Staff Spotlight: District Social Worker, Lesleyann Christensen
Connecting with families, building relationships, and finding ways to support their needs are all a big part of serving the students in our district. As one of the largest districts in Iowa, Waukee has many different families and students with varying needs and access to resources. A large part of creating a successful path forward for our students includes partnering with families and connecting them with the right resources to help meet their needs.
As the district explored new approaches to connecting with and establishing supports for families and students, the addition of a full-time position to support this work became a reality. In July 2020, Lesleyann Christensen joined the team as our District Social Worker.
According to Associate Superintendent, Terry Hurlburt, the social-emotional needs of our students are as important as the academic needs, and the hiring of this position is a large part of helping to meet those needs.
“Priority number one of our strategic plan places social-emotional learning alongside academics as a top priority for the district. The hiring of Lesleyann Christensen as our District Social Worker is one step in increasing the support and resources available to our students and families,” he shared, “[She] brings a lot of knowledge and experience with her, in combination with her genuine care and compassion for serving. We are fortunate to have her in this new role.”
Lesleyann comes to the Waukee Community School District with an extensive background in social work and a vast knowledge of available resources and connections within the surrounding community. She received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Iowa, and she previously supported Des Moines Public Schools in a similar role as a Community School Coordinator. In this role, she supported a building with a large student population of refugee and immigrant families and was able to build programming to better engage parents that were typically challenging to reach. Lesleyann previously served as a Social Worker and Maternal Child Health Outreach Manager for Visiting Nurses of Iowa (now EveryStep) and prior to her graduate education, she developed her passion for social work in her role at Eyerly Ball working with adults who had mental health needs.
“In these previous roles, I learned so much about the resiliency of families, community resources, and the unique challenges of the refugee and immigrant families here in Des Moines,” she said.
Lesleyann’s previous experience, extensive knowledge, and passion for supporting families have been such a benefit to the district throughout this last year. She has continued to work closely with school counselors, building administrators, and district leadership to build supports for students and connect families to needed resources, such as clothing, healthcare, food, mental health support, and other programs offered in the community. She has also served as a much-needed support to teachers, counselors, and buildings during this trying year by helping them find resources for their students and explore new ways of connecting with families.
“Lesleyann has helped to further identify and address the equity needs of students and families in the district,” said Director of Instructional Services, Stacie De Haan, “She brings in this broader perspective and the concept of serving a family unit, not just the individual student.”
No day is the same–whether she’s working on building-level planning, meeting with members of the community to discuss potential collaboration opportunities, facilitating and participating in a parent group, or providing consultation for a staff member working with a student crisis. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to support students in their learning and help them show up to school ready to learn. One piece of this, according to Lesleyann, is to support families in providing for their students, and all of these needs can look very different.
“Lesleyann has worked tirelessly to meet the needs of students and families. She relentlessly pursues avenues to fill unmet needs,” said Associate Superintendent, Dr. Brady Fleming.
In a year as tough as the one we’ve had, the district is fortunate to have had Lesleyann onboard, and we look forward to all the ways she will continue to help us better serve our students and families. She continues to learn so much from all of our families and loves having a part in connecting them to the people and organizations that get them a tiny bit closer to accomplishing the dreams they have for their students.
When asked about her favorite part, she didn’t have to think long–building relationships with staff and families, especially those different from her. And helping people know they belong.
“Welcoming every staff member, student, and family that I meet with the sense of community that has been built at WCSD is the most important part of my job,” she shared, “I want everyone to feel like they belong and have a place here.”
When Lelseyann’s not working to support the students, staff, and families of Waukee, you will find her biking the trails of Des Moines, enjoying a variety of cuisines, and supporting her two girls who both attend Waukee Community School District in all of their extracurricular activities.
