuse joy back into their communities by centering their reopening on the love and hope of Jesus. At Holy Family Catholic School in Austin, Texas, our faculty and staff created the Joy Committee for that specific reason.

irthday to Sacred Heart Catholic School. Sacred Heart Catholic School opened its doors today on September 8, 1930, as a two-teacher school teaching six grades with 35 pupils. No one could have known how educationally, spiritually, and fulfilling this school would play a part in our community for many, many years to come. Sacred Heart Catholic School has truly overcome the toils of time and has shown their community a labor of hope, love, and faith.

I have been in Catholic education for more than 25 years, but the things I have lived and experienced this year have been incomparable. At the beginning of March, we planned and dreamed of our time off during Spring Break, only to find out that the break could get prolonged and could pose a disruption on our instruction.

Misty Poe serves as the superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Austin. For more than 25 years, Poe has been involved with Catholic schools serving as a teacher, dean of students, assistant principal and principal of Catholic schools in Austin. She also served as assistant superintendent of Catholic schools for six years prior to being appointed superintendent in 2017.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended education last spring. Summer was a time to adapt, and now, this fall, educators look forward to being with their students again, whether in person or online. “We are excited to return to campus,” said Misty Poe, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Austin. “We are excited to greet the students, and we are also moving cautiously to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, staff and families.”