The Horizon

We acknowledge that we are on traditional territories in Alberta

of the many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit whose footsteps

have marked these lands since time immemorial.

As we move into April, we are entering the spring visit season, which is truly one of our favourite times of the year. We love connecting with our families and seeing firsthand the incredible learning taking place in your homes. These visits, along with our Celebrations of Learning, give us a meaningful opportunity to celebrate the growth, creativity, and dedication your children have shown throughout the year.

A reminder that applications for the 2026-2027 year are now open. We encourage families who plan to continue with us to complete their applications, and we always appreciate you sharing our program with others who may be interested.

For our Grade 12 families, please note that the deadline to confirm attendance at the graduation ceremony is April 15. Be sure to submit your response by this date so we can finalize our planning for this special event.

As well, we encourage families to begin submitting their Spring Resource Claims early. Submitting ahead of the deadline helps ensure your claims are processed smoothly and avoids any last-minute concerns.

Thank you, as always, for the care and commitment you bring to your home education programs. It is a privilege to work alongside you and share in the amazing learning happening every day.

Tracy Gilluley

Principal, ursa

Registration is now open for all students. If you plan to return to ursa but have not yet registered your students for the 2026-2027 school year, please complete your applications soon. This helps us know how many new students your Home Education Manager will be able to accept.

Thank you for being part of our school community and for your continued support.

Applications can be completed through your account on schoolcloud.ca. For detailed instructions, visit our website ursa Home Based Education and find the "Applying to ursa" section under either ursa Parent Directed or ursa Shared Responsibility.

Students who wish to take an option course for 1-3 credit courses may submit proposal until April 15, 2026. This is to ensure that your student has sufficient time to complete each course.

Portfolios for all courses are due by May 30, 2026. Any portfolios received after the deadline will be held for submission in Fall 2026 (Students must be registered with ursa for the 2026-2027 school year for us to grant credits next year.)

We are pleased to share that Summer School will be offered this year for students who wish to earn high school credits with the support of a teacher. Summer School provides a structured learning environment where students can focus on a single course while receiving guidance and instruction throughout the term.

Courses available from July 2–29 include English Language Arts 30-1, Mathematics 30-1, Mathematics 31, AP Math, Social Studies 30-1, Biology 30, Physics 30, and Chemistry 30.

Applications for Summer School will open in March. Additional details regarding course delivery, schedules, and expectations will be shared closer to the application date. We encourage families to consider this option for students looking to complete or upgrade high school credits over the summer months.

More information will be shared soon—please watch for upcoming announcements.

We always love celebrating with our students who are completing grade 12. Grad includes a meal, speeches, a slideshow, and a walk across the stage in cap and gown.

This year's celebration will be on June 19, 2026 at the Deerfoot Inn in Calgary. If you have indicated your plans to attend, please watch for further details to be sent by email.

Grad photos will be held on April 22, 2026 in Calgary. Students can also book open studio time in both Edmonton and Calgary. More details to follow.

Teen Hub offers an interactive online space, within a Kumospace platform, for grade 7-12 ursa students to meet for conversations, to share experiences, and make friends while supported and supervised by some of your HEMs. This is a nice opportunity for our students to meet and socialize with their peers from the ursa community.

Teen Hub meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 1-2:30pm. Contact Alisha abrignall@thirdschools.ca for more information.

Spring visits are underway. If you have not yet scheduled your appointment, please watch for instructions from your Home Education manager and set up a time as soon as possible.

Spring visits are a chance for ursa students to share things they have done or are working on this year, including reading, writing, art, science projects, photos, demonstrations, or anything else they are excited about.

We will also discuss the growth that you have observed in your children so far and answer any questions to help your students be successful over the rest of the year.

Thank-you to all students who shared their writing with us. We always love seeing your creativity.

Watch for the PDF version of the Short Story Collection which will be published soon.

The LYNX & ursa volleyball intramural club begins in mid April, tentatively running April 15 to June 17, with practices on Wednesdays from 12:45 to 1:45 pm at the East Calgary Campus (400 Prince of Peace Way NE). The volleyball club is for grade 5 to 12 students who want to practice their volleyball skills, and who may be interested in joining the Third Schools volleyball teams in the fall of 2026, and want to practice with the other players.

Contact Coach Jason Ash at jash@thirdschools.ca to join or find out more information. Some lower grades may be able to attend depending on demand and interest.

We are excited to invite you to our 4th Annual Celebration of Learning this spring! We love coming together as a community to celebrate the incredible learning, creativity, and adventures our students have experienced.

If you would like to attend, sign up for a table or performance, or if you’re interested in donating materials for our curriculum giveaway, please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/N5yYgr37xuzF7Z5G9

We are also looking for parent and student volunteers this year. We would love your help.

Our annual Celebration of Learning is a wonderful time to see what other students have been doing, make connections with other ursa families, and share in each student's successes.

Photos, posters, displays, dioramas, and all types of creations are welcome!

Please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/h4P55T241CgL5FhEA

We are excited about our new ursa Summer Study Camp, welcoming students from around the world.

Our student spotlight is a place where our students can share what they have been doing and what they are passionate about learning. If you would like to include art, poetry, short stories, video, articles, etc., in a future newsletter, please contact your HEM to let us know what you would like to submit.

Congratulations to Athena Cameron, who won first place in her district 4H competition, speaking about Alberta Buffalo, and went on to the regional competition in Lethbridge.

Léa is a grade 8 student who has been doing aerial circus for only a few years, but her abilities are already very impressive! Léa is a highly gifted athlete who works with hoops and silks.

The following video is from an aerial competition in the late summer.

Charlie is a young artist who used AI to combine his own drawing of the Tardis from Dr. Who with a photo to make himself into the Dr. in space.

Grade 10 ursa Shared Responsibility student, Adalynn, makes defying gravity look easy. Addy is spending over 15 hours each week training and coaching gymnastics in the bars, beam, floor and vault, and all of her hard work is really paying off! At a recent gymnastics competition, Addy place 4th out of over 270 competitors! Check out the video of her vault that earned her a score of 9.6 -WOW! In April she will be competing in the gymnastics provincials. Best of luck, Adalynn! ursa is cheering for you!

The Inclusion Alberta Family Conference happens yearly in Edmonton, and is a time when individuals with intellectual disabilities, their families, allies and support staff as well as those working in the disability and education fields to come together and learn to support the inclusion of children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

There are workshops and sessions on various disability-related topics on both Friday and Saturday, as well as evening events where you can socialize and connect with others on both nights.

Everyone is welcome

The Family Conference is for anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge and commitment to assisting children and adults with intellectual disabilities to live fully inclusive and meaningful lives in their communities!

Attendees come from all over Alberta, Canada and the world and include individuals with disabilities along with their families, allies and support staff, professionals working in disability-related fields as well as educators wanting to learn to meaningfully include children with disabilities in their classrooms and schools.