September 2025
Schedules are available!
MMS Families,
Hopefully everyone has enjoyed a relaxing and restful summer with your family. At MMS, we have been working hard to prepare for an incredible 2025-26 school year. As the summer comes to a close we wanted to share important information about the upcoming school year so that we are all prepared to hit the ground running on September 3rd, 2025!
Students’ schedules are now available via Parent Portal in SchoolTool. If you have not already signed up, follow the link SCHOOL TOOL. Should you have any questions please contact your child’s school counselor, Ms. Domino. We have a few reminders as we lead into our first day of school.
***ACTION REQUIRED***
Please click here to proceed to the MCSD website with all of the Annual Notifications, Technology Use, and Code of Conduct forms which MUST be completed. MAKE SURE YOU COMPLETE THIS! (Any section with a "SUBMIT" button is mandatory for all students)
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the main office. We will have more new and exciting news in our September newsletter. We can't wait to welcome everyone back!
-Steven Cabello
MMS Principal
Dates to Note for the Year:
All MMS students will report for a full day on Wednesday, September 3rd from 7:50 am - 2:30 pm (regular school hours)
September 10-Picture Day
September 24-Back to School Night- 6pm - 8pm
November 19- Parent Teacher Conferences early dismissal
November 20- Parent Teacher Conferences early dismissal (Evening Conferences Available)
April 22nd- NYS Testing in Science (Grade 8 ONLY)
April 29 th & 30th- NYS Testing in ELA
May 6th & 7th- NYS Testing in Math
June 18th- Academic Awards Ceremony
June 23rd- 8th Grading Moving Up Ceremony
Our Core Values
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.
This year, you may hear more about 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 quarter, we’ll recognize students from each grade who demonstrate a Core Value, and we’ll proudly display their certificates in the school.
What to expect when you return...
We are so excited to welcome our students back to MMS on Wednesday; especially our newest Blazers!
***As a reminder, students DO need their chromebooks on Wednesday***
Each year it is important that we start things off on the right foot so we structure our first week in a manner to ease into the school, build positive morale, understand building expectations, foster a building community and create systems and protocols that will allow everyone to be successful. Doors open at 7:35 am which allow all students ample time to receive their breakfast in the cafeteria before heading to HomeBase. School starts promptly in HomeBase at 7:50 am. On the first two days of school we will be using a modified schedule to transition back to school. Here's what students can expect:
Day 1- Wednesday, September 3rd:
Students will go to HomeBase at 7:50 am. All students will come to the gymnasium where they will be introduced to building staff and discuss why it's so great to be a Blazer. Throughout the day students will go through hour-long sessions with their grade level peers and teachers. During these sessions they will re acclimate themselves with the building, create a grade level charter, do team building activities, be reintroduced to R.U.L.E.R exercises, have lunch/recess (and review the practices and protocols to do so safely so that we can all enjoy this time together), discuss the importance of attendance with our new Dean of Students Mr. Gilroy and meet at the end of the day to close out our first day.
***IMPORTANT: Students DO need their Chromebooks for the first day of school***
Day 2- Thursday, September 4th:
Students will go to HomeBase at 7:50 am. All students will complete a RULER exercise with their HomeBase and then go to the gymnasium where Mr. Cabello will lead them in a discussion about building protocols, academic offerings, school expectations, DASA regulations, the MCSD Student Code of Conduct, and what it means to be an Essential Elements Schools to Watch & a middle level student. Teachers will then present clubs and after school activities that students can get involved in. After the presentation students will go through their regular class schedule Period 1-9 on a shortened period schedule.
Day 3- Friday, September 5th:
Students will go to HomeBase at 7:50 am and complete a RULER lesson and then go through their regular class schedule Period 1-9 on a shortened period schedule.
Monday, September 8th Students will follow a Regular Bell Schedule
Building Reminders:
-Backpacks will NOT be utilized during the day, but students WILL be able to use a drawstring bag or trapper keeper that fits inside their desk during the school day. All students will receive an official MMS drawstring bag, but may be permitted to bring from home so long as it can be stowed in their desk. The intention of using these bags is to allow for safe keeping of our district Chromebooks.
-Cell Phones will also NOT be allowed during the day and should remain off and in students lockers.
**Parents, we NEED your help!!** Please do NOT contact your child via cell phone during the day. Should you need to speak to your child we ask that you contact the main office. Students have access to our office phone during the day should they need to contact you.
-Technology insurance on district Chromebooks is HIGHLY recommended, small price to pay should something big happen.
-All students are expected to dress appropriately for school daily. Thank you parents for supporting your child
Attendance Matters
Regular attendance and punctuality are essential in order for your child to get the education he or she deserves! According to our Commissioner of Education, students who miss an average of two absences a month are considered to be academically at risk-students. Regular school attendance is vital to all students' success and should be uniformly encouraged by parents and school staff regularly.
Please emphasize this with your child before school starts so that positive behavior becomes a habit. Our Board of Education policy clearly supports this mission of regular attendance. We will continue to monitor attendance closely and provide interventions aimed at our students maximizing their potential.
We NEED Your Help! If you have any cool pictures of our students in action, we would LOVE to see them and promote them on Instagram, X, and our Newsletter. Please email any images to mms.attendance@millbrookcsd.org
Attendance, lateness, and student sign-outs will be handled in the main office. Call 677-4210, x3129 to report an absence as soon as possible in the morning. An email communication to MMS Attendance is an acceptable and legal form of communication: mms. attendance@millbrookcsd.org
A note from our Dean of Students- Mr. Gilroy
Greetings, Millbrook Middle and High School Families,
I am beyond excited to continue to support the students of the Millbrook Central School District in my new role as Dean of Students. Over the course of the last few years, I have worked as an 8th Grade Social Studies teacher at Millbrook Middle School and have gotten to know the culture of our district very well. I am currently in pursuit of a degree in administration and am so fortunate that I had the opportunity to assume this role. As Dean of Students, I plan to work very closely with the building principals to support our students specifically in the areas of promoting attendance, engaging students in their education, SEL, building positive school culture, providing support & guidance, creating plans for academic success, and much, much more.
These opportunities reflect our commitment to fostering our students' academic and personal growth. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Jack Gilroy
Dean of Students
Supply List
Grade Level Supply Lists:
All student supply lists are available below. All students will be provided with a lock for their locker. All students will receive an official Millbrook Middle School draw string bag. They will also receive an organization pocket folder that will be utilized to keep the most important student assignments throughout the year.
Get Your MMS Gear
Free Breakfast & Lunch for All
For the 2025-26 school year breakfast and lunch will be free for all students! When students arrive in the morning they will have the opportunity to get off the bus early or arrive at parent pickup and go to the cafeteria to recieve a FREE breakfast that includes a high power meal to start their day that they will eat before heading to HomeBase. If you are driving your child in, plan to arrive promptly when doors open at 7:35 am so that students will have plenty of time to eat, go to their locker and arrive on time to HomeBase promptly at 7:50 am. It is so important our students have a full belly before a day of learning. All lunch meals will also be free with a la carte options as well (that must be paid separately).
Student drop-off begins at 7:35 A.M. with children entering through the auditorium entrance. This will be the single point of entry each morning for students being dropped off. For those being dropped off, parents/guardians must enter the loop in front of the auditorium ( from Alden Pl), put their car in park and students will enter through the auditorium entrance. At this time students will receive their free breakfast, eat in the cafeteria and then be dismissed to go to HomeBase at 7:45 a.m. At 7:50 am the auditorium doors will be closed and all students must be dropped off at the main entrance. These students will be marked late.
Dismissal will begin at 2:30 P.M. If you are picking up your child, you will park in the auditorium entrance pick up line (from Alden PL). We kindly ask that after your child enters your vehicle you leave in a timely manner.
Please make sure all children enter your car on the right side and that you pass with caution on the left as we want to ensure the safest entrance & exit of our students.
For the safety of our students, parents and visitors are not permitted to enter the building during the school day.
If your child is arriving late, leaving early, or you need to drop something off, please use the buzzer at the front door. A member of our main office staff will meet you at the entrance to assist.
All student sign-in and sign-out procedures will take place outside the building.
Families will receive one week’s notice prior to any scheduled safety drills.
Please CLICK HERE or visit the transportation page on our District website. Roads are posted with approximate times. If you do not see your address listed, please look at the nearest corresponding road so you can be able to GPS for your time. Please ensure the student is out at least 5 minutes early. Feel free to call the First Student Bus Company at 845-677-6666 if you need assistance.
Teaching Updates
We are really excited to announce that Jason Zmudosky will be joing our 6th grade team as our Science Teacher. Mr. Zmudosky is beyond excited to return to the middle school and to continue to support our students inside and outside the classroom!
Mr. Guarino will also be joing the 6th grade team in Mathematics. He will be filling in for Ms. Anson until she returns later in the school year. He will be an excellent addition to our team.
Ms. Petrosino will be returning to MMS! She will be back in our FACS classrooms as well Culinary & Seminar 6! Ms. Redl will return to her role as a teaching assistant; many thanks for her efforts filling in for Ms. Petrosino.
SchoolTool & Parent Portal
Our Student Information System utilizes the latest version of SchoolTool which utilizes the Parent Portal interface accessible from PCs, tablets, mobile browsers, as well as our new SchoolTool mobile app. For information on downloading the SchoolTool Mobile App and creating a Parent Portal Account, click here.
If you already have a Parent Portal account you can use the link below to access your account. If you do not, please contact the main office to set one up as this is where you will receive all academic information regarding your child. To access your SchoolTool Parent Portal account, click here.
In order to keep our children's information safe you will need to provide photo id to set this up. All 6th grade students will receive schedules next Tuesday.
A note from our
Supervisor of Pupil Personnel Services
Here in the PPS Office we are excited to have the first month of school underway. One reminder for our families as we continue to move throughout the school year, when you receive a consent form for evaluations for your child, please return the signed copy to the PPS Office in order for us to ensure your child’s evaluations are completed by the necessary timelines.
As always, if you have questions regarding your child, please do not hesitate to contact the PPS Office:
Ana Nyarady - Interim Supervisor of PPS (Pupil Personnel Services, ENL)
845-677-4200 ext. 1116
ana.nyarady@millbrookcsd.org
Danielle Leonardi - Administrative Assistant
845-677-4200 ext. 1107
danielle.leonardi@millbrookcsd.org