Indian Hill Middle School Newsletter | January 9, 2026

Meet Me in the Middle is a weekly blog by our principal, Dr. Gentene, connecting you to our middle school!


Welcome to Second Semester!


This week Dr. Gentene welcomes students and families back from break and shares what brought her to a career in education. She discusses why she is grateful to serve the Indian Hill School District and the ways we are doing our best to build a community that cultivates our students' genius, harnesses their passion, and mobilizes their leadership.


Click here to read more from Dr. Gentene!


Important Dates

  • January 13-14- Map Testing
  • January 19-No School
  • January 19-Middle School Report Cards available
  • January 20-7th and 8th grade Second Semester Course Fees will be in PowerSchool
  • January 26 & 28 - 7th grade Field Trip
  • January 27 - MS Choral Concert
  • February 13-16-No School

Bulletin Board

Lost and Found - Being Donated January 30, 2026


Is your family missing a jacket, water bottle, lunch box, or shoes? Our Lost and Found is full of these and more! Misplaced items from the first semester are bagged up and at the front desk. Please send your student to check for any lost items or feel free to stop in and look yourself. Thanks!

Cell Phone Policy Reminder


We believe in cultivating a school environment where all students are physically and emotionally safe while intellectually inspired and challenged. As a part of this, we have a no-phones policy at Indian Hill Middle School.


Students’ cell phones should not be used or seen at school (including classrooms, hallways, lunch, and recess) during school hours unless the student has received direct permission from a staff member. Smart watches with communication features can be worn, but should not be utilized to send messages, access social media, etc. during the school day. Phones can be carried in pencil pouches, kept in lockers, or in backpacks - but should not be carried on the person's body (ie, in pockets) and must remain out of sight at all times. Students can use their communication devices before school, after school, in the main office, or if given specific permission by a staff member. 


Additionally, for the safety of our students, headphones and earbuds (like “Airpods”) may not be used during school unless a teacher has given students permission during a learning activity. 


  • 1st Offense - Phone is sent to the office for safekeeping and can be picked up by student after 2:45 p.m.
  • 2nd Offense - Phone is sent to the office for safekeeping and can be picked up by the parent or guardian
  • 3rd Offense - Phone is sent to the office for safekeeping and a team meeting is scheduled with administrators, parents, and student for support plan


Parents, we need your help! If you need to get your child a message, you can email them at their @ihsd.us email address or call the main office. When parents text their child during school hours our students struggle to maintain the balance between the impulse to check and wanting to stay out of "trouble" at school.


Please remind your child they cannot have their phones out during school hours, and let them know you will email them or contact the main office if you need them to get a message.


Want to support your child’s health, wellbeing and success inside and outside the classroom?


Revisit the basics by helping support a good night’s sleep. 

Check out these resources below.


Video:


How to Encourage Good Sleep Habits in Kids, Child Mind Institute


Articles:



Teenagers and Sleep: How Much Sleep is Enough, Johns Hopkins Medicine

How to Encourage Healthy Sleep Habits, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center


Digital Toolkit:


Sleep ToolKit for Teens, MindPeace



Sleep ToolKit for School-aged Students (ages 6-12), MindPeace


Transportation Update


The safety of our students is our highest priority. Our goal each day is to ensure that every child arrives to school and returns home safely.


Due to unexpected staffing shortages in our Transportation Department, we must suspend our short-term alternative transportation service. At this time, we are unable to accommodate requests for students to ride buses other than their originally assigned route.



We understand that this may create challenges for some families, and we truly appreciate your understanding and flexibility. 


Drop Off and Pick Up Traffic Patterns


Here are the Middle School traffic patterns for morning drop off and afternoon pickup. Thank you for your help with keeping our students safe!


Morning Dropoff

  • Pull into the parking lot and follow the arrows on the image below.
  • Students may only be dropped off on the sidewalk
  • Please pull up along the sidewalk as far as possible so more vehicles have access to it.


Afternoon Pickup

  • Anyone picking up a student must get in the car line. Students will not be permitted to enter the parking lot to enter a vehicle and parents will not be able to walk through the car line to pick up their child.


  • When you arrive at the sidewalk, please pull forward as far as possible so as many students as possible can access their vehicles. Staff members will be on the sidewalk directing vehicles forward and instructing students to look for their vehicle.


  • Some High school students have been assigned spots closest to the gym (you may not see them until later in the year). Any student riding with a high school sibling will need to utilize the sidewalk and crosswalk to access their sibling’s vehicle.


  • The image below shows the traffic pattern:
  • Red arrows show the line entering. You’ll notice there are two red lanes once you get closer to the school. This allows more vehicles in the lot in order to keep vehicles off Drake Road. A staff member will direct traffic near the sidewalk.
  • White arrows show the line leaving after you pick up your child. Please use all three lanes to exit as this helps keep the line moving.


Bravesline


Looking to update your Indian Hill Spirit wear selections? The Bravesline store is open! You can shop all your favorite Braves items Fridays from 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. You can access the Bravesline store through the foyer of the

Sue Harder Memorial Performing Arts Center.



You can also check out the online store using the link below.



Click Here to shop online!

MySchoolBucks- Fee Increase


The MySchoolBucks program fee will increase to $3.50 for all cafeteria credit/debit card payments beginning on August 1st. You are still able to pay via check in the front office to avoid this fee. Additionally, the maximum meal payment limit will increase to $150 per transaction.

Quick Links

As a reminder, our District website is a great place to find information, such as partner groups, the directory, this year and next year’s academic calendar, and department/program information, such as the District’s gifted identification plan.

Our Team

Dr. Lauren Gentene, Principal

Lauren.Gentene@ihsd.us 

Twitter: @IHMiddle

Instagram: @IHMiddleBraves


My #IHPromise - to learn from and serve our Brave community while keeping our students at the center of everything we do.

Alex Fries, Assistant Principal

Alex.Fries@ihsd.us 

Twitter: @IHMS_AP

 Instagram: @IHMiddleBraves



My #IHPromise is to serve the Indian Hill community by providing an environment that allows all students to be successful.

IHMS Snapshot

Indian Hill Middle School

6845 Drake Road

Cincinnati, OH 45243


Car Rider drop off 7:40 a.m.-8:00 a.m.

Classes Begin at 8:00 a.m. and dismiss at 2:45 p.m.


Phone: 513-272-4642

Fax: 513-272-4690

Attendance: 513-272-4700

School Safety: 513-272-4701

Transportation: 513-272-4531


We are a campus committed to kindness; click here to report an incident, and administrators will be notified.