Counseling

Welcome to NDHS Counseling

The Notre Dame High School Counseling Department is part of a community based on Holy Cross values of achievement, service, and respect.


Our mission is to develop self-awareness, critical thinking and responsibility, as well as to encourage continued growth in these areas throughout life. We believe that this mission is a partnership between students, parents, counselors, teachers, and administrators, and results in helping students reach their individual potential in academics, service and the social areas of their lives.

News from the Counseling Office

List of 7 items.

  • Mark Your Calendars

    • Wednesday, April 27, 8:30 a.m: Joint Senior and Junior Parent Coffee FAQ (Virtual, link will be emailed)
  • Transcripts

    If you are in need of an additional transcript for scholarship programs, recruiters, coaches, NCAA, etc., you may access/download/print your unofficial transcript anytime from NetClassroom.
  • Parent Coffee Sessions

    Parent Coffee Sessions are optional sessions to allow parents to have the floor to ask questions and receive immediate feedback from the counselors in an informal, comfortable setting. There is no set agenda. Attendance is not mandatory, and parents may come/leave when they need to as their schedule allows. Check “Mark Your Calendars” (above) to see the details. If you are unable to attend and do have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's counselor directly - we are here to help! 
  • Attention Seniors

    Sunday, May 1, is the National Candidate Reply Deadline, and you must commit and deposit to one college or university by this date. While some schools have pushed this deadline to May 2, many have not, especially most UCs and CSUs. It is imperative that you adhere to your school’s deadline and deposit on time or risk losing your offer.

    Once you have committed and deposited to your ONE college or university, please let the other colleges where you were admitted know you will not be attending, as a courtesy to them and to your classmates who may be on waitlists at those schools. You can do this by declining the offer in your portal or by sending a short, simple email to the admissions office. Taking the time to do this could help a classmate to move off of a waitlist!  

    Seniors should also continue to update Naviance about college decisions and your final choice. A few weeks after graduation, the registrar will send a final transcript to the one college or university listed on the Naviance Graduation Survey. Please be sure you have indicated which college you are attending in Naviance, or contact your counselor if you need help.
  • Attention Juniors

    Notre Dame is partnering with Ethan Sawyer, The College Essay Guy, and Dr. Cynthia Colón this summer to offer you multiple workshops for college essays (Common Application Personal Statement and UC Personal Insight Questions). You are welcome to sign up for either or both session types.  Registration information will be provided to Junior families by their counselors. 

    The dates for College Essay Guy live webinars are as follows:
    • Personal Statement Boot Camp (May 30th-June 3rd)
    • Personal Statement Boot Camp (June 13th-June 17th)
    • Personal Statement Boot Camp (August 1st-August 5th)
    • How to Answer the UC Personal Insight Questions Boot Camp (August 15th-August 19th)
    More dates will be offered in the fall.

    The dates for Dr. Cynthia Colón’s in-person, on-campus workshops are as follows. You may choose to enroll in one of the following sessions: 
    • June 6th-10th, 9a.m. - 1p.m. (5 days)
    • August 7th-10th, 9a.m.-2p.m. (4 days)
  • Naviance

    We encourage students to make use of the Naviance College Exploration System. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors should take every opportunity to acquaint themselves with the extensive Naviance resources that are available, including career exploration tools and college choice management tools. Naviance also offers FREE SAT and ACT practice for those who plan to take the tests. Seniors should focus on researching schools and narrowing down their choices to a reasonable list of colleges to which they will apply this fall. 

    Seniors are required to update their Naviance account and complete the Graduation Survey by Friday, May 13 so that the counselors can finish up their year-end reports and ensure that transcripts are sent to the appropriate colleges on behalf of seniors. There are still several seniors who have not updated their accounts. Parents, please log in and check your child’s Naviance account to ensure all has been updated.
  • SAT/ACT Testing

    College Board has announced significant changes in the CollegeBoard testing programs: SAT Subjects tests and the SAT Optional Essay section are now both permanently discontinued. In addition, the SAT will move to an online format beginning Fall 2023. The Counseling Office is staying vigilant and monitoring changes to the testing landscape and will continue to update families as more details are released. Please stay tuned.
     
    Many universities continue to announce Test Optional or Test Blind policies for the next year and beyond, which is now over 1,800 colleges nationwide including UCs and Cal State Universities. It is important to note: while admission offices may inform these policies, test scores may still be an aspect of admission for selective universities, selective majors, or selective scholarships. 

Academic Counselors

List of 4 items.

  • Mrs. Martine Abdaem

    Director of Counseling
    Freshman Counselor
    Last names Sid-Z
    Sophomore Counselor
    Last names S-Z
    Junior Counselor
    Last names P-Z
    (818) 933-3643
    Full Bio
  • Mr. Bill Kearns

    Freshman Counselor 
    Last names Gel-Lie
    Sophomore Counselor
    Last names De-L
    Junior Counselor 
    Last names D-K
    (818) 933-3644
    Full Bio
  • Mrs. Jessica Lopez

    Freshman Counselor
    Last names Lil-Shr
    Sophomore Counselor
    Last names M-R
    Junior Counselor
    Last names Ko-O
    (818) 933-3695
    lopez@ndhs.org
    Full Bio
  • Mr. Maceo Willis

    Freshmen (2026):
    Last names A-Gar:
    Sophomores (2025):
    Last names A-Da
    Juniors (2024):
    Last names A-C:
    (818) 933-3647
    willis@ndhs.org
    Full Bio

College Counselors

List of 4 items.

Counseling Assistant

List of 1 items.

  • Ms Noemy Escobedo

    Counseling Assistant
    escobedo@ndhs.org

Registrar

List of 1 items.

Learning Specialist

List of 1 items.

  • Ms. Beth Moran

    Learning Specialist
    moran@ndhs.org

A College Preparatory School of Excellence

13645 Riverside Drive
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(818) 933-3600 Main Office
(818) 501-0507 Fax
mainoffice@ndhs.org

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Off-Campus Permits

attendance@ndhs.org
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