Milestone Academy Newsletter

July 2023 - Term 6

Principal's Welcome

Dear Parents and Carers,

Another year has been completed and my goodness we have much to celebrate!

Milestone has had some huge successes this year, not least the fact that one of our students won the boys 200m race at the LAT Secondary Sports Day and another won his 100m heat. A first in Milestone's history and to be celebrated!

Our own sports days were great fun with families attending and participating, enjoying seeing their children taking part in a range of different and rich activities.

We have had great fun with our residentials in Phases Two, Three and Four. Phase Two camped in our Teepees, Phase Three spent a night on HMS Cavalier at Chatham Dockyard and Phase Four went to Carlton Meres Holiday Camp in Suffolk.

Our key objective is to ensure our pupils leave us with as many skills as possible so that they have the ability to live an independent and fulfilled life. This year our leavers go on to a range of colleges, employment and settings. All have a next place to go to and all are excited about the next steps in their journey. We have celebrated their time at Milestone with awards ceremonies, leavers celebrations and even a Prom for 6th form! We wish them all well and whilst we will miss them all we will stay in touch with as many as possible through our Alumni and feel proud of all that they have achieved.

We have hosted record numbers of families on site this year with over 70 parents and carers attending our Coronation street party and the same again expected at our end of term celebration events. We celebrate our approved candidacy as an IB school, forging ahead as world leaders on the SEN and IB stage. It has been a great year! Roll on September when we will continue on our exciting journey.

We thank you for everything that you do for your children and the support you give to us in working together. It remains for me to wish you all, on behalf of all of us at Milestone, a wonderful, safe summer.

See you all on September 1st!

Kind regards,

Sarah Goosani - Principal

Phase 1

Stepping Stones

Stepping Stones have had fun exploring our theme ‘Fur, Feathers, Claws and Scales’. We have been reading the stories ‘The Three Little Pigs’, ‘Dear Zoo’ and ‘Handa's Surprise’. We explored the different fruits from Handa’s surprise using all our senses and built houses in the outside area using bricks, sticks and straws. Stepping Stones has also been completing daily joint attention activities and making lots of progress with this.

Koala Class

Term 6 seems to have arrived so quickly and our Koalas have been thoroughly enjoying the extra time outside in the lovely sunshine. The theme for us this term is ‘Sharing the Planet’ and we have been exploring the title ‘Fur, Feathers, Claws and Scales.’ Our stories have been ‘Dear Zoo’, ‘Handas Surprise’ and ‘The Three Little Pigs’. There have been lots of lovely animals and foods to see and learn. We have also been supporting the children to develop their communication skills in listening and requesting by encouraging them to use symbols, gestures, sounds and signing. They are all doing really well and it is fantastic to see how they choose to communicate with us.

Penguin Class

Penguin class has really enjoyed term 6, focusing on the idea that ‘Living things are connected and require care’. Pupils have explored feeding and washing animals through role play to develop their understanding of caring for other living things. We have also been lucky to enjoy our Brook pathway activity morning where we went island hopping! The morning was thoroughly enjoyed by all pupils and we certainly made a mess which showed the high level of engagement!

Myself and the Penguin team would like to thank you for your continued support this year and wish you a happy summer holiday break!

Bear Class

Bear class have enjoyed closely observing our butterfly eggs complete the full life cycle of a butterfly and have released them as a whole class in Week 5. We have had lots of fun making lovely art creations such as our paper mache earth and clay model flower coasters.

We have had a wonderful Term 6 and have continued to embed all our skills that we have worked really hard on throughout the year, through our ILP’s work and functional skill sessions, linked to our IB. As a class, Bears have displayed a dramatic change in their levels of independence and engagement which is evident in all areas of their play, functional skills and learning.

We wish you the happiest of holidays! Enjoy your summer break.

Flamingo Class

Flamingo class have enjoyed exploring our theme of “Fur, Feathers, Claws and Scales” We have incorporated geography into this by walking around our school looking for the different animals and matching them to our tick lists. We have also enjoyed listening to some sensory stories this term, especially a sensory safari.

One of our highlights was receiving a letter and card from the King, thanking us for the the card we made for his Coronation.

All the staff in flamingo class would like to wish you a very happy summer.

Leopard Class

Leopard class have had a fantastic Term 6! We have continued to work hard on our Read Write Inc skills, continuing to develop our segmenting and blending, writing skills, as well as exploring new reading books! In Maths we have introduced subtraction using the CPA approach, we have challenged ourselves to explore this in word problems and real life situations. In IB, we have really enjoyed exploring the prehistoric era, exploring fossils, dinosaurs and many more aspects from the past! This term we have continued to develop our friendships and relationships with peers in class as well as working hard to develop our self-help and independence skills.

Lion Class

Lion class have continued to work extremely hard on their individual learning targets. We have been developing our self-help skills by tidying up after our snack and lunch. We are becoming responsible for our possessions and starting to transition independently around the school.

Our story this term has been all about looking after a Dinosaur - feeding our dinosaurs and washing them has been great fun. We have also been learning about the importance of recycling and made a lovely collage using recycling.

Have a lovely summer.

Tiger Class

Tiger class have had a wonderful term 6 and loved learning about different animals throughout our overarching topic, ‘Fur, Feathers, Claws and Scales!’. We have made frog life cycle mobiles, created our own dinosaur fossils, visited the pond and the sensory garden to see how animals and plants grow and made lots of yummy food inspired by different animals! The Tigers have continued to make amazing progress and work hard on their individual learning plans and we are so proud of everything they have achieved this year.

We hope you all have a wonderful summer and we can’t wait to see what you do next year!

Giraffe Class

Giraffe class have been working really hard this term. All children have really enjoyed learning about the life cycle of a butterfly. I purchased some butterfly eggs and over the term we have been watching them transform into beautiful butterflies. The children have also been making butterfly inspired recipes in cooking and creating collages using various materials in art. In other areas of the curriculum, the children have been participating in maths activities outside the classroom and practising their ball skills in PE.

I hope you all have a lovely summer.

Claire Woolmer - Phase 1 Director

Phase 2

I hope you enjoy reading about our summer newsletter, finding out about what Phase 2 pupils have been learning. We are very proud of what our pupils have achieved. We look forward to welcoming our new pupils in September and wish all our wonderful year 6 pupils all the very best in the next phase of their education.

Canyon Class

Canyon class have been on a journey ‘Out of Space’ this term and have enjoyed our themed topic sessions including our inquiry day event. We have been making rockets, jet packs, astronaut helmets as well as identifying, naming and ordering planets! We have focussed on fine motor skills, handwriting and reading this term through a variety of activities and library visits. We have been to a variety of parks for community participation which have been successful and have increased independence as well as social interactions between peers and the adults. Each week we have baked some delicious recipes including cheesecake and rice krispie mallow cakes for which we have also been writing our shopping lists.

We have enjoyed our Complete PE sessions with the external coaches on Mondays which has developed students' confidence and physical abilities. As well as this we had a brilliant sports day with lots of our parents in to support us! We have also been practising our functional skills and competing jobs around the school.

Mountain Class

Mountain class have had a very busy term 6! We really enjoyed our sunny sports day with activities inside and outside, thank you to the parents and families who came to support us and cheer us on!

Our topic has been 'Destination out of Space' and we have loved making our own rocket ships and making moon rock. We have experimented with different coloured paints and foams and also made alien biscuits.

Mountain class have also enjoyed specialist sessions such as soft play, PE and music where we have been learning about pulse. We have used different instruments and parts of the body to recognise pulse to different pieces of music.

Orchard Class

Orchard class have been extremely busy throughout term 6! We have thoroughly enjoyed our theme of “Destination: out of space”. We have named the planets in our solar system and learnt facts about them doing our own research in the library and ICT too. We have explored volcanoes and earthquakes and other features of our planet and participated in experiments in science. We created play doh Earths, representing the layers of our planet and we made our own volcanoes and watched them erupt. In cooking, we have had a bake-off each week for a variety of recipes and we have voted on our favourites. We have used tally charts to vote for the best looking and best tasting recipes. Orchard Class have enjoyed swimming this term and we have become more confident in going under the water and we have enjoyed splashing our teachers too when practising our kicking in the water. Sports day was a highlight this term and the students loved having so many family members come to support and take part in some of the races. The students enjoyed taking part in all of the activities but the sack race was a firm favourite for Orchard Class, as well as the bouncy castle!

Forest Class

This term Forest class has enjoyed learning about outer space, engaging in a range of sensory activities related to the theme. During our topic inquiry sessions, students have been encouraged to choose activities they like including creating craters in moon sand, making their own moon from paper mache and galaxy sensory bottles. During our community participation visits we have been focusing on crossing the road safely, particularly looking and listening for cars. We have had a strong focus on our communication and phonics skills this term, with students applying their phonic knowledge to spell words. The students in Forest Class have particularly enjoyed visiting the library in school this term, engaging in a range of story sacks, sharing the resources appropriately. Forest Class engaged really well during sports day this term, with the bouncy castle being a firm favourite!

Woodland class

Woodland class has had a great term looking at the theme ‘Destination Outer Space. They have enjoyed their weekly space themed music and movement sessions and participating in their sensory cookery lessons. They have enjoyed making earth cookies, moon rocks and star sandwiches. They also created space artwork which included painting with sponges, rocks and shaving foam as well as making hand and footprint aliens. They have also enjoyed visiting outer space during their sensory story sessions and having opportunities to listen to stories in the memorial garden and at the library. Woodland class also enjoyed the PMLD activity morning and having an opportunity to explore different countries around the world using their different senses.

Coast Class

Coast class have had a fantastic term with some incredible achievements. We have enjoyed accessing our ILP targets through a space themed topic. We have ventured into space using an Andy Warhol artistic flare. Using different mediums to refine our fine motor skills, we have used scratch pads, paint explosions and tie dye to create some incredible galaxy inspired masterpieces. During our topic carousel we explored extremely messy ‘moon sand’, collaborating with neighbouring classes in our outside area to explore our space-themed environment, working on our social interactions. During our VI targeted sessions we have accessed tracking technology following astronauts and galaxies. We have led child initiated exploration with incredible blow-up domes which projected a space light show. Some of our greatest achievements this term include, independence during the toileting routine, incredible language development and physical support being reduced.

Glacier Class

This term Glacier class has been focussing on ‘Out of this world’. The theme being: 'Destination: Out of Space'. The students have explored a space themed topic work, a lot of which has been sensory based. We have been focusing on Andy Warhol, looking at his artwork ‘Moonwalk’. We have created our own paper mache moon, exploring different textures. We have been exploring sensory space-themed tuff trays and exploring all the different planets. Sports day was also a massive success this term, with the students thoroughly enjoying a wide range of activities including a bouncy castle.

Michelle Hilton - Phase 2 Director

Milestone @ Dartford Primary Academy

Nova Class

Our learning this term has been out of this world! The theme has been ‘Destination: Out of Space’. In Nova class, we have explored the planets in our solar system and have taken a closer look at Planet Earth, investigating the different continents and the internal layers which make up our planet. We have even looked at how volcanoes are formed. In Art, we have looked at the works of well-known artist Andy Warhol, looking at his work ‘Moonwalk’ in greater depth. We have created our own artwork inspired by his Pop Art style using a range of different mediums, including paints, crayons and digital art. In our cookery lessons, we have been inspired by the Great British Bake Off, cooking recipes such as pastries, curries and sweet treats. We have been practising a range of cooking techniques and tasting our creations. We have been working with Money in Maths this term, and have been identifying and using British coins and notes in practical situations. Our Power of Reading text has been ‘Lila and the Secret of Rain’. We have enjoyed listening to the story and then retelling the story in our own words and creating our own small books. In our PSHE, we have been learning about emotional awareness and regulation, understanding why our bodies react the way they do, through a series of books called Tam’s Journey. In our PE sessions, we have been practising our cricket skills and we had a lovely afternoon on Sports Day, taking part in a range of fun activities and races. The bouncy castle was also a big hit!

Comet Class

Our theme this term has been ‘Destination: Out of space.’ The children have enjoyed learning about space and the planet Earth. We have explored the different layers of the Earth and the way the Earth is formed. As well as identifying volcanoes and the way they erupt. We had a lot of fun during science carrying out an investigation using coke and mentos. To support our topic we have also been researching Andy Warhol’s Moonwalk art work and have had the opportunity to learn about primary and tertiary colours when creating our own Andy Warhol inspired artwork. The class enjoyed using the TV programme Bake Off! to inspire their cooking sessions this term and have been building their cooking skills for a range of products. We have made different flavoured flapjacks, shortbread biscuits and jam tarts as well as paneer masala naans, all of the food was very tasty! Faye had to taste both groups' food to decide on which group had won each week!

Moonbeam Class

Moonbeam class has been enjoying our topic this term of ‘Destination: Out of Space’. We have been learning all about space and the planets in our solar system. We can name all the planets, order the planets, and have learnt different facts about them which we have been able to share with each other. We have also been exploring how our planet Earth is unique to the other planets. We’ve identified what causes different physical features on Earth and how the Earth's rotation affects our days and nights, seasons and weather. We have made playdough Earths to identify the different layers, we’ve made volcanoes with the lava erupting from the Earth’s mantle layer and we have looked at how earthquakes are caused. We have also been exploring space during Art where we have been learning about Andy Warhol and his pop art style, creating our own pop art moonwalk pictures. We have enjoyed our cooking this term, using different techniques to create Great British Bake-Off treats. So far we’ve made tarts, curry and shortbread which were very nice! We have been physically active this term in PE as we have been developing our cricket skills and have loved our swimming sessions. We also really enjoyed our sports day where we participated in inflatable darts, bowling, target games and races. We had great fun! In maths we have been learning about money and recognising the value of different coins. We've also been exploring different shapes and their properties. In PSHE we have been making connections to our knowledge of money to identify different jobs that people have and understand the purpose of money. In English we have been reading the book 'The Lonely Beast', sequencing the story, generating captions and understanding the characters emotions through role play and other drama activities.

Faye Mendez - Satellite Director

Phase 3

What a fantastic way to end this Academic Year! Our students have gone from strength to strength, and I could not be more proud.

The transition from one year to another is never easy, and we know that this time of year can be full of anxiety (for us as much as for our students!). As I write this, we are finalising class lists (a process that starts in January) and doing what we can to make sure that our students have a smooth transition into the 2023-24 Academic Year.

Over the summer, remember to:

Make sure that you check on your child’s transport if you have started a new application
Take lots of photos (and share some with us if you are happy to!)
Spend some time outside if you can (but don’t forget your sun cream)
Set a reminder to get in touch with your child’s class teacher in September

I want to say a huge thank you to the entire Phase 3 and Milestone @ the Leigh Team, who work tirelessly every single day to provide an outstanding educational experience to our young people. Our students’ families are always welcome in school to see this amazing work taking place every day, and it would be my pleasure to show off how amazing our team is.

In particular, I need to thank Maria Steer, our incredible Phase 3 Leader. Maria is tireless, creative and passionate about education, and I am so grateful to be working alongside her next year (congratulations, Maria!). Of course, I am infinitely grateful to everyone in this team, in every class and at every site - and this of course includes our wonderful pupils.

Wishing you the very best for the summer, and we will speak to you in September!

Aztec Class

Aztec have had a busy term, they have been learning about volcanoes and the impact they have had on our environment. The students were most surprised to learn that there were also positive effects. In maths, we have been learning about money, making amounts with different combinations and also giving change for both coins and notes up to £20. We have put these money skills into practice at the Co-Op buying ingredients for cooking lessons and by running the new Phase 3 tuck shop. We have successfully participated in tag rugby sessions with a professional coach. We have had a successful sports day organised by Steve and have even met our new teachers ready for next year. The Aztec team wishes you a happy summer and looks forward to welcoming you back in September.

Sparta Class

Sparta class had a fantastic final term! Our central idea was “Physical features of our planet continue to impact how we respond to the world around us”. Specifically, we have been looking at tectonic plates and the formation of volcanoes. Students have looked at plate boundaries and discussed the differences between continental and oceanic plates. They have experimented with Ryvita and icing to see how tectonic plates move on top of the Earth's mantle and what happens when they are pushed together and pulled apart. This term, students have also had some very mature discussions during our RSE sessions where we have looked at healthy/ unhealthy relationships, e-safety and what to do when you feel unhappy or unsafe. The team is so proud of how the students engaged with these lessons. They asked thoughtful questions and approached this topic like sensible young adults. The Sparta team wishes you all a great Summer and looks forward to seeing you all again in September.

Quotes from the students:

“The best part of this term was making new friends” - EM

“I enjoyed the team building games” - AJ

Tudor Class

Tudor class this term has enjoyed Tag Rugby with our rugby leader Darren, the students have had fun chasing each other for the tags of each others belts and practising ball throwing and catching skills. We have visited the Amazon Forest through a sensory story looking at tree frogs, sloths and many other wonderful tropical creatures. Our cooking has been revolving around the tropics which the students have enjoyed making. We made lime cheesecake and spicy pizza amongst other tasty food. We also had a successful sports day organised by Steve which the students were all engaged in and very happy.

A big thank you to Maria our Phase leader who has worked tirelessly to make this year successful and involving all pathways to have engaged, fun learning.

Viking Class

Vikings class has had a productive term following the PYP Transdisciplinary theme ‘Sharing the Planet’. We have focused on the central idea ‘Physical features of our planet continue to impact how we respond to the world around us’ where we have been learning about the structure of the Earth including; how volcanoes are formed and what causes earthquakes. We have enjoyed learning about how the active planet impacts not just the landscape but also the people who live in some of the most unpredictable parts of the world. In English we have focused on non-fiction completing research to recognise the difference between fact and fiction and in creating fact files. In Maths we have been learning about money including converting pence into pounds and using addition and subtraction methods to make quantities as well and calculate change. We have been very engrossed in our PSHE & RSE this term learning about ChildLine, learning about how we should act in different types of relationships and discussing different scenarios about being safe. We really enjoyed joining in with sports day and tag rugby.

The Vikings team hope you all have a wonderful summer break and look forward to seeing you in September.

Saxon Class

Saxon class has enjoyed a variety of different experiences & activities during Term 6 as part of our transdisciplinary theme of 'Sharing the planet'. During our sensory story of ‘We’re Roaming in the Rainforest’, students have explored different movements, sounds, textures, smells & tastes. They have also continued to follow key directions, develop their fine motor skills and engage with making a variety of cooking & craft based activities.

The arrival of the Phase 3 Tuck shop has been a hit with Saxons and they have enjoyed visiting Maria weekly to see what is on offer at the ‘shop’, choose a favoured snack and exchange money for their wanted item.

Our Sport’s Day was full of fun and all of the students showed great listening & attention skills to join in with a huge variety of activities. Archery & the ball pool were firm favourites and many smiles & memories were made across the day.

Saxons have continued to work on the key learner attributes of ‘risk-taker’ this term. Saxon students have been increasing their communication & interactions with each other through turn-taking games in class and fun activities on the playground, such as ball games, chase games & taking turns on the swing & trim trail. The students have been increasingly taking risks in trying new activities and tasks which are more unfamiliar to them; myself & the Saxon team are very proud of all the students!

Well done for all you have achieved this year Saxons, I hope you and your families have a wonderful summer holiday and we look forward to seeing you in the new academic year 🙂

Roman Class

Romans have continued to work hard on their mobility targets and Caitlyn is now walking back from the local shops; using her cane to navigate her path safely. The lovely sunshine has meant that we have been enjoying lessons outside, and getting fit on the trim trail. We have just finished a magnificent activity week with a drama day, a science day and had great fun with a 'beach day' and sensory story complete with seagull poop! Everyone got thoroughly wet, full of chips and ice-cream and had a true experience of a day at the beach. We have also had our PMLD island hopping special day this term. Again, a wonderful time with lots of smiles and lots of laughter. Whilst we work hard at Milestone, we also know how to play hard.

Have a wonderful summer everybody!

Renaissance Class

Renaissance class has had a productive term following the PYP Transdisciplinary theme ‘Sharing the Planet’. We have focused on the central idea ‘Physical features of our planet continue to impact how we respond to the world around us’ where we have been learning about the structure of the Earth including; how volcanoes are formed and what causes earthquakes. We had great fun learning how tectonic plates move against each other using Oreo biscuits to demonstrate the different plate movements. We have made our own volcanoes in art and are all really looking forward to experimenting with them to see what happens when volcanoes erupt using bicarbonate of soda and vinegar.

We have enjoyed learning about how the active planet impacts not just the landscape but also the people who live in some of the most unpredictable parts of the world.

In English we have continued to focus on our class book, 'The Next Best Master Chef', and have been working through comprehension questions around the story as well as predicting what will happen next.

In Maths we have been learning about money, identifying coins and their value as well as addition and subtraction when using money. We have also focused on position and direction this term, using directional language, we really focused on our left and right and had some fun lessons directing each other using directional language. As well as working in small groups programming and directing rugged robots around courses we made for them.

We really enjoyed joining in with sports day, even though it had to be indoors, and really enjoyed some of our parents joining us and helping us enjoy sports day. We also really enjoyed tag rugby this term.

Jurassic Class

We can’t believe this academic year has gone by so quickly. We have really enjoyed exploring the Amazon rainforest as a part of our transdisciplinary theme of ‘Sharing the Planet’. The students have shown a great interest in the animals that live in the Amazon and have created some lovely art to represent them. They have also learned about the artist David Hockney and created wonderful photo collages of the rainforest in the same style as some of his work. Through one of our lines of inquiry we have thought about the impact humans have on the rainforest and showed our opinion using like or don’t like to show our feelings towards images of the rainforest.

The students have continued to work hard in English and maths. We have been learning new card games to incorporate our counting and in English we have explored the rainforest through a sensory story, before writing our own sentences using colourful semantics.

Jurassic class had a lot of fun in cooking and really enjoyed tasting and making new things; the key lime cheesecake was delicious!

Our activity week was wonderful and full of different things to bring us together as a phase. We want to say a big thank you to Maria Steer for being a fabulous phase leader and bringing lots of fun to our learning.

We hope you all have a wonderful summer.

Kyle Marsh - Phase 3 Director

Milestone @ The Leigh Academy

Anning class

Term 6 has been filled with incredible achievements, and unforgettable experiences for our students. We are incredibly proud of the dedication and enthusiasm our students demonstrated. Their commitment to learning, collaboration and personal growth has been inspiring to witness.

Our students have made wonderful progress in their swimming lessons this term. Through their dedication and perseverance, they have achieved great success in developing their swimming skills and water confidence. It was truly inspiring to witness their growth, as they gained strength and agility in the water. Equally important, our students demonstrated excellent water safety knowledge and displayed responsible behaviour while enjoying aquatic activities. We are confident that the skills they have acquired will not only enrich their lives but also promote their well-being and safety in aquatic environments.

During our community participation trip, we explored some of Rochester's most treasured landmarks. Our first stop was the inspiring Rochester Cathedral, where we learned about its rich history. Then, we had a picnic in the park of Rochester Castle. Finally, we had the privilege of witnessing Charles Dickens' Folly, a captivating sight that transported us back in time to the era of one of the world's greatest literary minds.

Anning class enjoyed the sports day with the Leigh Academy students. They eagerly participated in a wide range of athletic activities, showcasing their skills and determination.

The Anning team would like to wish all parents and students a truly fantastic summer break. May this special time be filled with relaxation, joy, and unforgettable experiences. We look forward to hearing all about your wonderful summer adventures.

Have a great summer holiday and make the most of every moment!

Turing Class

Turing class has enjoyed exploring the theme of 'Sharing the Planet'. This theme allowed the class to explore our use of the planet's resources to ensure we are sustainably using all available energy sources. Students explored our use of oil and gas and how we should be transitioning to more renewable and sustainable resources such as solar and wind power. We also looked at how farming is affecting our food supplies and the effects that a changing climate is having on both arable and pastoral farms. In June, Turing class took the opportunity to celebrate both LGBTQ+ Pride month as well as Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month. This gave the students an opportunity to learn about other cultures and traditions as well as to recognise the importance of sharing our planet with all people.

Equiano Class

Equiano had a fantastic end to the year. For our unit of inquiry we have been exploring our planet's resources, looking at where our food comes from and who we share the planet with. We have conducted research into extinct species and their habitats, becoming scientists learning how to classify species correctly in order to learn more about the world around us. We have been enjoying our class book; ‘Noughts and Crosses’ by Malorie Blackman and writing our own book reviews and creating family trees, while looking and learning more about the importance of hard-hitting topics like: racism, discrimination and sexism.

For our community participation we visited Rochester, where we looked around the Guildhall Museum and the Cathedral before having a picnic in the park and exploring the range of shops in the highstreet.

Members of Equiano also partook in sports day with the Leigh Academy students, completing a range of running races which they thoroughly enjoyed and excelled in. In Drama with Keren they have been learning about Verbatim theatre. As well as listening to some career talks from a past student and a stunt coordinator who came in to explain his role and how some stunts are performed.

Sofia Pinto - Satellite Director

Phase 4

It is hard to believe that we are reaching the end of another academic year, and what a wonderful year it has been, full of fantastic achievements and creative learning opportunities. It has been a privilege to join the Phase 4 department this year and become immersed in the learning that takes place each day.

I want to say a huge thank you to the staff, students and families of Phase 4 & M@W who work together with such commitment. A special thank you to Amy Mercer who has led the Phase with such passion and enthusiasm. Amy leaves the Phase to pursue the next stage of her career but will always remain a valued member of the team. And with that, we warmly welcome Katy Morez-Stephens into the role of Phase 4 leader and congratulate Lucy Ryan and Katie Collinson as they become Behaviour leaders for Phase 4.

The end of an academic year brings some nervousness, excitement but also some sadness as we say goodbye to some members of our Milestone community. We wish our Class of 2023 leavers every success in their future, you are forever part of our Milestone community and we look forward to celebrating your achievements at our leavers events and Prom - Noleen Donaghy-Parkhouse.

Dover Class

This term, our theme has been 'Sharing Our Planet'. It has been a very busy term with lots of new experiences! Many of our class have enjoyed weekly swimming lessons and are making great progress in floating and swimming in the water. We had a fantastic sports day despite the rain, where students enjoyed playing Botchya, inflatable darts and the bouncy castle. We have started our enterprise work and have been developing our listening skills and following instructions by gardening and caring for our outdoor areas as well as working on fine motor skills through arts and crafts. Dover have worked incredibly hard this year and the team would like to wish all our students and families a restful and fun summer break!

Eynsford Class

Eynsford class has had a very busy Term 6. We have enjoyed spending more time outside in the outdoor classroom and being able to enjoy the sunshine and nice weather. We all very much enjoyed sports day and the bouncy castle and ball pit were a firm favourite amongst everyone. This term we have started our Enterprise work, and have been learning new skills to help us develop our independence. We have explored horticulture and arts and crafts, and have made items for our outdoor learning space. So far we have made windcatchers, and our own suncatchers, as well as flower bombs.

Eynsford class have all worked extremely hard this year and we are very proud of all of their achievements and successes. Finally, the Eynsford team would like to wish everyone a happy and well deserved summer break.

Scotney Class

Scotney has been very busy during term 6. We had a very successful sports day, the sun shone and everyone enjoyed a wide range of activities. Our Food and Nutrition lessons saw us making dishes that used very little or no packaging. The fruit smoothies were our favourite and we even used strawberries we had grown in our own allotment area.

The texts we studied this term covered a range of topics around saving the oceans including “The Mess That We Made” a story about plastic pollution.

The end of term 6 always sees us saying our fond farewells to our students moving on from Milestone Academy. This is a bittersweet time for all staff as we celebrate the achievements of our young people but know that we will miss them all. Scotney class team would like to wish you all a safe and happy Summer break.

Canterbury Class

Canterbury class have had a busy term 6. We have been working very hard in our maths lessons and learning to transfer our skills across a range of activities within school and whilst out in the community. We all enjoyed a very successful sports day and the bouncy castle was definitely a hit! During topic this term, we have been looking at the world we live in and have enjoyed sensory stories about how other children live in different parts of the world and comparing our own lifestyles.

As this term and the school year draw to a close, we are sad to say goodbye to students who are moving on and wish them all the best for the future.

We hope you have a great summer and a well deserved rest!

Leeds Class

Leeds class have enjoyed term 6. It has been good to be able to feel the sun on our faces and the fresh air on our sensory walks. We all enjoyed the PMLD activity morning where we were able to mix with other friends and peers from different classes. It was very busy and a lot of parents attended.

We wish our three leavers in Leeds class good luck Post-19. They will be truly missed.

Noleen Donaghy-Parkhouse - Phase 4 Leader

Milestone @ Wilmington Academy

Upnor Class

Upnor class have had a fantastic term 6, working hard towards their accreditations, whilst also eagerly counting down the days until the first ever M@W Prom! The students have all worked so incredibly hard, we can’t wait to end the year with this event.

Upnor class have continued to work to build their business enterprise, making bug hotels and designing t-shirts that will hopefully be for sale soon (watch this space!)

13 students from Milestone at Wilmington have also enjoyed the residential holiday where we stayed in Suffolk, taking part in day and evening activities and much fun was had by all!

Wishing you all a wonderful summer!

Hever Class

Hever class have continued to visit Dragons retreat during this term, it has been really good to witness them continuing to develop their skills across the entire process of producing and sharing meals. During residential week the remaining students took part in a range of activities from bridge building, to Italian and Japanese themed days which included food preparation. We also reached for space with our rocket designing, making and launching activity. I was really impressed with just how high some of the students were able to reach with their designs and carefully chosen materials.

I would like to wish you all a good summer.

Rochester Class

During Residential Week, the remaining students took part in a variety of activities. The students were introduced to the Italian and Japanese cultures through our Italian and Japanese days, where they carried out activities related to these two countries, and cooked Italian and Japanese food. The students also participated in different science based activities where they were challenged to build a strong bridge out of straws and made their own rockets which were launched on the field.

Nicky McCarthy - Satellite Director

PE News

Massive thanks to all of the parents and carers who attended our various sports day events in June. Students took part in lots of different activities, sensory play and races. They also enjoyed the bouncy castle and other inflatables. Lots of fun was had by all and the weather was good for the majority of the events.

Five students from Phase 3 took part in the KSENT Olympics which took place at Swallows Leisure

Centre in Sittingbourne. The young people enjoyed experiencing some new activities such as Seated Volleyball and Scooter Boards. Well done to the students who took part in a very enjoyable day.

Students from Milestone @ DPA will take part in the LAT Primary Sports day on Friday 7th July and LAT Kwik Cricket at Sir Joseph Williamson School on Wednesday 12th July. Students from our classes at Milestone @ Leigh will take part in the LAT secondary events on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th July.

Steve Devereux - Head of PE

Horticulture News

This term Phase 1 has been enjoying outdoor & gardening activities. They have planted beans & peas, some of which have now germinated. These will be transferred into the main garden. They have also enjoyed searching for wildlife in different areas of the school, getting up close using magnifying glasses.

In Phase 3, Romans have enjoyed activities in the garden including making wildflower bombs, sowing seeds & creating art work using flowers & leaves. Tudor have continued to develop their skills in following visual instructions to complete tasks. They were excellent at making wildflower bombs, sorting broken pots and planting lettuce out into the raised bed. Aztec & Viking classes have both been extremely hardworking in trying to rid our garden of weeds! As well as this ongoing task they have planted carrots, lettuce and pumpkin.

The two groups working towards their level 1 accreditation completed gathering their final pieces of evidence. Their work has been internally verified & will be externally verified next month. Well done to all students for their incredible learning over this year. Year 1 has also been busy weeding and planting. Last week they went to the garden centre to purchase plants that they researched to plant in containers. These will add long term colour to new areas of the school. Year 2 has started to renovate the herb garden (check out the page on the website). Unfortunately due to the sleepers being in worse repair than we realised this may be a job that has to be completed in September. However, the students have done extremely well to get it to this point and I’m sure it will look amazing when finished.

Kirsty Wiseman - Horticulture Teacher

Dates for Your Diary

Friday 1st September - First day term 1

Friday 20th October - Last day of term 1

Monday 6th November - First day of term 2

Friday 15th December - Last day of term 2

Tuesday 2nd January 2024 - First day of term 3

Thursday 8th February 2024 - Last day of term 3

Friends of Milestone - Charity No: 278677

Hello from The Friends of Milestone,

The Friends of Milestone would like to thank everyone for their support to all of our events through the year and of course the summer fete, we raised just over £2000! These events will continue to enable us to provide many new toys and resources to the academy across all departments as well as going towards the fundraising for a new minibus.

We are currently in the process of setting up a just giving page which will enable us to take donations throughout the year as well as the events we organise.

We will be setting the dates for the next academic year when we return after the summer break so please look out for these, we will send reminders throughout the year as well.

We would also like to take this opportunity to give a big thank you to the local Freemasons groups who have selected us to be one of their chosen charities for fundraising and we truly appreciate their continued support.

If any parents would like to join the Friends, new members are always welcome. We meet approximately once a term to update and plan the many events we hold at and for the academy. If you are interested please email or look at the Facebook page ‘Friends of Milestone’ (the above picture is our profile picture)

friendsofmilestoneacademy@gmail.com

We look forward to welcoming new members and planning more fundraising events in the new academic year.

Have a lovely summer

The Friends Of Milestone

Faye Warman – Chair

Sarah Spiers – Co-Chair and Treasurer

Lyn French – Secretary

Friends of Milestone

Medical and Therapy Team News

Physio and OT:

The Physios and OTs from Kent Community Health NHS Trust would like families to know you can contact them directly if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s OT, Physio or specialist equipment. You can contact them on 0300 790 6235 or see the contact details on reports or letters from them. They will be able to deal with any queries directly.

If your query is for Karen Al Khina, school employed OT then please contact elizabeth.skilton@milestoneacademy.org.uk.

We are happy to facilitate wheelchair repairs in school but ask that you let the therapy team or your teacher know. Thank you; this helps us make sure your child is available and we can provide a safe space for the engineer to carry out the repair.

Contact Anne Cherriman, OT / Physio Assistant or the Physio or OT directly if you would like specialist equipment to come home for the summer holidays.

Speech and Language:

Over the summer we know families will be doing lots of different activities. It would be great if you could talk to your children about what you are going to do, and comment while you are out and about. This will help them to hear the language and vocabulary linked to where you are, for example if you go to the park, comment on whether the swing is going high, fast or if it stops. If you go to the farm, comment as you look at the animals "look, lots of chickens", "I can see a brown cow" etc.

With activities being different it is always good to try to help with new routines. You can use post-it notes or pieces of paper to make your own visual timetable. This can then be adapted to the different activities you will do each day. We hope this idea helps.

Signing Club:

This term we have learnt the different signs for colours and animals. We have practiced using these and describing pictures in a book including red snake, orange monkey, pink flamingo, purple dragonfly, blue parrot, grey elephant and more! We spoke about the animals we liked and learnt how to sign what our favourite one was. We played games where each pupil had to sign a colour and for everyone to look around the room and find it. This helped us to understand the signs more and get more confident with using them. We hope you have fun with these activities at home.

Find a Voice:

Please return any borrowed equipment to the specialist lending library. We look forward to continuing this collaboration in the Autumn Term.

Medical News:

Community Paediatrician and Dietitian clinics have been held in school this term. The special school nursing team has continued to train our staff in epilepsy, medication administration, enteral feeds, asthma, anaphylaxis and pressure care. We really value our partnerships with our health colleagues as we work together to make sure children are safe and well so they can access their learning in school.

Advance notice that flu immunisations clinics will be held in school on 3rd October for years 7-11 and years R-6 on 6th October (main site and DPA). Please look out for the consent letters and emails from the NHS immunisation service as you will need to consent or decline directly. We will provide further updates as soon as we have them.

Please do check the ingredients of sun lotions. Milestone is a nut-free school and we are aware some products contain traces of nut-based ingredients.

Please continue to send any medical updates including letters, reports or plans through the pupilhealthplans@milestoneacademyorg.uk.

Final comments:

On behalf of the therapy and medical teams, I wish all our children and families an enjoyable summer. We look forward to hearing about the fun things you have been doing. We look forward to welcoming the new children joining us in September, but for now we also wish our leavers the very best as they all embark upon life beyond Milestone. We are very proud of all your achievements and who you have become. We will miss you and hope you come back to see us from time to time.

From Liz Skilton and all in the Therapy & Medical Teams

Useful Websites

Useful websites with information and resources for schools and parents to support toileting are:

ERIC at www.eric.org.uk

Bladder and Bowel UK www.bbuk.org.uk

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

Also look at the Facebook page for Kent Community Health as they also have information of sessions offered for parents on various topics.

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