Counseling Today - January 2024
January 15, 2025
Happy New Year! Read further for more information about what’s coming up this month. We also encourage you to follow us on Instagram for more regular reminders and updates.
We are proud to say that our counseling department is a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP), with CDH having earned RAMP status during the summer, 2023. We are the only private high school in Minnesota to have this designation. Feel free to read more about this great honor, what it took to earn, and what it means for our students!
If you need to contact us, please take a look at our contact page on the school website to determine the best person to help address your needs.
School Counseling
All CDH Students
Registration
Registration is coming up! School counselors are available to help with decision making, course explanations, credit checks and multi-year planning. Don’t hesitate to stop by.
Please note, 10th grade students will not be able to register until they meet with their school counselor and have their planned course selections approved by a counselor. This must be done prior to the 10th grade registration date of January 27th. Students may schedule an appointment time or come see their counselor on a walk-in basis.
2025/26 School Year Registration Timeline
Information distribution
- Wed, January 15: 10th and 11th Grade students will receive registration instructions during Flex in the theater.
- Thurs, January 16: 9th Grade students will receive registration instructions during Flex in theater
- January 17-24: Students should meet with their parents, counselor and teachers to discuss level/class recommendations. Please note, 10th grade students must meet with their counselor for schedule approval.
Registration
- Mon, January 27: 11th grade students will register during Flex 2 in the Theater.
- Mon, January 27: 10th grade students will register during Flex 1 in the Theater.
- Tues, January 28: 9th Grade students will register during Values.
- Fri, January 31: 9-11 Make-up registration with a counselor or Ms. Carroll.
Academic skills group
Need help with time management, study skills, or organization? An academic skills group is now available. Our counseling staff offers this group during Flex. Please see your counselor or Br. Michael if interested.
Grief and loss counseling
A grief and loss support group has also begun. This group is focused on supporting students through experiences of grief and loss, particularly when they lose a member of their immediate family. During the group, students will explore navigating the ebb and flow of grief, developing healthy coping avenues, and staying connected with support systems.
Days of the week: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Times: Flex 1 and/or Flex 2
Location: Br. Michael's Office (counseling office)
If interested, reach out to Br. Michael or your student’s school counselor
It’s almost mid-trimester!
Mid-trimester grades are due on January 17. Here are some resources to help with studying and doing well.
10th Grade
Registration
10th grade students will not be able to register for 24-25 classes until they meet with their school counselor. Students should see their counselor regarding this between Jan 15 and Jan 27. The purpose of this meeting is to look over the student’s registration plan and approve it or make changes, not to create a plan. Students should come to the meeting with their proposed classes for next year ready to present to their counselor.
AP Students
AP registration for year long and for 1st and 2nd Trimester only classes passed on November 4th. An exam can still be dropped or added between now and February 24, but for an additional $40 fee. AP classes that started in the 2nd Trimester have a registration/drop deadline of February 24 without an additional fee.
College Counseling
Juniors
Junior Meetings
In December we began individual meetings with juniors and their parents to discuss post-secondary planning. These meetings will continue through March. Be sure to sign up if you haven’t yet scheduled your meeting.
Students with last names A-K see Mitchell Reynolds: Sign up here
Students with last names L-Z see Laura Nelson: Sign up here
ACT
All juniors will take the ACT on March 25 unless choosing to opt out. While many colleges are now test-optional, we recommend having at least one score in case you end up needing it for a college, a specific major, or a scholarship. In order for a student to opt out, parents or guardians must email their approval to Ms. Shead. January 15 is the last day to opt-out. Students who do not take the exam will be expected to attend classes that day.
Also, parents who received an email from their student’s school counselor regarding accommodations for the ACT Exam must respond to the email, making a request for accommodations, by Wednesday, January 15. The ACT exams will occur at CDH on March 25.
Seniors
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid 2025-2026) opened on December 1. Start at www.fafsa.gov to create an account. This FAFSA uses your 2023 tax information. Feel free to contact Ms. Nelson or Mr. Reynolds with questions.
“Mid-Year” Reports
Colleges often require you to send a “mid-year” report of senior year grades. For CDH, our mid-year report is your first trimester senior year grades. If your colleges require this, you must email Mrs. Mansur in the Counseling Office and let her know that you want your first trimester grades sent to your colleges. The University of Minnesota will not take first trimester grades sent from Cretin-Derham Hall. You have to "self report" them in your application tracker. For more details, please see the email from Mrs. Mansur on Dec 9 with the subject line “Mid-Year Grade Reports for College Applications Class of 2025.”
Private Scholarships for College
Many private organizations offer scholarships (sometimes called “community” or “outside” scholarships) to students intending to go to college. CDH seniors can find private scholarship information on their Naviance accounts. When logged in, click on “Colleges”, then under “Scholarships & Money” you can click to search National Scholarships, College Specific Scholarships, and Scholarships that match your interests and qualifications.
Chemical Health Counseling
All Students - Chemical Free Corner
Mindfulness
At a recent food co-op visit, I stood watching olive oil pour into my container. I did nothing else but watch the steady stream. It suddenly dawned on me that this place of peace, being totally present in the moment, was what many chemical users so desperately seek: a place to forget and just be.
Practicing mindfulness can help us reach this place of centered calmness. Much has been written about mindfulness. I understand it basically as this:
Mindfulness allows us to focus on just the present moment. We ask ourselves
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What am I doing?
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What am I sensing physically in my body?
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What am I feeling on the inside?
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What is happening around me?
We have no opinions or judgment when answering these questions.
Operating solely out of our emotions, we can act impulsively. Operating solely from our rational mind, we can err on the side of being cold and calculated. Where these two states overlap however, is a state of wise mind, or mindfulness.
Other ways to access wise mind or a state of mindfulness:
- Step back and observe the big picture in a situation.
- Reach for an answer that comes from deep within.
- Follow your breath in and out.
What we are going for here is having a Teflon Mind, where everything slips off.
The next step is to put words to our observations:
- Describe what’s going on in your environment.
- Describe any sensations in your body.
- Describe any thoughts and feelings in your mind.
Participating in an activity fully is yet another way to practice mindfulness.
This could be cleaning, coloring, doing a puzzle, organizing a shelf, etc.
This next year, I plan to strive to practice doing one thing at a time (multi-tasking isn’t as effective as we think) and with full attention.
Happy New Year and on with a Mindful 2025!
Laura Esping
Chemical Health Counselor
Cretin-Derham Hall
Important Dates
January 15
10th and 11th graders receive registration information
January 16
9th graders receive registration information
January 17
Mid-Tri grades are due
January 20
No school
January 23
Parent/teacher conferences. Counselors are available for conferences.
January 24
No school
January 27
10th and 11th graders will register for 25-26 classes during Flex
January 28
9th graders will register for 25-26 classes during Values
Counseling Data
In the short yet busy month of December, we had at least 397 student visits to the counseling department. The majority of the students came during their lunch/flex time, at the beginning of the week, and on a walk-in basis. The college counselors also began their longer, junior post-secondary planning meetings, meaning we welcomed many parents and guardians into the building in December as well!
