Counseling Corner
Anna Johnson (K,2,4) & Jennifer Lee (1, 3, 5)
July 2021
Welcome back Wallabies!
Meet Your School Counselors!
Hello, West Lake Wallabies! I am delighted to be part of the West Lake team, and am excited to help each student become the best version of themselves! I came to North Carolina for college at Duke, and have happily called our beautiful state "home" ever since. My wonderful husband and I have been married for 25 years, and have five fantastic kids plus a son-in-law, ages 14 to 23. My husband and kids have always been Tar Heel fans, so they were thrilled when I went to UNC to earn my Masters in School Counseling! Now I figure I win no matter which team wins. :-) I enjoy spending time with family, working with young people, and always learning more. My dad was a great example to me of helping people, continual learning, and discovery; he gives me a great example for which to strive. Being a school counselor is the most natural extension of myself I can imagine, and I am thrilled to have a job where I truly enjoy coming to work each day and interacting with our amazing students, staff, and families!
Jennifer Lee
Hello, West Lake Wallabies! My name is Jennifer Lee and I am thrilled to be a part of the West Lake Team! I am originally from NY, however I have called our beautiful state of North Carolina my “home” since moving here in 2007. For as long as I can remember I wanted to work with young children. I graduated from SUNY Cortland with a Bachelor’s Degree in Childhood Education and taught first and second grade for 8 years. While teaching, I realized my true passion was to become a school counselor to advocate and empower children to recognize their strengths. In 2014, I received my Master’s Degree in School Counseling from NC State and I have been a school counselor for the last seven years. My husband Chris, and I have been married for 5 years and we have two beautiful 3 year old twins, named Connor and Julianna. They are the absolute joy of my life! When I am not working with young children as a school counselor my family and I love spending time outside, going to the beach, and cheering on our favorite sports teams...the UNC Tarheels and the SYRACUSE ORANGE!! I love being a school counselor and I cannot wait to continue working with our amazing students, staff, and families who attend West Lake!
WLES Family Needs Survey
A paper version has also been sent home. Please feel free to send it back to school in the enclosed envelope provided or complete the online version if you are in need, so that the team can use that information to plan for the year. Thank you!
Classroom Counseling-Core Instruction Update
As an integral part of our school's comprehensive school counseling program, we will be delivering Classroom Counseling lessons to your child one time a month. This is a way for us to teach the whole school and get to know our students better. We love Classroom Guidance! We will be teaching lessons on personal/social, career and academic development in Kindergarten through fifth grade.
This month our lesson is all around building relationships and to learn about what a school counselor does to support ALL students!
Kindergarten-1st Grade-We will introduce ourselves to students by sharing some fun facts about ourselves and play a get to know you game.
2nd-5th grade: We will introduce ourselves to students by sharing some fun facts about ourselves and play a get to know you game. We will also play a game called "What's in the Bag? to determine what a school counselor does and what they do NOT do. Students will pick an item out of a mystery bag and answer a trivia question about whether or not it's part of our role as a school counselor.
Lunch Bunch
What is lunch bunch? Lunch bunch is an amazing time! Students can bring their lunch to the counselor's room to eat, play a game and make new friends.
When? During lunch time
Where? The counselors office
How? Students can request a lunch with the counselor and friends. We will offer this to students who may be new or need some help with getting to know others in their classroom.
Small Groups
*Cool Kids--How to cope with Big Feelings (Self Regulation)
*Keep Calm and Carry On (Worry/Stress/Anxiety)
*All About Me (Self Esteem)
*Fantastic Friends-Friendship/Social Skills
*Awesome Achievers (School Success-based on school/academic data)
At the start of each school year we will talk with teachers, parents/guardians and students to determine which groups are needed most for the school year. Groups typically run for 4-6 weeks and meet once a week for a 30-40 minute period. Groups will meet during lunch time or at another time during the day that does not take away from direct core instruction.
Please complete this google form if you would like to refer your child for a short term small counseling group: Small Group Counseling Parent Referral form
Individual Counseling
School counselors can work with students individually for short term counseling needs.
We are available to provide short-term, one-on-one counseling & support for students experiencing social/emotional difficulties that interfere with their success in school. School counselors do not provide therapy, however work to help each child develop coping skills to deal more effectively with the problems they face. If a child continues to need more support, we will provide parents/guardians with information about appropriate community resources for long-term, therapeutic counseling.
Contact Info
Office phone extension: 25733
Jennifer Lee (1, 3, 5)
Office phone extension: 21826
Please check out our school counseling website for additional resources as well as the Virtual Calming Room!
Website: bit.ly/WLEScounselors
Location: 4500 West Lake Road, Apex, NC, USA
Phone: 919-662-2300
Twitter: @WLESCounselors