Transitions: High School Expectations and Opportunities
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The goal of Masconomet’s 9th Grade School Counseling Program is to help students transition from middle school to high school. School counselors provide a general overview of important information about high school and the role of each student’s counselor in supporting them over the four years of high school. Expectations, opportunities, and resources are shared and reinforced with all students.
Each year our program takes place at the end of the first quarter in November and consists of two parts: group classroom sessions and one-on-one counselor meetings. Topics covered in our classroom discussions include: comparison of middle school and high school expectations, graduation/college requirements, course selection, extracurricular involvement, time management/organization strategies and the importance of self-advocacy in navigating academic and personal challenges. Upon completion of the classroom sessions, students meet individually with their school counselor.
The focus of the individual meetings is to establish rapport and build the foundation for a four-year counseling relationship. Students are encouraged to share information about their families, hobbies, and extracurricular involvement. Counselors engage students in a reflection on their high school experience to date, problem-solve with them if there are any concerns, and help them think about goals for high school and discuss any future personal or career aspirations. Counselors make recommendations for ways that students can explore their interests further, which include ideas for elective courses, community service/work opportunities and club/extracurricular options.
All students at Masconomet have access to a Counselor Class on Blackboard. Here they can locate resources, such as the freshman resource guide that are discussed in the group sessions, and find additional information about academic requirements and extracurricular opportunities.