This is the busiest time of the school year, so it is no surprise that we have plenty of positive news to share from all over the Orcutt Union School District:
          March 19 brought the annual North County Mathematics Super Bowl, an event for grades 4-6 students that our district is proud to host. This year’s event was attended by 17 local schools and included an individual math test, a team test, and a hands-on engineering task (students worked in grade-level groups to construct towers from pipe cleaners and index cards). Our own Pine Grove School and Joe Nightingale School finished 1-2 overall – well done, everyone! …
          Another fun curriculum competition is the annual OUSD Battle of the Books, which took place March 29. The Battle has teams from our elementary schools answering questions about books they had read from a special reading list. Joe Nightingale’s contingent of readers emerged victorious. …
          Speaking of Battle of the Books, heartfelt thanks to lead media specialist Kara Lane, who once again organized the event and served as emcee. She is retiring after this year – we appreciate all of your hard work over the years to promote reading and literacy, Mrs. Lane! …
In another Battle of the Books note, Orcutt Junior High School finished second overall in a local Battle competition for junior highs hosted by the Altrusa Club of Golden Valley. Proud of you, OJHS Mustang Readers! 
          Congratulations to OUSD trustee April Huckabey, who recently completed the California School Boards Association’s 40-hour Masters in Governance program! The course provides school board members a strong grounding in school governance, school finance, community relations, and many other key topics. …
          The Orcutt Children’s Arts Foundation held a very successful Masquerade Gala event on March 7. OCAF’s biggest fundraiser of the year gives strong support to arts offerings in our district – thank you to everyone who participated.
          On the subject of OCAF, its annual spring play for grades 4-8 will be staged later this month. The comedy “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales” is set to be performed on Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25. Everyone is welcome to attend, with tickets available at the OCAF website, www.orcuttarts.com. …
          Bravo, Orcutt Academy High School Theatre Arts! In March, the program treated audiences to five sensational performances of the disco-themed musical “Xanadu.” Teacher and director Michael Shaw has talented students both on stage and backstage. …
Students at our junior high schools have been enjoying – no, loving – periodic campus visits from an array of therapy dogs. We are so grateful to our friends from Love on a Leash Central Coast for making these visits happen.
          Enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year in our district has begun. Most new students are being registered for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten, but we are signing up students for grades 1-8 as well. Please note that the age eligibility window for TK now includes students who turn four on or before September 1, 2026. The enrollment process begins with online forms; to start the process, go to www.orcuttschools.net/enroll. For more information, see the flyer below or phone our Enrollment Office at 805-938-8946. …
                  Happy Spring to everyone at our schools and in our community!