We are excited to celebrate OCSA’s recent ranking as the #1 Best Charter High School in California for 2025 by Niche! This achievement would not have been possible without the support of our incredible parents/guardians, students, faculty, and staff. As a token of our appreciation, we invite all students and faculty/staff to join us for a sweet treat on 10th Street TODAY, Friday, October 11, after school! Parents/guardians: Please consider a slightly later pick-up time today to allow your student to take advantage of this celebratory treat!

Please click here to view all of OCSA’s impressive 2025 Niche rankings. If you have not already left a review for our school on Niche, we encourage you to do so! Every positive review will help OCSA's future rankings. To submit a review, please click here.

Next week is OCSA’s annual College Fair, held on Thursday, October 17 and Friday, October 18! We are excited to welcome our high school families to this FREE, comprehensive event with master classes, workshops, and representatives from various colleges to help our amazing students find the right postsecondary fit. Please click here for the full schedule of events.

High school students: Registration is now open to grades 9-12. Registration will close this coming Monday, October 14, so do not delay! Students who do not sign up by the deadline will not be able to attend their desired sessions. Please follow the steps below to register for College Fair 2024.

1. Click here to visit the College Fair website.
2. Click on “Register for College Fair Events Here,” and follow the steps to register.

High school parents/guardians: Due to space limitations, parents/guardians must sign up for the College Night Evening Sessions they wish to attend. Be sure to register here at your earliest convenience.

Additionally, during College Night on Thursday, October 17, food vendors will be on 10th Street from 4:30-6 p.m. should you wish to purchase dinner. We hope to see you there!

Throughout the fall semester, OCSA’s school counselors have been conducting classroom presentations that focus on grade-appropriate graduation requirements and post-high school preparation. Sophomore presentations are currently underway and will run until Wednesday, October 16. At the presentations, students are given an opportunity to complete a career interest quiz and work in Naviance, OCSA’s online college and career readiness tool. This program helps students hone their interests and research various career paths. Sophomores interested in further exploring this information can access the Career Assessment Portfolio in the Class of 2027 Google Classroom.

October is here, and it is almost time for OCSA’s Annual Halloween Bash! Students: If you are interested in competing in the costume contest, there are five student categories: scariest, funniest, most creative, best cosplay, and best group.

We would like to share the following do’s and don’ts, which can help as you plan your costume this month: 

Do:

• Respect people’s decision to participate or not participate in Halloween festivities.
• Make sure your costume doesn’t hinder your ability to learn or others' ability to learn.

Don’t:

• Bring toy guns or weapons to school. If your costume includes a replica or foam sword or staff, that is acceptable; however, please be aware that staff or administration may ask to see it and may stow it in their office if it is determined to be potentially dangerous.
• Engage in cultural appropriation or wear a costume that makes fun of a specific religion, race, ethnicity, cultural group, or gender. True appreciation comes in the form of learning about other cultures, befriending different people, going to museums, researching, and listening to others’ stories. Dressing up for one day of the year is not an appropriate demonstration of appreciation. Please stick to make-believe costumes, such as superheroes, zombies, aliens, vampires, book characters, and all things imaginative or creative.

The great Painted Pumpkin Auction is now under way! Starting today, Friday, October 11, you are invited to participate in this annual Visual Arts Conservatory fundraiser. Come to the Tower Lobby to view all the stunning faux pumpkins created by Visual Arts students and staff in a variety of styles. With over 50 different scary, creative, and beautiful pumpkins to choose from, there is sure to be a pumpkin for you to love! Bidding will be fierce for these sought-after pumpkins, so don’t delay! The auction will close on Friday, October 18 at 9 p.m. Click here to view the entire collection and make a bid today! If you are a winner, your pumpkin will be available for pick-up from the OCSA campus in time for Halloween festivities. Winners will receive an email with specific instructions.

Get in the spirit of the spooky season with the Terrifying Tales Short Story Contest! Students are encouraged to submit an original, OCSA-centered Halloween story now until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, October 23. Click here to read the contest guidelines and submit your “terror-ific” tale. The top three stories will be published on the OCSA blog and the first place winner will receive a special OCSA swag bag. Be sure to follow along on the @WeAreOCSA Instagram all month long for fun Halloween trivia, polls, fun facts, and much more!

The Arts & Enterprise and The Mekjian Family Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatories are looking for bands to perform at OC Rock for Kids on Thursday, February 27 and compete for an amazing grand prize! This is an off-campus event open to OCSA students from ALL conservatories. To apply, your band must attend one of the mandatory information meetings on Wednesday, October 23 or Thursday, October 24 in the Dance, Music, and Science Center (DMS), Room 101 during Lunch. Join the Google Classroom for more information.

Calling high school students from ALL conservatories: You are invited to audition for Gala 2025, held on Saturday, March 29 at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. Gala is OCSA’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and is looking for talented vocalists, dancers, and greeters to be a part of this special event! Auditions will take place on Wednesday, October 23. Click here for more information and to sign up to audition!

Mark your calendars, and get ready to cheer on the OCSA dodgeball teams as they dominate the court on Friday, October 25 from 3-5 p.m. in The Callero Family Foundation Plaza (DMS Quad). You will not want to miss this OCSA-famous event!

Please note that the Foodie Festival, presented by The Mekjian Family Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory, is only available for attendees of their ThrowDown Finale, which will take place on Saturday, October 26. We apologize for the previous mischaracterization of the Foodie Festival as being open to all.

If you would like to purchase a ticket to attend the ThrowDown Finale, please click here. All proceeds from the event will benefit The Mekjian Family Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory.

The El-Erian Family Acting Conservatory wreath fundraiser is in full swing! Now is the time to purchase your holiday evergreens in support of OCSA’s amazing student artists. This year, the Classical Voice, Commercial Dance, Creative Writing, Film & Television, Integrated Arts, and Musical Theatre Conservatories, as well as The Garn Family Jazz Studies Program, are also participating in this fundraiser! Click here to view all of the available evergreens, and click here to view Chanukah options. 

If you would like to support a particular student or conservatory, be sure to select the corresponding name from the drop-down menu under “Credit My Order To” at check out. Don’t miss out! The fundraiser will end on Thursday, October 31.

The priority deadline for purchasing AP exams is Sunday, October 27. All AP exams must be purchased through MySchoolBucks. Please note, AP exams purchased after Sunday, October 27 will incur a $40 late fee per exam. Sunday, March 2 is the deadline to purchase AP exams, without exception. 

If you need to cancel an exam for any reason, a full refund will be issued for exams that are canceled before Saturday, November 2. A partial refund and a $40 cancellation fee will be applied for exams that are canceled between Sunday, November 3 – Sunday, April 6. No refunds will be issued after Sunday, April 6. For more information, please visit www.ocsarts.net/APHonors.

We are still in need of mentors for this year’s Professional Mentorship Program. Professional mentors will be paired with interested juniors to help them explore career options and receive guidance about postsecondary opportunities. We try to pair as many students with mentors as possible. To view the list of needed fields, please click here. If you or someone you know might be willing to support one of our OCSA students this school year, please complete this Professional Mentor Interest Form. If you have any questions, please contact Director of Arts Enrichment Karen Rymar at karen.rymar@ocsarts.net.

Current students wishing to apply to a new conservatory for the 2025-2026 school year must complete a Conservatory Transfer Application, which will be available in mid-October. Students will also need to participate in the Conservatory Placement Activity for their desired new conservatory. In-person Conservatory Placement Activities will take place in January. Please stay tuned for more information once the application is live. If you have any questions, please contact OCSA Admissions at admissions@ocsarts.net.

Class Ring Distribution

Did you order a class ring or Senior Package A? Have you made your ring selection? If not, please click here to do so today. Keep in mind that a class ring takes 11 weeks to order, so make your selection now! Ring sizing with SoCalGrad will take place on Thursday, October 24 during Lunch. 

Please refer to the Class of 2025 Senior Bulletin for more details on important information and links regarding senior year. To review other informational documents relevant to the senior class, please visit www.ocsarts.net/12thGrade. If you have questions after reading the above information, please email student.services@ocsarts.net.

College Fair: Thursday, October 17 – Friday, October 18

Halloween (No Conservatory): Thursday, October 31

Non-Teacher/Non-Student Day (No School): Friday, November 1

Veterans Day (School Closed): Monday, November 11

Thanksgiving Break (School Closed): Monday, November 25 – Friday, November 29

For more information, please visit www.ocsarts.net/BoxOffice.