Do you offer financial aid?
Yes, we offer financial aid (in addition to payment plans) for our Math Circles and Math Camps! Please see our Financial Aid page for more details.
Will Math Circle be a good fit for my student?
We prioritize making Math Circle accessible and rewarding for as many students as possible, regardless of their relationship to math. That being said, there are a few criteria that we have found to be especially helpful in order for students to get the most out of participating:
- Openness to coming and participating
- Ability to pay attention to facilitators when necessary
- Ability to follow basic instructions and rules for activities
- Ability to stay focused and engaged when not receiving direct attention from a facilitator
In general, a student’s math background is not a barrier to participation in Math Circle. Our activities generally do not require specific mathematical knowledge or skills in order to get started exploring. All that is needed is curiosity, open-mindedness, and a commitment to exploring and trying to figure things out.
Will attending Math Circle help my student with their school math?
It’s important for parents/guardians and their students to be aware that while participating in Math Circle can help students with their academic performance, we do not explicitly prioritize this. Our activities are not specifically aligned with the school math curriculum, and our primary goal is to promote and develop mathematical thinking — the creative and critical thinking required for effective exploration and problem solving — rather than specifically helping students with arithmetic, algebra, or other curricular skills.
My student is in 1st grade. Can they attend a 2nd-3rd grade Math Circle?
If you are interested in having a 1st grader attend a 2nd-3rd grade Math Circle, please contact us. We will give priority to 2nd-3rd graders, but if there is space in the class for additional students, we may be open to having 1st graders attend.
Please note that, since our activities do not generally have curricular skills as prerequisites, our primary concern with admitting 1st graders is their maturity rather than their mathematical readiness. Math Circle students must have the ability to remain focused on the activity even when they are not receiving direct attention from facilitators, and must not distract other students.
Please be aware that if you register a 1st grader for a 2nd-3rd Math Circle without first contacting us, we reserve the right to remove them from the class without offering a refund.
Is the curriculum the same from one term to the next?
No, in general students explore different activities each term. We do sometimes re-use activities, but typically we wait at least 2 years before re-using them, so that even students who have seen them before will get something useful out of revisiting them.
Is it possible for a student to join a Math Circle in the middle of the term?
Yes! In general, our activities are fairly different from week to week, so students who join in the middle of the term won’t be behind other students who have been in Math Circle the entire term.
Is it possible for a student to attend a Math Circle class on a trial basis (that is, without being officially registered)?
We’re generally open to having students attend a class on a trial basis, provided that we have adequate space and staffing to admit additional students. If you’re interested in having your student attend a class on a trial basis, please email us.
What kind of background do your facilitators have?
Our facilitators typically have backgrounds in STEM, education, or (often) both. They are enthusiastic about math and mathematical thinking and love sharing this enthusiasm with students!
Most of our facilitators are undergraduate students or graduate students at San Francisco State University.
All SF Math Circle facilitators undergo fingerprinted-based background checks. Additionally, we require facilitators to have a recent negative TB test on file.
I am looking for one-on-one tutoring for my student. Do you have any facilitators who would be interested in this?
If you are interested in one-on-one tutoring, please contact us and we will see if any of our facilitators are interested and available.