Friday, November 6, 2020 VETERANS DAY AND NEXT FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE As communicated earlier, on Wednesday, November 11, the school will be closed in recognition of Veterans Day. Enjoy your day at home with your family! Please note, Friday, November 13 will be a BLUE DAY, with synchronous instruction for Blocks 1-3, to make up for the instructional time that would have occurred on Wednesday. Be sure to mark your calendars for this schedule change, and please remind your students to log in to their classes for attendance and instruction next Friday. SECOND SIX-WEEK PROGRESS REPORTS The second progress reports of the fall semester will be available for review beginning at 12 p.m. today, Friday, November 6, in the student/parent Aeries portal. To view the progress report, please log in to Aeries, click on the "Grades" tab, and select "Grades" from the pull-down menu. Points to remember about progress reports: • Progress reports are a snapshot of a student’s achievement at a specific point in the semester. • Plus and minus marks are used on progress reports to encourage students to continue a strong effort; they are not included with semester grades. • Progress report grades are not included on high school transcripts; your child’s prospective college will not see these marks unless you provide them a copy of the progress report. • As a policy, grade changes are not made for 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 records. If you or your child have questions or concerns regarding your child’s grades, please do not hesitate to contact the teacher directly using their school email. The Aeries portal provides parents and students 24/7 access to report cards, unofficial transcripts, immunization records, test scores, and other important information and documentation. Please note that if you have never accessed the Aeries portal, you may need to check with OCSA Tech Support for your verification code information. They can be reached at [email protected]. Fall semester report cards will be released in January. SPRING 2021 REMINDER We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the deadline to commit to the Virtual Learning Academy or Hybrid/In-Person Learning Academy for OCSA’s Spring 2021 Semester is next Friday, November 13. If your previous selection adequately represents your current preference, no further action is needed. If you would like to change your selection, please email OCSA Administration at [email protected]. To help you in making a determination that best suits your family’s needs, the OCSA Administrative Team provided an informational video presentation earlier this week that details the two academy options, student services and counseling, special services, health and safety procedures, the selection deadline, and more. If you have not yet had a chance to watch, please take this time to review its contents. Do you have remaining questions not addressed in the video presentation? Please submit them through this form as soon as possible. OCSA Administration will be reviewing all form submissions to develop a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, which will be sent out early next week. Thank you in advance for your questions. UPDATE: PSAT TO BE OFFERED AT OCSA Since our announcement last week, OCSA Administration was able to collaborate with the facilities team, and we are pleased to announce that the school WILL be able to administer the PSAT/NMSQT in a limited capacity on Tuesday, January 26. The test will be offered to 11th grade students only, in OCSA’s Center for the Arts. Registration for the PSAT/NMSQT will open at 8 a.m. on Thursday, November 12 in MySchoolBucks and will close at 9 p.m. on Monday, November 30. Due to social distancing guidelines and facility limitations, there will be only 100 spots available for registration. Once capacity has been reached, students will have the opportunity to be added to a waitlist. If more spots become available, students will be contacted about completing registration at that time. Thank you for your patience and understanding during these challenging times. Further details will be sent to registered students closer to the exam date. OCSA STAINLESS STEEL TUMBLERS The Ballet Folklórico Dance Conservatory fundraiser has been extended! Families now have until next Friday, November 13 to support the conservatory by purchasing a top-of-the-line, stainless steel, OCSA logo water bottle. Make sure your student has a stylish water bottle for when they return to campus or to show off their OCSA pride while on Zoom. The water bottles hold both hot and cold liquids and come in a range of sizes: 26 oz., 20 oz., and 12 oz. Get yours here. FEDERAL FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE LUNCH PROGRAM If you have not yet completed an application and believe that your family qualifies for the Federal Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Program, you may complete an application at www.myschoolapps.com/Application. Additional information is available on the OCSA website. If you have any questions, please contact Family Liaison Becky Parsons at [email protected] or 714.560.0900 ext. 5535. CAL GRANT VERIFICATION Attention senior parents/guardians: As we announced last week, OCSA has completed the required electronic upload of your senior’s grade point average (GPA) verification to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) for the Cal Grant. This step, along with your submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), puts your senior in consideration for a Cal Grant award. The Cal Grant is a California-specific financial aid allocation that does not need to be paid back. Grants are for students planning to attend a University of California, California State University, California Community College, qualifying independent career college, or technical school in California. Cal Grant gives funds to students who meet the GPA and parent income requirements and who plan to attend a qualifying California college. These funds do not pay for tuition, instead providing money for the expenses that go along with attending college. Check out the CSAC website at www.csac.ca.gov for more details, and please have your senior set up their WebGrants 4 Students account at mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov. Don’t forget to submit the FAFSA at www.studentaid.gov, a requirement for the Cal Grant, as well as for most college and university applications. INKBLOT AVAILABLE NOW We are pleased to announce that the 2019-2020 Inkblot is now available in a digital format! Originally set to debut at the end of last school year, Inkblot is finally here and represents the work of more than 50 artists and writers, like Racheal Kim (VA, '21), whose cover is shown below. This digital version is being offered at the reduced price of $8. (Contributors, please contact Inkblot for your free copy.) Click here to purchase Inkblot today, and thank you for your support of the Creative Writing Conservatory! DRAGON KIM FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM OCSA invites rising leaders in grades 9-12 to apply for The Dragon Kim Foundation Fellowship Program. The Dragon Kim Foundation (DKF) awards high school students up to $5,000 in seed funding for socially minded enterprises that serve their communities. Ambassadors from DKF, along with Fellowship Program alumni, are holding virtual inspiration sessions through December to help interested students generate business ideas. No previous experience is required, and the application is free! This is a fantastic way for high school students to earn volunteer hours while serving in a way that is unique to their passions. The application window will remain open until Sunday, January 10. Please email [email protected] for more information. Additional resources are listed below: • Learn more about the Fellowship and apply for a Fellowship. • Attend a virtual inspiration session to meet the DKF team and develop a project idea. • Watch a previous project. • See what the 2020 cohort did! IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES Veterans Day (School Closed): Wednesday, November 11 Thanksgiving Break (School Closed): Monday, November 23 - Friday, November 27 1st Semester Final Exams (No Conservatory): Monday, December 14 - Thursday, December 17 Teacher Planning Day (No School): Friday, December 18 View Complete List of 2020-2021 Important Dates UPCOMING VIRTUAL PERFORMANCES For more information, please visit www.ocsarts.net/BoxOffice. .