Let’s talk about face masks.  Whether one is wearing a surgical mask or a cloth face mask, they both provide the function of reducing the spread of respiratory droplets by containing some of a sneeze, cough, or saliva when speaking or singing.  According to OSHA, cloth face masks are not considered personal protective equipment (PPE) and should not be used in place of social distancing.

Since face masks are required to be worn daily at school, here a few tips regarding their use:

1. Wear once then wash. Face masks are touched often and therefore harbor germs from our hands, skin on our face, and from our nose and mouth. Plus, masks get soiled from taking them on and off throughout the day. Although the recommendation is to not touch the mask once placed on the face, this is rarely practiced. It is scientifically proven that a person touches his or her face 23 times in 1 hour! Wash your face mask along with other regular laundry.
2. Wear them properly. Face masks should cover the nose and mouth, secure under the chin, and fit snugly against the sides of the face.
   1. The most common mask wearing mistake seen at school is students wearing the mask below the nose. The mask should fit snug against the sides of the face to avoid the mask from falling off the nose. If your child states he/she is having a hard time breathing from the mask, the fabric of the mask may be the culprit. The CDC recommends the fabric to be 100% woven cotton with at least two layers of material and is washable. Also, a folded, pleated, and duckbill mask allows more air flow through the fabric and leaks less air from the sides when compared to a flat-fronted mask.
   2. Gators made with two layers is ideal or folding the fabric to make two layers works also.
   3. For those who wear glasses, the mask should fit closely over your nose or have a nose wire to limit the fogging.
3. Have more than one mask at school. Nose bleeds, water or food spills, dirt from outside, etc. happen while at school. Having more than one mask at school will assure a proper fit and a mask your child is sure to wear.

Lastly, while face masks assist in helping reduce the spread of germs, nothing replaces the scientific fact that the number one way to reduce the spread of germs is to WASH YOUR HANDS.

On behalf of the Liberty staff, we thank you for your continued support as we navigate this new normal.

                                                                    

The 3^rd graders will launch our 6^th annual Socks for the Season event.  We will be hosting a school wide event Dec 1^st- 17^th.  This is where we collect adult and children socks for people living in homeless shelters sponsored by United Way and BPS students within our schools that could use some warmth this winter season.  Please consider making a donation.

                                                     

Please remember to dress appropriately for the weather conditions.  Coats, hats & gloves are important when the temperature drops below 40 degrees. Snow pants & boots are a must when we have snow on the ground.  We want everyone to stay warm & healthy!

This is an easy way that Liberty families can help raise money for the school by clipping box top labels from every day products. Each clipping is worth $.10.  We typically raise about $2,000 each school year. 

You can save these throughout the school year by putting them in the Ziploc baggies.  They are collected by the PTO four times a year.