What We Do
Guidance Services are designed to help you make the most of your educational, vocational, and personal opportunities. Guidance counselors are here to serve you as an individual.

Counseling is offered to assist you to make suitable decisions regarding educational and vocational plans, to deal with personal difficulties and to develop strengths that will enable you to live with yourself and others in positive and constructive ways. Your counselor can help you find additional assistance outside of school if necessary, and is a valuable source of information and referral.

You are encouraged to use the guidance services and to get to know your counselor well so that he or she may be of greater assistance to you.

Guidance Counselors

How to Make Use of Guidance Services
Counselors and other guidance personnel will call upon you individually concerning certain matters, which pertain to you. In addition, they will meet with you in groups of various sizes from 5 or 6 students, to one classroom at a time, or even to a whole class meeting when there is information you need to know. You should feel free to contact your counselor when you have any need for assistance.

You may make an appointment to meet with your counselor in one of several ways:

• Drop in to the Guidance Office before school, between classes, or after school and fill out an appointment request form.
• Fill out an appointment request form available from your homeroom teacher.

Since all counseling appointments occur during classroom or shop time, you must be sure to report to your classroom or shop first in order to show your appointment slip to your teacher before going to your guidance appointment.

Career Cruising

Career Cruising is an internet based career planning program. It allows students to explore various careers that match their interests, research job opportunities, develop portfolios, write resumes, and search for colleges/technical schools. Parents are invited to visit the web site at  http://www.careercruising.com/.  The User Name is Assabet, the Password is Valley. Counselors will continue to meet with students throughout the year to provide workshops on how to use this program for career planning. Students should update their Career Cruising portfolio periodically as this information is used by teachers/counselors when writing letters of recommendation and selecting students for various scholarships and awards.

Continuing Education Placement
The Guidance Office maintains information and service for students who are interested in continuing their education beyond high school at colleges and other post-secondary schools.

Tech Prep opportunities for earning college credit in high school can be explained by your counselor, and reference books and software are available as well. Students visiting college campuses during school days must have visits documented through the attendance clerk in the main office and must have verification from the college when they return from of the visit. Students planning on continuing their education are encouraged to work out a plan early in their high school years to assure the best possible preparation.

Group Counseling
The School Adjustment Counselor conducts a variety of counseling groups. Students who would benefit from a focus group and interaction with peers on a particular issue will be referred by the guidance counselor, through their TEAM, or by an administrator. In some instances, students may see an adjustment counselor on an individual basis.