Campus Plan
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New Instructional Spaces (Bird’s Eye View)
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Athletics and Activities Center
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Athletics and Activities Center
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Building C: Music Room
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October 3, 2025
Dear Belmont and San Carlos Neighbors,
We hope this letter finds you and your families well and enjoying the start of fall. Each time we reach out, we are reminded of how fortunate we are to be part of such a welcoming community. We never take that for granted.
This update is more significant than our usual quarterly notes, as it shares our vision for Armstrong’s future and humbly asks for your support.
Armstrong’s Role in the Neighborhood
A school plays a special role in its neighborhood — and we hope you feel Armstrong has been a positive part of yours. For decades, Armstrong has provided an essential education to students with dyslexia and related learning differences, including over 160 families right here in Belmont and San Carlos.
Our reach goes well beyond the Belmont and San Carlos neighbors whom we have served academically. Our campus has, in many ways, become a center of the McDougal Park neighborhood. After school and on weekends, we see children learning to ride bikes on the only flat surface nearby, and neighbors playing on our three basketball courts. We built a new playground adjoining McDougal Park, where every day we see children enjoying. We keep our lower lot open for parking for soccer and softball leagues – keeping cars from needing to park on local streets. San Carlos neighbors have gates in our fence for easy access to our campus and the park. Lots of neighbors stroll through our campus, and others utilize our accessible ramps. We leave our bathrooms open after school and on weekends so that our neighbors and their families can have real facilities instead of port-o-potties. Most recently, we approved the placement of an AED on the corner of our building near the park, in case life-saving intervention is needed. These benefits are only a partial list – a list we hope will continue to grow over time.
Why We Are Adding Space
Armstrong is the largest school of its kind in the Bay Area, yet we have reached the limit of our current facilities. We no longer have enough space to meet the needs of our students, and each year we are forced to turn away families who could benefit from Armstrong’s specialized program. To continue fulfilling our mission — while being thoughtful neighbors — we have developed a long-term campus plan. The plan will complement our existing facilities (all original construction) with state-of-the-art new buildings designed for the dyslexic learner. We plan to execute on this vision over the next 12-15 years.
Our Three-Phase Plan
- Phase 1 (2026–2027): An academic wing along the east side of campus, designed into the hillside so neighbors above us maintain their tree canopy and view. The buildings will be only modestly visible from Solana Drive. Construction is planned for late May 2026 through August 2027.
- Phase 2 (estimated 2031–2032): An athletics and community center on the upper blacktop. We recognize this will be more visible to some San Carlos neighbors and are committed to listening and mitigating impacts where possible.
- Phase 3 (estimated 2036-2037): Renovations to existing spaces, focused entirely on interior improvements without adding square footage.
Our Belmont application includes adjustments to our Conditional Use Permit to allow this construction to proceed, as well as requests to increase our allowable student population by 30 students and to make reasonable changes to how our school operates.
Enclosed materials provide greater detail, along with opportunities to share your feedback, including an in-person meeting on October 16.
A Request for Your Support
We understand that any construction project can raise questions and concerns, and we are committed to understanding them. At the same time, we know you understand that we are trying to approach our campus plans thoughtfully and are just trying to improve educational spaces for children who learn differently.
We kindly ask for your support — letters of support to the city of Belmont help demonstrate how much neighbors value Armstrong’s role in our community. We have included methods for providing support and feedback on our website and in this mailing. Your voice matters, and your partnership will help Armstrong continue to serve both our students and our neighborhood for decades to come.
With gratitude for your time and consideration,
Neil Tuch Mark Moore Elissa Whorl
Head of School Chair, Board of Trustees Chief of Staff/Project Leader
Archived Communications
