Upcoming Dates
Upcoming Dates
Embedded Files
November 2026:
3 - Superintendent's Conference Day - No School
4 - Grade 3 to Thompson Pond (Rain Date 11/6)
10 - Board of Education Meeting
11 - Veteran's Day - No School
13 - First Marking Period Ends
20 - Blue Ribbon Blazer Assembly
21 - Alden Play: The Wizard of Oz, 6 p.m.
24 - BOE Mtg.
25-27 - Thanksgiving Recess
Dear Alden Place families,
October has been a wonderful month filled with learning, connection, and Blazer spirit! Over the past few weeks, our school community came together for fantastic events like Spirit Week, our Red Ribbon Day visit from CAPE, interactive Fire Prevention Assemblies with the Millbrook Fire Department, and an inspiring fourth-grade trip to The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck.
Looking ahead, we have even more awesome experiences in store, including our upcoming Blue Ribbon Blazer Assembly and the student performance of The Wizard of Oz on Saturday, November 21.
Our staff works tirelessly to build a positive, welcoming school culture where every student feels safe, supported, and excited to come to school each day.
To help us maintain this momentum, we remind families that consistent daily attendance is key. As the holiday season approaches and cold and flu season gets underway, missing even a day or two can add up quickly.
If your child is healthy and able to attend, thank you for making every school day count—and please remember to notify us at alden.attendance@millbrookcsd.org whenever an absence or late arrival is unavoidable.
Sincerely,
Andrew Cedermark
Principal, Alden Place
Millbrook Central School District
(845) 677-4220 X4102
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences will take place on December 2 and 3, with half days for students on both days. On Thursday, December 3, conferences will run through the evening from 6 to 8 p.m.
Conferences are a chance to discuss your student’s progress,
ask questions, and work together on any areas where they may need support. Before your appointment, consider checking in with your student about what is going well and what has been challenging. Their perspective can help guide the conversation.
... and the Giving Tree Returns!
Who: The Giving Tree supports families in the Millbrook Central School District during the holiday season.
What: Each tree will display paper hands with anonymous gift requests from families in need. Community members are invited to select a hand, purchase the item, and return it as a gift.
Where: Giving Trees will be set up in each school building lobby.
When: During Parent-Teacher Conferences on November 19 and 20. Gifts should be returned to the District Office by December 12.
Why: To lend a giving hand and brighten the holidays for members of our school community.
The Millbrook Giving Tree is a meaningful tradition that our district takes part in each holiday season. This initiative brings our school community together to support local families in need by providing gifts that help make the holidays a little brighter. Each year, families and staff have the opportunity to select an item from the Giving Tree and lend a helping hand to others in our community.
Award Winners
Every month, our school community gathers in the All-Purpose Room for our Blue Ribbon Blazer Assembly to celebrate students who demonstrate our core values: Purpose, Ethics, Acceptance, Community, and Evolution.
During these special gatherings, selected students are recognized with PEACE Awards in front of their peers and teachers. To make the occasion extra special, families of award recipients are invited to attend in person to celebrate their child's achievement—and we keep the invitation a secret ahead of time so it’s a wonderful surprise for the students!
Every class across all grade levels is included, ensuring every student has the opportunity to be recognized for making Alden Place a positive, welcoming place to learn and grow.
Blazer-to-Blazer Visits
Our varsity girls soccer and football teams visited Alden Place to help build connections between our older and younger Blazers!
Ahead of Girls Soccer Senior Night and Football Senior Night/Homecoming, student-athletes visited classrooms across the building, handed out blue Blazer bracelets, and personally invited our students to come cheer them on.
At the games, students were able to stop by the Sports Boosters concession stand to trade their blue Blazer bracelets for a soccer or football bracelet. We loved bringing our Blazers together to celebrate our high school seniors and show off our school spirit!
Thank you to the Millbrook Sports Boosters for sponsoring these visits!
Teacher Recognitions
Each month, our staff nominates a teacher who exemplifies our core values. Congratulations to our October Alden Place Blue Ribbon Blazer,
Cayla Craig, who will display the G.O.A.T trophy in her classroom for the month!
Below are the remarks from our celebration.
This month’s recognition goes to a teacher whose expertise, deep dedication to children, and clear, positive communication with families define true professionalism.
Every day, she approaches her work with kindness and humility, meeting the needs of students who struggle the most to access core content. By pairing pedagogical expertise with a warm, structured environment, she helps students return to their classrooms with stronger skills, greater confidence, and renewed joy.
Speaking of joy, this teacher is equally dedicated to building solidarity and positivity among our staff. When she coordinated last year's incredible Teacher Appreciation Week, she insisted on keeping her role quiet. Well, the secret is out! Cayla Craig, I hope you’ll forgive me for officially naming you this month’s Alden Place Blue Ribbon Blazer Award winner!
Fourth Grade to Rhinebeck
Our fourth-grade students took an exciting educational field trip to The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck on Tuesday, October 27th. The trip provided students with a wonderful opportunity to experience live theater, enriching their arts appreciation and social-emotional learning outside the classroom.
Fire Prevention Assemblies
We extend a warm thank you to Beattie Hays and members of the Millbrook Fire Department for visiting our school to lead our annual Fire Prevention Assemblies. Students engaged in interactive presentations focused on essential home safety routines, emergency readiness, and fire prevention strategies!
Red Ribbon Week Celebration
On Tuesday, October 27th, Alden Place welcomed Dora Celestino from the Council on Addiction Prevention & Education (CAPE) of Dutchess County. Ms. Dora visited classrooms to introduce herself, distribute informative materials, and share an age-appropriate message with our students about making healthy choices, resisting peer pressure, and committing to a drug-free lifestyle.
Pink-Out Day
Art in Action!
Students recently explored the world of abstract sculpture inspired by the innovative work of Pablo Picasso. Using a variety of wood scraps, students experimented with arranging shapes and forms in different compositions to create unique abstract portraits. Each artist approached the challenge in their own way, resulting in a diverse collection of sculptures that reflect individual creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills. Through hands-on exploration and artistic risk-taking, students discovered how everyday materials can be transformed into expressive works of art!
Halloween Celebration
STEAM Fair Preview
We are proud to announce the return of the annual Alden Place STEAM Fair for 2027.
The fair will take place on March 2. While that may seem far off, now is a great time to start brainstorming project questions with your child!
This annual event hosted in partnership with the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies encourages curiosity, creativity, and strong thinking skills as students explore questions that matter to them.
For the fair, students will design investigations, analyze results, and explain their learning to others, including real scientists from the Cary Institute who serve as judges.
Participation in the STEAM Fair is voluntary. If your child chooses to participate, your role is to encourage, support, and help with safety and logistics while letting them lead the work. See some ideas at right for how you can help at home.
Students will independently present their projects during judging and receive feedback from the judges. Families will be invited to an evening awards ceremony to celebrate our student scientists, and select fifth graders who may advance to the Dutchess County Science Fair.
Six Steps to Completion:
Step 1: Observe the world and research to gather ideas.
Step 2: Turn an idea into a testable question (e.g., "How does water temperature affect the dissolving time of sugar?").
Step 3: Design and conduct the experiment.
Step 4: Carefully keep track of all results.
Step 5: Examine and analyze the results.
Step 6: Create a summary poster display.
How Families Can Help:
Help your child select a project that is feasible to complete.
Offer support and encouragement as your child works, while allowing them to plan and direct the project as independently as possible.
Encourage your child to work on the project consistently.
Ensure that your child follows appropriate safety procedures.
Assist with transporting the project to and from school on the day of the science fair.
Attendance Matters
To communicate information about absences or lateness, please email alden.attendance@
millbrookcsd.org.
Our Core Values
Our Core Values
Core values
In our work together we continue to emphasize our Core Values. Schools promote academic success in reading, writing, and math, but we also have a responsibility to help students feel a strong sense of belonging and develop the soft skills that will serve them well in the future. We build these skills through RULER, our social-emotional learning curriculum, and reinforce them by promoting and celebrating our Core Values. Together, these values give our diverse community a shared vision of what it means to learn and grow side by side. Each month, we’ll recognize one student from each grade who demonstrates a Core Value, and we’ll proudly display their certificates at the school entrance.
Purpose: I stay focused and strive to achieve my goals.
Ethics: I act with integrity and make responsible choices.
Acceptance: I respect differences and value diverse perspectives.
Community: I help create a supportive and inclusive environment.
Evolution: I reflect on my growth and work to become a better version of myself.
Updates from Pupil Personnel Services
Consistency Across Schools
We’re working to make sure families have the same smooth experience with PPS District Wide.
504 Plans
Annual and reevaluation consents have been sent out. If you haven’t received yours, please call the PPS office. A special thank you to Danielle Leonardi for organizing this process!
IEP Collaboration Portal
Consent forms were sent home so families can receive secure updates and notifications. Need another copy? Contact PPS and we’ll resend it.
Staff Training
CPI Training: Small group sessions have been organized for staff in CPI
CPR/AED Training; Targetted staff have been organized and trained to keep our students safe
English as a New Language (ENL) Services
ENL support started on the first day of school. We’ve welcomed many new students this month. Thank you to Ms. Ellis, our ENL Coordinator, for helping with assessments, placements, and family communication.
As always, if you have questions regarding your child, please do not hesitate to contact the PPS Office:
Thank you for your help and continued partnership!
Danielle Leonardi- Administrative Assistant
845-677-4200 ext. 1107
danielle.leonardi@millbrookcsd.org
Alexandra Ellis- ENL Coordinator
845-677-4200 ext. 1109
alexandra.ellis@millbrookcsd.org
Joann Hobson- Special Education Coordinator
845-677-4200 ext. 1107
joann.hobson@millbrookcsd.org
Stay in Touch!
Attendance
To communicate information about absences or lateness, please email: alden.attendance@millbrookcsd.org.
Transportation
If you need to make a change to your child's pick up for the day, please use the following email address to do so, as we need changes in writing. alden.parentpickup@millbrookcsd.org
Individual teachers
To reach your child's teacher, click the letter icon on SchoolTool next to the teacher's name.
Principal
Andrew Cedermark
X4102, andrew.cedermark@millbrookcsd.org
School Psychologist
Tonya Pulver
X4103, tonya.pulver@millbrookcsd.org
Nurse
Brianna Jimenez
X4104, brianna.jimenez@millbrookcsd.org
Main Office
Julie Ruuge
X4100, julie.ruuge@millbrookcsd.org
School Resource Officer
Meghan Rhoades
meghan.rhoades@millbrookcsd.org
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