2008 heralds new directions for me – and I have had a wonderful start at St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill here in Sydney.
Joey’s is a wonderful school with an imporant history amongst our Sydney schools, and is exemplified by a strong academic and sporting tradition. A ‘joeys boy’ remains a ‘joeys boy’ for life, due partly to the boarding school environment and partly to the Marist community of learners.
A recent twitter question asked me “what is Marist?”
As a Marist School, St Joseph’s College derives its charism from the founder of the Marist Brothers, Saint Marcellin Champagnat (1789 – 1840). A priest of the Society of Mary, St Marcellin was a man of warm personality, deep faith and great vision. The Christian education of youth, particularly those of rural areas, was his first love, following the terrible religious persecutions of the French Revolution. That is why he founded the Marist Brothers in 1817 at La Valla, a little village in the Loire region of France. Marcellin’s pastoral approach to students epitomises the daily work at the college and drives the values of this community of learners
“WE MUST LOVE THEM AND LOVE THEM ALL EQUALLY.”
Like many schools, St Joseph’s College is also undergoing a transformation in e-learning.
As Head Library & Information Services I’m looking after the Resources Centre and its team, where we will focus on literature, literacy, research and a strong integration of e-learning initiatives. We are going to undergo something of a transformation starting this year and into the future – and this journey of change will become part of my blogging narrative. There may be something in our journey that inspires your own adjustments to the exciting demands of 21st century learning.
Hear are some images of the outside entrance area of the Resource Centre.
Some day the inside will look equally magical!
Walkway to the Brother Ligouri Resource Centre
Standing at the front foyer, looking out to the school
Looking at the same view on the left as you approach the Centre
…..And the view from the right as you approach the Centre
judyoconnell.com 
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Nice one Jude… hope you’re not stuck inside all day with such a beautiful exterior!
Hi Judy,
Congrats on the new journey you’re taking at Joey’s. I’m using up all my courage for the year in moving from Year 4 (where I’ve been for 5 years!) to Year 1.
Obviously the entrance to your new workplace is beautiful. What’s more, I’m sure you will, as you have promised, do your best to ensure the inside is equally magical. I look forward to seeing pics of the inside as you move forward.
Another thing that impressed me was the centre’s opening hours. I hit the Joey’s website and saw the times – better than the library at my old uni! Sounds like a resource centre that already has the potential to embrace 24/7 learning!
Good luck with it all!
I also like Chris’ comment on the learning relationship that makes Marist education unique. My new class has 9 girls and 15 boys (the other Year 1 classes are similar), and it sounds like a philosophy that could really help me connect with that large cohort of boys.
Looks wonderful Jude
Hooray Jude! Great to hear you’ve had a good start in your new gig, and wow.. what a gorgeous place to work!
Can’t wait to read and hear about the magical, amazingness you are going to create inside! 😉
And I thought we were lucky to have one of those HGTV koi ponds in our middle school atrium. What you have is tremendous. What a way to start each day!
What a beautiful, peaceful, calming yet inviting entrance to your resource centre! It must be a joy to both work, learn and share there. All the best for the start of the school year.
Beautiful… it’s a lovely school. As an ex-Marist boy myself I can vouch for both the strength and the gentleness of the Marist way of doing things. I once asked a friend of mine, a Marist brother, what exactly was the “Marist way”, and how did it differ from the educational approach taken by other orders of brothers, such as the Christian Brothers or the De La salle Brothers… he explained it like this…
“Most teaching orders tend to think of the relationship between a teacher and the student as one of Master and Apprentice, in that the teacher has the knowledge that is being passed along to the eager learner. The Marist approach is to treat that relationship as not one of Mast/Apprentice, but of Big Brother/Little Brother.”
I like that way of thinking about the relationship, as it implies that there is far more than just knowledge transfer taking place… it also involves trust, respect, wisdom and love.
Not a bad recipe for a learning environment.