P.O. Box 3013, 2 Ridley Road St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 7C3 Canada - +1 905-684-1889
.jpg?command_1=resize&width_1=2543&height_1=1240 "A Culture of Wellbeing")
At Ridley, we believe the primary aim of education is the cultivation of human flourishing.
As such, wellbeing is at the heart of our school’s approach to learning. Young people are growing up in an increasingly complex world, and we believe it is both our privilege and responsibility to ensure Ridleians are equipped with the habits and strategies they’ll need to overcome life’s unexpected twists and turns; to build fulfilment, purpose, and achievement in their lives.
Ridley College is a leader in positive education and wellbeing education. We want our students to ‘feel good and do good’ and our educators intentionally teach the habits of mind, body, and spirit so that students are primed for learning and success - now and long after graduation.
A schoolwide ‘culture of wellbeing’ is nurtured by all faculty and staff and supported by a number of key positions, including our Director of Wellbeing, our team of social-emotional counsellors, our faculty advisors, and our boarding pastoral care team.
At Ridley, we define 'flourishing' as PERMA-V, the human development theory developed by Dr. Martin Seligman. Each of the letters represent pillars of wellbeing that are foundational to everything we do at Ridley.
At Ridley, using the PERMA-V model, we celebrate and emphasize positive emotions; we ask our students to engage with their work and the world around them; we ask them to work on developing deep and meaningful relationships, to find meaning and purpose in their lives, and to achieve goals through cultivating and applying strengths and talents. Why? Because Ridley’s central mission, is to help our students discover what it takes to lead a flourishing life, not just in this community but in communities all over the world, far beyond our gates.
We believe that to flourish is to find fulfillment in our lives.
In the PERMA-V model, ‘V’ stands for ‘vitality,’ which encourages students to become educated, value and manage their nutrition, sleep and stress inside their active lifestyle. Each component of vitality contributes to finding balance and are essential to our students' wellbeing.
As part of our commitment to wellbeing, we strive to ensure each student is active every day. Our approach, based on the LTAD model, sees children develop fundamental movement skills that supports them in becoming active for life.
A number of achievements and a selection of other offerings demonstrate Ridley’s commitment to wellbeing:
1st Canadian independent school to commit to student flourishing into its strategic mission and vision
2 year fellowship with Dr. Lea Waters to further our understanding of wellbeing and establish a common language
Flourishing virtual course launched for Upper School students
Collaborates with leading experts and school leaders to establish the Wellbeing Education Network (WEN) to share research and resources with independent schools across the country
The first school in Canada to reshape its academic schedule around the neuroscience of wellbeing and learning
First Visible Wellbeing Foundational School in North America
Partnered with the University of Waterloo and Brock University to research the contexts impacting student wellbeing
Top Visible Wellbeing School in the K-12 category at the 2021 International Visible Wellbeing Summit
Utilizes data from FlourishDx to support student self- advocacy for wellbeing.
Prominence and partnerships with International Positive Education Network (IPEN), International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) and the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Wellbeing Science (CWS)
