Welcome to Young Leaders Elementary School!  Every year proves to be a productive and exciting year here at YLE. My staff and I are committed to providing our students with an excellent education.  We value our partnerships with our YLE families and certainly do not take for granted the responsibility we have to help each one of our students’ reach their fullest potential.  At YLE, we teach our kids …To Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, Be Here, and Be  L.I.O.N.S. How our school community reflects these values is the cornerstone of  what makes Young Leader Elementary School a special place for all children to learn, play, and grow.  

We pride ourselves on being a school that fosters a strong sense of self and community. We are committed to ensuring all our kids feel valued, appreciated, and important. Cultivating student leadership and independence is very important here.  When you visit, ask about our community service initiatives.  We would love to tell you about all the wonderful things our student leaders are doing for our school community and in our Mott Haven neighborhood.  In our effort to provide all students with a comprehensive educational experience, we remain committed to continuing our enriching programs such as: Theatre, Art, Soccer, STEP, Music, Basketball, Chess and even Martial Arts!. We have many new and exciting initiatives that support our students as they explore their talents and gifts, so we can wait to see you at our next sports game or Chess Competition!   

We give our students a voice in our school. During Community Circle, our students have an opportunity to talk about the topics that feel important to them.We believe all our students have important ideas to share and our Circles remain safe places for our kids to be seen and heard.  We pride ourselves on how our students grow academically with us. We believe in giving our students all that they need, so we offer an extended school day experience that includes: Early Morning Reading, Afterschool, and Saturday Academy. Continuing to support our students in meeting the demands of the Next Generation Learning Standards remains a priority for us! We hope your child takes advantage of our many opportunities and We invite our families to check out our classroom monthly newsletters and/or our Class Dojo to see all the learning happening throughout our school, each and everyday!

Thank you for your continued partnership. We look forward to a year of hard work, studying, and volunteering at Young Leaders Elementary.  Together we can provide a great elementary experience for all our YLE leaders!

See You Soon,

 Jaleelah Cooke, Principal

Dear Families,

Did you know that YLE is the place to be? My name is Melisa Stoller and it is an honor to be the Assistant Principal at Young Leaders Elementary School. Each year I am thrilled to continue working together with Ms. Cooke, our Principal, and our staff to support our students to be the leaders of their learning. 

Every day, our students are welcomed in the morning with a delicious and nutritious breakfast to start their day. In their classrooms, they participate in community circles where students learn to identify how they are feeling by using the Zones of Regulation and learning how to best select words that describe their feelings.  During their reading and writing blocks, they learn foundational skills to strengthen their phonemic and phonics skills to be avid readers and writers. During their math blocks, our students are engaged in IM Math lessons that allow them to work collaboratively, to solve problems using different strategies that make their mathematician thinking visible.  In the arts, students learn to use different media to convey a message.  They learn different techniques from important artists and participate in field trips such as the Museum of Moving Image and the MOMA to continue their studies on the arts. In their Steam class students have access to develop their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics skills.  In Physical Education, students continue developing their motor skills and knowledge of the importance of physical fitness and good eating habits.

We are proud to share that we are also invested in supporting our staff members and families to continue growing as learners.  We currently have a partnership with Urban Advantage, a program that is designed to improve students' knowledge and understanding of scientific inquiry. Teachers receive high-professional learning opportunities as well as access to institutions such as the Museum of Natural History to provide students with opportunities to engage in hands-on investigations.  This gives access to students to expand their thinking, ask questions, and explain the findings in their investigations.  The program offers free admission for students and families to visit NYC museums, zoos, botanical gardens, and the aquarium. For our families, we also have our food pantry every Friday.  Families take home nutritious ingredients to prepare meals at home.

Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or if you would like to learn more about our school.  Remember that together we make the foundation for fulfilling our children's goals and improving their academic outcomes.

With gratitude,

Ms. Stoller