MONSEY, NY — Local father Shloime Berkowitz recently attended the end of summer "Orientation Night" at his daughter Aliza's school, primarily to clarify once and for all which grade she is entering this year.
After an initial delay where Shloime accidentally drove to the boys' yeshiva campus across town, he eventually navigated his way to the correct Bais Yaakov building. "It feels like just yesterday we were making her Kiddush," Shloime remarked to a fellow father in the parking lot. "She must be in third or fourth grade by now. I’m looking forward to finding out!"
Shortly after entering the auditorium, he spotted his wife, Chani, who had arrived earlier from a grocery run at Costco. She gently informed him that their daughter—whose name is actually Adina, not Aliza—is entering the seventh grade. "Seventh grade? Gevaldig," Shloime replied. "Time really flies when you're busy with fantasy sports."
Following the Menahel’s opening remarks, Adina’s new teacher, Morah Devorah, took a moment to commend Shloime on being such a "dedicated and involved" parent. "We usually only see the mothers at these pre-year orientations," Morah Fried noted. "It’s really inspiring to see a father taking such a keen, hands-on interest in the nuances of his daughter’s chinuch!" [עי' נזיר כ"ח]
Shloime was seen heading for the exit and checking his watch for Maariv before Chani caught his sleeve, informing him that they still had to visit the classroom of their younger daughter, Perel, who is starting Pre-K.
"That would make sense," Shloime noted, nodding thoughtfully. "I do vaguely recall seeing another small person at the Shabbos table from time to time."
