This week, Mrs. Ruff and Rusty Ruff celebrate student highlights, classroom laughs, project presentations, and the new kindness challenge. From Drewâs tech wizardry to lunchroom giggle fits and creative ways to tackle math, listeners will get a cheery behind-the-scenes look at Room 210.
Chapter 1
Rusty Ruff
Ruff, ruff, ruff! Letâs get these tails wagginâ! Okay, Mrs. Ruff, ready for my legendary knock-knock joke? Knock, knock!
Mrs. Ruff
Oh, Iâm ready. Whoâs there?
Rusty Ruff
Interrupting puppy.
Mrs. Ruff
Interruptinâ pupâ
Rusty Ruff
RUFF RUFF RUFF RUFF!âGah, I still crack myself up every time! Sorry, one of these days Iâll make it through a knock-knock without jumping the line. But probably not.
Mrs. Ruff
Well, you definitely brought the giggles, Rusty! Which is perfect, because this week had so many highlight moments. Weâve got to shine a spotlight on Drewâour Top Dog of the Week! Drewâs been absolutely âpawesomeâ helping classmates with tech. If someone canât log in or finds themselves lost in an appâpoof!âDrewâs there, calm as can be, showing them how itâs done. I keep saying, Drew could run a help desk if he wanted to. The best part? Heâs always doing it with a smile and so much patience. It really shows what a big helpful heart he has.
Rusty Ruff
Thatâs tech wizardry and kindness in one fluffy package. This weekâs also got us a paw-sitive shout-outâHenry wants to thank our superstar lunch ladies for that banana bread at breakfast. He actually said, âIt was amazing and I hope we have it again.â I gotta say, banana bread gets this pupâs vote every time.
Mrs. Ruff
You know Iâm with you, RustyâI have a feeling banana bread day could basically become a holiday around here!
Chapter 2
Rusty Ruff
Letâs talk about some classic classroom moments. Hayley brought up something thatâs pretty legendary in Room 210â it seems to happen after lunch. Itâs like flipping a switch. Suddenly, everyoneâs got extra zoomies. Hayley says itâs a total phenomenonâif youâre in our class after lunch, prepare for a giggle stampede.
Mrs. Ruff
Oh my gosh, yes. On Wednesday, I honestly couldnât help myselfâI turned to the class and blurted out, âWhat are they feeding you in the lunch room? Are they giving you giggle juice?â I mean, I was half-joking, but after that? Boom. Everyoneâs laughing, Iâm laughing, and when Ms. Sweeny came in and I explained that it seems like the students all turned into gremlins after lunch? Forget it. That sent the laughter off the chartsâeven I had to sit down to catch my breath!
Rusty Ruff
Good thing laughterâs contagious but harmless, huh? Then we had Lincolnâs epic storyâso apparently, he comes back in the room after recess and kinda trips on air, bam! There he is, superhero landing on the floor, and ohâhis leg launches Rowenâs water bottle like itâs a rocket. Sophia, Hanna, Jada and Trinity saw the whole thing. Now, did anyone check if Lincoln was okay? Nopeâbecause, and I quote, everyone was too busy laughingâBut Lincoln says the laughter makes it all worth it.
Mrs. Ruff
Those are some of my favorite moments. Honestly, sometimes when everything erupts in giggles, it just pulls us closer together. And, Rusty, you always talk about how you used to get nervous on the big stage. How did you handle all that buzzy energy?
Rusty Ruff
Oh, for sure! Back in my mascot days, Iâd get the shakes so bad my tail would knock over chairs! But you know, I learned to turn nerves into rocket boosters for fun. Laughterâespecially with good peopleâmakes everything easier. I guess, like our Ruff Pups, I found my pack gave me courage. And sometimes, a goofy moment is all you need to let the whole class know itâs okay to be real.
Chapter 3
Mrs. Ruff
Speaking of being real, letâs give a round of a-paws for our learning this week. We wrapped up the Native American Regions unitâwhew, can I just say how impressed I was with those Google Slides presentations? Seriously, youâd think we were hosting a TED Talk, not just a class project. Everyone brought in new info about the resources, tools, clothing, food, homes, and cultures of different Native groupsâand the creative touches? Chefâs kiss! The best partâwatching you all build those slides together, sharing ideas and taking turns. It was as fun as it was informative.
Rusty Ruff
And thenâmath. So, Mrs. Ruff, I always hear adults say, âUgh, new math!â But you have a way to explain that, right?
Mrs. Ruff
Oh, you know it. I asked the class, âHow many of your parents say they donât like the ânew mathâ?â Believe me, it was a symphony of groans and wide eyes. But really, thereâs no ânew math" Math doesn't really change itâs just that now we teach more than one way to solve a problem. I think of it as now we teach the kids all the ways we naturally solve math problems, in our heads and they end up with a really deep understanding of numbers. It allows you to be flexible in you problem solving. So if you like adding decimals by decomposing the numbers, thinking about the place value or the traditional algorithm you can use whatever works best for you or the problem you are working on. Awesome! The strategy doesnât matter as long as you get there. And, parents, if you want to help at home, the best thing you can do is keep those basic math facts sharp. Multiplying, dividing, adding, subtractingâjust practice those little pieces, and the big stuff will make more sense.
Rusty Ruff
Okay, can I share the new challenge? Drumroll... Next week weâre launching the Pawsitive Words Challenge! One day this week, Ruff Pups, try to focus on using kind, encouraging words. Say stuff like, âThank you,â âI appreciate you,â or, my favorite, âYou make my fur sparkle!â Okay, maybe not that last one. But you get the idea! Track how people react and notice how it makes you feel.
Chapter 4
Mrs. Ruff
Alright, before we wrap up, letâs hit those Ruff Reminders for the week. Monday is library day, remember those books. Wednesday wear your best fit and a smile big, picture day is here! Thursday is PE, so grab those tennis shoes. And Friday? PTA is hosting Foam-a-Polooza on the playground from six to eight p.m. This is a brand new event for Pleasant Ridge and promises, to be even more fun than it sounds. If thatâs possible!
Rusty Ruff
Foam-a-Polooza! Just saying it makes my tail spin. Also, parents, thanks for keeping up with our wild scheduleâI know itâs a lot of fetchinâ and running around.
Chapter 5
Rusty Ruff
Letâs finish, like we always do, with our Bark it Believe it affirmation. Ready? Repeat after meââMy voice matters, and I use it kindly and clearly.â
Rusty Ruff
My voice matters, and I use it kindly and clearly!
Mrs. Ruff
Beautiful, Rusty. Ruff Pups, take that with you this weekend and next week. Your words are powerfulâso use them to lift each other up. And remember, donât say anything to yourself that you wouldnât say to someone else.
Rusty Ruff
Thanks for tuning in, friends. Iâm wagging my tail already for next weekâs episode. Mrs. Ruff, Iâll see you in the classroomâand folks, keep those tails wagginâ and pawsitive vibes going!
Mrs. Ruff
You got it, Rusty. Bye, everyone! Keep being your wonderful, giggly, thoughtful selves. See you next time on the Ruff Pups Pawcast!
About the podcast
Welcome to the Ruff Pups Pawcastâwhere Mrs. Ruff and her pack of 5th grade learners share the tail-wagging highlights of our week! Each episode is full of positivity, laughter, and learning straight from Room 210. The Ruff Pups Pawcast is all about fetching joy, celebrating our students, and building a strong classroom âpack.â Parents, classmates, and friendsâyouâll leave each episode smiling, inspired, and proud of what our Ruff Pups are doing each week.
Rusty Ruff
And donât forget, one of you will get to share your pawsitive words story on the next podcast! I canât wait to hear what happens when you sprinkle those kind words like confetti. Iâll probably end up with it in my fur, but hey, all for a good cause!