Private Elementary School in Omaha NE
Lower School: Preschool - Grade 4 (Ages 3-9)
Program Overview
Brownell Talbot’s Lower School offers one of the best independent private elementary school programs in Omaha, NE. It is designed to provide boys and girls, ages 3-9, with a strong foundation for academic success and a lifelong love of learning.
Our Lower School is home to a team of highly skilled educators with extensive experience in classroom teaching, early childhood development, and parent communication. With small class sizes, a great variety of instructional environments, and a whole-child approach to learning, BT takes great pride in our partnership with parents in raising curious toddlers to become thoughtful children.
A Whole Child Focus
The preschool through fourth grade curriculum at Brownell Talbot is an intentionally balanced education that includes academic skill, social interaction, emotional engagement, and physical activity. Research has shown that the more areas of a child’s brain that are engaged, the more likely it is that the lessons will be internalized and retained. As such, each day in the Lower School contains a great variety of lessons, activities, and games to help develop well-rounded young people.
Beliefs and Philosophy
Brownell Talbot students may begin their grade school education on campus in our early years program and continue straight through middle school to upper school graduation. Friendships often become lifelong, allowing our students to interact as a large extended family within our community, and such is our commitment to them.
The Lower School curriculum utilizes Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) as its guide, combining traditional classroom instruction with experiences in nature, play, and age-appropriate projects. Our teachers are passionate about enabling each child to make significant personal growth through best practices in teaching and learning. This includes an intentional approach to social-emotional development, providing a well-planned environment, and a strong home-to-school connection.
Features and Differentiators
- Lead teachers with masters degrees in early childhood education and/or reading.
- Teachers with extensive knowledge and classroom experience with 3-5 year-olds.
- Specialized teachers in music, art, science, PE, guidance, library, and French and Spanish languages.
- Commitment to meeting students where they are in all areas of development.
- Safe community environment of diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Extended Care: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
For families with demanding schedules that require additional care, we are proud to offer a licensed extended care program to our lower and middle school students. This allows your child to be dropped off as early as 7:00 am and picked up as late as 6:00 pm. Furthermore, these programs help round out your son or daughter’s grade school day with additional fun and engaging activities outside of the day’s curriculum.
Daily Updates
Nothing gives peace of mind to the parent of young child like feedback and communication. That is why we use SeeSaw. SeeSaw is an online portfolio that gives you a daily view into your child’s learning and progress.
More About Our Omaha Private Elementary School Curriculum
Lower School STAR Classes
Specialized Teachers and Readers (STAR) is an important component of Brownell Talbot’s acclaimed primary school program. Our STAR teachers bring a diverse range of skills and stories into the grade school classroom. STAR teachers expose students to a learning environment that develops critical thinking during crucial development years. The result is students with a strong understanding and passion for a diverse curriculum.
Music
Modern research has identified a strong relationship between music and brain development in children. Some experts even suggest that playing a musical instrument can lead to improved skills in math, language, and reading. Guided by the National and State Associations for Music Educators, the goal of the Lower School music program is to prepare our students to:
- Sing alone and with others.
- Perform on instruments alone and with others.
- Improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
- Compose and arrange music with specific guidelines.
- Read and notate music.
- Listen to, analyze, and describe music.
- Evaluate music and music performance.
- Understand music in relation to history and culture.
Technology
Due to the growing role of technology in all aspects of daily life, it is important to empower our young learners with a knowledge and familiarity of it. Lower School technology is taught with an integrated approach that introduces students to the use of technology as an enhancement to their education.
World Languages
Brownell Talbot’s Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program is designed to expose students to the sounds of world languages, as well as high-frequency vocabulary, songs, culture, and geography from an early age. Although some reading and writing of world languages is practiced in the Lower School, the goal is the development of oral skills, as well as learning about the various cultures where the language is spoken.
Specialized Teaching Staff
Art, Music, French, Spanish, Library, PE, and Science
BT does not wait until middle or high school to start pairing curious students with subject matter experts. Our faculty includes highly specialized, passionate teachers that share their expertise with Brownell Talbot students at all grade levels.
Swimming as Part of Physical Education Curriculum
In addition to providing an understanding of good sportsmanship and teamwork, our Physical Education (PE) program also includes ongoing swimming throughout the year in an age and skill appropriate environment. This is one of many practical life skills we provide in order to prepare students to make the right choices for their personal health and safety.
Engaging & Diverse Enrichment Activities
Grade-school-age students can explore new interests ranging from art to leadership, music to sports, under the guidance of BT’s master teachers.
Is BT Right for Your Child? Schedule a Visit.
Finding the right elementary school in Omaha, NE, for your young son or daughter can be a stressful task. Each child has their own personality, and so do schools. We encourage prospective families to stop by our campus and get to know us better as part of this difficult decision-making process. We are enormously proud of the education, care, and attention we give all our students, but especially our younger learners. After all, many families choose to make BT their child’s school home from preschool through high school graduation. The curious preschooler you enroll today may well be one of tomorrow’s graduating class leaders. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. We look forward to getting to know you and your family better shortly!
Independent Private Elementary Grade School in Omaha NE | Lower School at Brownell Talbot