OCSA Weekly Wrap - February 23, 2024

February 23, 2024

PROGRESS REPORTS

As a reminder, the first six-week progress report of the spring semester will be available on Aeries starting this coming Monday, February 26. To view your student’s progress report, click on the "Grades" tab in the left-hand menu and select "Grades" again from the drop-down menu. Progress reports can be printed under the “Report Card History” tab as well. Simply click on the blue-highlighted word "English" to display the progress report for printing.

Points to remember about progress reports:

Progress reports are a snapshot of your student’s achievement at a specific point in the semester and are not included on high school transcripts. Your student’s prospective college will not see these marks unless you provide them a copy of the progress report.
Plus and minus marks are used on progress reports to encourage students to continue a strong effort, they are not included with semester grades.
As a policy, grade changes are not made on progress reports unless there has been a clerical error on the part of the teacher.
OCSA does not mail home paper copies of progress reports, so please be sure to download and print a copy for your personal use and records.
The Aeries portal provides 24/7 parent/guardian and student access to progress reports, unofficial transcripts, immunization records, test scores, and other important information and documentation.

If you or your student have questions or concerns regarding your student’s grades, please do not hesitate to contact the teacher directly using their school email. If you have never accessed the Aeries portal or have forgotten your password, please contact our Tech Support Team at [email protected] for assistance.

The next progress report will be available for review on Friday, April 12.

PARENT ENGAGEMENT SURVEY

Parents/guardians: If you have not done so already, we would appreciate your feedback regarding parent engagement at OCSA. Please click here to complete the survey before Friday, March 1. We thank you in advance.

COURSE SELECTION FOR 2024-2025

Course selection presentations for the 2024-2025 school year are currently in progress with the school counselors. Please see below for the dates of the presentations, which take place in students’ Social Studies classes. Students select their courses in Aeries during the presentations; however, hard copies of the forms must also be turned in to The Dhanidina Family Student Services Office, Room 101, with a parent/guardian signature by the grade level deadline. Forms received after the deadline will be dated and receive lower priority for classes, especially electives. There is also an accompanying parent presentation via Zoom for each grade level, please see below for dates and click here at the appropriate time to join the presentation.

Rising Seniors: Presentations have concluded

Parent Presentation: TODAY, Friday, February 23 | 12-1 p.m.
Form Deadline: Friday, March 1

Rising Juniors: Tuesday, February 27 – Tuesday, March 5

Parent Presentation: Friday, March 8 | 12-1 p.m.
Form Deadline: Friday, March 15

Rising Sophomores: Tuesday, March 12 – Tuesday, March 19

Parent Presentation: Thursday, March 21 | 12-1 p.m.
Form Deadline: Friday, March 29

Rising Freshmen: Wednesday, March 20 – Tuesday, March 26

Parent Presentation: Thursday, March 28 | 12-1 p.m.
Form Deadline: Friday, April 12

Rising 8th Grade: Monday, April 8 – Friday, April 12

No Parent Presentation
Form Deadline: Coming soon

PERFORMING WITH THE PROS

We are thrilled to announce that, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Performing With The Pros, an anonymous donor had graciously sponsored tickets at half price. You can now see Performing With The Pros: The Greatest American Songbook at the Margaret A. Webb Theatre tonight, Friday, February 23 or tomorrow, Saturday, February 24 at 7 p.m. for only $25! Purchase your discounted tickets here. You don’t want to miss this phenomenal performance featuring our very own faculty members and nearly 100 students from seven conservatories for a journey through 100 years of American pop culture, exploring the songs, stories, and memories that we all share in the “Greatest American Songbook.” See you there!

LAST CALL FOR CAREER EXPO PANELISTS

OCSA’s second annual Career Expo will be held on Friday, March 22. In preparation, we are currently seeking panelists to help make this event a success. If you are an OCSA parent/guardian, alumni parent/student, or community member who would be interested in sharing your career experiences, please consider filling out this form today, Friday, February 23 by 11:59 p.m. Click here for more information and to review the career areas of interest. We greatly appreciate your interest in supporting our students as a potential panelist.

PSO DESIGN CONTEST CLOSING

Tomorrow is the last chance for students to submit their designs for PSO’s annual student planner design contest! All OCSA students are invited to submit a design for the front and back cover of the 2024-2025 Student Planner. Submissions will be accepted until tomorrow, Saturday, February 24, and the winning cover will be selected by vote of the OCSA student body in March. The winner will receive a $300 cash award and be featured on the 2024-2025 Student Planner debuting next fall during On-Campus Registration.

To enter and submit your artwork, please click here. To be considered, artwork must follow all Planner Design Specifications. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

STUDENT DESIGN CONTEST FOR APPAREL

Students: Help us create the next awesome piece of OCSA apparel! Now is the time to submit your design to be featured on the front of a t-shirt or sweatshirt in an upcoming schoolwide apparel sale. All conservatories and grade levels are welcome to enter. Be sure to submit your design through this form by Friday, March 1 at 11:59 p.m. Please review and follow all design guidelines listed on the Google Form before submitting your creative design. Stay tuned for a future newsletter notifying the OCSA community of how and when to vote for the winning design. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]. Good luck and happy designing!

GALA TABLE SPONSORSHIPS NOW AVAILABLE

The OCSA Foundation is pleased to announce that table sponsorships are now available for Gala 2024: New York State of Mind! We would be honored if you would join us to celebrate on Saturday, April 27 at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa for an unforgettable night under the twinkling Manhattan skyline. Click here to reserve your table, as you won’t want to miss this dazzling evening of artfully plated food, exciting giving opportunities, and Broadway-inspired performances in support of the talented student artists of OCSA. Individual tickets will be available in mid-March.

To learn more about Gala, please visit www.ocsarts.net/Gala. If you are interested in donating an item to be featured in the Gala Auction, please click here. All proceeds from this event will support the talented student artists in all of the school’s donation-dependent arts conservatory programs.

LATE REGISTRATION FOR AP EXAMS

If you have not yet registered for AP exams, late AP exam registration will continue to be available until Sunday, March 3. There will be an additional $40 fee for late registration. Click here to register and pay for AP exams. When ordering, we highly encourage both students and parents to be present to ensure that the correct exams are ordered. Please print and save your emailed receipt of payment for your records, as students may need it for future reference. All students currently enrolled in an AP class at OCSA are eligible to take the corresponding AP exam. Students are encouraged to register and pay only for those exams they are committed to taking.

2024 AP exams are scheduled to be administered over two weeks in May: Monday, May 6 – Friday, May 10 and Monday, May 13 – Friday, May 17. You may find the full AP testing schedule here. More information about AP exams can be found on our website at www.ocsarts.net/APHonors.

SENIOR DEADLINES

FAFSA Priority Deadline: Saturday, March 2

All seniors are mandated by the state of California to complete the FAFSA by Saturday, March 2. Click here to complete your application. If your student wishes to opt-out of the FAFSA application process, they must complete this opt-out form and return it to The Dhanidina Family Student Services Office in the Humanities Tower, Room 101, by Friday, March 1.

Seal of Biliteracy Deadline: Friday, March 1

Seniors who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in one or more world languages (in addition to English) have the opportunity to have the Seal of Biliteracy affixed to their diploma. Please click here to see the requirements and complete the application by Friday, March 1. No late applications will be accepted. Please direct any questions to [email protected].

Grad Night Tickets Deadline: Sunday, March 10

If you did not purchase Senior Package A or B or have not yet bought your single ticket to attend Grad Night, now is the time! Tickets are available on MySchoolBucks until Sunday, March 10. Grad Night is tentatively planned for Friday, June 7 through Saturday, June 8 at Disney California Adventure Park.

Additional Senior Information

For more details pertaining to the senior class, please refer to the Class of 2024 Senior Bulletin, and visit www.ocsarts.net/12thGrade to review other informational documents.

In addition, seniors and their parents/guardians will receive an OCSA Commencement Packet soon that will include detailed information about graduation. If you have questions after reading the above information, please email [email protected].

2024-2025 SCHOOL CALENDAR

Preparing for the next school year? The 2024-2025 school calendar is available for your future reference! Please click here to view the year-at-a-glance document for next school year.

Here is a brief summary of some important dates in the 2024-2025 school year:

First Day of School: Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Last Day of Fall Semester: Thursday, December 19, 2024
First Day of Spring Semester: Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Spring Break: Monday, March 31 – Friday, April 4, 2025
Last Day of School: Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Please make note of the dates above and use the linked calendar to make any needed future plans. While we do not anticipate making further changes, it is possible that dates may have to be adjusted based on factors outside of OCSA’s control. Stay tuned for the complete list of important dates for the 2024-2025 school year coming soon!