Posted September 1, 2026
| A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL Good Afternoon Manual Middle School Community, What a wonderful first week back! This week seemed to fly by in slow motion—I can’t believe CBS 4 and the red carpet kicked us off on Monday, and now we’re already at Fun Friday, making T-shirts and having a great time! Most importantly, thank you for choosing Manual Middle School. We are so excited to have your families as part of our community and are looking forward to a great year together. Back-to-School Night We can’t wait to see and visit with everyone at Back-to-School Night next Tuesday. Families will have the opportunity to: Meet your student’s teachers Hear some exciting announcements about the school year Connect with several of our community partners We hope to see you all there! 7th Grade Schedule Update 7th grade families: Your students received new schedules this afternoon that will begin Monday. Thanks to the increase in 7th grade enrollment, we have added a third section of classes. This allows us to bring our 7th grade class sizes closer to our ideal class size, which will provide an even stronger learning environment for our students. Thank you again for an incredible first week. We hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and we’ll see you next week! Go Thunder Have a great weekend, Manual Middle School Administration STAFF MEMBER SPOTLIGHT ✨  Our staff member spotlight this week is Mr. Grant Marsik, Ed.S. – School Psychologist. Greetings and Salutations– I’m Grant Marsik (the kids call me Mr. Grant) and I’ll be your School Psychologist! While this is my first year at Manual, I’ve been working in DPS for the past 15 years, and was working in a neighboring district for the 10 years prior to that. I’m very excited to join the Manual community, and look forward to meeting the students and families. My hope is to assist those in need with self-reflection, coping skills, and problem-solving techniques, all while modeling a pro-social skill set. I’m a Denver native, and grew up in the suburbs on the south end of town. And being the typical native, I enjoy all sorts of outdoor activity– Camping, Skiing, Hiking, Hunting, Kayaking, etc. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Metropolitan State College of Denver, and my Master’s & Educational Specialist Degree from University of Colorado at Denver. I have 2 adult sons, both in their twenties, and I’m so proud of the men they’re becoming! Please feel welcome to contact me if you have any questions, or if I may help in any way! UPCOMING EVENTS Monday, 8/31 Blue Day Tuesday, 9/1 Back to school Night 5:00 – 7:00 Alt Schedule – iReady testing White Day Wednesday, 9/2 Blue Day Thursday, 9/3 White Day Friday, 9/4 Blue Day BIRTHDAYS 🎂🎈 No birthdays this week SHARED CAMPUS NEWS   ATHLETICS Early Fall Sports Start this coming week! If you are interested in playing Baseball, Girls Soccer, or running Cross Country Please get your student signed up. They will also need an updated physical that will need to be turned into the Athletic Director. Practice Times: Soccer and Baseball practice area is circled below.  Baseball: Tuesday/Friday 3:45pm – 5:00pm (Middle School Baseball Field) Girls Soccer: Tuesday/Thursday 3:45pm – 5:30pm (Middle School Soccer Field) Cross Country: Monday through Thursday 3:45pm – 4:45pm (HS Track) Registration is now open using the link below: https://students.arbitersports.com/programs/2026-2027-early-fall-middle-school-athletic-registration-22 For the most up to date sports schedule visit the DPS Prep League Athletics website. UPCOMING EVENTS September 1st – Back to School Night September 1st – iReady Diagnostic September 8th – Labor Day No School September 22nd – 25th – 6th Grade Overnight YMCA Estes Park Trip STUDENT SPOTLIGHT ✨ A free write from Landon Bosworth during Creative Writing Class Student Writing Spotlight: Icey Once upon a time, I found a baby dragon egg in the middle of nowhere. The king warned me that the dragon would become dangerous and kicked me out of the kingdom. Months later, the egg hatched, and my dragon grew into a big cyan ice dragon with four horns and a spike on its back. He could breathe frost and freeze things, which made hunting for food way easier! I named him Icey, and together we went on more and more adventures. Eventually, the king’s guards found us and brought us back to the kingdom. The king gave me one chance to prove that Icey wasn’t dangerous. After an hour of testing, Icey proved he could control himself, and the king let us return. He even gave Icey a big place to live! Me and Icey lived happily ever after—with lots of food, warm blankets, and adventures. Then we discovered dragon school! HAPPY EVER AFTER! RESOURCES My City Academy New to Denver? Then join one of the My City Academy (MCA) sessions. These FREE programs help community members better understand how Denver city government works, what resources are available, and how to get involved in their communities. Interpretation is available upon request through the registration form. Direct Registration Link: https://us.openforms.com/Form/37d8d3ac-bd97-4a73-a1a3-53057a08877a Reach out to Tsigereda Feseha at tsigereda.feseha@denvergov.org with any questions. ¿Es nuevo en Denver? Entonces, únase a una de las sesiones de la My City Academy (MCA). Estos programas GRATUITOS ayudan a los miembros de la comunidad a comprender mejor cómo funciona el gobierno de la ciudad de Denver, qué recursos están disponibles y cómo involucrarse en sus comunidades. Hay servicios de interpretación disponibles previa solicitud a través del formulario de registro. Enlace directo de registro: https://us.openforms.com/Form/37d8d3ac-bd97-4a73-a1a3-53057a08877a Comuníquese con Tsigereda Feseha en tsigereda.feseha@denvergov.org si tiene alguna pregunta.    Manual Market Manual Market is back for those that are in need of food you can reach out directly to Mr. Clinkscales. For others who want to support you can bring donations to the Manual Middle School office or the high school office. In these times of uncertainty I want to thank our wonderful community for always looking out for each other and supporting those you can also make financial contributions to the Manual Market on the Friends of Manual website or you can purchase items on this Amazon Wishlist.  Local Food Resources for Colorado Families Needing Support If families need additional food before SNAP benefits are available, they should contact these local organizations: Tasty Food Program: Afterschool meals for children will be offered at Denver recreation centers. Visit the Tasty Food website for locations and hours of operation. Food Bank of the Rockies: Find a food pantry near you using their Pantry Locator tool. Colorado 211: This confidential and multilingual service connects people to vital resources across Colorado. Call 2-1-1, 866-760-6489 or visit 211colorado.org. Note: The hotline is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, however, expect long wait times. To avoid waiting, use the call-back feature. Feeding Colorado: The collaborative effort of the 5 Feeding America food banks that serve Colorado and Wyoming to coordinate and enhance food resources, ensuring food insecure Coloradans have access to healthy, fresh foods. Visit feedingcolorado.org/find-food or email info@feedingcolorado.org. Hunger Free Colorado: Connects Colorado families and individuals to SNAP/food stamps, food pantries, free meal sites, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and other nutrition programs geared toward families, children and older adults. Call 855-855-4626 Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Food Mini Market at Central Community Hub We’re excited to launch The Hub Mini Market, offering fresh food at no cost to families with children in Denver Public Schools and eligible Denver residents. We encourage families to schedule an appointment for their shopping time. For more details, visit our website. Help spread the word! Contact us at cencommunityhub@dpsk12.net or check the attached flyers for more info.   Explore the Thunder Family: Schedule a Tour or Shadow Experience Today! School Tour Sign Up If you or someone you know is considering joining the Thunder family, we invite you to take a personalized tour of our school! See our campus, meet our staff, and learn more about what makes our school unique. Use the link below to schedule your tour today! Family Tour Sign Up Student Shadow Sign Up If your student is interested in getting an inside look at our school and experiencing a day in the life of a Thunder student, we offer the opportunity to shadow one of our current students! This is a great way to see our school environment firsthand. Use the link below to schedule your shadowing experience today! Shadow a Thunder Student SHOP MANUAL SWAG Shop Manual Middle School gear at our Spirit Shop online store. Click here to shop!  We have some Manual hats for sale $25.00 Each. You can purchase them in the Manual Middle School main office or use this link. We will reach out upon purchase to see which hat you want and get it to you or your student.  MY SPARK DENVER This is an incredible resource for our students. My Spark Denver provides eligible DPS middle school families with $1,000 to pay for youth programs like sports, music, art and more. Visit this link for more information. CONTACT US Manual Middle School Principal: Douglas Clinkscales Main Phone: 720-423-6550 Attendance Line: 720-423-6551 Website: https://manualms.dpsk12.org/ Calendar: https://manualms.dpsk12.org/calendar/ Free and Reduced Meal Application: https://www.myschoolapps.com/  Copyright (C) 2026. Denver Public Schools. All rights reserved. Manual Middle School Bulletin. A Newsletter for Parents. Our mailing address is: 1700 E. 28th Ave., Denver, CO, 80205 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe |