Math Circle FAQs/Policies

How does payment work?

Once you register for a course, we will email you an invoice within 2 business days. You must pay within 2 business days of invoicing to keep your spot in course. If there are 4 or fewer days before the course begins, you must pay within 24 hours. Registration alone does not guarantee a spot in the course. If you register and the course is already full, we will alert you via email within 2 business days.

Priority Enrollment: If we are in a priority enrollment period, families who are not on the “priority list” may need to wait up to 7 days for registration to be approved. We will email you within 2 business days of registration if this is the case.

Payment: Payment can be made via Paypal, Venmo, check, or cash.

Do you give refunds?

No. We believe that we are very clear about what we are offering, and we are confident, based on more than 10 years’ experience, that a Math Circle is a very satisfying experience. You know your child best, so you can decide whether this is something that fits with your child’s interests.

However, if an in-person class is cancelled because of COVID, you can request a prorated refund. If an in-person class moves to a virtual platform and this is not a good learning modality for your child, your child can withdraw from the course and you can request a prorated refund.

There are no prorated refunds for student absences

What if my child misses a session?

This is not something to be taken lightly, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. In most cases, Rodi can debrief you (the parent/guardian) on the material missed and give you information on how to recreate a version of the activity at home. For older students, Rodi will be happy to talk to the student directly about the missed material. We do not record sessions (either in-person or virtual).


What is the tuition used for?

The tuition fee is mainly used to pay salaries, but also covers expenses for supplies, website maintenance, and administrative costs. It covers COVID safety supplies for in-person courses and internet connection for virtual courses. In the future, we hope to run indoor courses and pay rent somewhere and also to start a scholarship fund.

For in-person classes, why am I required to stay?

If your student needs some individual attention (wants a break, snack, bathroom) there will not be another Math Circle adult present to provide this and we do not want the leader to have to stop instruction for everyone. When Harmony Learning Community/Talking Stick Learning Center hosted Math Circle, there was always a staff person on hand to assist, but this is no longer the case.

For virtual classes, why is another adult in the room required?

We require another adult in the room with students under age 13 because we want all students to be safe, and it’s the law, we follow the COPPA (Child Online Privacy Protection Act) Rule.

What are the minimum tech requirements for a virtual course?

Your student must have access to a reliable internet connection and a laptop or computer with a working video camera and microphone in order to participate. We strongly discourage connecting via tablet or other smaller device, as these devices cause students to get less out of the experience in terms of participation (writing on screen, discussion, easily seeing the other students). We also strongly recommend using a computer with a mouse or a pen tool instead of a touchpad for ease of writing on screen.