Cupcakes, Costumes, and Growing Confidence: A Busy Fall at Mathnasium of Edina

By Bailey Foss, Center Director | Mathnasium of Edina

There's a lot to be excited about at Mathnasium of Edina right now!

Our center has been growing, we're welcoming new faces, and our students are giving us plenty of reasons to celebrate.

October has been especially fun. Between cupcakes, Halloween preparations, and some pretty incredible student accomplishments, there's never a dull moment around here.

But with parent-teacher conferences happening throughout Edina, this is also an important time for families to check in on how their children are doing in math.

As the Center Director, I love getting to know our students and their families. Whether a child is struggling with a particular concept or looking for more of a challenge, there's nothing better than watching their confidence grow.

And lately, we've had some really exciting moments!

A Growing Center With a Team That Cares

One of the things I'm most excited about is how much our Edina Mathnasium family continues to grow.

More families are discovering our center, and we're grateful for the opportunity to help more students feel confident in math.

Of course, none of that happens without a great team.

Our Assistant Center Director, Aaron, is an important part of what makes our center run. Together, we work to make sure students feel supported, families feel welcome, and every child has an opportunity to succeed.

We've also welcomed a new instructor, Zahra, to our team this month!

It's exciting to see our team and student community growing together.

As we welcome more families, one thing remains especially important to me: making sure our center continues to feel personal.

We want to know our students, celebrate their accomplishments, and be a place they genuinely enjoy coming to after school.

Because great math instruction matters, but so does having people who believe in you.

Two Brothers, Two Perfect Scores!

I have to share one of my favorite stories from this month.

We have two brothers who have been working hard on a math topic that was giving them trouble.

It wasn't clicking right away, and their earlier test results reflected that.

But they kept coming to Mathnasium, practicing, asking questions, and working through the challenging parts.

And recently?

Both brothers earned 100% on a math test covering the very topic they'd been struggling with!

How exciting is that?

As educators, those are the moments we live for.

Of course, perfect scores are worth celebrating. But what makes this story so special is everything that happened before those tests.

The persistence. The practice. The willingness to keep trying even when something felt difficult.

And now, both students have proof of what they're capable of accomplishing.

That's what we want every student at Mathnasium of Edina to experience.

Not necessarily a perfect score every time, but the confidence that comes from understanding something they once found difficult.

Cupcakes, Costumes, and a Little Halloween Fun!

We believe learning should be fun, too!

On October 18, we celebrated National Chocolate Cupcake Day with a little something sweet at the center.

Sometimes it's the little things that make students excited to come back.

And we're not done celebrating!

Our Halloween party is coming up on Wednesday, October 28, and we're looking forward to seeing some creative costumes and having fun with our students.

I love events like these because they help students build positive memories around learning.

We want Mathnasium to be a place where kids feel comfortable, make connections, and look forward to their sessions.

And if we can throw in some cupcakes along the way, even better!

Parent-Teacher Conferences in Edina: Four Questions Worth Asking

Fall parent-teacher conferences are an important opportunity for families to understand how their children are progressing in school.

But sometimes, a report card doesn't tell the whole story.

A student might be earning good grades but still struggling to understand certain concepts. Another student might understand the math but lack confidence when working independently.

Here are four questions I encourage Edina parents to ask during conferences.

1. Does my child understand why the math works?

It's one thing to memorize the steps to solve a problem.

It's another to understand why those steps work and when to use them.

Ask whether your child can explain their thinking.

2. Can my child apply what they've learned to new problems?

Sometimes students do well with familiar examples but struggle when a question looks a little different.

Understanding whether your child can transfer their knowledge to new situations is important.

3. How confident is my child in math class?

Does your child participate? Are they willing to ask questions? Do they get discouraged when they make mistakes?

Confidence can have a big impact on how students approach challenging material.

4. What should we focus on next?

Whether your child needs additional practice, help with foundational skills, or more advanced challenges, having a clear next step makes it easier to support their progress.

And remember, a difficult parent-teacher conference doesn't mean your child isn't good at math.

It simply gives you an opportunity to better understand what they need.

When Math Gets Frustrating, We Look for the Why

One of the most common things we hear from parents is that their child understands math during class but struggles when it's time to complete homework or take a test.

Sometimes students know the steps but don't understand the reasoning behind them.

Others rush through assignments, second-guess themselves, or feel overwhelmed when a problem requires several different skills.

At Mathnasium of Edina, we focus on identifying why a student is struggling rather than simply giving them more practice problems.

Our personalized math learning plans help students strengthen foundational skills, develop problem-solving strategies, and build confidence.

For some students, that means revisiting an earlier concept that never fully clicked.

For others, it means learning how to approach challenging problems more independently.

And for students who are already excelling in school, we offer math enrichment to keep them challenged and engaged.

Whether your child needs elementary math tutoring, middle school math support, algebra help, or additional enrichment, we want them to leave each session feeling a little more capable than when they arrived.

Getting Involved in Our Edina Community

One of my favorite parts of being a Center Director is getting to connect with families outside our center.

We recently had the opportunity to participate in the Coders Clubhouse Open House, which was a great chance to meet families and celebrate learning in our community.

And we're looking forward to another fun event!

On Friday, October 30, we'll be participating in the Christ Presbyterian Church Trunk or Treat.

Event details:

• Date: Friday, October 30

• Time: 5:00–7:00 p.m. (trunks open at 6:30 p.m.)

• Location: Christ Presbyterian Church, 6901 Normandale Road, Edina

If you're planning to attend, please come say hello!

We love opportunities to connect with Edina families and show that math can be fun beyond the classroom, too.

Come Meet Our Growing Edina Mathnasium Family!

If your child's parent-teacher conference raises questions about their math progress, we'd love to help.

And if they're already doing well but could benefit from additional challenges, we'd love to talk about that, too!

Come meet Aaron, Zahra, me, and the rest of our wonderful instructional team.

We'd love to show you around, learn more about your child, and share how we can help them build confidence in math.

Schedule a free math consultation at Mathnasium of Edina today!

To all of our Edina families, thank you for helping make our center such a special place.

We're excited about how much our Mathnasium community is growing, and we can't wait to see what our students accomplish next!

Bailey Foss
Center Director | Mathnasium of Edina