It is my greatest hope that you will continue to keep a close eye on the progress of your son or daughter in my class, (and in all his/her classes). The information in this page and on the links listed above will help you help your child succeed in RUBENS SCIENCE !!!
Here are some questions parents should be asking, plus information to answer those questions:
Q:  What will you be teaching this year in  
      RUBENS SCIENCE ?
A:   The state of California has determined a set of objectives known as CONTENT STANDARDS.  These are available on-line at the CA Dept of Education website for ALL grade levels and ALL courses.  Click on one of the links to the left to see the topics we will cover in RUBENS' SCIENCE via the CA DEPT of EDUCATION website, or to inquire about other courses and grade levels
Q:   How do I find out what my child is doing on a
      day-to-day basis in your classroom ?
A:   I require that each of my students maintains a WEEKLY AGENDA.  A blank weekly agenda form will be provided each Monday (with few exceptions). This form contains information about what we are doing in class (OBJECTIVE), what homework is required (HOMEWORK), as well as a brief exercise to get the wheels turning in your child's head before the start of the formal lesson plan (WARM-UP). 
Here's a blank copy of the WEEKLY AGENDA.     Here's a sample filled-in FRONT of the weekly agenda
Here's a sample filled-in BACK of the weekly agenda
Q:   What materials should my child bring to your classroom ?
A:   The following is a list of materials your child needs to bring to class
       EACH AND EVERY DAY:  Please obtain these materials by
       the beginning of the 2nd week of school:
Chemistry Students must also have a scientific calculator
 
     OPTIONAL MATERIALS (can be worth bonus points!)
NEVER EVER ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO BRING ANY OF THESE ITEMS INTO MY CLASSROOM !!! 
They will be immediately confiscated:
Q:   How will you determine my child's grades ?
A:   Each assignment, including agendas, quizzes, tests, Labs, presentations, and semester projects will be assigned a point value. I place the highest value on quizzes and tests.  Completed agendas and their associated homework assignments and in-class assignments will also receive points, as well as lab write-ups. In addition, our semester projects will have a large point value. Bonus points can also be earned for extra credit assignments, extra-effort, assisting the SCIDUDE, tutoring other students, notebook checks, etc...Even your signature on each weekly agenda and parent letters will add to the point tally !!! 
Here's how the point-values generally break down:
Because I tend to teach challenging and often advanced-level topics, I have a slightly relaxed grading scale, as opposed to many other teachers:
Q:     If my child falls behind, can he/she make up work ?
A:   Some of my course work can be made up some of the time, but for 
       REDUCED POINTS.  Let's not encourage students to procrastinate.
       When students find that they can turn in an assignment
       whenever they please, it tends to never actually get done. Hard and
       fast deadlines tend to give a feel of urgency to assignments.
 
This is particularly true when I give daily reminders or count-downs as the deadlines for important projects approach.
 
THE GREATEST SINGLE THING PARENTS CAN DO TO INSURE SUCCESS IS TO MONITOR THE WEEKLY AGENDA AND CHECK THAT WORK IS BEING DONE AS IT IS ASSIGNED.
 
If you check that the work I assign is getting done when it is supposed to get done, make-up work will be unnecessary and your child WILL PASS MY CLASS. If you don't insure that regular and substantial progress is being made on major projects--such as the semester project--then there is a good chance that it will not get done.   Please do not expect me to accept some sort of extra-credit and/or make-up work in lieu of projects or other assignments that your child ignored in the first place. 
 
Here are some instances where I will accept late or make-up work:
 
family emergency
illness or injury preventing student from attending school
planned absence where work is pre-assigned and completed
global thermonuclear war
 
 
PARENT'S
CORNER
THE MOST COMMON REASON FOR POOR STUDENT PERFORMANCE IS A STUDENT'S FAILURE TO
TURN IN MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS AND LABS
Chemistry students
MUST
 have a scientific calculator
 
SciDude recommends
that it has...
Scientific notation
One-touch exponent
 
Link to California Education
CONTENT STANDARDS
Home
Chemistry
Biology
Contact
Semester Project will be worth 10% of grade !!!
Select this link for information about the SEMESTER PROJECT