Mrs. Wheeler's First Grade Tidbits: Protect|ED Face Masks

Good Afternoon! I hope you all are having a great year, whether it's remote, hybrid, or in-person full time. We are a hybrid model in my district and are in our third week back. I have two groups of 8. They alternate days and then alternate weeks. It's been going surprisingly well. There are many requirements in place, such as mandatory masks all day, frequent hand sanitizing, sitting socially distanced at desks, line orders, and MORE. It's definitely more to keep track of than a typical back to school season (who that was even possible!?), but I'm happy to be back in school with kids, even if I only see each group every other day! I'm pleased with how well the kids are doing in terms of following the new protocols. In my mind, I anticipated chaos. However, the students have risen to the occasion. For the most part, the masks stay on without reminders. The kids sometimes remind me that they need to "sanitize first." They also sometimes have to remind me of their line order. They are truly amazing.

Setting up my classroom this year was MUCH different than in the past...so much to think about. One thing I was worried about was masks. My kids were instructed to bring their own masks to school. They have to wear them all day, even during Gym and Recess. I knew that one mask would not be enough. So many questions went through my mind...what if they sneeze their mask? What if they get food on their mask at lunch? What if they get their mask dirty? How about if their mask falls on the ground? I knew I needed to have plenty of back-up masks for those inevitable situations.

Luckily, I was able to check out Protect|ED's primary face masks. Protect|ED is a personal protective equipment company that's leading the charge to help schools nationwide prepare for in-person learning. The company is helping K-12 school districts, colleges, teachers, and parents on safely returning to in-building learning and activities by identifying and supplying the PPE solutions needed to deliver on customized safety plans for students, teachers and staff. The company’s medical team has used facial studies to develop a face mask that properly fits younger children from pre-kindergarten through second grade. These primary student masks are smaller in width and height, have shorter ear loops and a special heat weld allows the mask to flex better on the cheeks of a child.

A loose face mask doesn’t provide young children or others around them with protection. Protect|ED‘s primary student face mask is an appropriately sized, protective, and comfortable face mask that a young child will wear for longer periods. By ensuring a proper fit, it offers protection from others and protection for the child. Protect|ED is the only company that offers these specialized masks available for children of this age. The company is committed to ensuring educators and students can go back to teaching and learning in a safe and clean environment.

I keep a box of the primary face masks in my classroom and they have come in extremely handy! Within the first two weeks of school, I had sneeze situations, lunch food situations, water situations, and several of my kids even had their masks break. It was no problem, because I simply grabbed a brand new Protect|ED mask for them and they were able to continue on with their learning.

To order the primary student face mask, which is only $.49 cents per mask, follow these easy steps:

1. Click on this link

2. Enter the number of masks you want to order and click Add to Cart

3. View your card to confirm the order

4. Proceed to checkout and enter shipping and payment information

ProtectED also offers an intermediate mask, designed for students in 3rd through 6th grade. I hope you'll take some time to check out these awesome masks for your students! Be sure to share the link with your school administration, as well.