School Social Worker
School Social Worker
School Social Worker
Tara Nichol, M.Ed., MSW, LSWAIC
School Social Worker, Tara Nichol, works with students Kindergarten through Fifth Grade to support their social and emotional growth in the classroom, group and individual settings. The school social worker helps families access academic support, including coordinating student intervention team (SIT) meetings with parents and school staff.
Social Emotional Curriculum
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and RULER (Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions): Sand Point teachers and staff are regularly teaching and reinforcing emotional and social awareness with our students using RULER in addition to other materials including Second Steps Curriculum and Skills Streaming.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is guided by three principles which are developmental appropriateness, cultural responsiveness and universal design. SEL helps students to have a sense of belonging at school. This is done through creating an environment and structures that emphasis and values healthy, safe, supported, challenged and engaged students.
Social Worker Tara Nichol collaborates and co-teachers with the K-5 teachers on SEL lessons that cover three domains:
Academic Development
- Executive functioning skills.
- Organizational skills.
- Self-management skills.
- Strategies that can benefit cognitive thinking and memory skills.
Social-Emotional Development
- Understanding how the brain works.
- Mindfulness.
- Self-Awareness through Exploring feelings and our thoughts, body actions, sensations.
- Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions.
- Restorative Practices and Conflict Resolution.
Career Development
- Creating connections to the places we live.
- Self-interests explorations through identifying students interests and careers.
- Helping students understand the path to reach their goals.
- Exposure to different types of colleges, post-secondary options and different types of careers.
Small Groups and Individual Check-Ins
Sand Point Elementary offers small groups and individual check-ins for students who need support in social and emotional development. The School Social Worker can also help connect youth with resources in our community or with the school’s family support worker for referrals for outpatient therapy, housing, food and finances, family stress or violence, self-harm and suicidal thinking.
Tara Nichol
206-252-4648
Office Hours
Monday-Friday 7:25-2:55