Counseling Today December 2023
December 13, 2023
Here is your December CDH Counseling Department newsletter! We encourage you to follow us on Instagram for more regular reminders and updates.
Our counseling department is a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP), with CDH having earned RAMP status this year. 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
Course change requests for Trimester 2 are now done. Level changes may still occur, as advised by counselors or teachers.
The grief group is up and running, meeting on Tuesdays during Lunch/Flex. Walk-ins are welcome. Please contact Brother Michael Phipps with any questions.
A peer tutoring program is in place. Approximately 30 students are taking advantage of this opportunity already! Tutors are senior National Honors Society members. They are available before and after school, as well as during lunch/flex. Read further if you have any questions or would like to sign up.
Social media and online safety is often a concern for parents. But did you know that the average parent only spends 46 minutes talking about it throughout their child’s entire life (Online Safety Report by Kaspersky, 2019)?! Here is an article for some great tips, including how to talk to your child about online relationships, popular phone apps, leaving a digital footprint, and more.
Tele-health counseling is available to both CDH students and parents (for free!) through a partnership with Phoenix Counseling. Their availability is outside of school hours, including nights and weekends. Read further for more information about this resource and to sign up.
All CDH Students in AP Classes
For students enrolled in 2nd - 3rd trimester AP classes, join codes should have been used by now. Students are automatically registered to take the exam when they use the AP Classroom “Join Code,” provided by their AP teacher. If students want to drop or add an exam, please contact Thay Thao. Parents who received an email from their child’s school counselor regarding accommodations for AP Exams must respond to the email, making a request for accommodations, by December 21. AP exams will occur the first two weeks of May.
9th Grade
School counselors will be going into classrooms on January 11 to present a lesson about time management. More specific topics include procrastination, prioritization, and using calendars and planners.
9th Grade and 10th Grade
The 9th and 10th grade PreACT results are in. Please have your student pick up their score report in the counseling office.
9th Grade, 10th Grade and Transfer Students
9th graders, 10th graders, and transfer students of any grade are still able to sign up to have a “PFP” mentor. PFP stands for People Finding People and is a mentorship class that 16 seniors were selected to be a part of. Students who sign up for a PFP will match with one of the 16 seniors and have weekly to bi-weekly, one-on-one meetings. From difficult struggles to everyday life, students have the opportunity to talk to their mentor about anything they’d like! There’s still room: read more and sign up here!
College Counseling
Seniors
College Application Deadlines
A reminder to seniors that if you have not already done so, you must submit your CDH College Application Contract (“purple sheet”) to us as soon as possible. The Counseling staff will also be on Christmas break so we must have your requests for your supporting materials soon in order for us to meet a January 1 deadline.
“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 tri 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 with the subject line “Mid-Year Grade Reports for College Applications Class of 2024.”
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.
Juniors
This week 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
Chemical Health Counseling
For All Students
As the chemical health counselor for the school, Laura Esping meets with students who have received a violation to do an assessment of their current use and a plan moving forward. She is also available to talk and strategize a plan of action with students who are concerned about their chemical use or the use of a friend or family member. Her hours are normally Mondays and Fridays 9am - 1pm.
Ms. Esping also partners with professional agencies for chemical health programming each spring. Here is a list looking forward:
9th grade: Prevention Solutions by Hazelden on March 11 and 12
10th grade: Know the Truth by MN Teen Challenge on March 19
11th grade: Know the Truth by MN Teen Challenge on April 15
12th grade: Step Up Program by Augsburg College on April 24
Chemical Free Corner
Our chemical health counselor will continue to write articles regarding different topics each month. This month is about vaping and specifically the chemical Diacetyl. If you missed last month’s, click here to read about addiction factors. Click here to read October’s article regarding dopamine.
Diacetyl and Vaping
The more I read and study about vaping the more concerned I am that teens have no idea what they are doing to their lungs let alone their brain and heart. When we are young we think we will live forever and the risks we take are a rite of passage. But the consequences of vaping are alarming.
E-cigarettes, also called vape pens or vapes, are battery operated devices used to deliver nicotine, flavorings, and other additives to users via an aerosol. The vapor cloud produced may seem harmless, but it is not. It is not just water vapor. The chemicals in the heated liquid can be toxic and are linked to lung disease.
Just one of these damaging chemicals often found in vape devices is called diacetyl. It has a buttery taste and is used to flavor popcorn, caramel, potato chips and crackers. Factory workers in popcorn plants were getting sick from breathing it in. When diacetyl is inhaled it can scar the tiny sacs in the lungs, thickening and narrowing the airways. Therefore, teens who vape run the risk of developing “popcorn lung”.
While teens may perceive there to be some benefits to vaping (taking a break out of their day, taking some deep breaths, connecting with friends), it is important for them to know that these benefits can be obtained without a vape. The risks of vaping are serious and not worth it. Air is what belongs in our lungs. May we continue to breathe air and not aerosol.
If you are struggling with quitting vaping you are not alone. Support and understanding awaits you. Please reach out to take care of your lungs. Let us take in a breath of fresh air as opposed to stress air.
- Laura Esping, Chemical Health Counselor
Important Dates
December 21
For parents who received an email from their child’s school counselor regarding accommodations for AP Exams, this is the deadline to respond to the email, making a request for accommodations.
December 22 - January 7
Christmas break. Counselors will be out of the office.
Extra! Extra!
In case you missed it under the School Counseling section, here is the article regarding talking to your student about social media and online safety.