Email Me! ⤵️

devin_holcomb@etiwanda.org

Please review our class syllabus and have your signature page signed and turned in by Friday, August 8. You will also find a list of suggested class supplies that are recommended. ✏️🍎

Hey, hey, 8th grade! Welcome to the 2025-2026 school 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 am coaching or watching water polo (my youngest sister plays at SDSU). 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 🤩

Daily Agenda and Homework Slides

Yearlong Goals:

  1. Grow strong and confident as a reader and a writer. 📝

  2. Learn more about the United States and its rich history.

  3. Become more independent and responsible for yourself. 🤓

  4. Understand and use the power of your voice. 📢

  5. Have fun and enjoy every day! 🥳

Amazon Wishlist

Click on the photos below to enlarge the image!

Monday, 8/4: First Day of School! - Minimum Day

*8/6 - 8/12: iReady Testing

Wednesday, 8/6: Back to School Night

Thursday, 8/7: Picture Day

Friday, 8/8: Summit Spirit Wear

Monday, 8/11: Intramural Volleyball permission slips available

Tuesday, 8/19: Intramural Volleyball begins

Monday, 8/18: Minimum Day

Wednesday, 8/27: Parent Tech Night

Friday, 8/19: August Student of the Month Luncheon

Monday, 9/1: Labor Day - No School

Monday, 9/8: Non-Student Day

Thursday, 9/11: Picture Make Ups

Monday, 9/15: Minimum Day

Friday, 9/19: Progress Reports available

9/22-9/26: Parent Teacher Conferences - Minimum Days all week

Friday, 9/26: September Student of the Month Luncheon

Monday, 10/6: Student Recess - No School

Monday, 10/13: Minimum Day

Saturday, 10/18: E3 Fun Run

10/20-10/24: Red Ribbon Week

Friday, 10/24: AR Reward Cut Off

Friday, 10/24: September Student of the Month Luncheon

Friday, 10/24: Trimester 1 Ends

⬆️ 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.

Daily Agenda Slides

In our class, assessments are all about showing growth, not perfection. Students will be evaluated through a mix of quizzes and tests in both subjects, with multiple opportunities to reflect, relearn, and improve. If mastery isn’t demonstrated the first time, students have the following options:

Quizzes:

Students who score below 70% on a quiz may complete quiz corrections to earn up to a 70%. Students can grab a corrections form in class or print one using the link under "Class Resources" at the top of this website. Any quiz corrections must be submitted within one week of the quiz score being posted.

Tests:

Students who score 69% or below on a test are eligible for a retest opportunity. To qualify, students must:

  1. Attend a Reteach Session: These are held Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school to review key concepts and help students feel more confident with the material.
    ⭐️ An email will be sent a week in advance to confirm reteach dates.
    ⭐️ Students are only required to attend one session, but may attend both if they choose.

  2. Get a Parent/Guardian Signature: This signature on the retest form confirms that families are aware of the original test score and gives permission for the student to stay after school for reteach and retest.

  3. Turn in the Completed Retest Form: Forms must be submitted before the retest day.

Some important things to note.

⚠️ All test retakes will be given on Thursdays after school.

⚠️ Students must attend a reteach session to be eligible to retake the test.

⚠️ Once the retake window closes, the test may no longer be made up & the original score will stay.

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.

Google Classroom
Aeries Portal
Clever Dashboard
Help Now
Rooms Tutorial

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 5-SUBJECT notebook (ELA)

  • A composition notebook (HSS)

  • Binder with subject dividers or folders

  • Pencils and pens

  • Highlighters

    • We use 6 colors for annotations (blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, purple). If you are unable to get highlighters, students can label their annotations with a pencil or borrow highlighters from me in class

  • Colored pencils, crayons, and/or markers

  • Wired Headphones (a class set available, however, some students prefer to use their own)

  • A reading book - Many options are available online and at the school library

  • Planner (provided for students on the first day)

Classroom Wishlist

Please note that any donations contributed are for the entire class to use. We appreciate any and all donations! :)

  • Individually wrapped candy, such as Starbursts, Jolly Ranchers, or Life Savor Wintergreen mints

  • Glue sticks

  • Facial Tissues

  • Amazon Wishlist

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