Bobcat Biz newsletter header reading “What Matters This Week, 10/04–10/10,” with the Bountiful Elementary Make It Matter logo, October 2026, and the monthly focus “Kindness Matters” on a yellow background.

Kindness Matters at Bountiful Elementary

Bountiful Bobcats

October 4, 2026

October brings a new schoolwide focus to Bountiful Elementary: Kindness Matters. Read Principal Pickett's message and then answer October's question.

Kindness is more than one big gesture. It shows up in the everyday choices we make—who we include, how we speak, whether we notice when someone needs help, and how our actions affect the people around us.


Student Council is helping kick off the month with Fall Spirit Week, with each day highlighting another way our choices can make a difference.

  • Monday — Our School Matters: Wear school colors or a Bountiful Elementary shirt.

  • Tuesday — Kindness Matters: Wear sunglasses because it’s cool to be kind—or wear a favorite kindness shirt.

  • Wednesday — Teamwork Matters: Coordinate and match with friends, siblings, your teacher, or your class.

  • Thursday — Your Choices Matter: Focus on making great choices and showing appreciation to others.

  • Friday — Your Dreams Matter: Wear a hat, headband, or accessory representing something you hope to be or do in the future.

Bobcats are invited to join Student Council all week as we show that the choices we make—and the kindness we share—matter.


A Few Things to Know

Sixth graders will participate in CATCH My Breath October 5–8, a research-based youth vaping prevention program focused on health risks, advertising and peer influence, and making informed choices.

Students interested in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest need to sign up by Friday, October 9.

Looking Ahead: End of First Term & Fall Break

Please take note of the adjusted school schedule for next week:

Modern Manners | Make Fun Plans Privately

Birthday parties, playdates, sleepovers, and outings are exciting—and students will not be included in every activity their friends plan. That’s okay.

Good manners mean being thoughtful about where and how we talk about plans. If everyone nearby is not included, invitations and detailed planning should happen privately rather than in front of someone who may feel left out.

Making plans privately isn’t about keeping secrets. It’s about being considerate.

That’s a small social skill with a big connection to Kindness Matters: we can enjoy something without unnecessarily making someone else feel excluded.

Digital Citizenship | News & Media Literacy

Kids encounter information everywhere—search results, videos, advertisements, games, headlines, social media, and increasingly AI-generated content. Learning to stop and evaluate what they see helps students become thoughtful consumers of information rather than simply accepting every message as true.

We encourage families to help children question media, recognize advertising, consider different perspectives, distinguish fact from opinion, and use a variety of trustworthy sources. 

Try At Home: Review a headline, video, advertisement, or search result together this week. Then ask the following:

  • Who made this—and why?

  • Is this fact, opinion, or advertising?

  • Can we confirm it with another trustworthy source?

The goal isn’t to teach kids to distrust everything—it’s to teach them to think before they believe or share.

Explore Family Tips on News & Media Literacy - English

Explore Family Tips on News & Media Literacy - Spanish


Policy & Safety Highlight | Utah E-Bike Laws

With e-bikes and e-scooters becoming increasingly common, families should know Utah’s age, helmet, and speed requirements.

According to the UDOT/Safe Routes Utah information shared with the school:

  • Riders under age 21 must wear a helmet when riding an e-bike or e-scooter.

  • Children under age 8 may not operate an e-device on the road.

  • Devices capable of traveling over 20 mph without pedaling are considered high-powered e-devices/e-motorcycles and may not be ridden by anyone under 16.

Families are encouraged to know what type of device their child is riding, how fast it can travel, and which rules apply.

Know the law. Be an example.

Make It Matter Awards | Celebrating Student Effort

Throughout September, our Bobcats focused on the idea that Effort Matters. They worked on showing persistence, trying even when something is difficult, learning from mistakes, and giving our best.

We are excited to recognize our September Make It Matter award winners, selected for demonstrating those qualities and helping bring Effort Matters to life across Bountiful Elementary.

Congratulations to these Bobcats for showing that effort is something others can see, feel, and learn from. As we move into October's theme of Kindness Matters, we look forward to seeing the many ways our students continue to Make It Matter.

Bountiful Elementary's September 2026 Make It Matter Students pose together holding books and certificates after being recognized for demonstrating the schoolwide theme "effort matters"

Preorder Your Yearbook for $20

Yearbooks are available now at the $20 preorder price through myDSD. Ordering early locks in the preorder price and checks one more thing off your list before spring.

Sign in to myDSD and Order a Yearbook.

Select Payments > Pay for Fees/Lunch > Optional Fees > Yearbook Fundraising

We're Looking for Your Photos!

Throughout the year, we'll share event-specific photo upload links when we're collecting family photos for yearbook consideration.

Right now, we are specifically looking for photos from:

Please use the matching link for each event so photos go into the correct yearbook collection.

We're looking for clear, high-quality photos that capture our Bobcats participating, families connecting, friends together, and the moments that help tell the story of each event.

Submitting a photo makes it available for yearbook consideration but does not guarantee publication.

Know Where To Look

The newsletter helps you know what matters. The website helps you find what you need.

Make It Matter

As we begin a new month, our challenge is simple: notice one small way you can make someone else’s day better.

September reminded us that Effort Matters. October builds on that work by asking us to consider where that effort goes and how it affects the people around us.

At Bountiful Elementary, kindness can be quiet. It can be ordinary. It can take only a few seconds.

But it still matters.