Guidance & Counseling

Orientation Day
Guidance counselors host an orientation day each spring for incoming 7th-grade students. Sixth graders from all four towns (Petersham, New Salem, Orange, Wendell) as well as students from private schools within the district and their teachers, experience our middle school programming during a school day. Students follow a shortened schedule, visiting middle school classrooms with a student tour guide, in order to orient themselves to the building and learn about Mahar’s middle school classes and extracurricular activities. 

6th-Grade Parent Night
Counselors host a sixth-grade parent night at which students and their parents/guardians get an in-depth introduction to our middle school programming, curriculum, and scheduling processes.

Parent/Student Tours
A week or so preceding each school year, incoming 7th graders attend a parent/student tour at Mahar, giving them an opportunity to tour the school with the student’s actual schedule in hand. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity and allow students to alleviate pre-7th-grade jitters by exploring the classrooms in which they will be spending most of their time in the following weeks.

Eighth graders participate in peer group activities and trips. The following are some of the things our guidance counselors sponsor:

• Peer Mediation
• Career Exploration
• Monty Tech Tour
• Franklin County Tech Tour

Homework can be a valuable educational tool. Students can apply newly learned knowledge and strengthen already acquired skills. Doing homework also helps students develop time management and organizational skills.

Our middle school students follow these guidelines:

• Students receive approximately 20 minutes of homework for each class per night, Monday through Thursday.
• Students do not receive assigned homework over Thanksgiving, holiday, winter, and spring breaks.
• All homework assignments are due the following day that the class meets.
• Teachers are available after school from 2:10 to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• An after-school homework club is available to all students.

Please read more about the homework guidelines and expectations for middle school students.

To help with the transition from middle to high school and to help students prepare for success, our counselors sponsor the following:

• 9th Grade Tours
• Peer Mediation
• Scheduling Night
• The 4-Year Plan - Counseling Discussion

A lot is happening during a student’s sophomore year. Check out some of the following ways our guidance counselors help:

• Career Exploration
• College Admission Test Workshop
• Aspire Testing
• Post-Aspire Workshop
• Training Active Bystanders (TAB)
• PSAT Sign-Up

We’re here to help our juniors get closer to their post high school, college, and career goals. It’s all about being prepared. Let us help you.

• Pre-PSAT/SAT Workshop
• PSAT
• Naviance & Post-Secondary Planning
• ASVAB
• Post-PSAT Workshop/College Board Quickstart
• NACAC College Fair
• MWCC Symposium
• Construction Engineering Field Trip
• Post-Secondary Planning Workshop
• College Admissions Night
• Individual Student Meetings
• Training Active Bystanders (TAB)

R.C. Mahar seniors are ready to finalize some of their decisions for college and beyond. There’s a lot to do; our counselors are ready for you. Let’s meet to review your goals. The following are other ways we strive to be of services to our students.

• NEACAC College Fair at MWCC
• Financial Aid Night
• College Admissions Workshop
• College Representative Visits
• ASVAB
• Scholarship Workshop
• College Support Services Field Trip
• GCC/MWCCC Decision Day
• Individual Student Meetings