Hybrid Learning

Forsyth’s larger campus and smaller enrollment make us uniquely suited to accommodate a variety of hybrid learning models that incorporate on-campus learning. Located on 4.5 acres in the Wydown-Forsyth Historic District in the City of St. Louis, Forsyth's campus comprises six historic homes and eight total buildings. With three houses each on the parallel streets of Wydown and Forsyth Boulevards, the adjoining backyards create a large courtyard area for playgrounds, gardens, and athletic spaces. Over the years, construction and renovations have added the Rand Center for Performing Arts & Athletics and the Falcon’s Nest, home to Forsyth’s new Eyas Program, to the campus.

With a total enrollment of approximately 350 students and a faculty and staff of approximately 75 adults, the total number of people on Forsyth’s campus at any given time is limited and manageable. Our current hybrid learning plan for the start of the 2020/21 school year consists of full-time, on-campus learning for students in Eyas through Senior-Kindergarten and alternating half-time, on-campus learning for students in Grades 1–6. This plan, which also considers those students who have elected for full-time distance learning, provides for no more than 300 total people on our 4.5-acre campus at any given time.

In addition, campus-wide safety protocols (indoors and outdoors) now include children and adults wearing face coverings, practicing physical and social distancing, and washing or sanitizing hands frequently. Daily home health screenings and temperature checks are conducted for every person who comes to campus. Visitors (including parents and families) are allowed on campus by appointment only. New, campus-wide signage supports and promotes our safety protocols. All employees receive face masks and face shields. One School Nurse will be on-site at all times during regular hours.

Indoors, Forsyth has invested in HVAC upgrades to improve air quality and flow as well as more electrostatic sanitation units to increase efficiency. The Facilities Department has developed and implemented enhanced cleaning regimens and schedules in conjunction with our janitorial services provider. Classrooms have been set up to maximize physical and social distancing; plexiglass dividers will be used in classrooms with table seating. Outdoors, Forsyth has installed several open-air tents to serve as outdoor classroom spaces. A complex but necessary schedule of space assignments—including indoor classrooms, outdoor tents, and outdoor recreation areas—limits interaction and exposure between and among our learning cohorts comprised of no more than 15 people total (faculty, staff, and students). The Hot Lunch Program, Extended Day (Before Care and After Care) Program, League Sports, and field trips requiring transportation have been suspended until further notice.

Finally, the dedication and support of the Forsyth community—our students and families, faculty and staff, administration, and Board of Trustees—provides for a confident return to campus for the 2020/21 school year. Welcome home.