P.O. Box 3013, 2 Ridley Road St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 7C3 Canada - +1 905-684-1889
At Ridley, our community's health, safety and wellness is our highest priority — physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Ridley’s team of health professionals, including our social and emotional counsellors, complete our holistic circle of care, providing a range of customized supports accommodated to each student’s specific needs. On this page, you will find information about the various ways — as well as the channels, platforms, and individuals we employ — to keep our community healthy, safe, and active.
Please plan ahead and upload your child's medical information to meet our August 15th, 2025 deadline.
Using August Schools, Ridley College can easily collect and manage important health information to keep your child safe, including immunization records, allergy tracking, consent forms, permission slips and more. It also enables us to respond quickly in the event of an emergency, send students’ medical records to healthcare providers with maximum efficiency, and notify emergency contacts.
As your child's legal parent or guardian, you must complete the health forms listed on your August Schools account, including uploading copies of immunization records and proof of domestic insurance (if applicable).
August Schools is the school's secure electronic medical record system. Families can log into August Schools through their TigerNET account. Please note that only the parent's account can access August Schools.
Your login credentials for TigerNET are your email and chosen password from when you completed your application to Ridley College.
If you require assistance retrieving your login credentials for TigerNET, please contact [email protected] in the Business Office.
You must provide proof of a valid (non-expired) Provincial or Territorial health card through August Schools by August 15th.
Families who do not provide proof of a valid domestic health card by August 15th will automatically be enrolled in the international health insurance plan. The payment for the insurance plan will be added to your family's account in the first few months of the school year.
Your child will automatically be enrolled in our international insurance plan. Enrollment in the international plan is mandatory regardless of any other insurance coverage purchased by your family. This insurance plan closely mimics the Ontario Health Care System coverage with some additional benefits.
The international insurance plan is offered through Guard.me. Starting September 1st, you can log into your account at guard.me/ridleycollege to access your child's policy details, including proof of insurance, wallet card, claim submission and tracking.
In early September, parents of students in JK to Grade 6 will receive an email with their login credentials, while students in Grades 7 to 12 will receive their login credentials through their school email accounts.
We encourage students and parents to access Guard.me’s online portal for claim submissions, coverage questions, mobile doctor services, and more.
The international insurance plan will take effect on September 1st, 2025 and expire on August 31st, 2026.
Payment for the insurance plan will be applied to your family account in the first few months of the school year.
Students who are Canadian citizens who have been living abroad and are returning to Canada to live and attend Ridley College are eligible to apply for an Ontario Health card. If applying, you must inform the Health Centre before September 1st. Once notified, we will enroll your child in a three-month international health insurance plan to cover the required waiting period before the Ontario Health card becomes effective. If you do not inform us of your intent by September 1st, your child will be enrolled in a 365-day plan and may not be eligible for a refund. For complete eligibility requirements, visit the Ontario website. The health team can support you with making your child’s appointment at Service Canada and accompany them to the appointment as needed.
As an international school, we collect all students' vaccination records and submit them to our local public health office. All students must meet the Ontario Immunization of School Pupils Act. This means that your child may require additional vaccinations outside of your country's vaccination schedule.
Ridley accepts a Statement of Conscience or Religious Beliefs Process for children who have not received some or all vaccinations because of philosophical or religious beliefs.
Parents who are considering a non-medical vaccine exemption must have proper documents on file with Niagara Region Public Health as per the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA). Mandatory documents now include a Vaccine Education Certificate, which is obtained once you (the parent or guardian) have watched a mandatory vaccine education module, available only at our local public health office.
1. Call Niagara Region Public Health at 905-688-8248 ext. 7425 to book your education session with the Public Health Nurse.
2. Complete the form and have it signed and stamped by the Commissioner of Oath, Notary Public, or Justice of Peace. A Commissioner of Oath is available at the Niagara Region Headquarters by appointment only at 905-685-4225 ext. 3224. This is a free service.
3. Give the Niagara Region Public Health office the original exemption form. A copy of these documents will be attached to your child's immunization record at Public Health. It is your responsibility to keep a copy for your records.
At Ridley, we are committed to providing all children with a safe, inclusive environment. In common with most other schools, we have several children with peanut and tree nuts (hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, etc) allergies. We do not describe the school as ‘Nut Free’ because we can’t guarantee that students or adults have not brought nuts, or traces of nuts, into the buildings on campus.
At Ridley, the health and wellbeing of our community is our top priority. The Schmon Health and Wellness Centre is our purpose-built medical centre designed to keep our community healthy.
With thirteen beds, two doctor exam rooms and one nurse exam room, our staff is equipped to provide high-quality, on-site medical care to all members of our community. A Registered Practical Nurse is on-site during hours of operation and on-call when the Health Centre is closed. Physicians hold on-site clinics four days a week and are available on-call 24 hours a day. School physicians and nurses work closely with other school professionals to meet the health, development and educational needs of our students.
All Ridley staff and faculty are trained in CPR and first aid every two years. Defibrillators are located throughout our facilities in case of emergency. Our Health Centre professionals also work closely with the Niagara Health System and the St. Catharines Hospital, which is located just two kilometres from campus.
To learn more about our Health Services, Social-Emotional Counselling, and Athletic Therapy programmes, please visit our Health, Safety, and Wellness page.
