Welcome to the

Bethesda Elementary Guidance Page!

About the counselor:

My name is April Lee. I graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2007 with a Master’s degree in School Counseling. It is my passion to teach, love, and advocate for children! I have a daughter of my own that is the light of my life. When I’m not working, I enjoy reading, cooking, walking in the park, and shopping.

About the counseling program:

School counselors have many roles in the school system. They serve students, teachers, and parents in many ways. At Bethesda, your child will see my smiling face daily in the hallways! Part of my job as a school counselor is to teach Williamson County’s school counseling curriculum to all students. I teach this curriculum to your child during their library specials time. (I share the library’s classroom.) This curriculum includes topics such as friendship skills, study skills, bullying, drug/alcohol abuse, career exploration, etc. These topics are taught to all grade levels on an age-appropriate level. Please see my website for more information.

In addition to teaching the students, I get to know them during class and they get to know me. This is an important part of being a counselor. I need the kids to know who I am so that if a time comes where they need someone to talk to, they will be comfortable with me. Another way I serve the students and the parents is by meeting with students on an individual basis. Any student can come to talk, any parent can call or email me and ask me to see their child, and any teacher can request that I check in with a student. Issues that I often work with children on are divorcing parents, hard time making friends, new at school, death in the family, academic issues, etc. Please let me know if I can assist your child in this or any way.

Group counseling is also available for students at Bethesda. I have groups of students (3-6 usually) meet in my office weekly or bi-weekly to talk about an issue that all of the students may be dealing with. The students help each other just as much as I help them! These groups usually last about 30-45 minutes and for 6-8 weeks. In order for a student to participate in one of these groups, information would be sent home and a permission slip must be signed by a parent. These groups are held throughout the year on a variety of topics depending on my schedule. Please email or call for more details.

As a counselor, I want to know your child. I want to help your child develop in all areas: personal/social, academic, and career. Part of doing that is to teach the guidance curriculum and see the students individually or in groups. Another key piece is being the GEIT coordinator. General Education Intervention Team (GEIT) meetings are held on an as-needed basis. As a part of this team, I with administrators, teachers, and other staff to help gather information to help students and parents have the most successful experience possible here at Bethesda. I also am the testing coordinator for Bethesda. I coordinate the TCAP writing and TCAP comprehensive exams.

I am privileged to be the school counselor at Bethesda Elementary. I work very closely with the staff and students and look forward to working with you parents as well! Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you by calling me at 472-4201 (x4947) or emailing me at aprill@wcs.edu.