25 Years Of Impact

By Malkie Gordon Hirsch Magence

Getting nachas calls from teachers shouldn’t be limited to any specific age bracket. I don’t think there’s a child alive who wouldn’t beam with pride knowing their teacher or an administrator took the time to call home about something they said or did that made an impression.

Every parent loves that call—the one that quietly reassures you that maybe, just maybe, you’re doing something right while mostly winging it in the parenting department. It’s a win for everyone involved.

I received such a call right before we left for winter break, and I loved the story that came with it.

The call came from someone who isn’t directly involved in my daughter’s day-to-day schedule, but on that particular day, he happened to be in the lunchroom. That’s when he was approached by an adorable blonde eight-year-old named Rosie Hirsch, who asked him about the kashrus status of the school lunch french fries. She had already eaten a dairy snack that day and wanted to make sure the fries were pareve so she could enjoy both her favorite food in the world (anything potato-related) and the chocolate her mom had snuck in as a treat.

Now, as Rosie’s mother, I know her as a painfully shy child.

She struggles to speak up in groups. She isn’t pushy or assertive and often has a hard time finding her voice. Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s personality, and hopefully it’s a phase she’ll grow out of. But hearing that small snapshot of her day, learning that she took the initiative to approach an unfamiliar adult to ask a hilchos kashrus question—absolutely tickled me pink.

I genuinely didn’t know she had it in her.

And I have to believe that the reason she cared at all is because of the education she’s receiving at Shulamith.

She’s only in third grade, yet I already see a level of curiosity and interest in her frumkeit that I can only attribute to the school. She’s being inspired to care about halachic details many wouldn’t even think to consider at such a young age. When I had a baby girl after four boys, I knew the moment the doctor announced her gender that she’d be enrolled at Shulamith.

Before we ever stepped foot inside the building, conversations with other parents sealed our decision.

I consistently heard the most positive reports about the administration, the teachers, and even the girls themselves. Once Rosie was enrolled, every parent event, every conference, every interaction confirmed it. The warmth and care from every person who works there is palpable, and it’s impossible not to imagine the impact that it has on the girls who spend so many hours within those walls.

The children are happy to be there and they’re learning, deeply, at the same time.

One small example of the caliber of teachers at Shulamith: I received a WhatsApp message from Rosie’s teacher (and honored educator of the year) who was attending an all-women’s choir that Rosie had participated in the year before. With everything else she had going on, she remembered that she might have students performing and reached out earlier that day to check if Rosie would be there because she had brought balloons to celebrate her accomplishments.

That’s just one example, but it says everything.

The teachers at Shulamith know they’re doing far more than a 9–4 job. They’re educating the future of Jewish women, modeling care, and showing up for their students both inside and outside the classroom.

Shulamith of the Five Towns made its mark 25 years ago (with the original Shulamith school established in Brooklyn in the 1930s) and it will continue to do so for the next 25 and beyond.

It’s a school that takes the responsibility of personalizing the educational experience of every girl who walks through its doors seriously. It’s a place you can’t help but feel happy entering. A place where educators and administrators are the kind of people you hope your child grows up wanting to emulate.

As we gather for the Shulamith dinner, I feel grateful to be part of a community that understands the power of nurturing every child as an individual. It’s a school that recognizes moments of quiet courage just as much as academic achievement, and for that, parents like me feel immense trust and appreciation. Shulamith isn’t just educating our daughters; it’s helping them discover who they are meant to become.

For more information about the upcoming dinner, please visit Shulamithannualdinner.com. 

Malkie Gordon Hirsch Magence is a native of the Five Towns community, a mom of five, a writer, and a social media influencer.