Please be aware that next week there will be no conservatory on Thursday, October 31, in order for our students to fully celebrate Halloween! Thursday will be a Blue Day with an Extended Lunch. Please see the complete schedule below. 

Thursday, October 31

Block 1: 9-10:25 a.m.

Block 2: 10:35 a.m.-12 p.m.

Extended Lunch: 12-1:05 p.m.

Block 3: 1:05-2:30 p.m.



Please note that all rehearsals and school activities will conclude by 5 p.m. Campus will close at 5:30 p.m. so that all members of our school community can enjoy their Halloween night!

Additionally, on Friday, November 1 there will be no school for students and teachers. Happy Halloween!

We need your help TODAY, Friday, October 25, to cheer on OCSA's greatest athletic spectacle, dodgeball! Join us from 3-5 p.m. in The Callero Family Foundation Plaza (DMS Quad) as 14 OCSA student dodgeball teams battle it out to win the 2024 Dodgeball Championship title and trophy! The first game will start promptly at 3 p.m. This is a free event for all to attend. Food will be available for purchase. Click here to follow the live bracket tracker for the event. 

Don’t miss Granny's Sinister Sweets, OCSA's world-famous Halloween Maze, accompanied by the first-ever Halloween Festival, brought to you by the Arts & Enterprise, The Mekjian Family Culinary Arts & Hospitality, and the Production & Design Conservatories. Come out to the Container Lot next week on Tuesday, October 29 and Wednesday, October 30 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. for games, live entertainment, food trucks, and culinary treats. Then, enter the Scott & Charlotte Egan Studio Theatre to meet Granny – if you dare! Click here to purchase your tickets and reserve your spot for Granny's Sinister Sweets. For extra fun, make sure to follow @OCSA.AE and @OCSAPnD on Instagram to help them search for teachers and staff who have gone missing…

On Halloween this coming Thursday, October 31, students are welcome to compete in the Costume Contest, which will be held during Extended Lunch. Prizes will be awarded for five student categories: scariest, funniest, most creative, best cosplay, and best group. Student competitors must sign up in person on 10th Street by 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, October 31. Late entries will not be accepted. The winning costumes will be selected by our fantastic panel of teacher judges. 

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

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.

As a reminder, The Mekjian Family Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory’s upcoming ThrowDown Finale includes a thrilling virtual auction that is open to everyone. Please click here to access the auction before it closes this Sunday, October 27 at 3 p.m. You can also place a vote for your favorite ThrowDown team to get an advantage in the competition. Votes and donations must be placed prior to the start of the event on Saturday, October 26. All proceeds from the event and auction will benefit The Mekjian Family Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory.

As a reminder, the priority deadline for purchasing AP exams is this coming Sunday, October 27. All AP exams must be purchased through MySchoolBucks. AP exams purchased after this Sunday 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.

There are only a few days left to participate in this year’s annual wreath fundraiser hosted by The El-Erian Family Acting Conservatory! Halloween, Thursday, October 31, is the last day orders will be accepted, so don’t wait to make your purchases. 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!

Kick off the holiday season with cheer at several special Tree Lighting Ceremonies across Orange and Los Angeles Counties, featuring many of OCSA’s talented student artists. These exciting events are open to the public at no cost, with seating or standing room available on a first-come, first-served basis. Relax and enjoy as our singers, dancers, and musicians whisk you away on a magical musical tour to the North Pole! Please see the flyer below for show options.

The Popular Music Conservatory is excited to share their See’s Candy fundraiser! If you are interested in these irresistible gifts that are perfect for family, friends, teachers, or really anyone, click here to order now. Sales close at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, December 5. All proceeds will go to support the Popular Music Conservatory.

OCSA is pleased to announce a new and exciting partnership with the Metropolitan Opera of New York through their MET in HD Live in Schools initiative. As part of this program, our OCSA community will receive unlimited access to the Met Opera on Demand library, which features new and archival recordings, interviews and documentaries, and general information about the opera. Click here to gain access to the Met Opera on Demand and explore! Please use the following credentials. 

Username: HDSchools_OrangeCounty 

Password: 0nD3mand1!

For OCSA students wishing to transfer conservatories for fall 2025, applications are now available. Please click here to start the process. Students wishing to apply to a new conservatory must complete a conservatory transfer application and participate in a Conservatory Placement Activity for their desired conservatory (with the exception of the Arts & Enterprise Conservatory). The deadline to apply for a conservatory transfer for the 2025-2026 school year is Wednesday, January 15; however, we highly encourage transfer students to apply before this deadline as transfer results are sent out early. If the conservatory you are applying to has an in-person placement activity, it will take place in late January or February. If you have questions, please contact our Admissions Office at admissions@ocsarts.net.

Approaching Deadlines

Monday, October 28 – December 1 Deadlines for Transcript and Letter of Recommendation Requests 

Monday, November 18 – January 1 Deadlines for Transcript and Letter of Recommendation Requests 

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.

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

Last Day of Conservatory, First Semester: Thursday, December 12

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