WEEk of auguST 21, 2024 FLIER INSIDE
School days Pine Island Elementary teachers treated to lunch and other news — INSIDE pINEISlaND-EaglE.com
VolumE 48, NumbEr 16
Celebrating Pine Islanders: Cathy Eagle By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Captain Cathy Madigan Eagle said she is a "woman of the water," as she wants to continue giving boat tours until she is 90. Often finding herself in Matlacha Pass, Pine Island Sound, Boca Grande Pass and Captiva Pass, she is a woman who loves what she does and does what she loves. “I’m everywhere out there,” Eagle said. She explained that she has lived all along the coastline at this point, although her family first embarked this way in 1978 when her parents bought a home on Matlacha Island. Her hometown, Sault Saint Marie, on the Canadian border, is jack-knifed on I-75, she said. “When my parents started coming here, in the 1960s, it was U.S. 41,” Eagle said. Shortly after Eagle’s parents bought their home, she and her husband visited,
by flying into Fort Lauderdale and renting a car in order to drive over to the island. For the first time in her life, Eagle fell asleep to the sound of fish jumping through the water just outside the open window. When she awakened on Matlacha Pass, she said she could not believe her eyes. “So I moved here in 1979,” Eagle said. Since her parents were snowbirds, they would not be down until December that year. Eagle said she and her husband stayed at her parent’s home in the meantime. Eagle said she waited tables, at what she believes is now the Blue Dog Bar and Grill, or just near there in Matlacha. “When I look at my 45 years here -- it See CATHY EAGLE, page 8 Capt. Cathy Eagle with her charter boat Wings to Fly. PHOTO PROVIDED
First week of school rolls out smoothly, district reports New regional associate superintendents are taking a hands-on approach this school year By MEGHAN BRADBURY
news@breezenewspapers.com
The early morning fire off Harpoon Lane.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Island firefighters battle blaze in St. James City Early Thursday morning, units Capt150, E-151, E-152, E-153, E-154, PI1 and PI-2 from the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District responded to a structure fire in St. James City off Harpoon Lane. Upon arrival around 1:30 a.m., crews found a fully engulfed travel trailer within feet of a mobile home. According to a report from the M/PIFCD, firefight-
ers quickly sprung into action and extinguished the fire and were able to prevent major damage to the mobile home. The mobile home fortunately only sustained exterior damage. The quick response and action from the first arriving engine prevented any further spread to neighboring structures. No injuries were reported and the cause is currently under investigation.
As with the start of every school year the challenges almost solely fall upon transportation and the drop-off and pickup lines at schools. “The first couple of weeks parents need to be patient and let them iron it out,” Regional Associate Superintendent Chuck Vilardi said of getting families to understand the process. Parents should give the schools at least two weeks for those lines to become better, and buses to roll smoother. With that said, Vilardi said, if there are any major issues with transportation, the parents should contact their school’s principal, so they can get the issue corrected right away. “Buses are rolling out much quicker each and every day. My principals are reaching out to me,” he said, adding that they are trying to manage the process and if certain schools are having problems, they are taking care of the problems. “I hope everyone enjoyed the first week of school. Get rest this weekend and I look forward to a smoother next week.” Vilardi took on the new position of the Regional Associate Superintendent — a K-12 model — this year, which oversees 22 schools in Cape Coral and Pine Island.
“The responsibilities are to be supervising those principals, helping those schools and communicating with those schools,” he said. “The hope is to communicate better and build better trust and take action quicker.” The idea is to have a better streamline of communication, as well as helping principals understand the current trends in education, coaching them and becoming a model for newer principals. “The goal for this year — increase student achievement, increase trust, accountability and communication,” Vilardi said. Another goal is closing the achievement gap that COVID caused, he said. Vilardi said those COVID years really affected those who are in fourth and fifth grade now as they missed some of the foundational years in education. The district is looking at the skills missed and what interventions can be put into place to meet those needs. Vilardi said they are looking at every piece of curriculum, so they can increase learning and engagement. The district is looking at clientele in each region and gathering information to determine what the curriculum is going to look like. See FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL, page 7
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