Podcast Hosts & Building Bridges Teachers
Embedded Files
Jacob Ruth
Jacob Ruth
Educator - 20 Yrs.
Parent of Three
Sarah Grosso
Sarah Grosso
Educator - 21 Yrs.
Parent of One
Podcast Overview:
Building Bridges is a parent education podcast. We will discuss thoughts and ideas related to in-person parent learning sessions, current scholarship, teaching and learning - and meet with informative guests. The goal is to Build Bridges between school and home, so we are SOARING together as a community!
Episode #1
Episode #1
Building Bridges - April 16, 2026
Introducing the FIRST Building Bridges Episode!
Book Review: Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
Episode #2
Episode #2
Building Bridges - April 27, 2026
Episode #2: Featuring Special Guest School Counselor Ms. Maddie Blake
Topic: Self Regulation and Emotional Resileince - Connected to Good Inside
Episode #3
Episode #3
Building Bridges - May 7, 2026
Episode #3: Sarah and Jacob discuss the book Raising Awe Seekers by Deborah Farmer Kris. Sarah explains the use art to create a sense of awe and Jacob shares some thoughts about nature/outdoors.
Hikes/Trails Mentioned:
Torrey Pines State Park - Del Mar
Cowles Mountain - La Mesa
Corte Madera - Lake Moreno/Buckman Springs
Park Mentioned: Stelzer County Park - Lakeside
Episode #4
Episode #4
Building Bridges - May 29, 2026
Staff Spotlight: Alexis D'Souza (Office Staff)
Today Sarah and Jacob are joined by the Torrey Hills Office Assistant and San Diego Foodie! We go back to a book we discussed in Episode #3 - Raising Awe Seeker - and connect the ideas from the book to the fun idea of creating moments of awe with food! This episode is just a fun conversation - with a lot of great restaurant recommendations around the beautiful city of San Diego!
Check Out Alexis on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@eatsandiego?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Episode #5
Episode #5
Staff Spotlight: Michelle Jackson
On this episode we are joined by 3rd grade teacher Ms. Michelle Jackson to discuss the summer slide vs the summer stride. The idea is how do we as parents have a fun summer - but continue to engage kids as learners and thinkers! We offer some fun ideas and it is another great dialogue!
Article #1
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/turning-summer-reading-loss-learning-gain-terry-heick
Article #2
https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/beat-summer-slide-parent-summer-checklist
The 3 Whys - Thinking Routine
https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/The%203%20Whys_0.pdf
Episode #6
Episode #6
In this episode Sarah and Jacob dip into the big and very complex topic of technology use and screen time - at school and at home. The particular episode is really about creating a dialogue with other educators and parents and the community as it relates to confronting the use of screen time with children. Sarah and Jacob discuss a few screen alternative ideas and present the idea of balance/moderation - but really just hope to open up the conversation as it is a topic we will need to think about and work on together as community.
Digital Delusion
Anxious Generation
Last Child in the Woods
Summer Unplugged Article
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/edcast/24/04/summer-unplugged
Unplugged - Children's Book
Episode #7
Episode #7
Building Bridges - Father's Day
Sarah had the great idea to do a bonus episode for Father's Day. We decided that we would share 3 stories and connect the stories to something we learned from our dads that impact us as parents today. We want to thank all the Dads out there showing love and raising amazing little humans - and want to acknowledge and celebrate all the people in our lives who support us, love us, and help us be better parents, educators, and humans! Happy Father's Day!
Agua Caliente Park:
https://www.sdparks.org/content/sdparks/en/park-pages/AguaCaliente.html
Episode #8
Episode #8
Staff/Guest Spotlight: Melissa Jaramillo (PTA President)
On this episode Sarah and Jacob welcome Melissa Jaramillo to discuss the topics of community and the PTA. We live in such a complex and sometimes chaotic world - so creating a school community that is safe and welcoming and joyful and fun - is very important. Check out the conversation and look below for ways to communicate and participate!
Show Notes
PTA Website
https://torreyhillspta.com/family-party/
PTA Instagram
Torrey Hills Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/th_hawks?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
Episode #9
Episode #9
Summer is Almost Over!
Today Sarah and Jacob jump on the podcast to discuss a few ideas to think about as families enjoy the last few days of summer and prepare for the first day of school. Sarah shares a few ideas related to sleep routines and help preparing for the shift to the school eating schedule. Jacob shares a few thoughts about great conversations to have with students/children to promote success at school. We are very excited to start a new school year and just wanted to come on to share a few quick tricks and tips to get ready!
Episode #10
Episode #10
Raising Mentally Strong Kids - By Fay and Amen
Guest: Mrs. Teisher
On this episode Sarah and Jacob are joined by the amazing kindergarten teacher Mrs. Teisher. We discuss the upcoming and first in-person Building Bridges Parent Education Session on August 27, 2026. We also give an overview and a sneak peek of the book we will be using to kick on off the in-person parent education sessions - Raising Mentally Strong Kids. It is a great book and we are excited to come together as a community in a few weeks to delve deeper into the ideas in the book - and think and talk and learn together!
Grosso's Read Aloud Books - Invisible String
https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-String-Patrice-Karst/dp/031648623X
Raising Mentally Strong Kids - By Fay and Amen
Episode #11
Episode #11
Driven By Hope - Tammie Babbitt
Guest: Tammie Babbitt
Today we are very excited to be joined by TAMMIE BABBITT. This is the first time on the Building Bridges podcast that we are joined by an author. Tammie is a public school leader, writer, and advocate for hope-centered leadership in education. With more than two decades of experience in public schools, she has served as a teacher, instructional coach, and elementary school principal. Her work is grounded in the belief that schools thrive when people are supported, relationships are prioritized, and hope is treated as a daily practice rather than an abstract ideal. Podcast host Jacob Ruth was lucky enough to work alongside her as a principal in the La Mesa Spring Valley School District - and he was always impressed by her thinking and school leadership. Tammie is the author of the book Driven by Hope - and in today's episode we are going to delve deep into the concepts and the ideas in the book. We are so grateful for the chance to talk to Tammie!
Driven By Hope
https://www.amazon.com/Driven-Hope-Destination-Direction-Educators/dp/1733200258
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