Hello Falcons this is Principal Fatout with another Flanagan Newsletter highlighting our amazing student and teacher accomplishments as well as upcoming events. We hope this message finds you and yours well.

As we move forward I want to remind families of the importance of daily attendance. It is critical our Falcons attend school every day and are in class on time when the bell rings. Administration have sent home ongoing messages notifying parents how many class periods your child has missed. Attending class regularly is essential to academic proficiency and growth. Please analyze your child's attendance as well as academics through your child's Focus system.

If you need administration and school counseling for academic analysis and parent / teacher conferences, we encourage you to contact us immediately and we will meet as a team and family. We are always here for you.

*Please be advised that U-Turns are not allowed in front of the school during school hours*

Student Pick-Up and Drop-Off are strictly to be done in the parent loop, the front of the school is reserved for buses only.

New Morning Arrival Procedures

•All Parent Drop off/Pick up will take place in the East lot

•School Bus Drop off will remain the same in the front of the school

•All student arrivals will now be directed to the front entrance of the school (“Green Gate”), regardless of initial area of arrival (Student Parking, Bus, Parent Drop Off)

•Students will need to pass through the metal detectors located at the front entrance of the school. Students must have student IDs ready when entering through the front entrance.

New Parking Changes:

•Students will now park in what is known as the Driver’s Ed lot. Students will enter the lot through the “Driver’s Ed Gate.” The northern half of what was known as the student parking lot will now serve as overflow parking for students. The southern half of the of the lot will be off-limits to student parking during regular school hours. Students may utilize the southern half of the western lot after 2:40 pm.

10 things people should know about being a heavily mixed American Latina.

1. You don't know, Latina or American?

You were born and raised in America but you grew up with the Latino culture. You would say you are American because you were born in America, but you don’t know much about the American culture. Yet you were not born in a Latin country, so you are not Hispanic enough to say you are fully Latina. Hispanics see you as white and white people see you as hispanic. Which one are you? Gringa or Latina?

2. You have different Hispanic cultures

Your dad being from south America, Peru and your mom from a Caribbean household, Cuban and Dominican. They are both Hispanic so what is the difference? Your dad will serve you ceviche, with papa a la Huancaina and your mom will serve you pollo con arroz y habichuela. Your dad would play musica criolla, Landó, or marinera while your mom would play salsa, bachata, or merengue. Your mom would say aguacate and your dad would say palta. Your mom would say habichuela and your dad would say frijoles.

3. You don’t know which hispanic culture you fit in with more

You would visit cousins from Peru and then visit cousins from DR or Cuba and you can’t fully relate to them. You would feel too American.

4. Both parents have different views on raising you

Coming from a mixed Hispanic household most people would assume it would be the same regardless. However different types of Hispanics mean different cultures. The difference is your dad is chill and believes in enjoying your life with your family, while your mom is stricter and believes in working hard for your future. With them having quite different ways of thinking this would bring some conflict. Who has the better idea for raising you?

5. Having mixed features

Peruvian girls would have silky dark straight hair, yet you have your mom's curly frizzy Dominican hair. Your mom has Cuban light hazel eyes and light skin, yet you would have your dad's deep brown eyes and olive skin tone. Your dad is short and square, but you got your mom's taller height and body type.

6. Having a mixed personality

You are reserved and respectful like your Peruvian side while on your Carribean side you find yourself speaking loudly and abruptly.

7. You struggle speaking Spanish

You grow up being spoken to in both Spanish and English but instead of learning them both you start speaking gibberish. Not being able to speak proper Spanish nor proper English. Just speaking nonsense gibberish till the age of 4. Almost not

making it to kindergarten. You pick up on English but are still a little behind on your vocabulary according to your elementary teachers. You start learning to speak Spanish little by little again because of how much it is spoken to you when you see the family members that do not speak English. You then take Spanish classes in middle school and end up learning just enough Spanish to carry a conversation.

8. You have an American accent

When you speak Spanish, you naturally have a gringa accent. Which is another sign that you are American. But your accent would switch from two different accents, Peruvian and Cuban. You would know and use the certain terms for Peruvians, Cubans, Dominicans, and Americans.

9. You have two religions

You were baptized catholic and been to a mass a few times for family but grew up being a Christian and going to listen to the pastor every Sunday since you were a child. You would know about Jesus from your Christian side and from your catholic side, but you were also told about how important the virgin Mary is. Your mother would pray for you while your father would buy you bracelets with the evil eye.

10. Family is everything

You might not know much about American culture, but you will know for sure that one thing Latinos have in common is their love for family. Family is the most valuable thing. Family comes first. Family is always there for you. You always get advice about life from every family member at parties when everyone is drunk. Even when the cultures are different, the family loves you the same.

Breathe
You tell me to just breathe
It’s very simple, no?
In one, two, three
Hold one, two, three, four, five, six
Out one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine
Breathing
Such a simple act
You do it just fine
It should be easy
Why is it so hard?
My chest starts to cave in
My lungs refusing to accept the thing it needs the very most
Breathe
In and out – in and out
You leave me here to suffer
You leave me here alone
My mind racing,
My world starts to spin
I fall to my knees
My hands reach for my throat
Desperate for air
Until he appears
An angel
Offering a warm embrace
He helps me to breathe
Breathe
In one, two, three
Hold one, two, three, four, five, six
Out one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine

Crumbs of heaven have been falling for hours.

My desperate hands try to pick them up off the floor,

but everything that’s good is also slippery.

I try to keep the place I call home on my back,

on wings that cannot carry the weight of my body,

let alone yours.

but love endures all things, isn’t that right?

Would it be better for me to carry you in my thoracic cavity?

You, seeping through my ribs without my permission,

Your cells adhering to my lungs

because my heart is not the right place for a love like yours.

No, you steal my breath and not in the form of romantic sighs,

You crush my chest with your insincere embrace

-don’t stop holding me-

And the “I love you” escapes from my lips like a death rattle.

“Do you love me?”

turns into a rhetorical question,

because ”a little” is not the answer I want,

yet is the one you always give me

and I expect to hear, I somehow hope to hear.

I sit, and wait in the comfort of our thorn-made bed.

Maybe, if I kiss you,

I can rip the words out of your throat,

I don’t care if all I get it’s monosyllables

If all I get is a white lie,

And even if you claim your tongue to be honest

I can see the cruelty of it all hidden in your pupil.

Have I told you how much I adore your eyes?

Have I told you how much I hate

that the limits of your love for me reach “a little”?

Please, tell me you love me a little.

It’s not conformity,

It’s me surrendering to you.

It’s being at the mercy of your pronounced contempt

and that little light of hope

you give me after as a compensation,

Like I am child you can give a treat to

after taking her favorite toy away,

Because God forbids

I get myself out of this sickening playground

and I take your toy away.

And I don’t need compensations,

I don’t need anything more than a reason to stay,

please, give me a reason to stay.

Is it a lot to ask this from you

after I have abandoned myself for you?

Occasionally, I light up a candle,

just to admire the oranges in the flames,

to feel the burning sensation on my skin

and imagine it’s a tattoo of your lips,

Self-love became in my life the second

since the very moment you became my first.

And just as a candle,

heaven burns my fingerprints,

leaving me without a sense of identity

How am I supposed to recognize myself?

you made me think I was an extension of you,

not a complement.

Heaven makes my taste buds go numb

and your caramel-bathed skin is the only remedy.

How bittersweet.

Flowers must be tired of me

plucking them off and then tearing them apart

And for what?

For a does he love me or does he love me not?

Hey! but I’ll say sorry to them every time.

Isn’t that what you did?

Apology after apology like those make the pain go away,

like those will give me back my stolen beauty

and the lost parts of myself,

And the truth is, I‘m running out of forgiveness.

Someone will someday

see an angel at the lagoon,

Not a fallen, a resurrected one.

Observing her reflection

to minimize the love sickness.

And when they ask me -and they will-

about the things carved way beyond the surface,

about my damaged wings,

my empty, bloody hands.

And the course of events,

Don’t worry, I will take all the blame

so you can keep all the guilt to yourself,

I can’t take both anymore.

I’ll say that everything happens for a reason,

That you were a divine mistake,

That I was only tasting crumbs of heaven.

Everywhere you look

You’ll find a piece of you within nature

Don’t hide your stretch marks

They can be found in the linings of the tall and resilient trees

Don’t call your acne unsightly then gaze at the stars and call them enchanting

The marks that scatter your face make up the most radiant constellation

Don’t straighten your curly hair in shame

Even the ocean works with the tides to curl her waves

The freckles you cover with makeup are speckled lilies blooming to mark the coming of summer

The wrinkles you fear are bountiful riverways flowing through woodland

The hairs on your body you try to hide

Are an abundant green foliage providing shelter to small critters

Don’t dye those silver hairs

The moon smiles down at you when she sees your matching strands

We grow up lied to about our beauty

Told to fear the growing ages

But Mother Nature took her care to craft a world that mirrors us

So how can you be anything less of lovely

Student ID Policy:

Students must wear their school ID at all times, around the neck and on top of clothing. If a student has lost or forgotten their ID, please see Mr. Makenzie in the IS room for a replacement.

Assistant Principal: Mr. Warkentien

Class Sponsor: Ms. Martin

Assistant Principal: Mr. Zapata

Class Sponsor: Ms. O'Neal

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Jack

Class Sponsor: Ms. Simmonds

Assistant Principal: Dr. Forde

Class Sponsor: Ms. Carter

Students interested in any sport please reach out to Bryan Cook at bryan.cook@browardschools.com

To purchase tickets or season passes, please go to: https://gofan.co/app/school/FL7632

Great job Senior Officers as you hosted “Senior Sunrise” for our Class of 2025 Seniors. Go Falcons!!

Thank you Peer Counseling for continuing to support Peace Week. Go Falcons!!

Congratulations Flanagan Speech and Debate students as they competed at the first After School Tournament.

It is National IT Day!! Congratulations Ms. Julin and Mr Guerrero. Your dedication and hard work is appreciated!!

Flanagan Health Science students showing off their new scrubs. Go Falcons!!

What a great week of Senior Spirit Week. Go Falcons.

Great job Flanagan Culinary Arts as you provided a fresh lunch for our staff. The greeting, service, etiquette, taste, and overall comfort was First Class. Thank you Chef Lemesevski for your leadership and expertise. Go Falcons!!

Flanagan High School

Official Instagram account

@FlanaganHighSchool

Official X account

@FlanaganHS

Official Facebook account

FlanaganFalconFoundation

Principal Fatout

Official Instagram account

@Flanagan_High_Falcons

Official X account

@FlanaganHigh1