Summit Intermediate School

Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year! I am so excited that you will be in my class this year.

My name is Miss Holcomb and I am so excited to be your Language Arts and Social Studies teacher this year! This will be my fifth year in Etiwanda School District and third year in 8th grade. I am thrilled to share your final middle school experience with you!

I received my Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Davis in Human Development and received my teaching credential and Master's in Education from the University of La Verne! I love to have fun and discover new ways to make lessons engaging for all of my students! In our class, you can expect:

Collaborative learning opportunities
Multimedia assignments
Engaging discussions
Team-building activities
and more!!!

When I am not teaching, I love to be by the water, usually watching water polo or swimming some laps. I also enjoy traveling, reading a good book, watching baseball (go Dodgers!), and spending time with my friends and family.

I cannot wait to get to know all of you and to get this school year started! Let's make it a great year!

- Miss Holcomb 🤩

Trimester 1 Agenda and Homework Slides

Yearlong Goals:

Grow strong and confident as a reader and a writer. 📝
Learn more about the United States and its rich history.
Become more independent and responsible for yourself. 🤓
Understand and use the power of your voice. 📢
Have fun and enjoy every day! 🥳

Click on the photos below to enlarge the image!

Wednesday 8/5: Back to School Night
Thursday 8/6: 1st Day of School (Minimum)
Monday 8/10- Friday 8/14: iReady #1 Testing
Tuesday 8/11: Picture Day
Monday 8/17: Minimum Day
Wednesday 8/19: Parent Tech Night
Thursday 8/27: Welcome Back Dance
Monday 8/31: Minimum Day

Tuesday 9/1: Intramural Volleyball Begins
Monday 9/7: Labor Day - No School
Wednesday 9/9: Picture Make-Ups
Thursday 9/17: Grade Cut-Off for Progress Reports
Friday 9/18: Non-Student Day
Monday 9/22: Minimum Day
Monday 9/28: Parent-Teacher Conferences Begin (Minimum Days all week)

Thursday 10/2: Last Day of Parent-Teacher Conferences
Monday 10/5: No School
Wednesday 10/7: Shark Elite #1
Tuesday 10/13: Intramural Basketball Begins
Monday 10/19: Minimum Day
Thursday 10/29: Halloween Maze Day #1
Friday 10/30: Halloween Maze Day #2

Report Cards will be uploaded & available in Aeries on Friday, November 6th.

⬆️ ALWAYS check here first if you are absent! ⬆️

All work completed in class and/or at home can be found on my Daily Agenda Slides. It is updated daily! Students should have enough time to complete assignments in class. Anything not finished during class time will become homework.

Absent students can view what they missed for both classwork and homework on the Daily Agenda Slides and gather any missing papers when they return. If an assignment is on Google Classroom, it will be noted.

Click through the slides to see what we're working on in class. You can also access the slides by clicking the "Daily Agenda" button.

Daily Agenda Slides

General Information

You will have tests, quizzes, and projects throughout the entire school year.
Tests are worth 45% of your grade. That means tests make up the majority of your grade.
As a result, you MUST make it a priority to learn, study, and review for these tests.
Quizzes and Projects are worth 30% – also a large category that makes a big impact.

Test Corrections

Students may complete corrections for any test taken in class if their score is a 69% or lower. Students will earn half a point back for every correctly answered question on their corrections form.
Please note: Quizzes are not eligible for corrections. Most quizzes assess vocabulary on the current reading and academic terms.
- Additionally, students will have many project-based learning opportunities that fall within the same category, helping to offset a lower quiz score.

Some important things to note:

⚠️ STUDENTS: If you are absent for a test or a quiz, it is YOUR responsibility to schedule a time to make it up. This helps to encourage students to self-advocate!

⚠️ While I am always happy to help you make a plan, I will not track you down to remind you to complete missed assessments.

⚠️ Students are expected to make up assessments promptly to ensure an accurate measure of their learning. Generally, this is within ONE week of the given assessment.

⚠️ Taking ownership of your learning, engaging with feedback, and showing the effort to grow is what learning is all about in our classroom! If you have any questions about this policy, please don’t hesitate to email me!

Below are links to some of the educational programs that we will be utilizing this school year.

Parents- in order to access your student's Google Classroom, you need to be signed in to your student's Etiwanda Google account.

Reading independently will be a requirement for Language Arts homework. Students will complete reading response assignments to accompany their chosen book. Students should be reading for at least 20 minutes every day at home. I will collect information at the beginning of the year to help meet the interests and needs of individual students' reading lives. Students will set a book goal to work towards each trimester.

Support Reading at Home

Find what type of books you love to read.
Agree to put away electronics and read for at least 15 minutes a night.
Read together. Talk about books as a family. Listen to books in the car (audiobooks are amazing!). Read books at bedtime.
Realize that you WILL get smarter by dedicating reading time at home -- have a growth mindset!

Why is reading at home important?

When a student reads 20 minutes a day at home, that student reads 1,800,000 words per year compared to 8,000 words per year for a student who reads one minute or less.

Students who read 20 minutes a day at home also perform 90% better on ALL content area assessments than their classmates who do not read. Reading as much as you can and as well as you can is a key to your success in school and beyond!

The following is a list of SUGGESTED supplies. Summit Intermediate provides all students with any required supplies, but your student may have their own preferences. Students will be expected to write in their school planners every day and reference their planners when they are at home.

A Composition Notebook (ELA)
Binder with subject dividers OR folders
Pencils and pens *
Highlighters (variety of colors)
Colored pencils and/or markers
A reading book-- Many options are available online and at the school library. See the Reading dropdown menu at the top for resources.
Wired headphones (A class set is available; however, some students prefer to use their own).
- Supplies with an asterisk (*) indicate daily use.
- A student planner will be provided for students on the first day.