I feel like Janis and I have been struck by Great Lightning AND hit Powerball. We have been searching for years now to find a group of educators that “get it.”… . I would like to say how expert you all are and how much you all are “on your game.” I wish to simply Thank You all for that.
We are so grateful to God and the Cambridge Public Schools for the opportunity to be part of the Milestones education program. Johnathan is so excited and making UNBELIEVABLE strides.
For example:
He is preparing his own lunch and snack.
He picks out his wardrobe on his own ... The night before.
Does homework on his own, and uses computer the same... With very little help.
He is extremely happy and positive about the school year.
He is so excited about being a (School Counsel) leader! He spent the weekend after being elected making a list of about 100 ideas. I helped him weed out some to get it to 65 and then the classroom staff also helped him flag more important ones. I never knew there were so many generous ideas floating around in his head until this event happened. Your school is doing so much for his development as a person. I couldn't be any happier with his services! I think back to a few years ago and feel so blessed that I had the stamina to fight for the right placement. Keep up the excellent work!
Nathan was getting ready for bed and came down to the kitchen. From out of nowhere he said: "Mom, how are you doing. I know it has been a long week and you must be tired." I was so surprised! I thanked him and gave him a big hug! So much progress!
Thank you and your team for all the work you are doing with our daughter Samantha! You have a first class staff. We were very impressed with the thoroughness of your evaluations and your verbal recommendations on plans for next year. We have NEVER been as excited about a new school year as we are right now. We are encouraged that Milestones is the perfect learning environment for Samantha. As you said, "Samantha is definitely one of our kids."
Your whole organization should be commended for your deep understanding of what inspires kids like Daniel. In his 8+ years of school, we have never seen him as engaged as he is now. While we all know we still have a lot of work ahead of us, we have never been as comfortable as we are now knowing that your staff has control of our son's curriculum and can handle his quirkiness and likely teach him how to be a productive member of society.
For the first time in several years, Debbie has made significant strides in important areas of nonverbal and academic functioning, including reading comprehension and math skills. These results are particularly striking given that Debbie’s functioning in most tested areas had been declining relative to peers since 1stgrade.
Thank you for your time today we are thrilled with all of the specialists and the recommendations for Dan's programming. It was a very different experience for us we're not used to a real "team" feel and we are so grateful to have all of you as partners moving forward. It was wonderful to see how aligned you are with your group and we feel, for the very first time, that Dan is in the right place. A feeling that is indescribable.
Sierra showed us the video she worked on in your class this year. Ellen and I wanted to let you know how pleased we were with the end result. The video was well thought out, had a very entertaining plot, and all the kids and staff seemed to have a good time making it.
You should be very proud of the students and staff involved in this class and of your accomplishments working with the boys and girls this year. It's quite an achievement when you can meet teenagers on their turf and engage them in a project that helps them learn critical life skills while they enjoy the process.
Seriously, my mom and I were crying with joy and relief over the phone the other night about the great changes and hope we have seen in Rocco. This is what I have been praying for six years for and it's just so amazing to finally see what I've known all along, that with the right education he can be anything he wants to be! ...honestly there aren't words to express how happy we all are! There have been times that I've wondered what would come of Rocco as he grows up with the challenges he faces and now that he's at Milestones I can see that he absolutely will be the amazing young man we knew he would be someday and will be able to make a huge contribution to society and I hope specifically to the autism community!
Thank you to the middle school staff for coaxing a scared child out from behind a palm tree in the lobby, and for sitting with me and Luca on the stairs for months before he was ready to enter class. Your willingness to offer counseling to a child on the floor, on the stairs, on the couches, in the parking lot...wherever he needed it, was a testament to your compassion and commitment. You helped him build confidence and quiet his anxieties every day… Thank you for building a school where students can fall down and get back up again and again and again. You demonstrate grace, teach resilience, and show dignity to children who have often not previously been blessed with those lessons…