Counseling Today: One stop shop for counseling news - April 2026

Welcome to April! Please 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, take a look at our contact page on the school website to determine the best person to help address your needs.

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School Counseling

All CDH Students

Parent/Teacher Conferences are on Thursday, April 23rd from 2:00 - 6:00, fully virtual. Counselors are available for conferences.

Academic skills group
Need help with time management, study skills, or organization? An academic skills group is available. Our counseling staff offers this group during Flex. There are four different topics to choose from. You can attend all four or pick and choose which ones may be most beneficial for you. You can also do them in any order. Please check out the remaining schedule below, and see your counselor or Br. Michael if interested.

Goal Setting: April 21st, May 19th
Time Management: April 28th, May 26th
Organization: May 5th
Academic Strategies: April 14th, May 12th

The AP exams will take place the first two full weeks in May. Registration is now closed. Formatting of the exams is either fully digital or hybrid. There are no longer paper-only exams. If you have any questions, please email Peggy Mansur. The schedule is as follows:

WEEK 1	Morning 8a.m.	Afternoon 12p.m.
Monday, May 4	Biology*	Microeconomics*
Tuesday, May 5	Chemistry* and Human Geography	nited States Government and Politics
Wed, May 6	-	-
Thursday, May 7	-	African American Studies and Statistics*
Friday, May 8	United States History	Chinese Language and Culture
WEEK 2	Morning 8a.m.	Afternoon 12p.m.
Monday, May 11	Calculus AB* and Calculus BC*
Tuesday, May 12	French and Language and Culture*	Psychology
Wed, May 13	English Language and Composition	Physics C: Mechanics*
Thursday, May 14	Spanish Language and Culture*
Friday, May 15	Environmental Science	Computer Science A

All students should bring the following items with them:

• Student ID - make sure the lanyard is on and visible when checking in.
• Students should bring 2 sharpened #2 pencils with good erasers (non-mechanical) and/or 2 black or blue ink pens. These can be used with scratch paper, even if the exam is fully digital.
• An AP-approved calculator if their test requires or allows one.
• A watch (optional and cannot be a smart watch) to pace yourself
• A snack to eat and water to drink during the break if you’d like

Do NOT bring any of the following items:

• A backpack (leave it in locker room, classroom, or elsewhere)
• Any electronic device other than a permitted calculator (this includes a cell phone, smart watch, fitness band, headphones, camera, etc.)
• Textbooks, dictionaries, scratch paper, notes, or other aids
• Highlighter pens, colored pens or pencils, or correction fluid/tape
• Reading material

Juniors

ACT

Juniors took the ACT (no writing) on March 24th. Students who properly completed their online MyACT account will be able to view their scores online, some time in late Spring. Tuition accounts will be charged $58 per test.

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College Counseling

Sophomores & Juniors

CDH Education Fair

Our annual CDH Education Fair will take place on Monday, April 13th in the Joe Mauer Fieldhouse. Sophomores, Juniors, and families, are invited to come explore college options! This open house event will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 pm and a list of attending colleges will be available prior to the event. 

College admissions officers from the schools you are interested in will want your contact information in order to keep in touch. Please register your information ahead of time to create your personal barcode and make sharing your information with colleges quick and easy! This information will be emailed to you. 

Juniors

Junior Meetings

Now is your final chance to schedule a meeting for post-highschool planning with your student and their college counselor. Dates are available through April.

Students with last names A-K see Mitchell Reynolds: Sign up here 
Students with last names L-Z see Laura Nelson: Sign up here

CDH College Application Bootcamp

Dates for the College Bootcamp are Monday, August 3 - Thursday, August 6. This is for rising seniors looking to receive guided instruction on filling out college applications. Registration information was emailed out to juniors and parent(s)/guardian(s) in March. 

Seniors

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid 2026-2027) opened on October 1st. Start at www.fafsa.gov to create an account. This FAFSA uses your 2024 tax information. Feel free to contact Ms. Nelson or Mr. Reynolds with questions.

May 1st - College Decision Day

Seniors can wear college sweatshirts over their uniforms on Friday, May 1st to represent the college or university they will be attending this fall!

NCAA Recruited Student Athletes

You must request your final AMATEURISM CERTIFICATE from the NCAA Eligibility Center before you can be eligible to practice, compete and receive athletics aid in college. This is a quick but vital step in the process. Contact Mr. Brewer with any questions.

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Chemical Health Counseling

All Students

Prevention Solutions for 9th Grade, April 20 and April 21

We have invited prevention specialists from Prevention Solutions within the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation to work with our 9th graders Monday, April 20 and Tuesday April 21 during their Values classes. Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a non-profit organization that offers prevention and recovery solutions nationwide and across the entire continuum of care for youth and adults. Prevention Solutions provides alcohol, nicotine, and other drug education to schools and communities around the world. 

Two Hazelden Prevention Specialists will present a parents workshop, Monday April 20, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm in the Commons. The speakers will talk about stress, anxiety, perfectionism and motivation in parenting adolescents. These facilitators will offer support and guidance in helping your children enjoy a drug-free adolescence. All parents are invited.

Chemical Health Data

Last month, PEASE Academy, Step Up Program, and Know the Truth presented to the 10th graders, juniors, and seniors. Below are the survey results of what students thought of the presentations. We’re grateful for the impact these presentations have!

Chemical Health Corner

Handling Criticism

Getting feedback is a part of our lives. Sometimes it can feel painful. These uncomfortable feelings can lead people to seek solace in food, drink, nicotine, THC, etc. So what are some strategies to handle criticism whether it be constructive or not?

In their book Messages, authors Matthew McKay, Martha Davis and Patrick Fanning offer what to ask ourselves when we receive criticism:

We can ask: Do we agree? When we receive a critique with which we agree, we can acknowledge that the critic is right. No need for excuses: “Yes, I don’t have the report done that was due last week.”

For criticism that is nonconstructive we can practice what they call “clouding”. Clouding is when we find something in the critical comment to agree with, while inwardly sticking to our own point of view. We can do the following three things:

• Agree in part: “You’re right. I don’t have time for my friends right now.”
• Agree in probability: “You could be right…”
• Agree in principle: “You’re right, if I don’t study, I will fail my classes.”

We can remember that constructive criticism can help us improve and feedback can assist us in not making the same mistake again.

Catherine Ecton, a life coach who blogs on many thorny life issues offers this curated list of steps to take when criticism comes:

• Listen, breathe, delay your response.
• Consider the critic is trying to help.
• Calmly thank them if the feedback is useful.
• Try to not take it personally. A big one! The critique is about the task, not you as a person.
• Try to keep a learning mindset. There may be times when someone has a different perspective as to how you come across.
• State the criticism back to the critic. This acknowledges the problem and lets the critic know they are heard.
• Ask for details as to how to improve.

We can also ask ourselves whose opinion we value. Not everyone who gives feedback is qualified to do so. Discerning this can help us as we absorb our feedback.

Developing strategies to help navigate criticism is a worthwhile effort and a vital tool to have in our life “tool kit”!

Happy Spring!

Laura Esping, LADC
Chemical Health Counselor 
Cretin-Derham Hall

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Important Dates

April 13 - CDH Education Fair, 6:30-8:00pm
April 17 - Mid-Trimester grades due
April 20 - Hazelden Prevention Solutions in 9th grade classes, Hazelden Prevention Solutions parent workshop 6:00-7:30pm
April 21 - Hazelden Prevention Solutions in 9th grade classes
April 22 - Awards Ceremony
April 23 - Online parent/teacher conferences, 2:00-6:00pm
April 29 - 9:20am late start - Grandparent’s Day Mass
May 4 - 15 - AP exams (check specific exam schedule above)

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Counseling Data

March is complete! In the month of March we had 436 visits to the counseling office. March involved 2nd trimester final exams and the beginning of 3rd trimester classes. Due to these events, we had many walk-in visits for academic counseling and schedule changes, especially during lunch/flex.