2017/2018 School Year 

Expectations and Procedures Guide 

Physical Science - Ms. Rudenbergs’ Class 
09.01.2017 
─ 

Westminster High School 

Room H4 
14325 Goldenwest St, 
Westminster, CA 92683 

 
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Welcome Students and Guardians!! 

Dear Guardians, 
With school underway, I would like to take a moment of your time to welcome you 
and introduce myself. My name is Ms. Amy Rudenberg and I am a Teacher Candidate at 
Westminster High School. I hold a bachelor's of Science In Chemistry and Microbiology 
from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and am currently completing my final 
semester of the single subject credential program at Cal State Fullerton. Although this is my 
first year teaching High School Physical Science I have been an educator for many years 
teaching science to elementary students and tutoring High school students in Science and 
Math.  
During my education both in high school and in my undergraduate, I realized that 
an interactive, intellectually stimulating classroom environment was necessary for me to 
reach my potential. Because of this, I make an effort to be not only a mentor, but a partner 
in learning, by providing my students with opportunities to learn in ways they are most 
likely to benefit from. Involving and motivating students presents its challenges, but my 
goal of ​individualizing l​ earning creates an open and comfortable classroom environment 
where students can feel free to ask questions, make mistakes, and challenge themselves. It 
is by breaking down the barriers to learning that students can truly comprehend the 
content.  
This Physical Science course emphasizes learning through investigation, this way 
students gain content knowledge through first hand experiences with the scientific 
phenomenon. This course will cover the basics of chemistry, geology, biology and physics in 
relation to the Next Generation Science Standards. The grades of the course are cumulative 
so every assignment counts. A quiz will be given at the end of each unit and students can 
use their answers to the chapter questions during the quiz. Every week the students will 
take a root word quiz and at the end of the semester they will take a root word final to aid 
them in gaining the academic vocabulary needed to be successful. 
I look forward to meeting you on back to school night on XX/XX/2017. If you would 
like to contact me before then, my contact information and communication procedures can 
be found at the end of the Expectations and Procedures Guide. Please peruse the rest of 
the guide and then sign the acknowledgement at the end of the guide.  
 
Kind Regards, 
Ms. Amy R. Rudenberg 

 
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Expectations and Consequences 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
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Positive Consequences  Negative Consequences 

Exceeding the class/school expectations  Disregard for class/school expectations 
● Student of the Month for your  will result in a class warning first, then a 
period (Get to drop your lowest  warning and call to parents and if they 
root word quiz grade and a letter  still persist then a referral will be given 
home to your parents)  ● This referral could lead to  
● Swag students of the month for  ○ School Warning  
all periods, get to spin the sawg  ○ Detention  
wheel and get a prize, which  ○ Saturday School  
range from a swag bags to itunes 
○ Suspension  
gift cards. 
○ Expulsion  
○ Legal action  
 

Required Materials and Texts 

Each student will have their own textbook checked
out to them at the beginning of the school year. That
textbook will be used to supplement class
instruction. The textbook for the course is ​Physical
Science – Science Spectrum by Holt. ​There is a class
set available for use during class time. Often times,
reading assignments, outlines, or study guides will
need to be finished outside of class at home.

 
 
 

 
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Grading Policy 
● Grading Scale 
● Grade Breakdown 
Grades in class will be based on a​ total  A = 100 - 90% of the total points   
points system​. Points will be earned 
B = 89 - 80% of the total points   
from laboratory reports, daily work, 
homework, quizzes (subject area and  C = 79 - 65% of the total points   
root word), notebooks, and tests. 
D = 64 - 50% of the total points 
Regular grade updates will be posted in 
each class and will be available online.     
 

● Academic Honesty Policy 

● Refuse to aid any others in acts of academic dishonesty 
● Notify staff of any observations of acts of academic dishonesty 
● Cheating includes but is not necessarily limited to these examples: 
○ Plagiarism, submitting another’s work as original 
○ Submission of falsified data, written or oral 
○ Looking at another student’s answers during an exam 
○ Theft of or unauthorized access to an exam 
○ Use of a proxy or being a proxy for another during an exam or activity 
○ Use of unauthorized materials, including electronic, in preparation for an 
exam or assignment. 
○ Changing, altering or fabricating a grade, score or any other official academic 
record. 
○ Unauthorized communication to another 
student in relation to an assignment or 
exam. 
○ Stealing, tampering with or damaging 
school computers, files, disks or library 
materials. 
○ Stealing or destroying work of another 
student 

 
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Possible Consequences to academic Dishonesty 

Include one or more of the  Additional discipline from the 

following:  administration may include: 

● A grade of “F”: for the test or  ● Student may lose designation as an 
assignment  Academic Recognition Program Scholar. 
● A lowered grade in the course  ● Students may lose designation as 
● Suspension  valedictorian or other commencement 
● A final grade of “F” in the  recognition. 
course  ● Students may lose other school 
● Drop from the class  recognition and/or recommendations 
may be withheld or withdrawn. 
  ● A written summary of the cheating 
incident and the resulting action shall be 
given to parents; keeping a copy on file. 

Routines and Procedures 

● Attendance/ Tardy Policy 

School Attendance Policy  School Tardy Policy 

★ All absences are cleared through the  ❖ If a student is tardy 2 or more 

Attendance Office.  times in a week to ANY class, the 
★ All student absences must be cleared by  student’s name will be 
parent/guardian phone call or written  submitted for detention to be 
note.  served on Wednesday of the 
★ When students become ill at school, they  following week. 
MUST report to the Health Office prior to  ❖ Teacher will notify student they 
leaving campus.  have been placed on 
★ Personal/Parent Request absences are  tardy/detention list. 
considered truant by the state of CA.  ❖ 6th period teachers will escort 
★ Failure to notify Attendance of absence  any student on the tardy 
may result in truancy and/or detention.  detention list to the cafeteria. 
★ At the end of FIVE (5) school days   
following an uncleared absence, the 
absence will remain marked as “truant”. 
 

 
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● Collecting and Returning Work 

Work will be collected by putting it in the periods mailbox. Students will have work returned 
by being placed on lab table 1 as you enter the classroom. 

● Make-Up/ Late Work Policy 

Assignments must be handed in on time. Once an assignment has been handed back 
to the class any work turned in is considered late. A
​ ssignments handed in late, may 
only earn a maximum of 50% of the possible points​. 
If absent then, the assignments missed will be available on canvas and time will be 
provided during lunch and after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in order to make 
up that work.  
Extra credit will be available each week for root word quizzes and one extra-credit 
assignment will be available per unit in order to make up any points lost.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
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● Classroom Routines 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
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Communication Procedures 

● Communication with Students 

Students will be communicated with both in class and through Canvas. Here they can 
access their grades and send and receive messages to the teacher. 
How to access canvas:: 
1) Go to my.hbuhsd.edu and using the student option, enter the student’s ID 
and pin number. 
2) Download the App (works for Android and Apple) and then after it is 
installed, type in the url: hbuhsd.instrucutre.com then enter the student’s 
email address and their password (for the HBUHSD Google Account) 

● Communication with Guardians/parents 

Currently the district is working on creating a canvas link for guardians/parents, so that you 
have continuous access to your students progress within the course. Until then, I will 
contact you every quarter and let you know how your child is progressing in the physical 
science class.  
Until then, feel free to contact me, my preferred method of contact is email at 
audenbeg-st@hbuhsd.edu​, I will return all emails within 24hrs. 
If you need to urgently contact me or would prefer to speak directly, you can call me after 
school in my classroom at 714-XXX -XXXX until 4PM.  
If you would like to meet in person or schedule a class visit let me know and we’ll work 
together to find a time that fits both our schedules.  
 
*Please Detach and Sign the slip below. It will be collected on Friday.  
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Student Name: _________________________________________ Period: __________________ 
 
Student Signature: _____________________________________ Date:______________________ 
 
Parent SIgnature: ______________________________________ Date:_______________________